A man receives his Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National
A man receives his Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National
A man receives his Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National
A man receives his Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National

People in UAE and UK most likely to take Covid-19 vaccine


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UAE citizens and residents are among the most likely people in the world to take the Covid-19 vaccine, new poll results show.

The YouGov survey on vaccine hesitancy showed 87 per cent of people in the UAE said they would receive the injection.

This was second only to Britain, where 90 per cent of those polled were willing to be vaccinated.

Both countries have overseen successful inoculation campaigns, with each approving its first Covid-19 vaccine in December last year.

Scroll through the slideshow for the full results of the survey.

The UAE has administered 11.5 million doses, National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority figures show.

By late April, nearly 40 per cent of the population had been fully vaccinated with two doses.

More than 30 per cent of the UK population is fully vaccinated, with 56.7 million doses administered.

The YouGov poll said vaccine willingness had steadily increased in the UAE since the start of the country's inoculation drive in December.

The figures showed vaccine willingness in the Emirates was 63 per cent on December 16, rising to 78 per cent on February 14, before reaching 87 per cent on April 26.

About 70 per cent of people were willing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the UK on December 14, rising to 90 per cent by May 6.

YouGov said young people in the UK aged between 18 and 24 were the country's most vaccine-hesitant, with 23 per cent saying they would not take it.

In comparison, 18 per cent of people in Britain aged 25 to 49 were vaccine-hesitant, falling to 6 per cent of those aged 50 to 64.

Only 3 per cent aged 65 and over were vaccine-hesitant in the UK, the survey said.

The enthusiasm among older people for vaccination reflects their concerns about contracting Covid-19.

They are more likely to be admitted to hospital and suffer more serious symptoms than younger people.

Younger people were also the least likely to have been offered the vaccine under Britain’s priority delivery schedule.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the survey results showed that people in the UK “backed the jab”.

“It is our way out of this pandemic,” he said on Twitter.

“This stellar level of support for vaccines didn’t happen by accident. Huge praise for my team who have worked so hard to get this right.”

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair said on Monday some countries in Africa were rejecting AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine based on "rumours and stuff flying around on the internet".

His comments came as the UN children's fund said that G7 countries, seven of the world's advanced economies, and the EU could donate 150 million Covid-19 vaccine doses while maintaining their own inoculation campaigns.

Only 0.3 per cent of vaccine supply is going to the 29 lowest-income countries –  even though they are home to nine per cent of the world's population, Unicef said.

The gap spurred World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to ask vaccine-wealthy nations to delay inoculating children and adolescents and instead donate doses to the Covax initiative, a project aimed at providing vaccines to the world's poorest countries.

Covid in the UK – in pictures

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Results for Stage 2

Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race

Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)

Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Company name: Farmin

Date started: March 2019

Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi 

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: AgriTech

Initial investment: None to date

Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs 

'Gold'

Director:Anthony Hayes

Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes

Rating:3/5

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
RACECARD

6pm Emaar Dubai Sprint – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m

6.35pm Graduate Stakes – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.10pm Al Khail Trophy – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,810m

7.45pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m

8.20pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m

8.55pm Downtown Dubai Cup – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 1,400m

9.30pm Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m

10.05pm Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m 

Company profile

Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.

The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers. 

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic

Power: 375bhp

Torque: 520Nm

Price: Dh332,800

On sale: now

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

RESULTS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets