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FRIDAY, OCTOBeR 22, 20218LafargeHolcim launches first of its kind'Holcim Shokti' cement in BangladeshLafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited (LHBL) one of theleading cement manufacturers of the country has launched anew cement brand 'Holcim Shokti'; the first rapid earlystrength cement in Bangladesh market. The new brand wasunveiled at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden, a pressrelease said.Boom in construction due to rising income levels andrapid urbanization has created the demand for highstrength cement and pronounced the need for fasterconstruction turnaround time. Based on market researchand customer feedback LafargeHolcim Bangladeshcarried out extensive research and trials to develop'Holcim Shokti.'Holcim Shokti' is the first rapid early strength cementproduct in Bangladesh based on the 'Rapid Set' technologythat enhances early strength, ensures faster setting times anduses optimum amount of water to ensurebetter workability.It is a specialized cement that ensures 50 percent extraRich should payfor greater carbonfootprint: studyPARIS : As rich peoplehave a greater carbonfootprint than the poorthey should pay more taxto compensate, says astudy by the WorldInequality Lab (WIL)published ahead of theupcoming COP26 climateconference in Glasgow,reports BSS.With carbon emissionlevels returning to prepandemiclevels, mostrecent data shows therichest one percent of theglobe's population emitted110 tonnes of CO2 perhead in 2019, study head,Paris School of Economicsprofessor and WIL codirectorLucas Chancelsaid Wednesday.That made their share ahugely disproportionate 17percent of the global total.Moreover, whereas therichest ten percent wereresponsible for half of allemissions, the poorest 50percent accounted for justa 12 percent share-at a percapita average of 1.6tonnes of carbon."Governments need newsources of revenue toinvest in greeninfrastructures," saidChancel."One way to do so is viaprogressive and ecologicalwealth taxes. Such toolsare likely to be morepolitically sustainable thancarbon taxes onconsumption, which hitlow-income groups hardand don't do a great job atreducing emissions of thevery wealthy."The study found that theburden of climate policiesin an attempt to limitclimate change has been"disproportionately borneby low-income consumersover the past decades, inparticular via carbon andenergy taxes."More emphasis shouldbe placed on policyinstruments targetingwealthier groups, via taxeson the ownership ofpolluting assets," such asfossil fuel investments.strength in two days. This can be used in RCC structure,renovation and development of both residential andcommercial projects. Due to its rapid early strength, it willsave 15-25 percent time at the de-shuttering stage leading tolower construction cost. It will save approximate 1400 takaper tonne cement usage. This cement is available all acrossBangladesh in environment friendly BOPP bag which istamper & moisture proof and can be stored for four to sixmonths.The company believes 'Holcim Shokti' will be able to attractthe customers due to its uniqueness, sustainability and costsaving features and shall bring a different dimension in theconstruction industry as a whole.Professor Dr.Raquib Ahsan, from Department of CivilEngineering, BUET presented the key note during the launchwhere top distributors and prominent Structural Engineers&Architects of different corporate houses along with companyofficials were present.Most Asia markets up, Hong Kongswings as Evergrande sale failsHONG KONG : Most Asian markets roseThursday following another strong WallStreet lead as positive earnings continued tosmother inflation and taper worries, whileHong Kong fluctuated and Evergrandetumbled with the property giant resumingtrading after saying a unit sale had fallenthrough, reports BSS.Surging global prices have sent shiversthrough trading floors for much of this yearas central banks are forced to tighten theirultra-loose, pandemic-era monetary policies,but a string of broadly on-target or forecastbeatingcorporate reports have provided amuch-needed salve.The Dow and S&P 500 closed withinspitting distance of record highs after thelatest results, while dealers brushed off aFederal Reserve summary of the economythat said transport constraints and shortageof goods had led to "significantly elevatedprices" in most areas of the United States,slowing growth.The advances filtered through to most ofAsia with Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei,Manila and Jakarta extending the week'srally, though Tokyo and Wellington dipped.Hong Kong swung in and out of positiveterritory and embattled Evergrande tankedmore than 12 percent as it resumed tradingfollowing a 17-day suspension after sayingthe planned sale of its property services armhad collapsed.It also warned it could not guarantee itwould meet its debt obligations, days beforea 30-day grace period on an offshore bondends at the weekend, raising expectations itwill default and spark a massiverestructuring.Justin Tang, of United First Partners,warned that "without the infusion of cashfrom the sale" of assets, the firm's share price"is going to take the elevator down".There had been hope that the $2.58 billionsale of a 50.1 percent stake in EvergrandeProperty Services Group would provide itwith much-needed capital to service itsdebts.Shares in the services arm fell more thanfour percent, while Hopson Developmentthefirm that had been in the buy-out talksrosemore than five percent.The news will again raise worries about theimpact on the wider economy, with theproperty sector accounting for a huge chunkof gross domestic product and several otherdevelopers recently failing to meet debtpayment deadlines.Data this week showed the country'seconomic growth was slower than expectedin the third quarter.Still, investors have been calmed bycomments at the weekend from top officialsat the People's Bank of China who said thefallout from the crisis could be contained.Equity markets in Hong Kong appeared totake the news in their stride in early trade,with other property firms in positiveterritory. Mainland Chinese markets werealso up.Bitcoin was sitting around $65,000,having broken Wednesday to a new recordhigh of $66,976 Wednesday after a financialinstrument dedicated to the unit made asuccessful debut on the New York StockExchange.Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) organized a virtual discussion meeting onSheikh Russel's 58th Birthday at the bank's head office recently. The Chairmanof the Board of Directors Md. Nasiruzzaman addressed the meeting as chiefguest. The Managing Director Shirin Akhter presided over the meeting whilethe director of the bank Mrittyunjoy Saha noted his valuable speech ondifferent aspects of Sheikh Russel and his own belongings as negotiator. TheGeneral Manager (Admin) Md. Azizul Bari, CBA President Md. MominulHaque and the leaders of different organizations of the bank also deliveredtheir speech. Among others, higher executives along with other officials wereconnected virtually on the occasion.Photo: CourtesyFirst fund linkedto bitcoin futuresdebuts on NYSENEW YORK : Bitcoin tookanother step closer tomainstream investingTuesday with the launch of anew security on Wall Streettied to futures of the cryptocurrency, reports BSS.To mark the occasion,ProShares, leader inexchange-traded funds, atype of investment linked toan index, rang the openingbell of the New York StockExchange on Tuesday.The Bitcoin Strategy ETF,trading under the "BITO"ticker, rose 4.9 percent to$41.94 in its first session, aneagerly-anticipated event inthe world of crypto-moneythat boosted bitcoin futures.The arrival of the fundhelped propel bitcoin backnear its all-time high. Near2030 GMT, the digitalcurrency stood a $64,313,less than $600 short of itsApril record.Unlike mutual funds,which are traded only once aday, ETFs can be transactedthroughout the tradingsession, making them morelike individual stocks andincreasingly popular witheveryday investors.Rather than a directinvestment in the digitalcurrency, BITO will invest"primarily in bitcoinfutures," ProShares said.The Securities andExchange Commission hasrepeatedly rejected ETFslinked directly to bitcoin,maintaining that they weresubject to marketmanipulation. SEC ChairGary Gensler said futuresconnected to bitcoin alsocould be volatile, but notedthat the ProShares ETF islinked to a futures contractthat has been regulated bythe Commodities FuturesTrading Commission since2017."I think what you havehere is a product, it's beenoverseen for four years,"Gensler said on CNBC,adding that the SEC hasjurisdiction over the ETFunder longstanding US law."So we have some abilityto bring it inside of investorprotection (but) it's still ahighly speculative assetclass," he said. "Underneaththis, it still has that sameaspect of volatility andspeculation."Barclays bank reports profitjump as economy recoversLONDON:British bank Barclays onThursday announced a jump in profitsduring the third quarter, extending itsrecovery following the pandemic fallout,reports BSS.Barclays said net profit more than doubledto o1.45 billion ($2.0 billion, 1.7 billioneuros) in the three months to the end ofSeptember compared with one year earlier.Profit after tax for the first nine monthsstood at o5.25 billion, while the pre-tax levelof o6.9 billion was a record for the group.Chief executive James Staley said thegroup was "seeing evidence of a consumerrecovery and the early signs of a morefavourable rate environment".Banks in the UK have started to raiseRFL launches awarenesscampaign on water wastageRFL Bathroom Fittings has launched amonth-long campaign to create awarenessamong the common people on waterwastage. RN Paul, Managing Director of RFLGroup, inaugurated the campaign at thehead office of RFL Group at Badda recently,a press release said.Under the campaign, awareness messageis being spread through various medium tomake the general public aware as well as andworkshops are being organized in differentorganizations. Moreover, anyone can winattracting prize by sharing ideas on waterwastage. Details of the campaign can befound on the RFL Bathroom FittingsFacebookpage(www.facebook.com/RFLBathroomFittings).Addressing the occasion, RN Paul said,"Most of the extracted water is wasted due toour unconsciousness. It is possible toprevent wastage of this precious water with aBritain, New Zealand agree tradedeal, including haka clauseLONDON : Britain and New Zealand haveunveiled a comprehensive free trade deal,including a commitment aimed atpreventing the revered Maori culturaltradition of the haka, famously performed bythe All Blacks, from being misused, reportsBSS.The in-principle deal was sealed in a videocall between British Prime Minister BorisJohnson and his New Zealand counterpartJacinda Ardern, following 16 months oftalks. Johnson said it was a "big moment"that strengthened Britain's friendship withNew Zealand and cemented London's ties inthe Indo-Pacific.He likened negotiations for Britain's latestpost-Brexit trade deal to a rugby match."I'm absolutely thrilled that we seem tohave driven for the line, we've scrummeddown, we've packed tight and together we'vegot the ball over the line," he said.Ardern continued the sporting analogy,saying Thursday that "unlike a rugby match,I think we can literally both come off the fieldfeeling like winners".London said the deal ends tariffs on Britishexports such as clothing, footwear, ships andbulldozers. It estimated that trade betweenthe two countries last year was worth o2.3billion ($3.2 billion, 2.7 billion euros).Tariffs on goods coming the other way,such as wine, kiwifruit and meat, will also beaxed."It's one of our best deals ever and securedat a crucial time in our Covid recovery,"Ardern said. The New Zealand leaderpraised provisions in the agreement aimed atpromoting Maori participation in trade andaddressing indigenous concerns.They include a commitment by bothcountries to "identify appropriate ways toadvance recognition and protection of thehaka Ka Mate".The haka is best known as the spectacularpre-match challenge issued by the All Blacks,but it is also a revered cultural traditionamong New Zealand's Maori.Indigenous communities-particularly theNgati Toa iwi (tribe) where Ka mateoriginated-have long resented the footstomping,eye-rolling challenge beingmocked or exploited for profit.Over the years, haka parodies have beenused in Britain to sell everything frommenswear to alcopops-all withoutpermission and without a cent being paid tothe ritual's traditional owners.The deal will encourage more culturalsensitivity, with London agreeing to formallyrecognise Ngati Toa's guardianship of the KaMate haka.IMF says chief economistGopinath to leave post inJanuaryWASHINGTON : IMF chief economist GitaGopinath will leave her post and return toHarvard University's economics departmentin January, the fund announced Tuesday,reports BSS.Harvard extended Gopinath's leave ofabsence by one year, which allowed her toserve at the IMF for three years, thestatement said.She heads the International MonetaryFund's research department which producesthe quarterly World Economic Outlookreport with its closely watched GDP growthforecasts.IMF Managing Director KristalinaGeorgieva praised Gopinath, who "madehistory" as the first woman to serve in the topeconomics post, for her critical analysisduring the pandemic."Gita's contribution to the Fund and ourmembership has been truly remarkablequitesimply, her impact on the IMF's workhas been tremendous," Georgieva said in astatement.interest rates on their homes loans, as theBank of England prepares to increase itsmain borrowing cost to tackle high inflation.Barclays said that "although themacroeconomic outlook has improved, thelevel of uncertainty is relatively high".It pointed to high unemployment, "with asignificant number of jobs at risk ofredundancy" as the UK, US and Germanybegin to withdraw financial supportmeasures put in place during thecoronavirus outbreak."To date, limited defaults have beenobserved in response to the Covid-19pandemic, but credit deterioration mayoccur as support is withdrawn," Barclayssaid.little awareness. We are not just a businessorganization, we are a corporate house. Wework for the country and its people. We seekcooperation from everyone in this regard."He also said RFL bathroom fittings usesscientific valves and cartridges made of100% brass, which ensures leakage-freewater. We will also start marketing sensorbasedand lever-type bathroom fittings soon,which will play important role in preventingwater wastage."Shariful Islam, Assistant General Manager(Marketing) of RFL Bathroom Fittings, said,"Pure water is declining due to daily wastage,which is a big threat to our lives and the nextgeneration. We have launched campaign toprevent water wastage by changing thehabits of all to face the threat."Abdul Kuddus Miah, business in-charge ofRFL Bathroom Fittings, among others, waspresent in the program.EU says 'no taboos'in budget rule reviewSTRASBOURG : The EU onTuesday launched publicconsultations on reformingits rules on debts anddeficits, with big fightsexpected over how fastcountries must reducespending in the wake of thepandemic, reports BSS.The rules-calling for debtto be capped at 60 percent ofgross domestic producthaveexisted since 1992, butare often broken. EUmember states have agreedthey need to be fixed.At the end of last year, 14member states had debtsover that limit, with France,Belgium, Greece and Italywith debt in excess of 100percent of their GDP.The process will involvetough discussions amongmember states with fiscalhawks Germany and theNetherlands reluctant tomake it easier for countriesto spend more.France, Spain and Italybelieve that cutting spendingto pare debt can becounterproductive as it ripsout the green shoots ofrecovery before they achievelong-term growth.The European Commission,the EU's executive in charge ofthe debt monitoring, willcarefully sound out memberstates, central banks andothers to find a consensus onchanging the rules."I am looking forward toan open and frank debate inthe coming months, withmany contributions-and Ihope, no taboos," said EUeconomy commissionerPaolo Gentiloni.
friDAY, oCtoBer 22, 20219the portugal international headed home a late winner after the red Devils had recovered from 2-0down at half-time to claim three precious points.photo: ApRonaldo respond to critics with yet anothersensational comeback against AtalantaSportS DeSkManchester United have been criticisedfor lacking identity in their play inrecent weeks but if there is one thingthat characterises Ole GunnarSolskjaer's reign, it is grabbing anunlikely victory when the odds arestacked against them, reports AP.When it comes to 'get out of jail free'cards, the Norwegian must have a stackin reserve to cash in when times aregetting tough. But, when you've gotCristiano Ronaldo in your ranks, thereis always that possibility that defeat canbe turned into victory.Both he and his manager had comeunder intense scrutiny after lastweekend's dreadful 4-2 defeat atLeicester but it was, of course, thePortugal international who popped upwith a trademark header in the 81stminute to complete the kind ofdramatic comeback that those whohave been coming to Old Trafford foryears have grown accustomed towatching.The 36-year-old fist-pumped the airtowards the Stretford End as he walkedoff at the end of this absorbing 3-2 winover Atalanta, cutting a far differentfigure to the one that headed down thetunnel at half-time.The victory has given United a lifelinein the Champions League when, for 45minutes at least, kithey looked to bedown and out.Indeed, they spent much of thePakistan can be kingsagain despite India'sIPL riches, says NazarSportS DeSkFormer Pakistan all-rounderMudassar Nazar insists hiscountry will once again bethe kings of Asian cricketdespite India's rise as worldbeaters on the back of theriches of the IPL, reportsBSS.Pakistan were kings of thesub-continent from the mid-1980s to 1990s with theiron-field brilliance underImran Khan, who led themto the 1992 World Cup,before India turned thetables."I don't think Pakistan haschanged. It is India whohave changed," Nazar toldAFP ahead of the eagerlyawaitedIndia-Pakistanclash at the Twenty20 WorldCup in Dubai on Sunday."With the advent of theIPL they have used themoney really, really well. Ifyou look at the domesticcompetition in India, look atall the associations, how wellthey are organising theircricket.He added: "Everybody hasgot their own stadium, theirown academies, schoolcricket, state cricket. Cricketis thriving in India."But the people who havebeen consistently doing wellhave been England andAustralia...India is in theforefront and among thethree best sides in theworld."Starting in 2008, a yearafter the inaugural T20World Cup, the IPL usheredin a new era of white-ballcricket that witnessed thegame break new ground inviewership and fan base.evening rooted to the bottom of GroupF but, by the end, they were top. Still,much like that dramatic win againstVillarreal a few weeks ago, it is a resultthat papers over the cracks.United did play better against GianPiero Gasperini's side and createdenough chances to win - they had 22shots to Atalanta's 13 - but again, it wasa performance that led to furtherquestions of Solskjaer's team.For starters, how can a team that hasa specialist set-piece coach consistentlyconcede from dead-ball situations? It'sbaffling.Having already been far too easilyopened up for Mario Pasalic's closerangeopener from a DavideZappacosta cut-back, Luke Shaw,Harry Maguire and David de Gea wereall culpable as Merih Demiral headedhome a corner.Marcus Rashford had spoken beforethe game about the need to go back tobasics yet it seems they don't evenknow the basics of defending setpieces.Credit where it is due, though, Uniteddeserved the three points whicheventually came their way.Their heads looked to have totallydropped as they went 2-0 down toarguably their toughest opponents inGroup F and they were met with asmattering of boos as they walked offthe pitch at half time.However, whatever was said in thedressing room worked wonders.In many ways, Bruno Fernandespersonifies United's up-and-downform right now. His first-half displaywas poor, a shadow of what he iscapable of, but he orchestrated United'sstirring fightback, creating goals forboth Rashford and Maguire.His second assist may have beenfortunate, with his cross somehowfinding its way to Maguire at the backpost, but his first was genius.It set United on their way to threeunlikely points and when Solskjaertalks about United DNA, these areexactly the sort of performances hemeans, those full of desire andperseverance. But how often can theykeep turning things around aftermaking life so difficult for themselves?Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sundaywill certainly be a tougher assignmentthan this, given Atalanta played in away which accommodated United'sforward play, in that they gave theirhosts the space they wanted to createchances. It's hard to imagine JurgenKlopp's side affording them so muchroom and time.As United legend Paul Scholes saidon BT Sport afterwards, "I get all theexcitement but that first half I justdidn't enjoy it and I think that first halfput me off the second.I think if they were playing a betterteam they'd be out of sight. That firsthalf was worrying. It looked anythingbut a team, it lacked unity and that wasa worrying sign.Chelsea suffer injury nightmareas Lukaku and Werner forcedoff in first half against MalmoSportS DeSkRomelu Lukaku was forced off with an ankleinjury during the first half of Chelsea'sChampions League clash with Malmo, withstrike partner Timo Werner sidelined soonafter, reports AP.Lukaku lasted less than 20 minutes of theencounter at Stamford Bridge before he waswithdrawn following a heavy tackle.It could prove a blow to Chelsea, who arelooking for success in both their Europeandefence and in the Premier League thisseason - and matters got worse when Werneralso had to go off before the break.Chelsea were already leading 1-0 throughAndreas Christensen's ninth-minute openerwhen Lukaku pushed forward looking for asecond.The Belgium international burst into thearea after trading passes with Werner, butfound Malmo defender Lasse Nielsen in hisway.Nielsen's tackle sent Lukaku tumbling tothe ground, winning the Blues a penalty, butthe forward did not come out of theencounter unscathed as he went down andrequired several minutes of treatment on thepitch. Lukaku was eventually able to take tohis feet and limp off, with Kai Havertz sentinto the action as his replacement.Back on the field, Jorginho converted thekick to put the Blues 2-0 ahead and well onthe way to their second Champions Leaguevictory of the season after winning the title in2020-21.Thomas Tuchel was given anotherheadache before half-time, as Werner wentoff in the 42nd minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi coming on.two of the Blues' forward line were left needing treatment after heavytackles in the first half at Stamford Bridge.photo: ApAustralian ex-cricketstar MichaelSlater arrestedSportS DeSkAustralian cricket greatMichael Slater was arrestedin Sydney on Wednesdayover domestic violenceallegations, reports BSS.Local media reported the51-year-old, now a wellknowntelevision pundit,was arrested in connectionwith an alleged incident thatoccurred last week.New South Wales policeconfirmed they had taken a51-year-old man intocustody in Sydney'snorthern beaches."Officers attached to theEastern Suburbs Police AreaCommand commenced aninvestigation yesterday, afterreceiving reports of adomestic violence incidentalleged to have occurred onTuesday 12 October 2021,"police said in a statement."Following inquiries,detectives attended a homeat Manly about 9:20amtoday, and spoke with a 51-year-old man."He has since beenarrested and taken to ManlyPolice Station."Slater occupied a positionat the top of the AustralianTest batting order for closeto a decade, hitting 5,312runs before his 2004retirement.Rashid Khan eyes World Cupglory not wedding bellsSportS DeSkRashid Khan insists his mind is occupied bythe World Cup and not wedding bells as theleg-spin wizard looks to inspire Afghanistanat the Twenty20 global showpiece, reportsBSS. Still only 23, Rashid is key to hisnation's hopes of a first world title and apotential triumph which would deliver a rarebout of good news for his home country.However, Rashid told AFP thatspeculation over his private life in the runupto the tournament, currently underway inOman and the UAE, will not derail hisambitions. He denied he ever said: "I willmarry when Afghanistan win a World Cup.""Actually, I was so shocked when I heardthis because, to be honest, I never made astatement that I will marry once I win theWorld Cup," said Rashid, whose family livesin Nangarhar in the eastern part ofAfghanistan. "I just said that in the next fewyears I have more cricket and three WorldCups (the 2021 and 2022 Twenty20 WorldCups and the 50-over World Cup in 2023) somy focus will be on cricket rather than ongetting married."Rashid, who made his Afghanistan debutwhen he was 17, is one of internationalcricket's most in-demand players.He has already played 51 T20 internationalmatches and more than 280 games in theformat for franchises around the world.A lucrative career has seen him ply histrade in England, Australia, Pakistan,Bangladesh, South Africa and, of course, theIPL in India where hehas been a regular for SunrisersHyderabad since 2017. He has 95 wickets inT20 internationals with an average of just12.63 and in 2020 was voted the ICC'sCricketer of the Decade in the format. On thelow, slow wickets of the Gulf, spin will be key."I think it will be a spinners' World Cup,"said Rashid. "The wickets here are mostlyvery good for spinners, so I think that's themain reason most of the teams have morespinners in their attack."India have packed four slow bowlers intheir 15 with Ravindra Jadeja, RavichandranAshwin, Varun Chakravarthy and RahulChahar while England have Adil Rashid,Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone.Defending champions the West Indieshave Akeal Hosein, Hayden Walsh andRoston Chase. Chris Gayle can also turn hisarm over. Pakistan can call on Shadab Khan,Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim asfrontline spinners.Veterans Mohammad Hafeez and ShoaibMalik can also give the ball a tweak. NewZealand have Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santnerand Todd Astle.Australia, yet to win a T20 World Cup, willlook to Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar.Rashid is not Afghanistan's only front linespinner -- there is also Mujeeb Ur Rahmanand skipper Mohammad Nabi."What I noticed during the Indian PremierLeague (the conclusion of which was alsoplayed in the UAE) was that wickets weregood but there was not that much spin," saidRashid."But I think the more we play in this WorldCup we might see wickets which are a bitdifferent and the more you play on thesetracks it becomes slower and slower and theywill be handy for spinners."rashid khan insists his mind is occupied by the World Cup and not wedding bells.Olympic flame arrives in Chinaahead of 2022 Beijing GamesSportS DeSkThe Olympic flame arrived in China earlyWednesday for the Beijing 2022 WinterGames, state media reported, following aceremony in Athens overshadowed byprotests over China's human rights record,reports BSS.Beijing -- set to become the first host of aSummer and Winter Games -- will hold awelcome ceremony for the flame at 10am(0200 GMT) at the capital's Olympic Tower,where it will go on display to the public,before setting off on an exhibition tour.Around 2,900 athletes, representingapproximately 85 National OlympicCommittees, will compete in the WinterGames from February 4-20, 2022.The flame was lit in Athens on Mondayand transferred the following day to theorganisers of the Beijing Games.The low-key event was held in front of alimited audience because of the coronavirus,and in a break with tradition, there was notorch relay on Greek soil.But rights campaigners accuse theInternational Olympic Committee of turninga blind eye to what they say is a litany ofabuses in China, notably over Tibet, itstreatment of Muslim minorities in the regionof Xinjiang and its clampdown in HongKong. Activists grabbed the spotlight atMonday's lighting ceremony, unfurling aTibetan flag and a banner that read "nogenocide" before Greek police intervened.A similar protest was held at the Acropolisin Athens on Sunday.When Beijing hosted the 2008 Games, therelay was repeatedly disrupted by protestersin Europe and North America.There is highly unlikely to be any suchsign of dissent in tightly-controlled China,where Beijing has repeatedly swatted asidetalk of a boycott as "politicising sport".Beijing 2022 organisers have released fewdetails of what they plan, but the IOC hassaid the flame will go on display to the publicat the tower, near the Bird's Nest Stadiumwhich hosted the opening ceremony for the2008 Games."Closer to the Games, a traditionalOlympic torch relay will be held," the IOCsaid this week, with the Games just over 100days away.Rights groups say more than one millionUyghurs and other minorities in Xinjianghave been held in camps in recent years,their rights to worship and freedoms heavilycurtailed by Chinese authorities.Washington has described the treatmentof China's Uyghurs as "genocide".After initially denying the existence of theXinjiang camps, China later defended themas vocational training centres aimed atreducing Islamic extremism.IOC chairman Thomas Bach has batted offtalk of a potential boycott, claiming theInternational Olympic Committee's politicalneutrality and saying it was up togovernments to live up to theirresponsibilities.A victim of the 1980 Moscow Gamesboycott, the former fencer has said suchmoves only punish athletes, and insists theIOC is addressing the rights issue "within ourremit"."In these difficult times we are still livingthrough, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing2022 will be an important moment to bringthe world together in a spirit of peace,friendship and solidarity," Bach said onMonday.It will be the second Olympics to be heldunder the shadow of the coronaviruspandemic after the Tokyo Games earlier thisyear and athletes competing in Beijing facestrict rules to contain the risk of Covid-19cases.photo: ApMurray hails 'unbelievablebattle' aftermarathon victorySportS DeSkAndy Murray said that he had"never played a match like it"after the former worldnumber one battled past theAmerican Frances Tiafoe inan epic at the European Open,reports BSS.The 34-year-old Scot, whohas suffered careerthreateninghip injuries,saved two match points topull off a 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (7/9),7-6 (10/8) victory in a thrillingfirst-round clash in Antwerp.At 3hr 45min it was thelongest best-of-three matchthis year, the ATP said,eclipsing the 3hr 38minplayed by Rafael Nadal andStefanos Tsitsipas in theBarcelona final in April."I don't think I've everplayed a match like that," anexhausted Murray said."I think it's the longestthree-set match I've played byquite a distance. I'm tiredright now, obviously it was anunbelievable battle."Murray, who shared awarm embrace with the 23-year-old Tiafoe afterwards,added: "Nowadays obviouslymy body is old now. I'veplayed a lot of"I don't mind playing longmatches, but that was takingit to another level."Murray, a three-time majorchampion who had careersavinghip resurfacing surgerytwo years ago, is now in a raceto recover ahead of a toughtest on Thursday against theArgentine second seed DiegoSchwartzman.
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