Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

On this day in 1959, a rebellion began in Tibet that led to a brutal crackdown and the exile

of the Dalai Lama. We look at how repression of Tibetan Buddhists has been ramping up and

at some disturbing parallels with the plight of Weger Muslims.

And catching a flight didn't always mean wandering through some blend of amal and amaze,

perfume sniffing and tequila tasting. Duty free shopping was gaining altitude before

COVID-19. We look at why it probably should come in for a hard landing now. But first,

this week American health authorities updated their guidance for residents who have been fully

vaccinated against COVID-19. That fortunate one-tenth of the population can now meet in small

groups, indoors and unmasked. A two-tiered system of rules is emerging, dividing the

halves and the half-naughts of the global vaccine rollout. Israel has introduced a green

pass into its world leading inoculation drive. Those who have received their jobs can now

go to restaurants, gyms and theaters. European holiday spots, meanwhile, are preparing

to welcome vaccinated travelers. But on Monday, the World Health Organization said it

opposed different rules for the vaccinated while access around the world remains unequal.

If access to vaccine is inequitous, then inequity and unfairness can be further branded into

the system if we continue to make decisions on what people can and can't do, where they

can and can't go, on the basis of being vaccinated. Yet, several countries are pressing ahead

with what many are calling vaccine passports. It's amazing. Everybody's suddenly talking

about them. The American government, the British government, European Union, various

smaller countries like Israel are trying them. Indeed, China has already been using something

...