Mr.Talha

Pro . give him chance.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58342790 Earlier this week, as the dust began to settle on the Taliban's blistering takeover of Afghanistan, a small group gathered at a house in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The guests arrived discreetly, in ones and twos, keen to avoid attention. They were elders from the city's Uyghur community, plus some family members and others who joined from different cities via Skype. The mood in the house was fearful. There was only one topic of conversation: escape. A middle aged man began making calls to activists in Turkey, seeking help. One didn't answer. Another one who did pick up said he would do everything he could for them, but right now there was not much he could do. The group urged the man calling to keep trying, keep making more calls, but there was no good news. Eventually, after nightfall, the guests left, as carefully as they had arrived, even more despondent than before. "We have no one to help us right now," one told the BBC after the meeting. "We are terrified," he said. "Everyone is terrified." Like millions of other Afghans, the country's Uyghurs are waking up to a different reality this week, one in which the Taliban is in charge. Like other Afghans, the Uyghurs fear a worse existence under the Taliban. But they also fear something else: greater influence for China. There are about 12 million Uyghurs in China, concentrated in the northwestern Xinjiang province. Since 2017, they and other Muslim minorities have been subjected to a state campaign of mass detention, surveillance, forced labour, and, according to some accounts, sterilisation, torture and rape. China routinely denies all human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and says its camps are vocational centres designed to combat extremism. Many of Afghanistan's Uyghurs - thought to number about 2,000 - are second generation immigrants whose parents fled China many decades ago, long before the current crackdown began. But their Afghan ID cards still say "Uyghur" or "Chinese refugee", and they fear that if China enters the vacuum left by the US, they could be targeted. "That is the biggest fear for Uyghurs in Afghanistan now," said a Uyghur man in his fifties in Kabul, who said his family had not left their house since the Taliban took power. "We fear the Taliban will help China control our movements, or they will arrest us and hand us over to China," he said. All the Uyghurs in Afghanistan who spoke to the BBC said they had been effectively hiding at home since the Taliban seized the country, communicating only occasionally by phone. "We are like a living dead people now," said another Uyghur man in Kabul. "Too scared even to go outside." A father in Mazar-i-Sharif described hiding in the house with his wife, children and extended family. "It's been 10 days now sitting at home, our lives are on hold," he said. "It is written clearly on our ID cards that we are Uyghur." The fear of China is not unfounded. The Chinese state has in recent years extended its crackdown on the Uyghurs beyond its borders, using aggressive tactics to silence people or in some cases detain and render them back to Xinjiang. Data published in June by the Uyghur Human Rights Project suggests at least 395 Uyghurs have been deported, extradited, or rendered since 1997, though the real figure may be much higher. "China has invested heavily and established close diplomatic relations with states in central Asia, and the result is Uyghurs in those countries being targeted by local police and Chinese agents," said Mehmet Tohti, a prominent Uyghur activist in Canada. "We know from those previous examples that close diplomatic ties with China results in persecution of Uyghurs." BBC Who are the Uyghurs? The cost of speaking up against China How Afghanistan rattled Asia and emboldened China BBC China may be considering a similar strategy with the Taliban. The alliance is unlikely in some ways - the Taliban has some historic connections with Uyghur militants, the very forces China says pose a threat to its security. But the Taliban also has a history of cooperation with China, which shares a short land border with Afghanistan, and analysts say the superpower's ability to provide technology and infrastructure - and lend legitimacy - to a new Taliban regime would likely trump any kind of solidarity with Uyghurs. "China's belt and road project has given it a lot of economic leverage over countries with which it cooperates, and in exchange Uyghurs are often scapegoated," said Bradley Jardine, an analyst who has studied China's economic and political presence abroad. "The Taliban will be hoping for economic concessions and much needed investment from China, and Afghanistan's Uyghurs could, to put it crudely, end up a bargaining chip." In July, China invited a senior Taliban delegation to Tianjin, where foreign minister Wang Yi said he expected the group "to play an important role in the country's peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process". The Taliban pledged they would "not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against China". The Uyghurs in Afghanistan know about this meeting - news of the growing diplomatic relationship has spread through Ugyhur communities across the country. And they know about China's recent history of pursuing Uyghurs abroad. "We all know about the Taliban relationship with China, and we fear they will come first for the people who fled," said a Uyghur woman in Mazar-i-Sharif who grew up in Xinjiang. "We have stopped shopping or leaving the house at all," she said. "We are living in fear. We need help. Please help." Unlike some other potentially at-risk groups in Afghanistan, the Uyghurs do not have a state ally to work on their behalf - a fact which might make them more vulnerable under Taliban rule. "This is a community without state representation of any sort," said Sean Roberts, a professor at George Washington University and author of The War on the Uyghurs. "They are watching other countries lift out people who are either citizens or have some sort or ethnic connection - Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, etc. But the Uyghurs, I think, must feel like nobody speaks for them right now." Efforts are being made by non-governmental groups to get Uyghurs out, but they face the same obstacles as everyone else. Abdulaziz Naseri, a Uyghur refugee living in Turkey, told the BBC he had collected a list of names with the help of Uyghurs inside the country and was submitting it via activist groups to government officials in the US, UK and Turkey. "We are doing our best to get them out," Naseri said. But in Mazar-i-Sharif, many miles from Kabul, getting out feels like a long shot. Even in the unlikely scenario a family were offered seats on a flight out of the capital, it's a two-day journey by car, through Taliban checkpoints where they fear presenting their ID. "As a Muslim, we say having no hope is the devil's mindset," said the father in Mazar-i-Sharif. "But from the time I was born in Afghanistan, all I remember is war. Forty years of war, one after another," he said. "I no longer worry about myself, only my children, especially my daughters. I had hoped they would become educated and become doctors." None of the family has ever set foot in China. They have only read about the detention camps and the alleged abuses in Xinjiang. The father fears life under the Taliban because he can remember it. "But we fear China more," he said, "because we cannot imagine it."

Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia on Friday said he considered jailed wrestler Sushil Kumar still the best in the business as he “enlivened” the grappling sport by ending a 56-year wait for a medal at the Summer Games. Punia was speaking during a felicitation ceremony and a motivation session organised in his honour by the Delhi Metro security unit of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) here. “I do not consider anyone a better wrestler than Sushil Kumar in India…he enlivened wrestling after winning an Olympic medal in 2008 and that came after 56 years,” Punia said. Punia was also asked to comment on the recent murder case involving Sushil but he said he was giving opinion only about his sporting career. Sushil won a bronze in Beijing before better securing silver in London four years later. Sushil has been arrested and chargesheeted by the Delhi Police in connection with the alleged murder of a former junior national wrestling champion at the Chhatrasal stadium in the national capital. During the interaction with the jawans, Punia acknowledged that probably he was not in the best of his form during the recent Tokyo Olympics bout as he had suffered injury. However, he managed to secure bronze. “I gave my best (in the Tokyo Olympics). 2024 (Olympics) is just round the corner. I will try to change the colour of my medal. “I believe that you should always think positive. There is nothing in life that cannot be done. You need to work hard,” Punia added. The wrestler was asked by the personnel on what could be done to better India’s prospects at the global sporting meets. “It all begins with the parents…they will have to encourage their children. They are the first guru and coach…,” “If they do not encourage their children to play sports then it cannot be done (doing better in sports and athletics and winning medals),” he said. Talking about what more can be done to improve sports in the country, Punia said that it should be ensured that “good facilities and good diet” is provided to sportspersons. Punia also met a few CISF wrestlers with whom he had earlier trained at the Chhatrasal stadium here. Table tennis player Manika Batra was also felicitated during the event.

The International Mobility Show in September, held in Munich for the first time, will be the first full-scale motor show held in Europe since the pandemic took hold, so we are expecting to get our long- awaited first look at several important new models. Mercedes-Benz looks set to dominate proceedings with no less than five high-profile debuts, but other European manufacturers will be out in force. The IAA Mobility show will take place alongside the Munich Motorshow, where more than 1,000 exhibitors and speakers will present innovations and concepts for the future of mobility. Over 100 technologies are expected to receive a world premiere, with new innovations into mobility will be presented, along with the path to a climate-neutral future, and advances in digitization. "The IAA MOBILITY 2021 in Munich will be the largest and most modern mobility event in the world and is a perfect fit at a time when Europe has set out to be the world’s first climate-neutral continent. Traffic plays a major role in this scenario," says Jürgen Mindel, Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), organizer of the IAA MOBILITY. "We are already uniting the sectors – automotive, digital, bicycle and urban planning – that will belong together in the future. We will present new concepts and invite visitors to debate on the right path to a climate-neutral future,” Mindel said. Here's a first look at the most important models we'll see at our first in-person motor show for nearly two years. The ACM City One will be a German-built, electric microcar which will be sold for a low price en masse. The startup firm recently agreed a partnership with Magna International, a global parts manufacturer, to develop the model. The firm has been developing the City One for eight years and says the car will have an interchangeable battery and space for up to five people. At an expected cost of €10,000 to €15,000 (£8562 to £12,843), most sales are expected to come from the fleet sector, with taxi and leasing companies in Asia and Africa. The City One can also be used as a small commercial vehicle and has a cargo bay of up to 1450 litres, with enough space to carry replacement batteries. The firm also claims documents have been signed for the sale of 208,000 cars, with a total sales value of over €3 billion.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58351462 The fitness bike maker Peloton is to slash the price of its flagship bike as people head back to the gym and do less exercise at home. The US firm will cut the price of its less expensive Bike machine by about 20% to $1,495 from Thursday. The change will take effect in all of its markets, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. It came as losses widened at the firm in the fourth quarter of the year and revenue growth began to slow. The company has also had to shoulder costs associated with a treadmill it recalled in May, following the death of a child. As more people exercised at home during the pandemic, sales of Peloton products surged, more than doubling to $4bn in the year to 30 June. However, the New York-based firm said it only expected revenue of $800m in the first quarter of the financial year, far below market estimates of $1bn. Peloton set to build first US factory It also said the decision to slash the price of its flagship bike would hit near-term profitability, sending its shares down 15% in after hours trading. It is the second time in a year that the firm has cut the price of its Bike product. "We know price remains a barrier and are pleased to offer our most po[CENSORED]r product at an attractive everyday price point," the firm said in a letter to shareholders. Peloton said it would begin selling a cheaper redesigned model of its Tread running machines next week in the US, after an older version and its more expensive Tread+ machine were pulled over safety concerns. It came after a child was pulled under the Tread+ and died. Users had also reported the touch screen falling off the Tread.

Low Activity Contra

Verry Low Activity Contra

Why we’re running it: Does Mazda’s unusual debut EV make daily driving a joy, or will its limitations frustrate over time? You would have to imagine that a chuckle rippled through the halls of Ujina when one jokester at Mazda decided the MX-30 needed a driver alertness warning. When the coffee cup icon and ‘take a break’ message popped onto the speedo, I had only driven about 60 miles and needed to charge anyway. Little danger of over-extending your concentration in something with legs this short. Mileage: 1200 Seeing the crowds gathered around our long-termer’s identical twin (VX21 KNJ) at the Festival of Speed reminded me just how unusual and attractive the MX-30 is. At one point, there were more punters checking out the Mazda’s boot space and rear leg room than there were gathered around the 1900bhp Pininfarina Battista nearby. It drew a confused look from my next-door neighbour when I started piling tools, petrol cans, oil and a 12V battery into the boot of the MX-30 but, although I’m excited to try the forthcoming rotary range-extender variant, I don’t have the skills to carry out a combustion conversion on our long-termer. No, I was using the Mazda as a support vehicle in my attempts to rescue my Volkswagen Beetle from a five-year slumber and to see what it really has to offer dynamically over the rest of the electric SUV crop. Heavy rain the night before had made my hometown’s crumbly country roads particularly inhospitable, and the periodic appearance of a brave rabbit, deer or cyclist gave the brake pedal and front tyres a workout. The roads in question have poor sight lines, unpredictable cambers and a number of tight curves – not the sort of environment in which an electric runaround usually shines, but Mazda has worked wonders in bestowing on the MX-30 some of the dynamic finesse of its more overtly performance-focused offerings. I was so surprised by how much I was enjoying myself that I started driving with an exuberance that I came to regret about nine minutes later, when I saw that I had brutally slashed my indicated remaining range, covered the car in a thick film of Kentish grime and filled my tool tray with three-year-old petrol. Later in the day, when it briefly and miraculously fired into life, it genuinely looked like my 50-yearold VW antique would be a better bet for the return journey, given the relative lack of EV chargers in London’s outer fringes, but range anxiety comes a very distant third to fire and blowout anxiety on my list of concerns, so I ‘fired up’ the MX-30.

The English Premier League and Spanish La Liga should release players for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers next month to “preserve and protect sporting integrity”, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said. The top-flight leagues in England and Spain said on Tuesday they backed clubs refusing to make players available for qualifiers in countries where the players would have to quarantine on their return, particularly South America. The decision applies to nearly 60 Premier League players from 19 clubs who are due to travel to 26 red-list countries, leading Infantino to plead for the relaxation of rules for players. “We have faced global problems together in the past and must continue to do so in the future,” Infantino said. “The release of players in the upcoming international windows is a matter of great urgency and importance.” Infantino called “on a show of solidarity from every member association, every league and every club, to do what is both right and fair for the global game”. He added: “Many of the best players in the world compete in leagues in England and Spain and we believe these countries also share the responsibility to preserve and protect the sporting integrity of competitions around the world. “On the issue of quarantine restrictions in England, for players returning from red-list countries, I have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and appealed for the necessary support, in particular, so players are not deprived of the opportunity of representing their countries in qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup, which is one of the ultimate honours for a professional footballer. “I have suggested that an approach similar to that adopted by the UK government for the final stages of the Euro 2020 be implemented for the upcoming international matches. “Together we have shown solidarity and unity in the fight against Covid-19. Now, I am urging everyone to ensure the release of international players for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.” FIFA’s statement came minutes after the English Football League announced it was following the Premier League’s stance on players heading to red-list countries. A statement read: “EFL clubs have today taken the collective decision not to release players for international matches that are to be played in countries on the UK Government’s ‘red list’ next month. “The EFL supports the decision of its clubs and is aligned with the position taken by our Premier League colleagues, who are also significantly impacted by this situation. “The approach has been necessary as a result of FIFA’s policy change whereby clubs are now required to release players to countries that are on a Governmental red list, where previously there was an exemption.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58322593 US Vice-President Kamala Harris's flight to Vietnam was delayed by several hours due to an "anomalous health incident" with similarities to so-called Havana syndrome, reports say. The mysterious syndrome first affected people at the US and Canadian embassies in Havana in 2016 and 2017. It may be caused by directed microwave radiation. Ms Harris was in Singapore ahead of her visit to Vietnam at the time of the incident in Hanoi. It is unclear who was affected. CBS News reported that the incident in the Vietnamese capital is similar to previous incidents of Havana syndrome reported elsewhere. In a statement, the US State Department said that Ms Harris's departure from Singapore to Hanoi was delayed after reports of a "possible anomalous health incident" there. The department added that "after careful assessment", Ms Harris and her delegation decided to continue the trip to Hanoi, where she has now arrived. A senior official quoted by CBS News said that at least one official had to be medically evacuated over the weekend. He added that the incident is not the first case of Havana syndrome reported in Vietnam. NBC News has reported that two officials were evacuated after "acoustic" incidents were reported in the homes of two US diplomats. The BBC has contacted the state department to ask for more details. Since the syndrome was first reported in Cuba in 2016, cases of the condition have been reported elsewhere in the world, including China and, last month, Austria. Hundreds of US diplomats, spies and other personnel have reportedly fallen ill with symptoms including ear ringing, nausea, and severe headaches. Is Russia targeting CIA spies with secret weapons? Diplomats sue Canada over mystery illness A 2019 US academic study found "brain abnormalities" in the diplomats who had fallen ill in Cuba. A report last year from the US National Academies of Science found the mystery illness was most likely to be caused by directed microwave radiation. In June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a review into the causes of the illness.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58331178 Sharon Graham has been elected as the new leader of Unite, becoming the union's first female general secretary. Ms Graham - who is backed by the Socialist Workers Party - takes over from Len McCluskey. She saw off a challenge from his preferred choice as successor, Steve Turner, and forced rival Gerard Coyne, who was favoured by the Labour leadership, into third place. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed her appointment. Unite union expected to elect first female leader Who might lead the Unite union and why it matters Unite to elect new leader by end of summer Ms Graham won the election after receiving 46,696 votes, with 41,833 for Steve Turner and 35,334 for Gerard Coyne. In a statement responding to her victory, she warned "bad bosses take note" and said a strong union was "the best defence our members can have". "Unite is an incredible force for good in the UK and Ireland but I am fully aware of the huge challenges our members face in the workplace," she said. "As general secretary, I will put all the power of our union into defending their jobs, improving their pay and protecting their rights." As the former head of Unite's Organising and Leverage Department, she led recent disputes at British Airways and Crossrail as well as campaigning to unionise Amazon. She says her focus will continue to be on workplace rights rather than internal Labour party politics or "settling old scores" at Westminster. And she said Unite will fight the "fire and rehire threats being issued by rogue employers" to workers "with all its power in the future". Sharon Graham's victory has been described as a surprise but her team were confident all along that the credit she had in the bank with activists would be enough to take her to victory - and that her 'workplace not Westminster' message would have resonance. So much so that she resisted pressure and pleas not to split the Left vote and to stand aside early in the contest. Certainly she wasn't the choice of Len McCluskey, the dominant voice in trade unionism for a decade. So her victory may come as a relief to Sir Keir Starmer - who has been criticised by Mr McCluskey - and he swiftly congratulated Sharon Graham today. But while she may not involve herself in party faction fighting, it is by no means clear that she will continue with the current level of generous donations to Labour. She has talked about "payment by results", and "no blank cheques". But employers may have more to fear than Labour leaders. As an organiser, she has found new ways to exert pressure during disputes, and often gets involved when these turn hostile. So we could see more industrial action rather than political activity under her leadership. 2px presentational grey line She takes the helm of Britain's largest union after a fierce battle between rival wings of the party. Unite is the Labour Party's biggest trade union funder and, under Mr McCluskey, it strongly backed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader. Mr McCluskey has been very critical of Sir Keir's tenure and has funded legal challenges to the party over suspensions and expulsions of some members. Responding on Twitter, the Labour leader congratulated Ms Graham on becoming the first woman to hold the role. He tweeted: "Congratulations to @UniteSharon on her election as General Secretary of Unite - the first ever woman to hold that role. "I'm looking forward to working together to improve the lives of working people across the country." In a statement, Mr McCluskey welcomed her appointment and said he had "every faith that she will run our union in a manner true to its fighting back spirit". He added: "Sharon comes into office at a time of great uncertainty for our members and a challenging political environment. "From assaults on workers' rights to the fear that the end of furlough will bring with it increased and needless unemployment, the in-tray is full. "But I know that she will build on our values and harness the talents of our great union in the service of our members and our movement."

PRO Give him chance

A new, lightweight hydrogen engine concept from Israeli firm Aquarius Engines has been under development since 2014 and is close to maturity. Powered by hydrogen, the Aquarius Two Sided Free Piston Linear Engine (FPLE) is designed to generate electricity for plug-in series hybrids or range-extenders. The tiny engine consists of a mere 20 components, only one of which moves. Although originally designed to burn petrol, it could conceivably operate on a variety of fuels including the latest ‘dropin’ carbon-neutral, synthetic liquid fuels, and a hydrogen version of the engine has been developed and tested. The Aquarius is called a linear engine, because instead of converting reciprocating forces into rotating forces via a crankshaft like a conventional piston engine, the single piston rod moves to and fro on a two-stroke cycle, firing on each stroke of the piston, at each end of the cylinder. The Aquarius engine comprises one piston rod (a long bar with a piston at its mid-point); a small cylinder block in which the piston slides; two cylinder heads, one on each end of the block; two inner bearings and two outer bearings, which support the piston rod. The air-cooled engine needs no lubrication and instead has graphite piston rings and special coatings to reduce friction. The lack of oil rules out any chance of leaks or unburned hydrocarbons being produced during combustion and it simplifies servicing, which, its designers say, is minimal and required only every 1000 hours of operation. In that time, a hybrid car could comfortably travel more than 50,000 miles. As the piston moves from side to side in the single cylinder, it expels exhaust via ports in the wall of the cylinder like a conventional two-stroke engine, then draws in air through a patented air filtration system and via ports in a hollow section of the piston rod. There are no poppet valves like a conventional engine or a highly stressed valvetrain to soak up energy in effort and friction. There are four injectors in total, two in each cylinder head at each end of the engine. On each stroke, the hydrogen is injected into the fresh air by a pair of injectors, the mixture is compressed and ignited by a spark plug and the whole sequence begins again. A patented system of balance weights reduces noise and vibration. The engine drives a generator that feeds the battery or traction motor of a series hybrid with electricity. Regenerative braking works in exactly the same way as with any all-electric or hybrid car, the traction motor switching to generator mode when the car slows to recover energy into the battery. There are no production dates yet but a hydrogen-fuelled version of the engine has undergone independent testing by AVLSchrick in Austria and work continues on reducing noise levels from the electrical generator. Apart from hybrid cars, the engine is designed for use as a generator in telecommunications centres, microgrids, as an auxiliary power supply (APU) in large trucks, marine applications and for use in drones or APUs in aviation.

Long jumper Shaili Singh, 17, brought up by a single mother who learnt tailoring to earn a living, won a silver at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi on Sunday. Mentored by long jump great Anju Bobby George and coached by her husband Robert, Shaili missed out on gold by a centimetre but established herself as a star to watch out for. Incidentally, Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became the U20 world champion five years ago. In her third jump, Shaili leaped to her personal best of 6.59 metres to move into provisional first place after dropping to fourth at the end of the second round. Sweden’s European Junior Champion Maja Askag, however, edged her out in the fourth round by the narrowest of margins to eventually win the gold. Shaili’s previous best jump was 6.48m. Shaili’s next two jumps were fouls. She regrouped, hoping to better Askag in the last round. She clasped her hands in prayer on completing the jump, but bent down and hit the track repeatedly with her palm in disappointment when 6.37 metres was displayed on the electronic board. Mariia Horielova of Ukraine was third with 6.50 metres. Shaili’s eyes filled up before she regained her composure, and held the Tricolour over her shoulders to cap a successful evening in her first international competition in the Kenyan capital at 1,795 metres above sea level. The journey she made from Jhansi to Nairobi in her nascent but promising career has been full of metaphorical uphill climbs. As a young girl, she ran without shoes, but braved blisters to compete in school-level competitions. Her family found it hard to put three square meals on the table. Mother Vinita is an ardent fan, and the first person she calls to update on results. “My mother told me before the final not to worry. She expected me to win gold. Next time, I will win gold. I wanted to hear the National Anthem being played at the stadium. As she is a single mother, it was difficult for her but my mother looked after me, my sister, and my brother,” Shaili said. National record-holder and senior world championships bronze medallist Anju expects Shaili to reach greater heights and win an Olympic medal for the country. “She can improve on the national record (6.83 metres). Our main target for Shaili is to help her finish on the podium at the Olympic Games, which is the most valuable thing. If our trainee can win a medal, I will consider it as my own,” Anju said. Before the World U20, coach Robert had set Shaili a target of 6.60 metres knowing that her explosive speed on the runway would be tough to match. “She meets my targets usually. But I know she is capable of bigger things. She is a teen athlete but has the spirit of an adult. I can promise that she will rule the athletics circuit in the next 10 years. It was her first international competition and she won silver at the world championships and I am glad about it,” Robert said. Shaili is the first from her family to take up sports. She has her mother to thank for encouraging her to pursue track and field, though the family wasn’t well off. It was Vinita who alerted Shaili about selection trials being held after seeing a newspaper advertisement. Shaili was inducted into the Lucknow Sports Hostel but her big break came after she caught Robert’s eye, even though she finished outside the medals and had no proper technique at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Vijayawada in 2017. A week later, Anju spotted her at the Inter-District Junior Championships, and the couple agreed they had found an athlete with the potential to become the next big star.