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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some expat Indians are moving back home to launch companies of their own.</li><li>India's booming market size, internet growth, and post-pandemic spending is driving their decision.</li></ul>Nithin Hassan, 41, has always been fascinated with building something of his own.As a child in India, he would get in trouble for dismantling electronics around the house just so he could peek inside.In college, in true <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">startup</a> fashion, he started working on a small business out of his parent's garage in Bengaluru, assembling computers for friends and family.It was the early 2000s and the internet was not the trove of knowledge it is today — Hassan was relying on books to learn. Finding mentorship and the right guidance was a challenge, too.Everyone around Hassan told him that going to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/resume-tips-google-software-engineer-skills-experience-careers-software-tech-2024-3">US for a master's degree</a> was the next big opportunity. So he did.Over the next 16 years, he put his startup plans on hold and worked at some of the world's biggest companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.<div type="image" title="Nithin Hassan" height="2450" width="3266" msid="113831978" hostid="261" sizebytes="215682"></div>But the pandemic felt like a turning point. And its aftermath made India look like a lab-designed business environment: It had just become the world's most populous country, the pandemic had created <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/private-consumption-continues-to-be-supported-by-pent-up-demand-finance-ministry/articleshow/99069973.cms?from=mdr">pent-up demand</a> for consumer products, and growing internet adoption made commerce more scalable, he said.So Hassan left behind about $500,000 in annual pay at Meta to move back to Bengaluru in December 2023 with his wife and two children. He has since launched two startups.Hassan is part of a group of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-moved-back-to-india-after-living-abroad-for-decade-2024-9">expat Indians moving back</a> home to venture out on their own. As such, he's also part of a decades-long trend of reverse migration back to India.The trend began in the 1990s and picked up at the turn of the century, driven by the economic collapse in 2008, said Binod Khadria, the president of Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism. Many of those who returned to India for work were largely working for multinational companies.Today, the impetus for the move often looks a bit different: It's driven by factors like unstable visa policies and economic recessions, which lead to uncertainty when it comes to jobs and duration of stay in these destinations.Many returnees find work in tech, but the finance, retail, and climate sectors also absorb a large number of expat Indians, Khadia said. And some of the returnees are heading back to India to start companies of their own.India is undergoing a startup explosion. The country reported over<a target="_blank" href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2043805"> 140,800 recognized startups</a> at the end of June — nearly 50,000 more than last year — and credited them with creating 1.6 million direct jobs.To be sure, not all of these companies will make it big — and some do still stumble, like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://inc42.com/features/what-are-the-current-problems-being-faced-by-oyo/">Oyo </a>and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackrock-hsbc-funds-byjus-startup-valuation-zero-edtech-india-raveendran-2024-6">Byju's</a>. But the chaos, where even established startups are trying and failing, makes India a fair playing field for new entrants, Hassan said.Business Insider spoke to six <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-vc-wants-see-5-traits-new-founders-fundraising-antler-2024-8">first-time founders </a>about why they have recently returned to India after spending several years, or even an adult life, abroad.<h2 id="0e4a3c47-ba19-4690-8b52-c6bfece1c81d">Fastest-growing economy</h2>The health of the economy and interest from investors are fueling the entrepreneurship boom.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-billionaire-karan-adani-plans-challenge-china-dominance-seaports-2024-8">India's economic growth</a> in 2023 — 8.2% — was the fastest of all large economies worldwide. That's led to greater purchasing power, which lets companies, including startups, sell more.India's inflation rate of about 3.5% is well below its annual wage growth of 9.6%. This makes inflation less of a challenge than it is for slower-growing peers, where consumer-focused businesses have been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economy-jobs-report-sentiment-consumers-elections-recession-inflation-mortgage-rates-2024-9">hurt by high prices</a>.Investors are getting in on the action.From 2015 to 2021, the number of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-capital-vc-firm-split-china-india-2023-6">unique investors in India</a> nearly quadrupled, though the number is tracking much lower this year, per PitchBook."Other than a slight downturn in 2022 and 2023 due to global macroeconomic factors, VC funding has been consistently growing in India," said Ben Mathias, a managing partner at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia &amp; India.Besides funding, domestic developments have encouraged founders and VCs too, Mathias said.The Indian government's Universal Payment Interface system has spurred consumers and businesses to pay online, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bcg.com/press/2june2022-digital-payments-in-india-projected-to-reach-10-trillion-by-2026">40% of all digital payments</a> globally happen in India today, the partner said.Programs like Startup India, which provides founders benefits like tax exemption, easier compliance, and funding support, have made creating a company smoother.Devyani Parameshwar worked in the microfinance and fintech space in India in the 2010s before heading to the UK and Africa. She returned to India in 2022 to launch a financial management venture."It's changed dramatically. I remember standing in line at various ministries in Delhi trying to get meetings and then trying to get answers and it wasn't easy in the past," she said of her memories of India.Now, she can use an online platform to ask the country's central bank and banking regulator questions.It's easier than ever for foreign companies to invest in India, which means startups have a clearer exit path through acquisition — something VCs think hard about before entering new markets or writing checks.<h2 id="e5dd7b6f-a09f-4ff2-84c1-5907de96dc5e">Market ripe for the taking</h2>For Rohan Bhide, who spent most of his college and professional life <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worked-in-big-tech-before-launching-my-own-startup-engineer-2024-9">preparing to launch something of his own</a>, a trip home in 2017 while he was studying in the US was a turning point.Indian telecom giant Reliance had recently launched a cheap unlimited data plan, which spiked Indian internet adoption. India was charting among the countries with the highest online transactions."That really, really drew my attention," said Bhide, who worked at Meta after graduation. "It was my dream come true — a huge market, a huge user base, and at the same time, the ability to adopt technology was incredible."Bhide returned to India in January, leaving behind about $580,000 in total compensation at ticketing platform StubHub. He and a cofounder are working on launching a consumer tech product later this year.<div type="image" title="Rohan Bhide" height="2304" width="3072" msid="113831979" hostid="261" sizebytes="218468"></div>Most Indians grew up wanting to work at a multinational company — but that's changing, Bhide said.Freelancing, running your own business, or working for a startup is much more socially acceptable now, because people see the success of other Indian startups. The country has the third-largest number of "unicorns" — companies worth $1 billion or more — with 64, per PitchBook.<h2 id="7f423804-745b-4e04-a250-839e01663f09">Boom in entrepreneurship culture</h2>A lot has changed since Hassan first wanted to launch his hardware startup in the early 2000s.Tech hot spots like Bengaluru and Gurugram have seen a boom in entrepreneurship culture in the last few years, with meet-ups, networking mixers, and even morning walks with like-minded builders.<div type="image" title="man standing in front of mountains in USA" height="2268" width="3024" msid="113831980" hostid="261" sizebytes="141132"></div>Dhruv Anand, who left Google in the US to move back to India in 2021 to launch an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-startups-most-promising-2024-9">AI startup</a>, said that there were lots of other founders and mentors to help guide him."If you want to figure out who's the right chartered accountant to talk to, who's the right lawyer to help you draft agreements, all of that stuff is very easy," Anand said."It's been a really, really supportive community," Bhide said. There are people "telling you about their entire lives just because they want to help you and they're hoping that you pass the favor onto the next person who moves to India and wants to start their own company."<h2 id="3c8bff36-e855-4530-9b44-bcc7f36b0825">Not everything is perfect</h2>Although these founders made the decision to return to India, that doesn't mean they no longer see the benefits of operating in the US.Ruchit Garg founded an agriculture startup in Silicon Valley in 2016, with a focus on supporting farmers around the globe. In 2019, he returned to India, where his late grandfather worked as a farmer.Garg has been building in India ever since, but he says its startup ecosystem cannot yet compete with the Valley's decades of experience."The overall ecosystem was more mature back in Silicon Valley. It's still one of the best places for entrepreneurs. India isn't there yet, although it's growing pretty drastically," he said.Despite efforts to digitalize key processes, many bureaucratic challenges persist.For most founders, after living in US cities where populations are a fraction of those in Mumbai and Bangalore, congested roads and poorer air quality are also everyday annoyances.But India provides some big perks, including affordable domestic help and the appeal of building solutions for problems they witness firsthand."It's a different joy to be able to build for problems that you feel for very personally," Parameshwar, the fintech founder, said. When she worked in Africa, she needed translators. Now, she can speak with her users herself.Bhide said the general sentiment among local founders is shifting from "Build from India" to "Build for India."For some founders, being surrounded by family and the culture they grew up in was another selling point.Niranjan Vemulkar moved back to India in 2015 and later founded a digital legacy planning platform.He said that he never fully felt at home in the US, where he lived for over a decade."For us, it was the fact that we wanted to raise a family in an environment where the children would have access to the grandparents and Indian culture," Vemulkar said. "The fact that you could come back to India, start something of your own and figure things out in an ecosystem which was potentially booming for startups, was just a cherry on the cake."Are you in India and have a story to share about the tech and entrepreneurship landscape? Please reach out at shubhangigoel@insider.com

Some techies are leaving cushy Silicon Valley jobs to launch startups at home in India

<ul><li>India has detected its first six cases of the new COVID-19 strain, with three in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>, two in <keyword id="6354552" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hyderabad">Hyderabad</keyword> and one in <keyword id="2094" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pune">Pune</keyword>.</li><li>All the individuals, and their close contacts, have been placed under quarantine by the respective states.</li><li>In addition to India and the UK, the new strain has also been reported in 13 other countries around the world. </li></ul>India has detected its first six cases of the new COVID-19 strain in people who have returned to the country from the UK. According to the British government, the new strain is 70% more contagious than its predecessor. The results come after the Indian Health Ministry issued a detailed action plan for the Genomic Surveillance Consortium to scan for the new variant of the virus in UK returnees who tested positive for COVID-19. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="79991161" title="India screening for mutant COVID-19 strain by genome sequencing UK returnees who test positive for virus" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Genome sequencing results: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Location </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cases </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NIMHANS, Bengaluru (Karnataka) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">CCMB, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NIV, Pune (Maharashtra) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td></tr></tbody></table> The affected individuals have been kept in ‘single room isolation’ by the respective states where they have tested positive. All of their close contacts have also been placed under quarantine. “Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on,” said the India SAR-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) Labs in a statement. Before India suspended flights from the UK to India, the government estimates that around 33,000 passengers entered India between November 25 to December 23. So far, only 114 people have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to India, the new strain has also been reported in Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore so far. In the UK, there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in South East England, leading to enhanced epidemiological and virological investigations. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified that a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster. (With IANS inputs) SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jack-ma-ant-group-asked-to-overhaul-its-business-model-by-china-central-bank/articleshow/79987683.cms">China's central bank wants Jack Ma's Ant Group to overhaul its business model</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/top-10-most-expensive-natural-disasters-of-2020-in-the-world/slidelist/79986294.cms">Cyclone Amphan was the most expensive cyclone of 2020 and the fourth most expensive natural disaster overall</a>

New mutant strain of COVID-19 has entered India via six UK returnees

<ul><li>The UK is the first country to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for active immunisation. </li><li>The country has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine and the vaccine is likely to start rolling out by January 4. </li><li>However, European watchdog has warned that there isn’t enough data to be giving the Oxford vaccine approval just yet. </li></ul>The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine — also called the ‘jab’ — has been approved for mass vaccination in the UK. The country has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, which are expected to start rolling out the vaccine from January 4. "The government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford University/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for use," said the Health and Social Care department spokesperson. MHRA’s authorisation for the emergency supply of Oxford covid vaccine is aimed at the active immunisation of individuals 18 years or older, according to AstraZeneca. What does this mean for India? This could spell good news for India, who has been keeping its eye on the UK, with its own approval of the vaccine is pending. As compared to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is more suited to India’s cold storage infrastructure. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vaccine candidates and the temperatures they need to survive: </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vaccine </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cold chain </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Pfizer/BioNTech </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-70 degrees Celsius </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Moderna </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-20 degrees Celsius </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Oxford/AstraZeneca </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Johnson and Johnson </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Novavax </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Respective companies The Serum Institute of India (SII) is hopeful that the India variant, called COVISHIELD, will receive the required regulatory approval in ‘few days.’ "We have 40-50 million doses of Covishield stockpiled. Once we get regulatory approvals in a few days, it will be down to the government to decide how much they can take and how fast. We will be producing around 300 million doses by July 2021," said Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla during a press conference on Monday. However, officials at the European Medicines Agency (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-approval-is-unthinkable-claims-european-watchdog/articleshow/80022921.cms">EMA</a>) have warned that giving the vaccine approval at this stage is ‘unthinkable’. "The data we have at the moment is not even enough to give the AstraZeneca vaccine a conditional authorisation," they told Belgian newspaper het Nieuwsblad. "We need additional data about the quality of the vaccine. And after that, the company has to formally apply.” As of now, AstraZeneca recommends two doses administered with a gap of between four to 12 weeks. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-detects-14-new-cases-of-uk-covid-19-strain-putting-the-tally-at-20/articleshow/80020163.cms">India detects 14 new cases of mutated COVID-19 strain in UK returnees, putting the tally at 20</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/new-strain-of-uk-covid-19-virus-is-a-lot-more-contagious-warns-indias-health-ministry/articleshow/80011618.cms">The new strain of COVID-19 is a lot more contagious, warns India's Health Ministry</a>

UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

As the country awaits the UK's approval to the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine before giving nod for Emergency Use Authorisation to its Indian counterpart developed by Pune-based <keyword id="95879" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII), a top European drug official has claimed that the vaccine is not even ready for a conditional approval at the moment. Noel Wathion, number two at the European Medicines Agency, told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad on Tuesday that the approval for AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is still "unthinkable" and Europe is not going to approve the vaccine with "winning formula" for the time being. "They haven't even submitted an application to us yet," Wathion was quoted as saying in the report. The UK aims to start rolling out the British AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine from January 4. According to Wathion, "The data we have at the moment is not even enough to give the AstraZeneca vaccine a conditional authorisation". "We need additional data about the quality of the vaccine. And after that, the company has to formally apply," Wathion added. Pune-based Serum Institute of India on Monday expressed hope at the possibility of its vaccine called Covishield receiving the regulatory approval in "few days", while emphasising that the company has a massive stockpile of 40-50 million doses. "We have 40-50 million doses of Covishield stockpiled. Once we get regulatory approvals in a few days, it will be down to the government to decide how much they can take and how fast. We will be producing around 300 million doses by July 2021," Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said during a press conference. India currently has eight Covid-19 vaccine candidates, including three indigenous vaccines, under different stages of clinical trials which could be ready for authorisation in near future. Serum Institute-Oxford's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Pfizer vaccine are in the fray for emergency use authorisation. The central government plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people in the first phase of drive. It will be offered to one crore healthcare workers, along with 2 crore frontline and essential workers and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 years with comorbidities. Two days of dry run for the vaccination process was also successfully carried out in four states. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-detects-14-new-cases-of-uk-covid-19-strain-putting-the-tally-at-20/articleshow/80020163.cms">India detects 14 new cases of mutated COVID-19 strain in UK returnees, putting the tally at 20</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/new-strain-of-uk-covid-19-virus-is-a-lot-more-contagious-warns-indias-health-ministry/articleshow/80011618.cms">The new strain of COVID-19 is a lot more contagious, warns India's Health Ministry</a>

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine approval is 'unthinkable', claims European watchdog

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 19 () Hundreds more people tested positive on Tuesday for the deadly coronavirus infection across the country with a large number of them having returned from other states or from abroad, even as officials said India's mortality rate has been very low and it has taken much longer here for the tally to hit the one-lakh mark than many other countries. In its morning 8 AM update, the Union Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has reached 1,01,139 and the death toll has risen to 3,163. This marked an increase of nearly 5,000 cases and 134 fatalities in a 24-hour period. However, a tally of figures announced by various states and union territories, as of 6.45 PM, showed a much higher number for the confirmed infections at 1,01,688. More than 39,000 patients have recovered too, still leaving over 59,000 active cases in the country -- which is the seventh largest globally after the US, Russia, Brazil, France, Italy and Peru. The Health Ministry said that for every one lakh population, there are 7.1 coronavirus cases in India so far, as against 60 globally. Referring to data from the World Health Organisation, the ministry said 45,25,497 COVID-19 cases had been reported worldwide till Monday, which is about 60 cases per lakh population. Among the countries with a very high load of coronavirus cases, the US, with 14,09,452 instances of the infection so far, has around 431 cases per lakh population. In the UK, this ratio is 494 cases per lakh and for Italy it is 372. Officials also cited data about India having taken 64 days for the count of confirmed cases to increase from 100 to one lakh, which was more than double the time taken by countries like the US and Spain. According to the data sourced from the health ministry and Worldometers, the coronavirus infection cases increased from 100 to 1,00,000 in the US in 25 days, while it took 30 days for the cases to reach the 1 lakh-mark in Spain. It took 35 days in Germany, 36 days in Italy, 39 days in France and 42 days in the United Kingdom for the coronavirus infection cases to rise from 100 to 1 lakh, respectively. Reeling off further data, officials said India has so far an average of about 0.2 COVID-19 deaths per lakh population as against the global average of 4.1. They further said a record number of 1,08,233 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Monday, taking the overall count of tests to more than 24 lakh. While the total count of tests in India is estimated to be the seventh largest in the world, after the US, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK, the country ranks much lower at 139th place in terms of tests per million population, as per data website Worldometer. The countries having done more tests than India per million population include Russia, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Norway, Switzerland, UK, Germany, US, Canada, France and Sweden. As per the latest data, more than 48 lakh people worldwide have tested positive for the deadly virus ever since its emergence in China last December, while nearly 3.2 lakh have lost their lives. Over 18 lakh have recovered too. More than 15 lakh cases have been reported in the US alone, while over 90,000 have died there. There are concerns that some parts of the country, including in Kerala, Goa and North-East, are seeing the second or third phase of the virus outbreak as they had almost flattened the curves till a few days ago before people from other states or countries started arriving there. Kerala on Tuesday recorded 12 more COVID-19 cases, all being returnees from overseas and other states, taking the total active patients to 142. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rise was expected but asserted community transmission has not happened so far. All those who tested positive had come from outside the state -- four from abroad and eight from other states, including six from Maharashtra, Vijayan told reporters. With the flow of people from various countries and other states, as expected, positive cases have begun to rise in Kerala, the chief minister said. Since May 7, when the first repatriation flight from the Gulf landed, several of the Keralites who returned home after being stranded in foreign countries and in other states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which have a high number of COVID-19 cases, have tested positive. On Monday too, as many as 28 returnees had tested positive. In Manipur too, a woman and her daughter tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Delhi, officials said. Uttar Pradesh also saw 142 more people testing positive for COVID-19, taking its tally to 4,748. The national capital recorded 500 more cases, taking its tally to 10,554, while its death toll has now risen to 166. Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, reported 2,100 fresh cases, taking its overall tally to 37,158, state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. In Assam, 20 people tested positive, taking the total number of cases in the state to 135. All the new patients were in different quarantine centres across districts. These included people having returned from Chennai and Darjeeling. Karnataka recorded its biggest ever single-day rise with 127 new cases. Of these, 91 have inter-state travel history from neighboring Maharashtra, the state government said. At least two COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, taking the toll to 52, while 57 more tested positive to take the total number of infections in the state to 2,489. Fresh cases include those linked to the Koyambedu market in Chennai, which has become a major hotspot of the deadly virus infection. PLB PM UD ABN KND TR ND BJ BJ

COVID-19: Cases rise further across states; Govt says mortality rate much lower in India

The <keyword id="196717" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indonesian-government">Indonesian government</keyword> announced the temporary closure of entrances for <keyword id="105019" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="foreign-nationals">foreign nationals</keyword> from all countries on January 1-14, 2021, due to the emergence of a <keyword id="10470105" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-virus-variant">new virus variant</keyword> that causes Covid-19. The regulation exempts foreign state officials at the level of ministers and above, who are required to apply tight protocols to prevent further Covid-19 transmissions, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a virtual press conference on Monday following a limited cabinet meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. Foreigners who arrive in Indonesia on Monday (December 28) till December 31 are still allowed to enter the country by showing negative results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests conducted in their countries of origin. The test results shall be valid for 48 hours since their departure, and there will be re-examination of PCR upon their arrival in Indonesia. If proven negative in both the PCR tests, the foreigners are required to do a mandatory quarantine for five days, and after that they must return to undergo PCR tests. If the tests show negative results, the foreigners are allowed to continue their trips, the minister said. Meanwhile, all the Indonesian nationals who want to return from abroad are allowed to enter the country by conducting the same PCR tests. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-screening-for-mutant-covid-19-strain-by-genome-sequencing-uk-returnees-who-test-positive-for-virus/articleshow/79991161.cms">India screening for mutant COVID-19 strain by genome sequencing UK returnees who test positive for virus</a>

Indonesia to close borders till January 14 to stop new Covid strain

<ul><li>Google ‘Short Videos’ carousel, which is currently still in its testing stages, has added TikTok and <keyword id="1724044" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram-videos">Instagram videos</keyword> to its library.</li><li>Short Videos is currently restricted to a limited number of search queries, like Biryani and the Green Bay Packers.</li><li>Rather than having to open individual apps to watch short videos, Google’s new feature allows users to search for videos within Google mobile app and watch them on their phone’s default browser.</li></ul> The supreme aggregator of the internet is living up to its name with plans to launch a carousel that will aggregate videos from TikTok and Instagram within Google’s mobile app — or Google Discover. Rather than having to open individual apps to watch short videos, Google <a href="https://9to5google.com/2020/08/24/google-discover-short-videos/">has been testing</a> a new feature that will let you watch videos within the search results. Instagram and <keyword id="7282489" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="TikTok-videos">TikTok videos</keyword> are the newest additions to the mix, Google spokesperson told <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/29/google-pilots-a-search-feature-that-aggregates-short-form-videos-from-tiktok-and-instagram/">TechCrunch</a> even though the company has declined to formally comment on the plans. Before you get too excited, the feature is only available for a limited number of search queries — like the Green Bay Packers as discovered by <a href="https://twitter.com/type_SEO/status/1343234594104111104">Brian Freisleben</a> or Biryani as <a href="https://twitter.com/SaadAlikhan1994/status/1323296338566696960">Saad AK</a> noted on Twitter. It’s also unlikely to turn into a way for users in India to undercut the government’s TikTok ban. But it could prove useful to find alternative sources of short videos without having to download individual apps and test them out. For Google, it will allow the company to capitalise on the mass popularity of these videos without having to create its own content. It will also help the technology giant retain users who are looking for entertainment by giving them options within its own app. Google’s short videos The ‘Short Videos’ carousel was first spotted within Google Discover in August, earlier this year. Usually, the feed consists of articles that match a user's interests. At times, it may also feature YouTube videos, the weather or cricket scores. Before TikTok and Instagram were added to the mix, Google was seen featuring content from Google’s Area 120 project Tangi and India’s homegrown app Trell. According to <a href="https://9to5google.com/2020/08/24/google-discover-short-videos/">9to5Google</a>, users are able to play these short videos within the default web browser — even if the user has the native app installed — with options to mute, share and navigate. The Short Videos carousel is different from another product that Google is working on, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/youtube-shorts-is-the-latest-tiktok-alternative-launched-in-beta-in-india/articleshow/78117665.cms">YouTube’s ‘Shorts’</a>. However, the carousel may serve as a way for the company to feature short videos from its new service once it’s live. Short Videos is also different from Google Stories, which rolled out in October. Stories consist of short video content that is created by Google’s online publishing partners like Forbes, Vice and others. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-detects-14-new-cases-of-uk-covid-19-strain-putting-the-tally-at-20/articleshow/80020163.cms">India detects 14 new cases of mutated COVID-19 strain in UK returnees, putting the tally at 20</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/new-strain-of-uk-covid-19-virus-is-a-lot-more-contagious-warns-indias-health-ministry/articleshow/80011618.cms">The new strain of COVID-19 is a lot more contagious, warns India's Health Ministry</a>

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Some techies are leaving cushy Silicon Valley jobs to launch startups at home in India

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New mutant strain of COVID-19 has entered India via six UK returnees

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UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

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Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine approval is 'unthinkable', claims European watchdog

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COVID-19: Cases rise further across states; Govt says mortality rate much lower in India

PTI

Indonesia to close borders till January 14 to stop new Covid strain

IANS

Google is testing a shortcut feature for TikTok and Instagram videos

Prabhjote Gill

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