The UK's traffic light system for international travel went live on May 17. Before then, people in England faced a £5,000 ($6,960) fine for travelling overseas without a valid reason.
The ban was primarily to stop Covid-19 variants of concern entering the country. And it is the threat posed by these variants which led to the initial green, amber and red lists being "necessarily cautious", said UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
He said the lists would be reviewed very regularly, however.
What is the traffic light system?
It determines the level of coronavirus risk in overseas countries, which will be rated red, amber or green – with green representing the fewest restrictions for travellers and red the most.
The status is established by a variety of factors, such as the coronavirus case rate, quality of testing, number of vaccines administered and prevalence of virus mutations.
International travel: what do the rules mean if you are travelling to England?
Passengers who have been in a red list country in the 10 days before departure are required to enter hotel quarantine. Only British and Irish nationals, and those with resident rights, are allowed to travel to England from these countries.
Travellers from both amber and green countries must show a negative Covid-19 test before departure - but only amber passengers are required to isolate at home for 10 days.
What happens if I travel to a ‘green’ country?
Before you travel back to England you must complete a passenger locator form, have proof of a negative Covid test, and book and pay for day two and day eight tests to be taken upon your return.
What happens if I travel to an ‘amber’ country?
Holidaymakers in medium-risk, amber countries will need to take a pre-departure test, then self-isolate for 10 days upon return. In line with current guidance, on days two and eight of this period they will need to take a PCR test.
If they take a private Covid test on day five, they may be able to leave self-isolation if the result is negative.
What happens if I travel to a ‘red’ country?
Holidaymakers going to high-risk, red countries will be forced to enter the UK’s hotel quarantine system upon return for 11 days and pay £1,730 ($2,392) for the privilege.
It is only possible to be exempted from hotel quarantine in an emergency.
What is the green watchlist?
The green watchlist will identify countries most at risk of moving from green to amber status, and the government said it will not hesitate to change a country's status should data show increasing risk.
The watchlist serves as a warning to travellers that quarantine requirements could change.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said travellers would be given at least two weeks' notice of any change.
Which countries are on the green list?
Twelve countries or territories were included in the green light category allowing for relatively free travel.
The full green list: Portugal including the Azores and Madeira, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Israel, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands plus St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
MATCH INFO
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Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
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Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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