People in Britain could be able to see their Covid-19 vaccination status on an app designed by the National Health Service.
The UK government is reviewing the ethical and economic implications of "Covid status certification" as part of its plan to ease restrictions in England.
The review, led by Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, could pave the way for the introduction of Covid passports in the domestic economy.
It is understood ministers will consider the future role of the NHS app as part of the review.
The app could be used as a health passport to show inoculation status and negative test results.
It is separate from the NHS Covid-19 app, which has been downloaded more than 21 million times since last year and is used mainly for contact tracing.
The generic NHS app already allows people to view their medical records, including vaccinations.
The government is looking at whether vaccine certificates can help restart major events, while the review will also consider how such proof might be used by employers or venue owners.
The plans come as the UK uses its presidency of the G7 to push for an internationally recognised system of vaccine passports that could allow world travel to resume.
The government said it would work with other countries through the World Health Organisation, the G7 and other groups on “a clear international framework with standards that provide consistency for passengers and industry alike".
"Introducing such a system also needs to be fair and not unduly disadvantage people who have yet to be offered or gain access to a vaccine," the government said in a document outlining its plans to lift restrictions.
“That being the case, the government does not expect this solution to be available quickly and restrictions like those in place around the world are likely to continue for the near future.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were "deep and complex issues" with using vaccine passports or certificates to show someone's Covid-19 status in the domestic economy.
Mr Johnson said the UK had "never thought in terms of having something that you have to show to go to a pub or a theatre".
“We can’t be discriminatory against people who for whatever reason can’t have the vaccine,” he said.
“There might be medical reasons why people can’t have a vaccine. Or some people may genuinely refuse to have one.
"I think that’s mistaken, I think everybody should have a vaccine, but we need to thrash all this out.”
Campaign group Liberty said vaccine passports could create a two-tier society.
"Ministers have flip-flopped on the idea of immunity passports for months before quickly backing out again when faced with immense backlash," Liberty's policy and campaigns chief Sam Grant said.
“Renaming them ‘status certificates’ does nothing to address the fact that they would create a two-tier society, where some people can access support and freedoms while others are shut out – with the most marginalised among us hardest hit.”
Dr Mike Tildesley, who advises the government on infectious diseases, said resistance to inoculation remained high in parts of the UK, raising the possibility of discrimination against people from areas where vaccine acceptance was low.
“This is a real concern," he told the BBC. "We may end up in a situation where we have the ‘vaccine rich’, as it were, who are able to access the vaccine, who have taken up the vaccine and are at much lower risk, and maybe the people in society who have not taken up the vaccine.
“Potentially, these individuals could be clustered in particular parts of the country and there is increased risk there.”
What is a vaccine passport and how does it work?
A vaccine passport or certificate is a document that will allow you extra freedom under coronavirus restrictions.
The document shows whether a person has been inoculated against Covid-19.
Vaccine passports are being considered to allow travellers to go overseas without having to quarantine at their destination.
They could also be used to allow someone entry into a major event with large crowds such as a concert.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
AVOID SCAMMERS: TIPS FROM EMIRATES NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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