Follow the latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic here
Abu Dhabi authorities have announced how visitors to the capital who were vaccinated against Covid-19 abroad can gain entry to public places after new safety restrictions are introduced this month.
From Friday, Abu Dhabi will only allow vaccinated people to enter some public places, including restaurants, cafes, malls and shops.
The list also includes gyms, sports centres, health clubs, resorts, museums, galleries and theme parks, as well as universities, colleges, nurseries and schools.
International travellers can make sure they can gain entry to the list of venues by carrying out the following steps:
1. Before departure, visitors need to register in the "register arrivals" section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) app.
2. Complete the register arrivals form and upload an international vaccination certificate. Visitors will receive a text message that includes a link to download Al Hosn app.
3. On arrival in Abu Dhabi, visitors will receive a unified identification number (UID) either at the airport or through the ICA app or website.
4. Visitors will need to download and register on Al Hosn app, using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE.
Abu Dhabi officials said the entry restrictions for unvaccinated people were being introduced as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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