The companies behind the first Covid-19 vaccine are confident that the drug will defeat the highly contagious mutant strain found in England.
Ugur Sahin, the founder of BioNTech, which created the vaccination with pharmaceutical company Pfizer, said they would know within two weeks if the drug would immunise against the new strain sparking a surge of infections.
Mr Sahin revealed how his work ethic of 4.30am starts gave him and his wife Ozlem Tureci the drive to work flat out to find a way to defeat the virus.
The new variant, detected mainly in London and the south-east of England, has sparked worldwide concern because it is estimated to be 70 per cent more transmissible than the original strain.
“We don’t know at the moment if our vaccine is also able to provide protection against this new variant,” Mr Sahin said a day after his company’s drug was approved for use in European Union countries.
“But scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine can also deal with the new virus variants.”
If it does not, he said he hopes his team can adapt the vaccine’s profile within six weeks to suppress the new strain. “We believe there is no reason to be concerned or worried,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 1,700 lorries are stranded in Kent on the south English coast, prevented from crossing the Channel after France closed its border. In addition, 40 countries banned flights from Britain, attempting to prevent the new strain from spreading.
Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and taken delivery of 800,000 so far, with 500,000 doses administered, mostly to elderly people. It is hoped the mass immunisation programme will bring down the spiralling number of infections that is paralysing the country, with two million cases recorded.
Operating around the clock on what they call Project Lightspeed, Mr Sahin and his colleagues realised they had no time to lose at the beginning of this year.
"We knew from the beginning that, because we had built up technology and special skills over 20 years of research here, we could be among the first in the world to be able to provide an active vaccine," he said. Operating in shifts through the night, teams would take over unfinished work to ensure the research and development continued.
Mr Sahin, born in Turkey, said he inherited his strong work ethic from his parents who rose before dawn every day to get to their jobs early “because they had the dream that their children could become something better and study”.
Fortunately for the rest of the world his parents, who emigrated from Turkey to Germany, knew it was “very important that I go to school”, which he did from the age of four in Cologne.
Asked about opportunities for migrants in Germany, he said it was important to live in a society where people respected each other “and where we create the possibility that everyone can achieve their dreams and goals”.
“I think it is important that we all realise that we are giving people from different countries the chance to make a contribution to society,” he said. “In our company there are employees from over 60 different countries and each makes a different contribution.”
The German government ordered 300 million doses of BioNTech/Pfizer’s vaccine with the first to be administered on Sunday, December 27. Mr Sahin will ensure that his employees are vaccinated before he gets the inoculation, to ensure that the production process continues uninterrupted, because his company plans to create more than 1.1 billion doses over the next year.
To help with production, other pharmaceutical companies have interrupted their usual work to accelerate research and distribution and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is also on hand to assist. “Whenever we need something, we call the federal government and tell them about our needs and get support,” Mr Sahin said.
While the British and German governments ordered the majority of doses currently available, Mr Sahin told other European nations that need the vaccine in bulk: “There is always a chance to talk to us.”
BioNTech/Pfizer's vaccine is authorised for use in more than 45 countries.
RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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THE SPECS
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BMW M5 specs
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
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- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Jetour T1 specs
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Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
SPECS
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A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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