Weekly News Round-Up (6th – 12th November)
This week in the news, find out about T-cells and how they can be used to prevent Covid in the future, get updated on all things cricket, read why Malala changed her mind about marriage and how Lahore will be part of a scientific trial this month! Read more to find out all the news you’ve missed this week.
What Are T-Cells & How Will They Help Fight Covid?
In a recent study published in the journal Nature, it was found that a few people already had a certain degree of immunity against Covid before the pandemic even started. The scientists monitored hospital staff in the UK during the first wave of Covid and regularly took their blood samples. Though the environment they were working in was high-risk, not everyone was infected. ‘Blood samples showed these people already had (as in before the pandemic) protective T-cells, which recognise and kill cells infected with Covid. These T-cells were able to spot a different part of the virus than the bit most of the current vaccines train the immune system to find. Vaccines are largely aimed at the spike protein, which covers the outer surface of the Covid virus. However, these rare T-cells were able to look inside the virus and find the proteins that are necessary for it to replicate’. The scientists hope that by including these T-cells in the vaccines they’ll be able to target these proteins better and provide protection against infection and any new Covid variants that arise. (Source: BBC)
Mohammad Rizwan Makes T20 World Cup History
In the Pak vs. Aus T20 semifinal on Thursday 11th November, wicketkeeper and batsman Mohammad Rizwan made T20 World Cup history! He has officially become the first-ever player in the history of the T20 Internationals to smash 1000+ runs in a calendar year! Moreover, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are the only two batters in the history of T20 Internationals to score 800+ runs in a calendar year! Though Pakistan might not have made it to the finals this time around, the Pakistani cricket team has surely won the nation’s hearts and have revived cricket fever amongst the masses, and that is the real victory. (Source: Cricket Addictor)
The Man Who Sent Kohli’s Daughter Rape Threats Pretended To Be Pakistani To Avoid Arrest
After India lost the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan by 10 wickets, Indian extremists gave Virat and Anushka’s 10-month-old daughter rape threats. Kohli’s manager proceed to lodge police complaints against the anonymous social media accounts and an arrest was made in the city of Hyderabad (India) earlier this week. According to several Indian news agencies, the man is a 23-year-old engineer allegedly named Akubathini Ramnagesh who pretended to be a Pakistani Twitter account after screenshots of his rape threat went viral. However, an Induan fact-checking website later identified him as an Indian resident and the arrest was made. However, the police are still investigating several suspects and it’s expected that more arrests will be made soon. (Source: BBC)
Malala Explains Why She Chose To Get Married
In a recent essay written for British Vogue, Malala explains how the patriarchal roots of marriage (having very little to no autonomy) had made her hesitant and how she was never against the institution of marriage as so many had believed her to be. She expressed her joy at being married to Asser Malik who was her best friend and now her husband, and who had helped her understand how she could be married and still stay true to her values as well. Malala then went on to explain their meet-cute – how they met at Oxford in 2018, became friends and how she even sent him a horoscope compatibility test at one point to “reinforce their connection”! They got married on the 9th of November and Malala revealed that she had put henna on her own hands. Lastly, she revealed that a day before their nikkah, Asser accompanied her to the mall where they both spent time picking out her sandals and his pink tie and pocket square. (Source: British Vogue)
Lahore Expected To Recieve Artificial Rainfall To Combat Smog
Lahore’s smog is becoming an environmental threat and a team of scientists and researchers at Punjab University have decided to use their own resources to combat it by carrying out the first trial of artificial rain in the city from the 20th-22nd of November. Over 50 countries have already used artificial rai to overcome smog, and if the upcoming trial is a success it could make the life of Lahoris a lot better and their air more breathable.
Dr Munawer Sabir, an internationally renowned professor of geography and Punjab University’s Integrated Mountain Research Centre, will be leading the trial and he stated, “We are in contact with the meteorological department and checking the situation of natural rain…You can use electronic drones of planes. It is not impossible as we have to just spray salt over clouds that make them concentrate with a higher quantity of water, leading to rainfall. I am doing this experiment in a limited area and have selected a site covering 1km square…We will select one area of Lahore and do the experiment from November 20th -22nd when the MET department has forecasted rain…If we manage to create artificial rain for five to six hours in Lahore in this season then we can counter the impact of the smog as the dust and other elements posing risks to people’s health would be washed away. Many institutions including Suparco and the Civil Aviation Authority, and even individuals owning aircraft can contribute to the process. India did this experiment in 1983, while Dubai adopts the method every year to fill dams and use the water for generating electricity”. (Source: Express Tribune)
