https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58660579 Afghanistan's banking system is near to collapse, the boss of one of the nation's biggest lenders has told the BBC. Syed Moosa Kaleem Al-Falahi, the Chief Executive of the Islamic Bank of Afghanistan, said the country's financial industry is in the grip of an "existential crisis" as customers panic. "There's huge withdrawals happening at the moment", he said, speaking from Dubai, where he is temporarily based because of the chaos in Kabul. "Only withdrawals are happening, most of the banks are not functioning, and not providing full services," he added. Afghanistan's economy was already on shaky ground even before the Taliban took control in August. It is hugely dependent on foreign aid - about 40% of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from international aid, according to the World Bank. But since the Taliban takeover, the West has frozen international funds, including assets Afghanistan could have accessed with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Mr Al Falahi says this is encouraging the Taliban to look for other sources of financial support. "They are looking forward to China and Russia, and some other countries as well. "...it seems that sooner or later, they will be successful in dialogue," he said. China has already talked about its desire to help rebuild Afghanistan, and work with the Taliban. A recent editorial in the Chinese state-controlled Global Times said there is "huge potential for cooperation in rebuilding Afghanistan", adding that China is "definitely a leading player". China has already pledged 200 million Chinese yuan ($31m, £22m) worth of aid including food supplies and coronavirus vaccines. Still, the Taliban is under pressure to fix Afghanistan's economic problems now. Inflation is soaring, the Afghani, the country's currency, is plummeting and people are desperate as many have lost their jobs and are short of cash. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that only 5% of households in Afghanistan have enough to eat every day. Half of those surveyed said they have run out of food altogether at least once in the last two weeks. So accessing international funds and foreign assistance is key to Afghanistan's survival. But countries like the US have said that while they are willing to consider working with the Taliban - it will depend on some pre-conditions - including the regime's treatment of women and minorities. Mr Al Falahi insists that despite statements from the Taliban that women are not allowed to work for "a while", women in his bank are returning to work. "There was sort of... fear among the women, they were not coming to the offices, but now gradually they started coming to the office," he said. Mr Al Falahi comments also chimed with recent statements by the Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a BBC interview Mr Khan said the Taliban are trying to show a more modern and reformed face to the world, in comparison to how they behaved the last time they were in power - a sort of Taliban 2.0. "At the moment, they are more flexible, they are very cooperative. "They're not imposing any strict rules and regulations for the time being," Mr Khan said. However, women's groups and human rights organisations have pointed to a huge difference between what the Taliban have said and the reality on the ground, with reports of many women and girls now not being allowed to go to school or work.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58710200 World Health Organization (WHO) staff were among 83 aid workers who sexually abused women and girls while tackling the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a report finds. The abuses, which included nine allegations of rape, were committed by both national and international workers between 2018 and 2020. The report comes after more than 50 local women reported sexual abuse. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "inexcusable". The 35-page report was produced by an independent commission following an investigation. The commission, which interviewed dozens of women who had alleged they were offered work in exchange for sex, found that 21 of the 83 alleged perpetrators were employed by the WHO. Local women were also allegedly plied with drinks, "ambushed" in hospitals, forced to have sex, and two became pregnant. The WHO said it was terminating the contracts of four people who were still employed by the organisation and promised more measures would be taken. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Dr Tedros said the report made for harrowing reading and apologised directly to the victims and survivors. "I'm sorry for what was done to you by people who are employed by WHO to serve and protect you," he said. "It is my top priority that the perpetrators are not excused, but held to account." He said the responsibility ultimately rested with him and promised to help support and protect victims, while vowing to overhaul the WHO's structure and culture. WHO Africa regional director Matshidiso Moeti also apologised to those who suffered "because of the actions of our staff". She said she was "humbled, horrified and heartbroken" by the inquiry's findings. The commission said it found "clear structural failures and unpreparedness to manage the risks of incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse" in the central African country. It said this was partly because of the focus on eradicating Ebola. More than 2,000 people died in the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo. The WHO, which spearheaded global efforts to curb the spread of the outbreak, declared it over in June last year.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/buying-a-car-at-auction The two major car auction groups, BCA and Mannheim, no longer allow members of the public to register and buy cars. A spokesperson for BCA says its decision to exclude the public has its roots in covid and the changes it prompted, not least the company's temporary suspension of physical auctions. If you're a motor trader, you're still welcome at BCA and Manheim auctions, although BCA's auctions are exclusively online. Meanwhile, although the majors may have closed their doors to them, the country's largest independent motor auction group, Wilsons Auctions which, in August 2021, acquired long-established West Oxfordshire Motor Auctions, does allow the public, as well as motor traders, to bid online and, depending on the location, in person at a physical sale. It has a number of sites around the country. Visit its website to find your nearest centre or bid online. There are other independent auction companies across the country, too, that welcome members of the public including Cannock Motor Auctions, which holds only physical sales, generally of older used cars, and Anglia Car Auctions which holds physical and online general car sales and online-only classic car sales. Whether you're a trader or member of the public, if you're intending to buy at a physical auction rather than online, and it's your first time, before you even think of bidding, visit a sale purely as a spectator. Auctions are marketplaces for seasoned experts so learn the process and familiarise yourself with the hustle and bustle of the auction hall. This way, when you are ready to buy, you won't be overwhelmed by the experience. If buying online, the dangers of bidding recklessly are even higher since you only need press a computer key and the car is yours. For this reason, follow a few sales to get a feel for the pace and for prices. Although it no longer accepts bids from the public, Manheim Auctions has produced a jargon buster on its website to help everyone understand auction jargon. Do I need to register to bid? Generally speaking, all bidders, trade and public, must register and pay a deposit (depending on the auction between £200 and £500) to bid online or in person. You'll be given a bidder's number allowing you to bid. If your bid for a vehicle is successful, the deposit can be put towards the full payment of the vehicle. Should you not buy a vehicle, the deposit will be returned on request at the end of the sale. You will also need to show photo proof of ID and proof of address before you’re able to buy a vehicle, so make sure you have these with you. How do I get the best deal? Make sure you know which specific model or type of car you want and how much you’re willing to spend. Then research typical used values so you can calculate whether the car you’re interested in is a bargain. Details of most lots, or cars, are published well before the sale. Acquaint yourself with the conditions of sale to ensure you know what the buyer's fees and other charges are so that you know how much you can afford to bid. Beware of multi-vendor sales where many different cars are offered, many of them by unscrupulous types. Far better to go to a fleet sale where the cars come from one, recognised vendor and are of a fairly consistent standard and provenance. Favour cars with an inspection report over those without. It sounds obvious but if it's possible, try to see the car in person before the sale. Some auctions hold viewing days to allow this.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58567722 Australian graphic design business Canva has become one of the world's biggest privately-owned companies after being valued at $40bn (£29bn). The online design platform said it had grown during the pandemic as more customers worked from home. It has revealed a fresh $200m round of private equity investment - more than doubling the company's value in five months. That makes it one of the world's most valuable start-ups, analysts say. According to business data provider CB Insights, Canva's $40bn valuation makes it the fifth-most valuable start-up in the world, behind China's ByteDance, which owns TikTok, payment platform Stripe, Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX and Swedish financial technology firm Klarna. The funding also places its co-founders among the top 10 richest people in Australia. Canva was founded in Sydney in 2013 by Australians Melanie Perkins, 34, and Cliff Obrecht, 35. The 30-year-old woman who designed Canva in university Together they own about 36% of the company, according to Forbes. On Wednesday, they announced that they also intended to give away the vast majority of the stake - about 30% of the company's wealth - to charitable causes. Canva provides design templates for people to make everything from greetings cards to posters, resumes and calendars. Also on Wednesday, the firm said it had grown its customer base to over 60 million users in 190 countries, and was on track to post $1bn revenue by the end of the year. It said it had 500,000 paying customers, among them corporate clients like Zoom, Salesforce, Paypal, Marriott International and American Airlines, which the firm said had all increased their use of Canva's design technology in the past year. "From large enterprises to small businesses, the shift to distributed working has seen team adoption more than quadruple over the last 12 months," the company said in a press release, referring to the number of companies taking up its software. Its latest fund-raising round was led by global investment firm T.Rowe Price and investors included Franklin Templeton, Sequoia Capital Global Equities, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greenoaks Capital, Dragoneer Investments, Blackbird, Felicis, and AirTree Ventures. The firm has also doubled its workforce this year, hiring more than 1,000 new employees in 2021, with headquarters in Sydney and Manila. Canva, which became profitable in 2017 and achieved a $1bn valuation a year later, is now one of Australia's most valuable companies. Its valuation puts it on par with publicly-listed firms such as supermarket giants Wesfarmers and Woolworths Group and mining company Fortescue.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58571183 Female players from Afghanistan's junior national soccer team have crossed the border into Pakistan. The girls had spent the past month in hiding amid fears of a crackdown on women's rights by the Taliban. The adult side flew out of Kabul last month but the youth team were reportedly left stranded as they lacked passports and other documentation. Thirty-two players and their families won visas after the charity "Football for Peace" lobbied Pakistan. An official with Pakistan's Football Federation said the group, totalling 81 people, would travel from Peshawar to the eastern city of Lahore, where they would be housed at the federation's headquarters. A further 34 people will arrive on Thursday he said. The players will remain in Pakistan under tight security for 30 days before applying for asylum in third countries, the official said. The Independent recently revealed that the players had written to the Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan to ask for permission to urgently enter the country. The letter claimed that the girls were at risk of "grave threats" from the Taliban. After the fall of Kabul players were warned by the national team's former captain, Khalida Popal, to delete pictures of themselves playing on social media and to burn their kits to protect themselves from potential reprisals from the new regime. Last week the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, cast doubt over the future of women's sport in the country when he said it was considered neither appropriate nor necessary in response to a question about the fate of the women's cricket team. "In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this", Wasiq said. "It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed." Women were barred from participating in sports during the Taliban's last spell in power from 1996-2001. Their departure is part of a wider exodus of Afghan sports and cultural stars amid fears of a crackdown on women's rights following the takeover of the country by the Taliban last month. As well as the departure of the women's football teams, the country's biggest pop singer Aryana Sayeed and the famed film director Sahraa Karimi both left during the evacuation last month.

With just months to go until the Ineos Grenadier 4x4 arrives in showrooms, fresh shots have emerged of a pick-up version being tested on public roads. As confirmed when Autocar drove the Grenadier for the first time earlier this year, the 4x4 model's family will be expanded with a pick-up truck (seen here) and a seven-seat passenger version, each using a longer (3175mm) wheelbase than the standard car. The prototype seen here goes without a conventional bed, suggesting the commercial version of the Grenadier could be offered with a range of devices and storage compartments to suit a variety of applications, as was the case with its spiritual forebear, the previous-generation Defender 130 pick-up. The Grenadier pick-up will no doubt be pitched as a rival to the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok, both of which are set to be reinvented using the same underpinnings next year. Land Rover has yet to confirm an open-backed version of the current Defender but has previously hinted that such a model would be "technically possible" and would likely be a strong seller. Technically, the pick-up will almost certainly follow the SUV in being offered with a choice of six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines from BMW, producing 283bhp and 250bhp respectively. Losing the rear seats and one-third of the bodywork will also result in a significant drop in kerb weight, too, compared with the 2650kg SUV variant, so subtle performance gains and improved off-road ability could be on the cards. A more utilitarian focus can be expected on the inside, in line with the often demanding workload of a 4x4 pick-up. The standard car goes big on durability, with drain holes in the floor and a raft of stain-resistant materials, but the pick-up could be offered at a lower price if it is furnished with less kit and fewer upmarket flourishes. Ineos has yet to confirm a specific launch date for the second Grenadier variant but has previously said it will come "soon after" the arrival of the SUV.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-58554324 China has seen a new surge in coronavirus cases, linked to a primary school in Fujian province. Initial reports suggest the outbreak could be due to a student's father, who tested positive last week. Authorities in Fujian have ordered that all teachers and students must be tested within a week, after more than 100 cases were reported in four days. The latest wave comes a month after China contained the Nanjing outbreak - it's biggest since Wuhan. The city of Putian in Fujian province - home to about three million residents - appears to be among one of the hardest-hit places. The first cases there have been linked to a primary school. The suspected source of the outbreak is a student's father who tested positive for the virus on 10 September - 38 days after returning from Singapore on 4 August. He had served 21 days in quarantine, during which he had taken nine nucleic acid and serologic tests, all of which were negative, said a report in the state-run Global Times newspaper. It is not clear if the student's father was indeed infected overseas, as such a long incubation period is very unusual. Meanwhile, officials have taken steps to try and contain the outbreak. China battles worst Covid outbreak since Wuhan Schools have been closed and anyone leaving Putian must have proof of a negative Covid test within the last 48 hours. Public venues such a cinemas, museums and libraries have been told to suspend indoor activities, and restaurants asked to limit their operating hours. The nearby cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou have also been affected - with services like gyms and bars closed in Xiamen city. Some 32 virus cases were identified in Xiamen on Monday, with most of them traced back to Putian. According to the Global Times, primary studies suggest the cases are that of the Delta variant. The cases come ahead of a week-long National Day holiday on 1 October, known as Golden Week that sees millions travel across the country. The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which runs for three days, is also set to begin on Sunday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58548437 The prime minister's mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, has died aged 79. A notice published in the Times newspaper said she died "suddenly and peacefully" at St Mary's Hospital in west London. Boris Johnson once described his mother, who was a painter, as the "supreme authority" in the family. Senior figures from across the political spectrum, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, have sent their condolences to Mr Johnson. Sir Keir tweeted: "I'm very sorry to learn of the prime minister's loss. My condolences to him and his family." Conservative party chairwoman, Amanda Milling, said she was "thinking of Boris Johnson and his family this evening", adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with you." Tory MP, Conor Burns, who is a friend of the prime minister, tweeted: "So sad to hear of the death of Boris Johnson's mum. Thoughts and prayers are with him and the whole of the Johnson clan." Mrs Johnson Wahl, whose father was president of the European Commission for Human Rights in the 1970s, married Stanley Johnson in 1963 before completing her degree at Oxford University as the first married female undergraduate at her college. The couple had four children - Boris, journalist Rachel, former minister Jo and environmentalist Leo. They divorced in 1979. As an artist, Mrs Johnson Wahl made her name as a portrait painter, with actress Joanna Lumley and author Jilly Cooper among her subjects. In 1988, she married American professor Nicholas Wahl and moved to New York - where she began painting cityscapes. She returned to London in 1996 following his death. At the age of 40, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but continued painting, steadying herself with a walking frame as she worked.