Just when there were very initial signs in some corners of the world of relief from coronavirus pandemic, a new variant of the virus&nbsp;has everyone concerned. Nations are taking precautionary measures, glancing warily at the new virus. World Health Organization (WHO) has called a special meeting and nations have started bringing back flight restrictions.

Will the world see a new chapter of the pandemic? This is something that has got everyone scared. Here is what we know so far about the new variant.

What is the new Covid variant called?

The new variant has a designation of B.1.1.529. It is still being ascertained whether it should be called a 'variant of concern'&nbsp;but high number of spike protein mutations has brought it on the radar of experts. It is likely that WHO will name it 'Nu variant'.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/6-covid-cases-reported-in-three-chinese-cities-in-a-day-shanghai-cancels-flights-shuts-schools-432112">6 Covid cases reported in three Chinese cities in a day, Shanghai cancels flights, shuts schools</a>

What is different about it?

B.1.1.529 has shown 50 mutations. 30 of these mutations are on the spike protein alone. Most of COVID-19 vaccines in use target the spike protein. The virus uses spike protein to gain access to our body cells. More mutations of the spike protein means better ability for the virus to break vaccine protection.

Can the new Covid variant be deadlier?

Researchers are currently trying to determine exact answer of this. WHO is also analysing information to decide whether it can be called a 'variant of concern'

However, large number of mutations, exceeding those seen in previous variants, have been observed in B.1.1.529. And considering it was&nbsp;mutations that created obstacles in our path to find vaccine for the original variant, it can be said that the new one has everyone take&nbsp; notice.

Where was it found?

The new variant was detected in South Africa. As per Francois Balloux, Director of the London-based UCL Genetics Institute who has been quoted in media reports,&nbsp;the first infection may have come from a patient who possibly was an untreated AIDS patient.

How many cases have been detected so far?

South Africa has confirmed about 100 specimens as B.1.1.529.

South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a rise in new Covid&nbsp;infections. Although the NICD didn't attribute latest resurgence to new variant, it is being believed in the local scientific community that the new variant is the cause.

Which countries are affected?

So far, in addition to South Africa, the new variant has been found in Hong Kong, Botswana and also Israel.

Israel's health ministry said on Friday (November 26) that it had found first case of the new variant.

What are countries doing about it?

UK, Germany, Israel, Czech Republic and Singapore were among the first to impose flight restrictions from several&nbsp;African countries, particularly South Africa.

UK Health Minister Sajid Javid said the country had banned flights from six African countries. Flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana would be temporarily banned, he said.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Friday saying that the EU was proposing stoppage of flights to countries in the&nbsp;bloc from southern African region

In India, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government had asked experts to make a presentation on the new variant.

Czech Republic has stopped flights into the country from South Africa.

What is WHO doing about it?

World Health Organization (WHO) has called a special meeting to decide whether the new variant be called a 'variant of concern'.&nbsp;

What are experts saying about it?

Experts say the multiple mutations of the new variant marks a significant jump in the evolution of the virus.

Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson said that B.1.1.529 had an "unprecedented" number of mutations in the spike protein and was driving a recent rapid increase in case numbers in South Africa.

“We don’t know very much about this yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.

How bad is situation in Africa?

Situation in Africa is of concern as countries in the continent have low vaccination rate. In South Africa, where the new variant was detected, only 43 per cent of the adults have been fully vaccinated.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

Just when there were very initial signs in some corners of the world of relief from coronavirus pandemic, a new variant of the virus has everyone concerned. Nations are taking precautionary measures, glancing warily at the new virus.

Just when there were very initial signs in some corners of the world of relief from coronavirus pandemic, a new variant of the virus has everyone concerned. Nations are taking precautionary measures, glancing warily at the new virus. World Health Organization (WHO) has called a special meeting and nations have started bringing back flight restrictions. Will the world see a new chapter of the pandemic? This is something that has got everyone scared. Here is what we know so far about the new variant. What is the new Covid variant called? The new variant has a designation of B.1.1.529. It is still being ascertained whether it should be called a 'variant of concern' but high number of spike protein mutations has brought it on the radar of experts. It is likely that WHO will name it 'Nu variant'. Also Read | 6 Covid cases reported in three Chinese cities in a day, Shanghai cancels flights, shuts schools What is different about it? B.1.1.529 has shown 50 mutations. 30 of these mutations are on the spike protein alone. Most of COVID-19 vaccines in use target the spike protein. The virus uses spike protein to gain access to our body cells. More mutations of the spike protein means better ability for the virus to break vaccine protection. Can the new Covid variant be deadlier? Researchers are currently trying to determine exact answer of this. WHO is also analysing information to decide whether it can be called a 'variant of concern' However, large number of mutations, exceeding those seen in previous variants, have been observed in B.1.1.529. And considering it was mutations that created obstacles in our path to find vaccine for the original variant, it can be said that the new one has everyone take notice. Where was it found? The new variant was detected in South Africa. As per Francois Balloux, Director of the London-based UCL Genetics Institute who has been quoted in media reports, the first infection may have come from a patient who possibly was an untreated AIDS patient. How many cases have been detected so far? South Africa has confirmed about 100 specimens as B.1.1.529. South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a rise in new Covid infections. Although the NICD didn't attribute latest resurgence to new variant, it is being believed in the local scientific community that the new variant is the cause. Which countries are affected? So far, in addition to South Africa, the new variant has been found in Hong Kong, Botswana and also Israel. Israel's health ministry said on Friday (November 26) that it had found first case of the new variant. What are countries doing about it? UK, Germany, Israel, Czech Republic and Singapore were among the first to impose flight restrictions from several African countries, particularly South Africa. UK Health Minister Sajid Javid said the country had banned flights from six African countries. Flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana would be temporarily banned, he said. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Friday saying that the EU was proposing stoppage of flights to countries in the bloc from southern African region In India, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government had asked experts to make a presentation on the new variant. Czech Republic has stopped flights into the country from South Africa. What is WHO doing about it? World Health Organization (WHO) has called a special meeting to decide whether the new variant be called a 'variant of concern'. What are experts saying about it? Experts say the multiple mutations of the new variant marks a significant jump in the evolution of the virus. Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson said that B.1.1.529 had an "unprecedented" number of mutations in the spike protein and was driving a recent rapid increase in case numbers in South Africa. “We don’t know very much about this yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19. How bad is situation in Africa? Situation in Africa is of concern as countries in the continent have low vaccination rate. In South Africa, where the new variant was detected, only 43 per cent of the adults have been fully vaccinated. (With inputs from agencies)

New threat? Here's what we know about Covid B.1.1.529 or Nu variant, likely deadlier than Delta

Israeli health ministry on Friday reported first case of the new Covid-19 variant. The new Covid variant has been designated B.1.1.529 and is being referred to as variant Nu. The variant was first detected in South Africa and other countries.

The strain was discovered in a genomic sequencing test that took an Israeli who returned from Malawi, the Ministry said.

There is also a suspicion of more cases of infection with the strain, of two Israelis who also returned from abroad, it added.

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The Ministry said it waits for the results of their sequencing tests, and until then, the two are staying in quarantine.

The ministry said that the three Israelis have been vaccinated against coronavirus in the past.

It said the epidemiologic investigation is underway to detect more cases of the new strain, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has imposed travel ban on almost all African countries barring a few in north Africa.

(With inputs from agencies)

Israeli health ministry on Friday reported first case of the new Covid-19 variant. The new Covid variant has been designated B.1.1.529 and is being referred to as variant Nu.

Israeli health ministry on Friday reported first case of the new Covid-19 variant. The new Covid variant has been designated B.1.1.529 and is being referred to as variant Nu. The variant was first detected in South Africa and other countries. The strain was discovered in a genomic sequencing test that took an Israeli who returned from Malawi, the Ministry said. There is also a suspicion of more cases of infection with the strain, of two Israelis who also returned from abroad, it added. Also Read | New threat? Here's what we know about Covid B.1.1.529 or Nu variant, likely deadlier than Delta The Ministry said it waits for the results of their sequencing tests, and until then, the two are staying in quarantine. The ministry said that the three Israelis have been vaccinated against coronavirus in the past. It said the epidemiologic investigation is underway to detect more cases of the new strain, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel has imposed travel ban on almost all African countries barring a few in north Africa. (With inputs from agencies)

First case of new Covid variant reported in Israel

Israel on Friday issued a travel ban that barred travellers from almost all African countries from coming to Israel. The move was taken in the wake of the occurrence of a new coronavirus variant which is considered to be more contagious than the dreaded Delta strain.

Under the travel restrictions, all African countries, except those in North Africa were added to Israel's "red list" of high-risk countries.

"We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, according to a statement from his office, before expanding a ban he announced on Thursday on the entry of foreigners from seven African countries and Israelis' travel to them.

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Bennett, who met Israeli health experts before the edicts were announced, said there were a few cases of the new variant reported in Israel.

The new Covid variant, being referred to as 'Nu' variant, has created panic across the world. Even World Health Organisation (WHO) has gone into a huddle to decide next course of action.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/6-covid-cases-reported-in-three-chinese-cities-in-a-day-shanghai-cancels-flights-shuts-schools-432112">6 Covid cases reported in three Chinese cities in a day, Shanghai cancels flights, shuts schools</a>

The infection for the Nu variant was first detected in South Africa.&nbsp;

The coronavirus variant which has got the designation of B.1.1.529 has been reported to have shown more mutations than previously identified variants. Since it was mutations that created obstacles in the path of developing vaccines, the Nu variant has made scientists around the world take notice.

Israel on Friday issued a travel ban that barred travellers from almost all African countries from coming to Israel. The move was taken in the wake of the occurrence of a new coronavirus variant which is considered to be more contagious than the dreaded Delta strain.

Israel on Friday issued a travel ban that barred travellers from almost all African countries from coming to Israel. The move was taken in the wake of the occurrence of a new coronavirus variant which is considered to be more contagious than the dreaded Delta strain. Under the travel restrictions, all African countries, except those in North Africa were added to Israel's "red list" of high-risk countries. "We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, according to a statement from his office, before expanding a ban he announced on Thursday on the entry of foreigners from seven African countries and Israelis' travel to them. Also Read | New threat? Here's what we know about Covid B.1.1.529 or Nu variant, likely deadlier than Delta Bennett, who met Israeli health experts before the edicts were announced, said there were a few cases of the new variant reported in Israel. The new Covid variant, being referred to as 'Nu' variant, has created panic across the world. Even World Health Organisation (WHO) has gone into a huddle to decide next course of action. Also Read | 6 Covid cases reported in three Chinese cities in a day, Shanghai cancels flights, shuts schools The infection for the Nu variant was first detected in South Africa. The coronavirus variant which has got the designation of B.1.1.529 has been reported to have shown more mutations than previously identified variants. Since it was mutations that created obstacles in the path of developing vaccines, the Nu variant has made scientists around the world take notice.

New Covid variant: Israel imposes travel ban on passengers from most of Africa

China voiced its displeasure on Thursday at US putting dozens of Chinese companies in trade blacklist. The US said on Wednesday that it took this step over national security and foreign policy concerns. While doing so, US cited help given by Chinese companies to Chinese military in its quantum computing efforts.

The blacklist has been maintained&nbsp;by US commerce department. Tensions are growing between China and the US over several issues.

China strongly opposes the sanctions on the Chinese companies, and will lodge solemn representations with the United States, Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Chinese commerce ministry, said at a news conference on Thursday.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement on Wednesday that the new listings will help prevent US&nbsp;technology from supporting the development of Chinese and Russian "military advancement and activities of non-proliferation concern like Pakistan's unsafeguarded nuclear activities or ballistic missile programme."

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-official-elected-in-interpol-amid-human-rights-concern-432104">China's official elected in Interpol amid human rights concern</a>

China's embassy in Washington charged that the United States "uses the catch-all concept of national security and abuses state power to suppress and restrict Chinese enterprises in all possible means.

"China is firmly opposed to that," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.

He said the United States should "follow the spirit" of a virtual meeting between US&nbsp;President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week and "meet China halfway instead of going further down the wrong path."

China will take all the necessary steps to defend its companies, and reserves the right to take countermeasures against the sanctions, warned Zhao Lijian, spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, at a briefing on Thursday.

The US&nbsp;Commerce Department said Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co Ltd, Hunan Goke Microelectronics (300672.SZ), New H3C Semiconductor Technologies Co Ltd, Xi'an Aerospace Huaxun Technology and Yunchip Microelectronics were placed on the Commerce Department's entity list for their "support of the military modernization of the People's Liberation Army."

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It also added Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, QuantumCTek (688027.SS) and Shanghai QuantumCTeck Co Ltd to the list for "acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications".

The eight Chinese firms were listed to prevent US&nbsp;technology being used to help China develop quantum computing applications for its military.

The Commerce Department wants to stop the Chinese military from developing its counter-stealth technology, which could include equipment like advanced radars, and counter-submarine applications such as undersea sensors. The action also blocks US&nbsp;material from being used to help China break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption, the Commerce Department said.

Suppliers to companies on the entity list will need to apply for a license before they can sell to them, which is likely to be denied.

Separately, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology was added to the Commerce Department's military end user list, but the listing did not provide additional information other than it had produced military products.

The entity list has increasingly been used for national security and foreign policy aims since the Trump administration. Chinese telecom company Huawei (HWT.UL) was added in 2019, cutting it off from some key suppliers and making it difficult for them to produce mobile handsets.

(With inputs from agencies)

China voiced its displeasure on Thursday at US putting dozens of Chinese companies in trade blacklist. The US said on Wednesday that it took this step over national security and foreign policy concerns.

China voiced its displeasure on Thursday at US putting dozens of Chinese companies in trade blacklist. The US said on Wednesday that it took this step over national security and foreign policy concerns. While doing so, US cited help given by Chinese companies to Chinese military in its quantum computing efforts. The blacklist has been maintained by US commerce department. Tensions are growing between China and the US over several issues. China strongly opposes the sanctions on the Chinese companies, and will lodge solemn representations with the United States, Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Chinese commerce ministry, said at a news conference on Thursday. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement on Wednesday that the new listings will help prevent US technology from supporting the development of Chinese and Russian "military advancement and activities of non-proliferation concern like Pakistan's unsafeguarded nuclear activities or ballistic missile programme." Also Read | China's official elected in Interpol amid human rights concern China's embassy in Washington charged that the United States "uses the catch-all concept of national security and abuses state power to suppress and restrict Chinese enterprises in all possible means. "China is firmly opposed to that," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. He said the United States should "follow the spirit" of a virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week and "meet China halfway instead of going further down the wrong path." China will take all the necessary steps to defend its companies, and reserves the right to take countermeasures against the sanctions, warned Zhao Lijian, spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, at a briefing on Thursday. The US Commerce Department said Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co Ltd, Hunan Goke Microelectronics (300672.SZ), New H3C Semiconductor Technologies Co Ltd, Xi'an Aerospace Huaxun Technology and Yunchip Microelectronics were placed on the Commerce Department's entity list for their "support of the military modernization of the People's Liberation Army." Also Read | Biden thinks he can have it both ways on China. He's wrong It also added Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, QuantumCTek (688027.SS) and Shanghai QuantumCTeck Co Ltd to the list for "acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications". The eight Chinese firms were listed to prevent US technology being used to help China develop quantum computing applications for its military. The Commerce Department wants to stop the Chinese military from developing its counter-stealth technology, which could include equipment like advanced radars, and counter-submarine applications such as undersea sensors. The action also blocks US material from being used to help China break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption, the Commerce Department said. Suppliers to companies on the entity list will need to apply for a license before they can sell to them, which is likely to be denied. Separately, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology was added to the Commerce Department's military end user list, but the listing did not provide additional information other than it had produced military products. The entity list has increasingly been used for national security and foreign policy aims since the Trump administration. Chinese telecom company Huawei (HWT.UL) was added in 2019, cutting it off from some key suppliers and making it difficult for them to produce mobile handsets. (With inputs from agencies)

China unhappy as US puts Chinese companies on trade blacklist

The murder rate in Canada last year rose to its highest level since 2005, pushed up in part by the country's worst-ever mass shooting, in which 22 people died, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

Statscan also noted societal stresses it said had been caused by lockdowns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canadian police reported 743 murders in 2020, up from 687 in 2019. The murder rate increased to 1.95 per 100,000 people, the highest in 15 years, from 1.83 per 100,000 people in 2019.

The Canadian rate has gradually declined since its last recent peak in 1991 of 2.69 homicides per 100,000 population.

"While homicide continues to be a relatively rare occurrence, representing less than 0.2% of all violent crimes in Canada in 2020, homicide rates are considered benchmarks for levels of violence," Statscan said in a commentary.

By comparison, the overall U.S. murder rate in 2020 was around 6.5 homicides per 100,000 people, according to FBI data.

The Canadian increase was driven by more murders in the provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia.

Gabriel Wortman killed 13 people in Nova Scotia on the night of April 18, 2020, and another nine the next day before police shot him dead.

This contributed to an "uncharacteristically high homicide count and rate for the province," Statscan said.

The two most populated cities in Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton, recorded large increases, and each contributed 15 more murders to the national tally than in 2019.

Toronto, Canada's largest city, saw a 22% decrease in the rate of firearm-related homicides from 1.03 per 100,000

population to 0.80.

There were 15 more firearm-related killings in Canada last year, compared with 2019, and gang-related murders decreased 10% in the same period.

The murder rate in Canada last year rose to its highest level since 2005, pushed up in part by the country's worst-ever mass shooting, in which 22 people died, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

The murder rate in Canada last year rose to its highest level since 2005, pushed up in part by the country's worst-ever mass shooting, in which 22 people died, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. Statscan also noted societal stresses it said had been caused by lockdowns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian police reported 743 murders in 2020, up from 687 in 2019. The murder rate increased to 1.95 per 100,000 people, the highest in 15 years, from 1.83 per 100,000 people in 2019. The Canadian rate has gradually declined since its last recent peak in 1991 of 2.69 homicides per 100,000 population. "While homicide continues to be a relatively rare occurrence, representing less than 0.2% of all violent crimes in Canada in 2020, homicide rates are considered benchmarks for levels of violence," Statscan said in a commentary. By comparison, the overall U.S. murder rate in 2020 was around 6.5 homicides per 100,000 people, according to FBI data. The Canadian increase was driven by more murders in the provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia. Gabriel Wortman killed 13 people in Nova Scotia on the night of April 18, 2020, and another nine the next day before police shot him dead. This contributed to an "uncharacteristically high homicide count and rate for the province," Statscan said. The two most populated cities in Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton, recorded large increases, and each contributed 15 more murders to the national tally than in 2019. Toronto, Canada's largest city, saw a 22% decrease in the rate of firearm-related homicides from 1.03 per 100,000 population to 0.80. There were 15 more firearm-related killings in Canada last year, compared with 2019, and gang-related murders decreased 10% in the same period.

Pushed up by mass shooting, Canada murder rate in 2020 hit 15-year high

On India's Constitution Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on dynastic politics and&nbsp;said that parties being ruled by single family for generations were&nbsp;not good for healthy democracy.

"Party for the family, by the family...do I need to say more? If a party is run by one family for many generations, then, it isn`t good for a healthy democracy," said PM Modi at an event on Constitution Day in the Central Hall of the Parliament.&nbsp;

"The spirit of the Constitution has also been hurt, every section of the Constitution has also been hurt, when political parties lose their democratic character in themselves. How can the parties which have lost their democratic character protect democracy?" said the Prime Minister.&nbsp;

He further slammed the dynastic politics prevalent in the country.&nbsp;

"On the basis of merit, more than one person can go in politics from one family and this will not make the party family-oriented. But one family is in politics generation after generation," the Prime Minister added.&nbsp;

PM Modi said that India was moving towards a crisis due to family run parties

He paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and all those who fought during India`s independence struggle.

"Constitution Day is the day to salute this House, where many of India`s leaders brainstormed to give us the Constitution of India. We also pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and all those who fought during India`s independence struggle," he said.

In India, Constitution Day is celebrated on November 26 each year. The day marks adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949.

The Constitution Day was first celebrated in 2015 as a mark of tribute to India`s first Law Minister Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who played a pivotal role in the drafting of the document.The Constitution of India, one of the longest written Constitutions of the world, constitutes of a Preamble, 22 parts with 395 articles and eight schedules.

(With inputs from agencies)

On India's Constitution Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on dynastic politics and said that parties being ruled by single family for generations were not good for healthy democracy.

On India's Constitution Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on dynastic politics and said that parties being ruled by single family for generations were not good for healthy democracy. "Party for the family, by the family...do I need to say more? If a party is run by one family for many generations, then, it isn`t good for a healthy democracy," said PM Modi at an event on Constitution Day in the Central Hall of the Parliament. "The spirit of the Constitution has also been hurt, every section of the Constitution has also been hurt, when political parties lose their democratic character in themselves. How can the parties which have lost their democratic character protect democracy?" said the Prime Minister. He further slammed the dynastic politics prevalent in the country. "On the basis of merit, more than one person can go in politics from one family and this will not make the party family-oriented. But one family is in politics generation after generation," the Prime Minister added. PM Modi said that India was moving towards a crisis due to family run parties He paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and all those who fought during India`s independence struggle. "Constitution Day is the day to salute this House, where many of India`s leaders brainstormed to give us the Constitution of India. We also pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and all those who fought during India`s independence struggle," he said. In India, Constitution Day is celebrated on November 26 each year. The day marks adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The Constitution Day was first celebrated in 2015 as a mark of tribute to India`s first Law Minister Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who played a pivotal role in the drafting of the document.The Constitution of India, one of the longest written Constitutions of the world, constitutes of a Preamble, 22 parts with 395 articles and eight schedules. (With inputs from agencies)

On India's Constitution Day, PM Modi slams dynastic politics

A viral video doing rounds on social media has captured a shocking incident in which a white student can be seen hitting a Black teacher. The incident took place in a school named Castleberry High School in Texas, USA.

In the video, the student can be seen walking towards the teacher who appears to be making a call. The female student comes and takes the receiver from teacher's hands and hits her on her left arm.

The two of them appear to be in altercation in which the teacher keeps her calm while the student can be heard hurling abuses like 'b****'

The student then can be heard talking to her mom and asks her to speak with the teacher 'because she is black'.&nbsp;

Castleberry Independent School District officials have put out a statement and praised the teacher who kept her calm even in the face of literal assault. The statement said that teacher's handling of the incident was exemplary 'throughout the entirety of the incident even when the situation turned violent and offensive.'

“Harassment, racism and violence against our teachers will not be tolerated at Castleberry ISD, and we will take swift and effective action to protect our teachers so that they can perform their duties and educate students in a safe environment," the statement said.

As per media reports the school will hold an internal investigation into the matter and as physical assault was involved, the matter will be reported to law enforcement authorities as well.

A viral video doing rounds on social media has captured a shocking incident in which a white student can be seen hitting a Black teacher. The incident took place in a school named Castleberry High School in Texas, USA.

A viral video doing rounds on social media has captured a shocking incident in which a white student can be seen hitting a Black teacher. The incident took place in a school named Castleberry High School in Texas, USA. In the video, the student can be seen walking towards the teacher who appears to be making a call. The female student comes and takes the receiver from teacher's hands and hits her on her left arm. The two of them appear to be in altercation in which the teacher keeps her calm while the student can be heard hurling abuses like 'b****' The student then can be heard talking to her mom and asks her to speak with the teacher 'because she is black'. Castleberry Independent School District officials have put out a statement and praised the teacher who kept her calm even in the face of literal assault. The statement said that teacher's handling of the incident was exemplary 'throughout the entirety of the incident even when the situation turned violent and offensive.' “Harassment, racism and violence against our teachers will not be tolerated at Castleberry ISD, and we will take swift and effective action to protect our teachers so that they can perform their duties and educate students in a safe environment," the statement said. As per media reports the school will hold an internal investigation into the matter and as physical assault was involved, the matter will be reported to law enforcement authorities as well.

Investigation on after white student hits black teacher in Texas school

Every so often, something so awful and senseless happens that it’s hard to fully absorb it. An apartment building collapses as residents sleep within. A movie star’s prop gun fires a real bullet on a film set, killing a young mother. A concert crowd morphs into a melee that leaves people dead and injured.

After each such catastrophe, there looms a question: What’s the real story of what happened here? Amid a stream of facts and rumors via breaking news alerts, the loudest answers often come from two camps: Let’s call them the conspiracists and the reformists.

One rants about shadowy schemes, nefarious figures, unseen hands and global cabals. The other preaches the gospel of rationality, a doctrine holding that even if all is not yet known, all is eventually knowable, and that if sensible rules are followed, chaos can be prevented.

Take Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, where a crowd surge this month left at least 10 people dead and hundreds injured. “It was like hell,” one attendee said. Some conspiracists were quick to assert another view: The concert wasn’t just “like” hell. It was, rather, an elaborate satanic ritual, perhaps designed to summon a portal to hell.

The signs were all there, they tweeted. There was the stage that looked like an inverted cross. There was the fact that the Church of Satan was founded on April 30, 1966 — 666 months and six days before the night of the concert, Nov. 5, 2021. And that date was also the 66th birthday of Kris Jenner, the mother of Kylie Jenner, Mr. Scott’s girlfriend. These outlandish ideas are not relegated to the fringes of the internet; some videos making such claims have millions of views. A single comment on one of these posts (“The music industry is demonic and collects souls”) garnered tens of thousands of likes on its own.

A conspiracist’s natural habitats are TikTok, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube, fertile ground for planting seeds of paranoia and fear through seconds-long clips and doctored photos. After the Astroworld tragedy, a prominent QAnon figure reportedly articulated the mantra of a conspiracist: “There is NO such thing as ‘coincidence.’ Ever.”

Enter the reformist, for whom a catastrophe comes down to predictable human error. According to the reformist, the cause of the crowd surge at Astroworld was a series of egregious mistakes: inadequate planning, a set of safety measures not properly put in place, or a performer who should have stopped the show sooner.

Crisis could have been averted if only the proper procedures had been followed, the reformist argues on CNN or MSNBC, in an op-ed or Twitter thread. With sober policy prescriptions and technocratic resolve, the reformist suggests, we can bring to heel the chaos that is human existence. We need only follow the rules — and their smart advice.

The dichotomy between figures embodying either chaos or order goes back millenniums, and exists in cultures around the world. It is exemplified by the pairing of the ancient Greek gods Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry and mayhem, and Apollo, the god of the sun, temperance and rational thinking. Philosophers, Nietzsche most notably, have long commented on the relationship between the Apollonian and the Dionysian.

We humans need narratives to process what happens around us or in the world at large. As the popular historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari has said: “The truly unique trait of Sapiens is our ability to create and believe fiction. All other animals use their communication system to describe reality. We use our communication system to create new realities.”

Both the conspiracists and the reformists are engaged in this utterly human process. By connecting events and facts, and tying red strings between them on their metaphorical pin boards, the conspiracist and the reformist each develop a thesis about what happened. Stories help us live with each other and with ourselves, and in the wake of great and sudden suffering, we need something to keep us going.

It might be difficult to see how a story about a satanic blood sacrifice helps people live with themselves. But the conspiracist’s story offers a kind of clemency for the people involved, and perhaps for humankind at large. The image of concertgoers booing a woman who climbed a platform to try to stop the show at Astroworld is difficult to stomach. It can be easier to believe that the events that transpired were a satanic plot than to see them as a result of mundane human indifference.

The soothing quality of the reformist’s story is even easier to identify. Their program of measured improvement offers hope for progress and the promise of control. For that, the reformist attitude is to be admired. If it’s true that “the story in which you believe shapes the society that you create,” as Mr. Harari recently said in an interview, then reformists, with their efforts to eliminate systemic malfunctions, are working toward a better world, or at the very least, a more safe and just one.

The conspiracist and the reformist tend to double down on the narratives valued by their respective communities. The reformist lives in a world where expertise and problem-solving have cultural cachet. The conspiracist lives in world where spirituality and belief in higher powers can answer a lot of the big questions.

Of course the distinctions between the reformist and the conspiracist, between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, are not absolute. Within any one person, the lines blur: Many of us can be reformists and conspiracists, prone to mysticism in some areas and beholden to reason in others. A tree may fall and nearly kill you, leading you to believe that this was a sign from the universe that you must live life to the fullest and appreciate each day — even as you email the city council about hiring more arborists.

There are problems with the stories that both conspiracists and reformists peddle. The conspiracist’s story, taken to its extreme, would have us believe that there is nothing we can do about accidents or problems because they are spawned by devils and cabals, malevolent forces beyond our control. The extreme version of the reformist’s story, by contrast, would have us believe that there’s nothing we can’t do about accidents or problems, that reason can secure us total control over our environment, and even over ourselves.

The truth is that catastrophes occupy the gray space between the darkness of the conspiracist’s narrative and the light of the reformist’s narrative. We are more in control than the conspiracists think; we are less in control than the reformists think.

American history offers many examples of conspiracists and reformists differing in their interpretation of events, from the Salem witch trials to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Or take two other horrors of recent months: the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust,” and the Surfside condo building collapse. Both inspired conspiracy theories, and both inspired lectures and expert analyses of societal failures. Surely, more could have been done to prevent these tragedies — there were procedural and administrative failures in both instances — but we can only ever reduce the possibility of disaster, not eliminate it completely.

There’s a risk here, of course, of false equivalence. Though the conspiracist and the reformist have much in common, the consequences of their stories are obviously quite different. Conspiracy theories such as those advanced by QAnon adherents can breed apathy or extremism or undermine civil society, and they have led to violence and threats of violence.

Reformist narratives might be sanctimonious, but they tend to come from a desire to protect people and improve the world. Still, they can lead to excess caution, such as an unwillingness to discuss an eventual end to masking mandates at schools in some blue states, even when it’s not yet clear what effects two years of masking will have on children.

The true problem with the conspiracist and the reformist, however, is that by telling stories about a catastrophe’s meaning, they assent to the premise of the question, to the hubristic notion that the world should bend itself to human reasoning, that its nature and events and accidents will align with our storytelling. Each camp acts as if its stories are natural discoveries, rather than constructed narratives.

And what’s often lacking in both these camps is humility and empathy. Living in the gray area requires a healthy dose of both.

Empathy is what’s required, for example, to narrow the gulf on Covid: the conspiracist deniers and anti-vaxxers on one side, and the double-masked-and-triple-vaxxed reformists on the other, each railing against anyone whose choices they disagree with.

What would Covid messaging have looked like if humility had been built into the stories we told about masks and vaccines? If we had understood them to be highly effective preventive measures, rather than either silver bullets or ruses, would they have mutated into symbols, into sharp ideological lines dividing the nation?

Humility is a useful quality, too, when regarding the disaster of human-wrought climate change: It’s required to accept that a great deal of damage has already been done, and that our ability to mitigate future damage is already limited. Admitting so doesn’t mean abandoning the fight altogether.

What’s the harm, you might ask, of stories that make some sense of the senseless? Perhaps none. But they can rob us of the opportunity to sit with our feelings, to grieve our losses, to rage at the chaos of the universe, at our animal helplessness, at the random unfairness of life. Both conspiracists and reformists tell stories that explain the “why” before we’ve even processed the “what.”

Every so often, something so awful and senseless happens that it’s hard to fully absorb it. An apartment building collapses as residents sleep within. A movie star’s prop gun fires a real bullet on a film set, killing a young mother.

Every so often, something so awful and senseless happens that it’s hard to fully absorb it. An apartment building collapses as residents sleep within. A movie star’s prop gun fires a real bullet on a film set, killing a young mother. A concert crowd morphs into a melee that leaves people dead and injured. After each such catastrophe, there looms a question: What’s the real story of what happened here? Amid a stream of facts and rumors via breaking news alerts, the loudest answers often come from two camps: Let’s call them the conspiracists and the reformists. One rants about shadowy schemes, nefarious figures, unseen hands and global cabals. The other preaches the gospel of rationality, a doctrine holding that even if all is not yet known, all is eventually knowable, and that if sensible rules are followed, chaos can be prevented. Take Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, where a crowd surge this month left at least 10 people dead and hundreds injured. “It was like hell,” one attendee said. Some conspiracists were quick to assert another view: The concert wasn’t just “like” hell. It was, rather, an elaborate satanic ritual, perhaps designed to summon a portal to hell. The signs were all there, they tweeted. There was the stage that looked like an inverted cross. There was the fact that the Church of Satan was founded on April 30, 1966 — 666 months and six days before the night of the concert, Nov. 5, 2021. And that date was also the 66th birthday of Kris Jenner, the mother of Kylie Jenner, Mr. Scott’s girlfriend. These outlandish ideas are not relegated to the fringes of the internet; some videos making such claims have millions of views. A single comment on one of these posts (“The music industry is demonic and collects souls”) garnered tens of thousands of likes on its own. A conspiracist’s natural habitats are TikTok, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube, fertile ground for planting seeds of paranoia and fear through seconds-long clips and doctored photos. After the Astroworld tragedy, a prominent QAnon figure reportedly articulated the mantra of a conspiracist: “There is NO such thing as ‘coincidence.’ Ever.” Enter the reformist, for whom a catastrophe comes down to predictable human error. According to the reformist, the cause of the crowd surge at Astroworld was a series of egregious mistakes: inadequate planning, a set of safety measures not properly put in place, or a performer who should have stopped the show sooner. Crisis could have been averted if only the proper procedures had been followed, the reformist argues on CNN or MSNBC, in an op-ed or Twitter thread. With sober policy prescriptions and technocratic resolve, the reformist suggests, we can bring to heel the chaos that is human existence. We need only follow the rules — and their smart advice. The dichotomy between figures embodying either chaos or order goes back millenniums, and exists in cultures around the world. It is exemplified by the pairing of the ancient Greek gods Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry and mayhem, and Apollo, the god of the sun, temperance and rational thinking. Philosophers, Nietzsche most notably, have long commented on the relationship between the Apollonian and the Dionysian. We humans need narratives to process what happens around us or in the world at large. As the popular historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari has said: “The truly unique trait of Sapiens is our ability to create and believe fiction. All other animals use their communication system to describe reality. We use our communication system to create new realities.” Both the conspiracists and the reformists are engaged in this utterly human process. By connecting events and facts, and tying red strings between them on their metaphorical pin boards, the conspiracist and the reformist each develop a thesis about what happened. Stories help us live with each other and with ourselves, and in the wake of great and sudden suffering, we need something to keep us going. It might be difficult to see how a story about a satanic blood sacrifice helps people live with themselves. But the conspiracist’s story offers a kind of clemency for the people involved, and perhaps for humankind at large. The image of concertgoers booing a woman who climbed a platform to try to stop the show at Astroworld is difficult to stomach. It can be easier to believe that the events that transpired were a satanic plot than to see them as a result of mundane human indifference. The soothing quality of the reformist’s story is even easier to identify. Their program of measured improvement offers hope for progress and the promise of control. For that, the reformist attitude is to be admired. If it’s true that “the story in which you believe shapes the society that you create,” as Mr. Harari recently said in an interview, then reformists, with their efforts to eliminate systemic malfunctions, are working toward a better world, or at the very least, a more safe and just one. The conspiracist and the reformist tend to double down on the narratives valued by their respective communities. The reformist lives in a world where expertise and problem-solving have cultural cachet. The conspiracist lives in world where spirituality and belief in higher powers can answer a lot of the big questions. Of course the distinctions between the reformist and the conspiracist, between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, are not absolute. Within any one person, the lines blur: Many of us can be reformists and conspiracists, prone to mysticism in some areas and beholden to reason in others. A tree may fall and nearly kill you, leading you to believe that this was a sign from the universe that you must live life to the fullest and appreciate each day — even as you email the city council about hiring more arborists. There are problems with the stories that both conspiracists and reformists peddle. The conspiracist’s story, taken to its extreme, would have us believe that there is nothing we can do about accidents or problems because they are spawned by devils and cabals, malevolent forces beyond our control. The extreme version of the reformist’s story, by contrast, would have us believe that there’s nothing we can’t do about accidents or problems, that reason can secure us total control over our environment, and even over ourselves. The truth is that catastrophes occupy the gray space between the darkness of the conspiracist’s narrative and the light of the reformist’s narrative. We are more in control than the conspiracists think; we are less in control than the reformists think. American history offers many examples of conspiracists and reformists differing in their interpretation of events, from the Salem witch trials to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Or take two other horrors of recent months: the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust,” and the Surfside condo building collapse. Both inspired conspiracy theories, and both inspired lectures and expert analyses of societal failures. Surely, more could have been done to prevent these tragedies — there were procedural and administrative failures in both instances — but we can only ever reduce the possibility of disaster, not eliminate it completely. There’s a risk here, of course, of false equivalence. Though the conspiracist and the reformist have much in common, the consequences of their stories are obviously quite different. Conspiracy theories such as those advanced by QAnon adherents can breed apathy or extremism or undermine civil society, and they have led to violence and threats of violence. Reformist narratives might be sanctimonious, but they tend to come from a desire to protect people and improve the world. Still, they can lead to excess caution, such as an unwillingness to discuss an eventual end to masking mandates at schools in some blue states, even when it’s not yet clear what effects two years of masking will have on children. The true problem with the conspiracist and the reformist, however, is that by telling stories about a catastrophe’s meaning, they assent to the premise of the question, to the hubristic notion that the world should bend itself to human reasoning, that its nature and events and accidents will align with our storytelling. Each camp acts as if its stories are natural discoveries, rather than constructed narratives. And what’s often lacking in both these camps is humility and empathy. Living in the gray area requires a healthy dose of both. Empathy is what’s required, for example, to narrow the gulf on Covid: the conspiracist deniers and anti-vaxxers on one side, and the double-masked-and-triple-vaxxed reformists on the other, each railing against anyone whose choices they disagree with. What would Covid messaging have looked like if humility had been built into the stories we told about masks and vaccines? If we had understood them to be highly effective preventive measures, rather than either silver bullets or ruses, would they have mutated into symbols, into sharp ideological lines dividing the nation? Humility is a useful quality, too, when regarding the disaster of human-wrought climate change: It’s required to accept that a great deal of damage has already been done, and that our ability to mitigate future damage is already limited. Admitting so doesn’t mean abandoning the fight altogether. What’s the harm, you might ask, of stories that make some sense of the senseless? Perhaps none. But they can rob us of the opportunity to sit with our feelings, to grieve our losses, to rage at the chaos of the universe, at our animal helplessness, at the random unfairness of life. Both conspiracists and reformists tell stories that explain the “why” before we’ve even processed the “what.”

Conspiracist or reformist: Which one are you when disaster strikes?

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm.

But the process of star formation is a violent one.

A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together. Dense clumps of this cloud coalesce due to processes known as local stellar wind. The gas is thus pushed together. When the density reaches a high enough point, clumps of gas collapse under their own gravity and form a spinning protostar. The material around the star forms a disc and gets attracted to the star due to its gravity therby increasing the gravity and carrying the process of star formation ahead.

At some point, the star begins to give out what is called solar wind and this in addition to several other processes limit the growth of the star and it starts on the path to become a full-fledged star!

NASA's Hubble space telescope has clicked an image of such a protostar. The protostar has been given a designation J1672835.29-763111.64

The region of space around this protostar is still dusty. That means the protistar is still in its infancy and matter is still being spooled into it making it bigger.&nbsp;

This protostar is roughly 400 to 600 light-years away.

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm. But the process of star formation is a violent one. A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together.

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm. But the process of star formation is a violent one. A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together. Dense clumps of this cloud coalesce due to processes known as local stellar wind. The gas is thus pushed together. When the density reaches a high enough point, clumps of gas collapse under their own gravity and form a spinning protostar. The material around the star forms a disc and gets attracted to the star due to its gravity therby increasing the gravity and carrying the process of star formation ahead. At some point, the star begins to give out what is called solar wind and this in addition to several other processes limit the growth of the star and it starts on the path to become a full-fledged star! NASA's Hubble space telescope has clicked an image of such a protostar. The protostar has been given a designation J1672835.29-763111.64 The region of space around this protostar is still dusty. That means the protistar is still in its infancy and matter is still being spooled into it making it bigger. This protostar is roughly 400 to 600 light-years away.

Hubble telescope captures violent process of star formation

The lines are getting longer at the Halal Guys food cart in the heart of Manhattan. The number of international visitors buying Statue of Liberty tickets has jumped more than 50%. And a few thousand more people are walking through Times Square.

After more than 18 months, the United States reopened its borders Nov. 8 to vaccinated foreign travelers. Early indications suggest that they have been trickling back to New York, the top American destination city for international tourists.

But many businesses that depend on international visitors, including hotel operators and restaurants, see signs that even more tourists could start streaming in as the year-end holiday season approaches, providing a badly needed boost as the city’s labor force struggles to recover from the pandemic.

The tourism industry has increasingly become a pillar of New York’s economy. A record 66.6 million travelers visited the city in 2019, and their spending supported hundreds of thousands of jobs, from restaurant workers to museum security guards to bus drivers.

Some airlines reported that their first flights carrying tourists to New York in 20 months were fully booked.

“It really seems like the city is happy to show itself to the world again,” said Christiaan Vander Kuylen, who arrived recently from Brussels. “The energy is amazing.”

This was Vander Kuylen’s first trip to New York. He came to reunite with his partner, who moved here four months ago.

Vander Kuylen, 25, ate at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side and watched “Moulin Rouge” on Broadway. He also shopped for jeans and sneakers in SoHo, a neighborhood where retailers have been pummeled by the drop in tourism.

For the city’s tourism officials, the return has been cause for optimism, even as they have projected only 2.8 million foreign travelers will visit New York this year, a steep plunge from the 13.5 million who visited in 2019.

Before the pandemic, about half of all credit-card sales at the city’s major department stores came from tourists. International visitors tend to spend more and book longer trips. They represent 20% of visitors to New York City, but account for half of the spending. Hotels especially depend on overseas travelers to fill up rooms on weeknights.

In 2019, the biggest groups of international travelers to New York came from the United Kingdom, China, Canada and Brazil.

Tourism projections were dampened by the fact that China still has severe restrictions on travelers leaving the country. In the years before the pandemic, each Chinese tourist in New York spent an average of $3,000, almost 60% higher than the average for international visitors, according to the New York state comptroller’s office.

Still, the return of other overseas travelers has already had an outsized effect on businesses like BO’s Bagels in Harlem, which had been a popular stop for European visitors during tours of Harlem churches.

Starting about a week ago, Andrew Martinez, the owner, noticed a flood of visitors to the store who did not speak English and ordered unusual combinations, like smoked salmon with Nutella on a bagel. Foot traffic was 30% higher than normal.

The demand made him feel more comfortable about adding two new employees, both of whom started within the last week.

“It saved us,” Martinez, 48, said. “In the last week, it felt like I woke up from a coma and everything was just normal.”

At Battery Park in lower Manhattan, the number of people boarding boats to visit the Statue of Liberty rose to about 5,500 a day in the second week of November, from about 3,500 a day before the U.S. borders reopened, said Michael Burke, chief operating officer of Statue Cruises. Overseas traffic to its ticket-booking website jumped more than 60% in recent weeks, he said.

In interviews with more than a dozen international visitors in New York City, many said they immediately booked tickets after the travel ban lifted to visit family or meet with business associates.

Dave Hughes, the chief executive of a startup in Scotland, traveled from Glasgow, stopping in New York before heading to business meetings in Phoenix and Boston. Shortly after his flight landed, he went to his favorite Lower East Side bar, Milano’s Bar, where he was thrilled to see bartenders and other regulars he knew.

Before the pandemic, Hughes, 38, traveled several times a year to New York. This time, he was startled by the thinner crowds in Times Square and the vacant storefronts throughout the city.

“Walking around and not getting jostled by tourists with bags was definitely different,” he said.

On Nov. 13, the first Saturday after international tourists returned, more than 272,000 people walked through Times Square, a 1.2% increase from the prior Saturday, according to the Times Square Alliance, a business advocacy group. A comparable day in 2019 had about 330,000 pedestrians.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has also announced that Times Square will welcome the crowds back to its traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop, which he said was “further evidence to the world that we are 100% back.” (Attendees must be fully vaccinated.)

Just north of Times Square, at the Halal Guys food cart, business was up about 20% during the first weekend with international visitors, according to its chief marketing officer, Andrew Eck. Foreign tourists traditionally made up about 30% of customers at the cart, which was famous for the long lines of people waiting for its chicken and beef rice platters — and has now become a global franchise.

Still, some hotel and restaurant owners were cautious in their assessments, saying the reopening may have come too late to draw significant numbers of international visitors before next year.

“I personally think it’s going to be a bit of a slower burn,” said Mandy Oser, who has operated Ardesia Wine Bar in Hell’s Kitchen since 2009.

Business at Ardesia has improved steadily since Broadway theaters started reopening in September, but Oser is still waiting for a surge of tourists. Oser said she was looking forward to the arrival of an influencer from the Netherlands, who she hoped would spread word of Ardesia’s wine and cheese pairings.

Even without tourists, Oser expects business to be robust in December as local customers have been booking holiday parties and clamoring for New Year’s Eve reservations.

In the week ending Nov. 14, more than 214,000 people attended Broadway shows, an 11% increase from the prior week, according to the Broadway League, a trade organization representing producers and theater owners. It was not clear how much of the increase was because of international travelers, who typically make up one-fifth of attendees.

At Q4 Hotel, a hostel in Queens that relies almost exclusively on foreign travelers, bookings are nearly sold out for the end of November and December, according to Aaron Lajara, a hotel manager. The hostel, which has shared rooms for up to eight people, shut down for 19 months before reopening in October.

During that period, Lajara, 29, survived on unemployment benefits and federal stimulus checks.

“Financially, it was a struggle,” he said. “I was excited mentally to come back to work.”

Tourists will have more lodging options because several hotels reopened in the last month under pressure from a new local law that required them to pay $500 a week in severance to laid-off workers unless they opened their doors and rehired at least 25% of their employees.

Two of the biggest hotels in the city — the Hilton and the Grand Hyatt in midtown Manhattan — reopened this fall. But several are still closed, leaving thousands of hotel workers unemployed.

It will likely take longer for larger tour groups, a lucrative source of income for tourist destinations, to return in full force. A spokesman for the Sept. 11 memorial said international groups are booking tickets for spring 2022.

Tourism overall is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2024, according to projections from the city’s tourism agency.

Andy Sydor, a certified tour guide for more than two decades, is living off his savings from 2019, when he worked every day in June and July. That period was so overcrowded, he said, that there were sometimes three-hour waits to enter the Statue of Liberty.

In recent months, Sydor, 58, has led private tours of Brooklyn, where he can make $50 an hour, with visitors from states like Oklahoma and Florida. But he has not yet booked an international group during the pandemic.

“If I saw even a single international booking, I’d be a little more excited,” he said.

John Fitzpatrick, who owns two Fitzpatrick hotels in midtown, said the first wave of visitors from overseas seemed to have been headed to the homes of relatives for long-awaited reunions.

“Even if they’re coming to see family, they’re still coming into the city to shop,” he said.

Another wave of tourists is on its way, Fitzpatrick said, judging by his bookings. He said all 250 of his rooms were sold out for the first weekend in December, with a large number of guests from Ireland.

“It’s coming,” he said.

The lines are getting longer at the Halal Guys food cart in the heart of Manhattan. The number of international visitors buying Statue of Liberty tickets has jumped more than 50%.

The lines are getting longer at the Halal Guys food cart in the heart of Manhattan. The number of international visitors buying Statue of Liberty tickets has jumped more than 50%. And a few thousand more people are walking through Times Square. After more than 18 months, the United States reopened its borders Nov. 8 to vaccinated foreign travelers. Early indications suggest that they have been trickling back to New York, the top American destination city for international tourists. But many businesses that depend on international visitors, including hotel operators and restaurants, see signs that even more tourists could start streaming in as the year-end holiday season approaches, providing a badly needed boost as the city’s labor force struggles to recover from the pandemic. The tourism industry has increasingly become a pillar of New York’s economy. A record 66.6 million travelers visited the city in 2019, and their spending supported hundreds of thousands of jobs, from restaurant workers to museum security guards to bus drivers. Some airlines reported that their first flights carrying tourists to New York in 20 months were fully booked. “It really seems like the city is happy to show itself to the world again,” said Christiaan Vander Kuylen, who arrived recently from Brussels. “The energy is amazing.” This was Vander Kuylen’s first trip to New York. He came to reunite with his partner, who moved here four months ago. Vander Kuylen, 25, ate at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side and watched “Moulin Rouge” on Broadway. He also shopped for jeans and sneakers in SoHo, a neighborhood where retailers have been pummeled by the drop in tourism. For the city’s tourism officials, the return has been cause for optimism, even as they have projected only 2.8 million foreign travelers will visit New York this year, a steep plunge from the 13.5 million who visited in 2019. Before the pandemic, about half of all credit-card sales at the city’s major department stores came from tourists. International visitors tend to spend more and book longer trips. They represent 20% of visitors to New York City, but account for half of the spending. Hotels especially depend on overseas travelers to fill up rooms on weeknights. In 2019, the biggest groups of international travelers to New York came from the United Kingdom, China, Canada and Brazil. Tourism projections were dampened by the fact that China still has severe restrictions on travelers leaving the country. In the years before the pandemic, each Chinese tourist in New York spent an average of $3,000, almost 60% higher than the average for international visitors, according to the New York state comptroller’s office. Still, the return of other overseas travelers has already had an outsized effect on businesses like BO’s Bagels in Harlem, which had been a popular stop for European visitors during tours of Harlem churches. Starting about a week ago, Andrew Martinez, the owner, noticed a flood of visitors to the store who did not speak English and ordered unusual combinations, like smoked salmon with Nutella on a bagel. Foot traffic was 30% higher than normal. The demand made him feel more comfortable about adding two new employees, both of whom started within the last week. “It saved us,” Martinez, 48, said. “In the last week, it felt like I woke up from a coma and everything was just normal.” At Battery Park in lower Manhattan, the number of people boarding boats to visit the Statue of Liberty rose to about 5,500 a day in the second week of November, from about 3,500 a day before the U.S. borders reopened, said Michael Burke, chief operating officer of Statue Cruises. Overseas traffic to its ticket-booking website jumped more than 60% in recent weeks, he said. In interviews with more than a dozen international visitors in New York City, many said they immediately booked tickets after the travel ban lifted to visit family or meet with business associates. Dave Hughes, the chief executive of a startup in Scotland, traveled from Glasgow, stopping in New York before heading to business meetings in Phoenix and Boston. Shortly after his flight landed, he went to his favorite Lower East Side bar, Milano’s Bar, where he was thrilled to see bartenders and other regulars he knew. Before the pandemic, Hughes, 38, traveled several times a year to New York. This time, he was startled by the thinner crowds in Times Square and the vacant storefronts throughout the city. “Walking around and not getting jostled by tourists with bags was definitely different,” he said. On Nov. 13, the first Saturday after international tourists returned, more than 272,000 people walked through Times Square, a 1.2% increase from the prior Saturday, according to the Times Square Alliance, a business advocacy group. A comparable day in 2019 had about 330,000 pedestrians. Mayor Bill de Blasio has also announced that Times Square will welcome the crowds back to its traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop, which he said was “further evidence to the world that we are 100% back.” (Attendees must be fully vaccinated.) Just north of Times Square, at the Halal Guys food cart, business was up about 20% during the first weekend with international visitors, according to its chief marketing officer, Andrew Eck. Foreign tourists traditionally made up about 30% of customers at the cart, which was famous for the long lines of people waiting for its chicken and beef rice platters — and has now become a global franchise. Still, some hotel and restaurant owners were cautious in their assessments, saying the reopening may have come too late to draw significant numbers of international visitors before next year. “I personally think it’s going to be a bit of a slower burn,” said Mandy Oser, who has operated Ardesia Wine Bar in Hell’s Kitchen since 2009. Business at Ardesia has improved steadily since Broadway theaters started reopening in September, but Oser is still waiting for a surge of tourists. Oser said she was looking forward to the arrival of an influencer from the Netherlands, who she hoped would spread word of Ardesia’s wine and cheese pairings. Even without tourists, Oser expects business to be robust in December as local customers have been booking holiday parties and clamoring for New Year’s Eve reservations. In the week ending Nov. 14, more than 214,000 people attended Broadway shows, an 11% increase from the prior week, according to the Broadway League, a trade organization representing producers and theater owners. It was not clear how much of the increase was because of international travelers, who typically make up one-fifth of attendees. At Q4 Hotel, a hostel in Queens that relies almost exclusively on foreign travelers, bookings are nearly sold out for the end of November and December, according to Aaron Lajara, a hotel manager. The hostel, which has shared rooms for up to eight people, shut down for 19 months before reopening in October. During that period, Lajara, 29, survived on unemployment benefits and federal stimulus checks. “Financially, it was a struggle,” he said. “I was excited mentally to come back to work.” Tourists will have more lodging options because several hotels reopened in the last month under pressure from a new local law that required them to pay $500 a week in severance to laid-off workers unless they opened their doors and rehired at least 25% of their employees. Two of the biggest hotels in the city — the Hilton and the Grand Hyatt in midtown Manhattan — reopened this fall. But several are still closed, leaving thousands of hotel workers unemployed. It will likely take longer for larger tour groups, a lucrative source of income for tourist destinations, to return in full force. A spokesman for the Sept. 11 memorial said international groups are booking tickets for spring 2022. Tourism overall is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2024, according to projections from the city’s tourism agency. Andy Sydor, a certified tour guide for more than two decades, is living off his savings from 2019, when he worked every day in June and July. That period was so overcrowded, he said, that there were sometimes three-hour waits to enter the Statue of Liberty. In recent months, Sydor, 58, has led private tours of Brooklyn, where he can make $50 an hour, with visitors from states like Oklahoma and Florida. But he has not yet booked an international group during the pandemic. “If I saw even a single international booking, I’d be a little more excited,” he said. John Fitzpatrick, who owns two Fitzpatrick hotels in midtown, said the first wave of visitors from overseas seemed to have been headed to the homes of relatives for long-awaited reunions. “Even if they’re coming to see family, they’re still coming into the city to shop,” he said. Another wave of tourists is on its way, Fitzpatrick said, judging by his bookings. He said all 250 of his rooms were sold out for the first weekend in December, with a large number of guests from Ireland. “It’s coming,” he said.

From Katz’s Deli to broadway, international tourists trickle back

Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry on Monday (November 22) tweeted a video suggesting that the previously leaked audio file purportedly containing Pakistan Chief Justice Saqib Nisar's words was doctored.

In the video shared by Chaudhry, Pakistan Chief Justice Saqib Nisar can be seen speaking at what appears to be like a ceremony.

"...Unfortunately, let me be a little blunt about it. Let me be a little frank about it..." Nisar can be seen and heard as talking. The video clip ends with portion of the previously leaked audio file and appears to reflect the same words. Chaudhry apparently suggests that the leaked audio file was doctored.

The leaked audio file has kickstarted a controversy in Pakistan politics. The file, purportedly containing Saqib Nisar saying that he had passed instructions to sentence former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has raised questions on judiciary which is expected to be impartial.

"Institutions have asked to do so. Whether it is fair or not, it has to be done," Justice Nisar can be heard saying. It is being understood that the word 'institutions' refers to Pakistan military.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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لگتا ہے ججوں کے خلاف مہم کی تیاری ذرا جلدی میں کی گئ، اس مذموم مہم کے پیچھے سارے کردار سامنے ہیں امید ہے اس معاملے میں عدالتیں نرم رویہ اختیار نہیں کریں گی اور اس توہین آمیز مہم کو منطقی انجام تک پہنچایا جائیگا۔۔ <a href="https://t.co/1XWqfKxhgQ">pic.twitter.com/1XWqfKxhgQ</a>
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1462723186777374724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The military has traditionally had a heavy influence in Pakistan politics. The country has seen more military rulers than civilian.

In the leaked audio file, Nisar can also be heard as saying that Nawaz Sharif's daughter also needs to be punished.

"Even though there are no cases against Maryam Nawaz, she would still have to be punished," he said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"We shall bring (Imran) Khan sahab" 
 
A leaked audio of ex-Pakistan chief justice Saqib Nisar, allegedly instructing a judge at the accountability bureau to sentence former PM Nawaz Sharif, has put the judiciary, military and ISI under the scanner. <a href="https://twitter.com/AnasMallick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnasMallick</a> has more details <a href="https://t.co/X2V9tMN1GH">pic.twitter.com/X2V9tMN1GH</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1462794245715148803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Justice Nisar has refuted allegations and has already said that the leaked audio file is doctored.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/leaked-audio-reveals-justice-saqib-nisar-ordered-to-jail-nawaz-sharif-as-institutions-wanted-imran-in-power-431155">Leaked audio reveals Justice Saqib Nisar ordered to jail Nawaz Sharif as 'institutions' wanted Imran in power</a>

Fact Focus, which has obtained the audio file, says that it had sent the audio file to a multimedia forensics lab in US which concluded that the audio file was not doctored.

Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry on Monday (November 22) tweeted a video suggesting that the previously leaked audio file purportedly containing Pakistan Chief Justice Saqib Nisar's words was doctored.

Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry on Monday (November 22) tweeted a video suggesting that the previously leaked audio file purportedly containing Pakistan Chief Justice Saqib Nisar's words was doctored. In the video shared by Chaudhry, Pakistan Chief Justice Saqib Nisar can be seen speaking at what appears to be like a ceremony. "...Unfortunately, let me be a little blunt about it. Let me be a little frank about it..." Nisar can be seen and heard as talking. The video clip ends with portion of the previously leaked audio file and appears to reflect the same words. Chaudhry apparently suggests that the leaked audio file was doctored. The leaked audio file has kickstarted a controversy in Pakistan politics. The file, purportedly containing Saqib Nisar saying that he had passed instructions to sentence former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has raised questions on judiciary which is expected to be impartial. "Institutions have asked to do so. Whether it is fair or not, it has to be done," Justice Nisar can be heard saying. It is being understood that the word 'institutions' refers to Pakistan military. لگتا ہے ججوں کے خلاف مہم کی تیاری ذرا جلدی میں کی گئ، اس مذموم مہم کے پیچھے سارے کردار سامنے ہیں امید ہے اس معاملے میں عدالتیں نرم رویہ اختیار نہیں کریں گی اور اس توہین آمیز مہم کو منطقی انجام تک پہنچایا جائیگا۔۔ pic.twitter.com/1XWqfKxhgQ — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 22, 2021 × The military has traditionally had a heavy influence in Pakistan politics. The country has seen more military rulers than civilian. In the leaked audio file, Nisar can also be heard as saying that Nawaz Sharif's daughter also needs to be punished. "Even though there are no cases against Maryam Nawaz, she would still have to be punished," he said. "We shall bring (Imran) Khan sahab" A leaked audio of ex-Pakistan chief justice Saqib Nisar, allegedly instructing a judge at the accountability bureau to sentence former PM Nawaz Sharif, has put the judiciary, military and ISI under the scanner. @AnasMallick has more details pic.twitter.com/X2V9tMN1GH — WION (@WIONews) November 22, 2021 × Justice Nisar has refuted allegations and has already said that the leaked audio file is doctored. Also Read | Leaked audio reveals Justice Saqib Nisar ordered to jail Nawaz Sharif as 'institutions' wanted Imran in power Fact Focus, which has obtained the audio file, says that it had sent the audio file to a multimedia forensics lab in US which concluded that the audio file was not doctored.

Pakistan minister tweets video, suggests leaked recording of Pak CJ is fake

There's nothing like striking gold, especially when you are looking for something valuable. And a man thought the same when he found unusually heavy rock. In 2015, David Hole was prospecting using a metal detector in Maryborough Regional Park near Melbourne, Australia. The rock was unusually heavy, reddish and was lying in yellow clay.

He was sure that he had found a nugget of gold. Marybourough, where he found that rock lies in the Goldsfield region.&nbsp;

David Hole tried to break the rock. He used a sledgehammer, a drill and even doused the rock in acid. But no luck. The rock remained intact.

He kept the rock anyway. And years later he found out that it was far more valuable than gold.

Finally, he took the rock to Melbourne Museum for identification. It was revealed that the rock was a meteorite.

"It had this sculpted, dimpled look to it," Melbourne museum geologist Dermot Henry told The Sydney Morning Herald.

The researchers concluded that the rock was 4.6 billion years old! It hadn't been on Earth during all this period though.

When solar system was in infancy, it was a swirling mass of gas and dust. This particular meteorite may have been one of the millions of space rocks floating in space. Researchers concluded that it may have fallen between 100 and 1000 years ago.

There's nothing like striking gold, especially when you are looking for something valuable. And a man thought the same when he found unusually heavy rock. In 2015, David Hole was prospecting using a metal detector in Maryborough Regional Park near Melbourne, Australia.

There's nothing like striking gold, especially when you are looking for something valuable. And a man thought the same when he found unusually heavy rock. In 2015, David Hole was prospecting using a metal detector in Maryborough Regional Park near Melbourne, Australia. The rock was unusually heavy, reddish and was lying in yellow clay. He was sure that he had found a nugget of gold. Marybourough, where he found that rock lies in the Goldsfield region. David Hole tried to break the rock. He used a sledgehammer, a drill and even doused the rock in acid. But no luck. The rock remained intact. He kept the rock anyway. And years later he found out that it was far more valuable than gold. Finally, he took the rock to Melbourne Museum for identification. It was revealed that the rock was a meteorite. "It had this sculpted, dimpled look to it," Melbourne museum geologist Dermot Henry told The Sydney Morning Herald. The researchers concluded that the rock was 4.6 billion years old! It hadn't been on Earth during all this period though. When solar system was in infancy, it was a swirling mass of gas and dust. This particular meteorite may have been one of the millions of space rocks floating in space. Researchers concluded that it may have fallen between 100 and 1000 years ago.

Strange rock thought to be gold emerges far more valuable

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Manas Joshi

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