Vaccines are underway and they are still effective against the new strain. Although the new strain is any more deadly, people are highly worried because this mutation appears to be 70 percent more infectious.

The new variant, which has been named VUI-202012/01 (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020), is thought to have first occurred in mid-September in the country’s southeast, in the capital London or the county of Kent.

Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said the agency notified the government on December 18 when modelling revealed the full seriousness of the new strain. The UK submitted its findings to the World Health Organization the same day.

Since then it spread quickly, becoming the dominant form of the virus there.

In London , 62 percent of cases were due to the new variant in the week of December 9. The rapid turn of events forced UK government to enforce stricter lockdown measures over the coming Christmas period. UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said the new lockdown measures might stay in place for some time.

Scientists says the new strain contains 23 changes , many associated with alterations in a protein made by the virus.

Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said the new variant may be in other countries as well but might have started in the UK.

In a bid to stop the new strain from spreading, The Netherlands and Belgium banned travellers from the UK.

Dutch authorities said they had at found at least one case of the new strain and flights carrying UK passengers have been banned until January 1. Belgium is suspending flight and train arrivals from the UK for at least 24 hours, according to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo who spoke to Belgian television channel VRT.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter that cases of the mutant strain were lower in Scotland “than the rest of the UK,” but warned, “preventative action may be necessary to stop the faster-spreading strain taking hold.”

More than 67,000 people have died of COVID-19 to date in the UK, making it one of Europe’s worst-hit along with Italy.

Italy has also detected a patient infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, the health ministry on Sunday informed. The patient and his partner returned from the United Kingdom in the last few days with a flight that landed at Rome’s Fiumicion airport and were now in isolation, the ministry said.

Meanwhile the Health Ministry of India’s top advisory body will meet urgently on Monday to discuss the new strain of novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom. Reports suggest that experts from AIIMS and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), along with a representative from the World Health Organisation(WHO) will attend the meeting.

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Now the world’s first commercial flying car is all set to hit the roads and hopefully the skies too.

PAL-V, the Dutch company involved in the making of the first flying car, has announced that its Liberty vehicle has been approved for road usage in Europe. Notably production in India is likely to begin next year.

The development has paved the way for a future not too far-fetched where spotting flying cars could just be ordinary.

PAL-V’s Liberty, a compact two-person aircraft that can travel on public roads, recently cleared stringent European road admission tests.

It is now allowed to hit the streets with an official license plate.

As the world’s first flying car, the Liberty starts with an entry-level price tag of $399,000, which is close to Rs. 3 crore in the Indian currency.

Powered by dual engines, the Liberty can reach a maximum speed of 160 kmph in drive mode, with the ability to accelerate from 0-100 kmph in under nine seconds. It has a range of 1,315 kilometers.
In flight mode, the Liberty can reach a maximum speech of 180 kmph and has a range of 500 kilometers.

PAL-V Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mike Stekelenburg said in a statement, “The trick in successfully making a flying car is to ensure that the design complies with both air and road regulations.”

Stekelenburg added, “We have been cooperating with the road authorities for many years to reach this milestone… It was very challenging to make a ‘folded aircraft’ pass all road admission tests.”

PAL-V has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gujarat to establish a plant in India. Production in India is likely to commence in 2021. Reportedly, production models from Gujarat will be exported to several European countries.

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India also witnessed a dip of 8448 in its active cases in the last 24 hours. As of Wednesday morning, there are 7,40,090 active cases of coronavirus in India.

For the fifth consecutive day, the active cases of coronavirus remained below 8 lakh in India.

India has a recovery rate of 88.8 percent. Six states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal- account for 64 percent of the country’s total active cases.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,72,00,379 samples have been tested up to October 20 with 10,83,608 samples being tested on Tuesday (October 20).

However, a top ICMR official warned that a person may get reinfected with Covid-19 if the antibodies against the infection diminish in the body in five months’ time after recovery.

Officials at the World Health Organisation reiterated the importance of adhering to quarantine rules for those who test positive and those who have come in contact with a positive case, as Europe faces a surge in numbers.

Globally, the infections have topped 40.2 million, with over 1.1 million deaths. Soaring cases in US battleground states pose a challenge for President Donald Trump two weeks before the election.

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“One million is a terrible number and we need to reflect on that before we start considering a second million. Are we prepared collectively to do what it takes to avoid that number? If we don’t take those actions… yes, we will be looking at that number and sadly much higher,” WHO emergency director Michael Ryan told reporters.

The United States is one of the worst hit countries due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the country has recorded more than seven million positive cases, and 2,08,000 deaths. India is also facing the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, and the country is all set to touch the six million positive cases mark. In India alone, coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 93,410 people.

A few weeks back, Anthony Fauci had claimed that coronavirus is a perfect storm with no end in near sight. The recent warning from WHO indicates that Fauci’s words are turning true.

“We are living, right now, through a historic pandemic outbreak. And, we are, right now, in a situation where we do not see any particular end in sight. It’s the perfect storm. We often talk about outbreaks and pandemics, be they influenza or other pathogens, that have to have a few characteristics that make them particularly formidable. Well, this particular virus has that,” said Fauci.

In the meantime, British prime minister Boris Johnson has revealed that the United Kingdom will not return to normalcy in the next six months, as the coronavirus cases in the country started resurging again.

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Our Correspondent

The UAE Royal family-backed Directions Investments Holding Co. (DIHC), under the Chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan and Franchise India, Ltd, the largest franchise and management company in South Asia, has announced a strategic partnership to support Indian businesses that wish to set up their manufacturing, retail, trading, representation or marketing office in the United Arab Emirates.

The alliance will open a gateway for competitive advantage in exploiting opportunities and avoiding pitfalls when operating in the MENA and APAC regions by Indian Companies, according to a press release.

With about 3.3 million Indian migrants in the UAE alone (according to the UN’s migration report in 2017), constituting almost 27-plus percent of its population, it is a big competitive advantage for an Indian company to plan its expansion in the UAE.

Franchise India Ltd, under the Chairmanship of Gaurav Marya, seeks to assist Indian companies with setting up their local Limited Liability Company and do business with government and private companies in the UAE under the direct guidance of the Royal Family office.

“Through our Value Added Services Programme, we provide a platform where our JV partners and Sponsorship Program, find the necessary elements to launch, grow and succeed.” said Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, DIHC.

Globalisation and global markets are of considerable relevance, principally owing to the pragmatic growth effects of cross- border enterprise and investment. Moreover, the next normal comes with a highly potent business environment, where approaches to incorporate sustainability and resiliency to withstand the uncharted outside shocks becomes equally important for decision making and strategic planning by business owners.

The presence of a huge Indian diaspora is a big plus for Indian companies for zeroing down in the UAE and is a great market to replicate a successful Indian business model. Being an affluent market where retail is quite well developed, the potential market is as big as many other emerging markets but highly concentrated.

Expertise and experience about the laws of the land is vital to start a business in the UAE market. The investor-friendly UAE Government has been taking steps to make the process easier for Indian consumer and manufacturing brands to enter the UAE, especially Abu Dhabi. Finding a trustworthy sponsor or partner can be tedious for Indian entrepreneurs and that is where this channel partnership will make the process easier and shorter,” said Mr. Marya.

The project is to create visibility and attract leading investors, businesses and organisations to understand the commercial and competitive capabilities of Abu Dhabi by recommending participation in and through specifically curated relevant programs, site tours, inward delegations and networking forums.

Headquartered in New Delhi, Franchise India ltd (FIL) is a dynamic international franchise, investment research, business set-up and advisory organisation with over three decades of expertise in collaborating and working alongside Government, regulatory bodies, international organisations, ports, special economic zones, trade and industry from across all verticals. Professionals at Franchise India have the proficiency and understanding in how markets across geographies function and specialise in connecting with global markets for bilateral investments and business establishment.

A diversified business group headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, chaired by Private office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, DIHC operates in the Middle Eastern, Asian and African Markets, maintaining the highest of business relationships with international consultants/industry experts and partners in over 120 countries throughout Europe, the Americas, MENA and APAC regions.

The long-term vision of DIHC is based upon developing a high value, high impact business portfolio through its Strategic Business Units (SBU’s or sponsored companies) with a clear direction and appropriate core competencies within each Business unit that includes an emphasis on leading industry expertise. The group operations along with SBU management, work to identify and filter business opportunities that are aligned to the Groups Strategic Direction, capabilities and market positioning to create a competitive age through unique solutions, the press release said.

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