The US&nbsp;House of Representatives approved a plan on Thursday to allow an extra 8,000 special immigration visas for Afghans who helped the United States and are at risk of retaliation as US&nbsp;troops complete their pullout from Afghanistan after a 20 year war. 
 
The bipartisan bill, which passed with a vote of 407 to 16, will now be considered by the Senate. It also aims to speed up the processing of the visas. 
 
Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat, who led the group that sponsored the bill, said the additional visas would cover all potentially eligible applicants in the pipeline. US&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged last month that there were about 18,000 possible applicants. 
 
The Special Immigrant Visa program is available to Afghans who worked with the US&nbsp;government or US&nbsp;military. The United States has granted 26,500 such visas since December 2014. 
 
President Joe Biden's administration has been under pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups to begin evacuating thousands applicants and their families after Biden said the US&nbsp;military mission in Afghanistan would formally end on August&nbsp;31. 
 
"For too long, there has not been a sense of urgency that is necessary to ensure safety for the people who put their lives on the line to help Americans in these difficult circumstances," said Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat. 
 
Concerns for the applicants also have been fueled by an increase in fighting between US-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban in recent weeks, with the militants gaining territory and capturing border crossings. 
 
The United States this month will begin evacuating special immigration visa applicants from Afghanistan and the first batch will be taken to a military base in Virginia as they wait for the process to be completed. 
 
US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001 for providing sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and its operations used to attack the United States on September&nbsp;11, 2001.

The US House of Representatives approved a plan on Thursday to allow an extra 8,000 special immigration visas for Afghans who helped the United States and are at risk of retaliation as US troops complete their pullout from Afghanistan after a 20 year war.

The US House of Representatives approved a plan on Thursday to allow an extra 8,000 special immigration visas for Afghans who helped the United States and are at risk of retaliation as US troops complete their pullout from Afghanistan after a 20 year war. The bipartisan bill, which passed with a vote of 407 to 16, will now be considered by the Senate. It also aims to speed up the processing of the visas. Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat, who led the group that sponsored the bill, said the additional visas would cover all potentially eligible applicants in the pipeline. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged last month that there were about 18,000 possible applicants. The Special Immigrant Visa program is available to Afghans who worked with the US government or US military. The United States has granted 26,500 such visas since December 2014. President Joe Biden's administration has been under pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups to begin evacuating thousands applicants and their families after Biden said the US military mission in Afghanistan would formally end on August 31. "For too long, there has not been a sense of urgency that is necessary to ensure safety for the people who put their lives on the line to help Americans in these difficult circumstances," said Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat. Concerns for the applicants also have been fueled by an increase in fighting between US-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban in recent weeks, with the militants gaining territory and capturing border crossings. The United States this month will begin evacuating special immigration visa applicants from Afghanistan and the first batch will be taken to a military base in Virginia as they wait for the process to be completed. US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001 for providing sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and its operations used to attack the United States on September 11, 2001.

US House approves bid to add 8,000 visas for at-risk Afghans

July 23 in history: Ford Motor Company sells its first automobile and more

In support of the Afghan National&nbsp;Defence&nbsp;and Security Forces (ANDSF) in their fight against the Taliban,&nbsp;the United&nbsp;States&nbsp;carried out airstrikes&nbsp;across Afghanistan in the last several days, says Pentagon spokesman&nbsp;on Thursday.&nbsp;

In an off-camera press briefing,&nbsp;Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refused to provide details about the airstrikes.&nbsp;Kirby said,&nbsp;“Without&nbsp;going into specifics, I can say that in the last several days, we have acted through airstrikes to support the ANDSF.&nbsp;But I won't get into tactical details of those strikes.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

The spokesman added,&nbsp;“But we continue to be able to and we continue to, as the Secretary said yesterday, conduct airstrikes in support of the ANDSF. General McKenzie has those authorities.”&nbsp;

In a statement on Friday,&nbsp;the Afghan&nbsp;defence&nbsp;ministry said 17 Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by Afghan Air Force on Thursday night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Around 10 Taliban fighters were also killed in another airstrike conducted in&nbsp;Nijrab&nbsp;district,&nbsp;Kapisa province on Thursday night, the&nbsp;defence&nbsp;Ministry&nbsp;added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Although the Taliban has rejected the Ministry of&nbsp;Defence’s&nbsp;figures,&nbsp;the ministry has&nbsp;also&nbsp;not mentioned anything in its statements about US airstrikes on Taliban targets.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in their fight against the Taliban, the United States carried out airstrikes across Afghanistan in the last several days, says Pentagon spokesman on Thursday.

In support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in their fight against the Taliban, the United States carried out airstrikes across Afghanistan in the last several days, says Pentagon spokesman on Thursday. In an off-camera press briefing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refused to provide details about the airstrikes. Kirby said, “Without going into specifics, I can say that in the last several days, we have acted through airstrikes to support the ANDSF. But I won't get into tactical details of those strikes.” The spokesman added, “But we continue to be able to and we continue to, as the Secretary said yesterday, conduct airstrikes in support of the ANDSF. General McKenzie has those authorities.” In a statement on Friday, the Afghan defence ministry said 17 Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by Afghan Air Force on Thursday night. Around 10 Taliban fighters were also killed in another airstrike conducted in Nijrab district, Kapisa province on Thursday night, the defence Ministry added. Although the Taliban has rejected the Ministry of Defence’s figures, the ministry has also not mentioned anything in its statements about US airstrikes on Taliban targets. (With inputs from agencies)

US holds airstrikes to support Afghan security forces against Taliban, says Pentagon

In a recent interview,&nbsp;Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen&nbsp;said the group is ready to&nbsp;lay down&nbsp;arms&nbsp;after&nbsp;a negotiated government acceptable to all sides&nbsp;of&nbsp;the conflict is installed in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed.

Shaheen, who is also a member of the group’s negotiating team,&nbsp;gave interview to&nbsp;The Associated Press news agency.&nbsp;The&nbsp;spokesman&nbsp;said,&nbsp;“I want to make it clear that we do not believe in the monopoly of power because any governments,&nbsp;who (sought) to&nbsp;monopolise&nbsp;power in Afghanistan in the past, were not successful governments.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

He also&nbsp;apparently included&nbsp;the Taliban’s own five-year rule in the&nbsp;assessment, and added,&nbsp;“So,&nbsp;we do not want to repeat that same formula.”&nbsp;He&nbsp;laid out the group’s stance on what should come next in the&nbsp;war-torn&nbsp;country.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, after reeling from a surge in battlefield losses, Afghanistan's military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, Afghan and US officials say.&nbsp;

The politically perilous strategy will inevitably cede territory to Taliban insurgents. But officials say it appears to be a military necessity as over-stretched Afghan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country.&nbsp;

The consolidation of forces, which has been publicly acknowledged but not reported in such detail before, coincides with the US military withdrawal ahead of a formal end to the military mission on August 31, on orders from President Joe Biden.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a recent interview, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group is ready to lay down arms after a negotiated government acceptable to all sides of the conflict is installed in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed.

In a recent interview, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group is ready to lay down arms after a negotiated government acceptable to all sides of the conflict is installed in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed. Shaheen, who is also a member of the group’s negotiating team, gave interview to The Associated Press news agency. The spokesman said, “I want to make it clear that we do not believe in the monopoly of power because any governments, who (sought) to monopolise power in Afghanistan in the past, were not successful governments.” He also apparently included the Taliban’s own five-year rule in the assessment, and added, “So, we do not want to repeat that same formula.” He laid out the group’s stance on what should come next in the war-torn country. Meanwhile, after reeling from a surge in battlefield losses, Afghanistan's military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, Afghan and US officials say. The politically perilous strategy will inevitably cede territory to Taliban insurgents. But officials say it appears to be a military necessity as over-stretched Afghan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country. The consolidation of forces, which has been publicly acknowledged but not reported in such detail before, coincides with the US military withdrawal ahead of a formal end to the military mission on August 31, on orders from President Joe Biden. (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban offer peace deal, but want Afghan President removed 

At the invitation of Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will depart on a two-day visit to China on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.&nbsp;

The two sides will discuss bilateral and strategic relations, and will take each other into confidence over the situation in Afghanistan said the minister in a video statement.&nbsp;

Qureshi said, "We will also discuss the regional situation and progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)." He added, the visit is likely to further strengthen ties between Pakistan and China.&nbsp;

The minister will also be accompanied by senior officials during the China visit on July 23 and 24, the FO said in a statement. It added the visit is part of the high-level exchanges between the two nations.&nbsp;

The two ministers are looking to discuss further deepening of bilateral relations, defence and security cooperation, Covid-19 vaccines, counter-terrorism, cooperation under CPEC, and regional and international issues of mutual interest, the statement added.&nbsp;

"The visit will play an important role in further strengthening Pakistan-China 'all-weather strategic cooperative partnership' and will expand strategic communication and coordination with China on a range of issues," the FO added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

At the invitation of Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will depart on a two-day visit to China on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

At the invitation of Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will depart on a two-day visit to China on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The two sides will discuss bilateral and strategic relations, and will take each other into confidence over the situation in Afghanistan said the minister in a video statement. Qureshi said, "We will also discuss the regional situation and progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)." He added, the visit is likely to further strengthen ties between Pakistan and China. The minister will also be accompanied by senior officials during the China visit on July 23 and 24, the FO said in a statement. It added the visit is part of the high-level exchanges between the two nations. The two ministers are looking to discuss further deepening of bilateral relations, defence and security cooperation, Covid-19 vaccines, counter-terrorism, cooperation under CPEC, and regional and international issues of mutual interest, the statement added. "The visit will play an important role in further strengthening Pakistan-China 'all-weather strategic cooperative partnership' and will expand strategic communication and coordination with China on a range of issues," the FO added. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan’s fmoreign Minister on two-day China visit

A&nbsp;one-page-long&nbsp;job application, which was&nbsp;handwritten by&nbsp;Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in&nbsp;1973, is once again up for auction.&nbsp;You can bid to buy either the original document or an NFT version of it.&nbsp;

This application was made after&nbsp;Jobs&nbsp;dropped out of Reed College.&nbsp;It was just&nbsp;three years before he founded Apple.&nbsp;

Although it does not&nbsp;tells&nbsp;about any&nbsp;position or the company he was applying for, it&nbsp;says&nbsp;he&nbsp;was interested in electronics tech or design engineer positions.&nbsp;

He had listed his skills as computer and calculator experience.&nbsp;Jobs&nbsp;went on to&nbsp;co-found Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976.&nbsp;

Nonfungible tokens or&nbsp;NFTs&nbsp;are assets that delegate ownership of a virtual item, such as a photo, video or tweet to a person.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Can be held by only one person at a time,&nbsp;the asset’s&nbsp;ownership&nbsp;is recorded on a digital ledger.&nbsp;

The website, which is auctioning the document, claims to be&nbsp;selling the&nbsp;original&nbsp;copy and a digital version&nbsp;of it&nbsp;to find which has more value.&nbsp;

Till now,&nbsp;the physical version has attracted a top bid worth $1,000 while the NFT version has got a bid worth $545.93.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A one-page-long job application, which was handwritten by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1973, is once again up for auction. You can bid to buy either the original document or an NFT version of it.

A one-page-long job application, which was handwritten by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1973, is once again up for auction. You can bid to buy either the original document or an NFT version of it. This application was made after Jobs dropped out of Reed College. It was just three years before he founded Apple. Although it does not tells about any position or the company he was applying for, it says he was interested in electronics tech or design engineer positions. He had listed his skills as computer and calculator experience. Jobs went on to co-found Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. Nonfungible tokens or NFTs are assets that delegate ownership of a virtual item, such as a photo, video or tweet to a person. Can be held by only one person at a time, the asset’s ownership is recorded on a digital ledger. The website, which is auctioning the document, claims to be selling the original copy and a digital version of it to find which has more value. Till now, the physical version has attracted a top bid worth $1,000 while the NFT version has got a bid worth $545.93. (With inputs from agencies)

1973 job application of Steve Jobs is going under the hammer as original and NFT

Once appearing to be heading towards Venezuela, two Iranian ships are now appearing to reach the Russian city of St Petersburg and are in the Baltic Sea currently, according to a website that tracks ships, MarineTraffic.&nbsp;

According to two US defence officials familiar with the ships' movements said, the ships’ position indicates they are likely headed to St Petersburg to participate in Russia's Navy Day events.&nbsp;

For about two months, the Pentagon has been monitoring the movement of the ships as they took round near the southern tip of Africa and appeared set to cross the Atlantic for Venezuela.&nbsp;

The concern of the Pentagon officials was the introduction of Iranian weapons into the Western Hemisphere through the possible delivery of weapons to Venezuela.&nbsp;

The ships, which were off the coast of West Africa in mid-June, began to inch north instead of crossing the Atlantic.&nbsp;

After the US imposed diplomatic pressure on the regime of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela was forced to turn away the Iranian ships, said two officials at the time.&nbsp;

Not just this, diplomatic pressure was also put by the US on other countries along the route of the Iranian vessels, such as Senegal.&nbsp;

Once appearing to be heading towards Venezuela, two Iranian ships are now appearing to reach the Russian city of St Petersburg and are in the Baltic Sea currently, according to a website that tracks ships, MarineTraffic.

Once appearing to be heading towards Venezuela, two Iranian ships are now appearing to reach the Russian city of St Petersburg and are in the Baltic Sea currently, according to a website that tracks ships, MarineTraffic. According to two US defence officials familiar with the ships' movements said, the ships’ position indicates they are likely headed to St Petersburg to participate in Russia's Navy Day events. For about two months, the Pentagon has been monitoring the movement of the ships as they took round near the southern tip of Africa and appeared set to cross the Atlantic for Venezuela. The concern of the Pentagon officials was the introduction of Iranian weapons into the Western Hemisphere through the possible delivery of weapons to Venezuela. The ships, which were off the coast of West Africa in mid-June, began to inch north instead of crossing the Atlantic. After the US imposed diplomatic pressure on the regime of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela was forced to turn away the Iranian ships, said two officials at the time. Not just this, diplomatic pressure was also put by the US on other countries along the route of the Iranian vessels, such as Senegal.

Earlier Venezuela, now two Iranian ships appear to reach St Petersburg

Japan's Naomi Osaka will return to the spotlight on Sunday, kicking off her Olympic campaign as a home crowd favourite after taking a mental health break two months ago. 
 
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and world number two, has not played a competitive match since pulling out of the French Open in May amid controversy over her decision to skip all press conferences at the tournament in an effort to protect her mental well-being. 
 
But with all of her major wins coming on hard courts, the same surface being used in Tokyo, the 23-year-old remains widely seen as one of host Japan's strongest gold medal contenders in a field of 64 players each for women's and men's singles that is missing some of the biggest names in the sport. 
 
Amid heightened coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Switzerland`s Roger Federer and Spain`s Rafael Nadal, each with multiple Grand Slams to their names, both pulled out ahead of the Games, along with reigning US&nbsp;Open men`s champion Dominic Thiem. 
 
In the women's singles, two-time Slam winner Simona Halep will be absent, like American sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who have four gold medals each. Another US&nbsp;player, teenager Coco Gauff, pulled out earlier this week after testing positive for COVID-19. 
 
Osaka, who is making her Olympic debut, had originally been scheduled to kick off the tournament on Centre Court at the Ariake Tennis Park on Saturday. 
 
But she will now take on China`s Zheng Saisai, ranked 52 in the world, on Sunday, following a request from Tokyo 2020 organisers, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) spokesperson confirmed to Reuters. There was no reason given for the change. 
 
Last year`s French Open champion Iga Swiatek will now play the first marquee match of the Games against Mona Barthel of Germany, with the contest set to begin at 11.00am local time (0200 GMT). 
 
Osaka could potentially go on to meet Swiatek in a blockbuster quarter-final, while world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia may await on the other side of the draw. 
 
In a essay penned for Time Magazine earlier this month, Osaka said she stood by her decision to step away from the court but was now ready to make Japan proud at the Games. 
 
"An Olympic Games itself is special, but to have the opportunity to play in front of the Japanese fans is a dream come true," Osaka wrote.

Japan's Naomi Osaka will return to the spotlight on Sunday, kicking off her Olympic campaign as a home crowd favourite after taking a mental health break two months ago.

Japan's Naomi Osaka will return to the spotlight on Sunday, kicking off her Olympic campaign as a home crowd favourite after taking a mental health break two months ago. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and world number two, has not played a competitive match since pulling out of the French Open in May amid controversy over her decision to skip all press conferences at the tournament in an effort to protect her mental well-being. But with all of her major wins coming on hard courts, the same surface being used in Tokyo, the 23-year-old remains widely seen as one of host Japan's strongest gold medal contenders in a field of 64 players each for women's and men's singles that is missing some of the biggest names in the sport. Amid heightened coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Switzerland`s Roger Federer and Spain`s Rafael Nadal, each with multiple Grand Slams to their names, both pulled out ahead of the Games, along with reigning US Open men`s champion Dominic Thiem. In the women's singles, two-time Slam winner Simona Halep will be absent, like American sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who have four gold medals each. Another US player, teenager Coco Gauff, pulled out earlier this week after testing positive for COVID-19. Osaka, who is making her Olympic debut, had originally been scheduled to kick off the tournament on Centre Court at the Ariake Tennis Park on Saturday. But she will now take on China`s Zheng Saisai, ranked 52 in the world, on Sunday, following a request from Tokyo 2020 organisers, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) spokesperson confirmed to Reuters. There was no reason given for the change. Last year`s French Open champion Iga Swiatek will now play the first marquee match of the Games against Mona Barthel of Germany, with the contest set to begin at 11.00am local time (0200 GMT). Osaka could potentially go on to meet Swiatek in a blockbuster quarter-final, while world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia may await on the other side of the draw. In a essay penned for Time Magazine earlier this month, Osaka said she stood by her decision to step away from the court but was now ready to make Japan proud at the Games. "An Olympic Games itself is special, but to have the opportunity to play in front of the Japanese fans is a dream come true," Osaka wrote.

Olympics- Tennis: Japan's Osaka returns to Games' spotlight on Sunday

Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim will miss next month's Twenty20 International series against Australia after he was unable to join the team in time for quarantine because of personal reasons. 
 
Bangladesh are undergoing a 10-day quarantine in Dhaka ahead of the five-match series, due to be held August&nbsp;3 to 9. 
 
However, Cricket Australia said on Thursday, the series has come under doubt after their second one-day international against West Indies was suspended minutes before the start following a COVID-19 case among the West Indies staff. 
 
Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operations chairman Akram Khan said Mushfiqur opted out of their ongoing series in Zimbabwe to be with his parents. 
 
"Mushfiqur wanted to play the (Australia) series but he missed the quarantine by a couple of days," ESPNcricinfo news site quoted Akram as saying. 
 
"His parents are sick, so he had to leave the Zimbabwe tour. But the (10-day) quarantine is part of our agreement with Cricket Australia, so we couldn't include him. 
 
"They didn't agree to Mushfiqur entering quarantine two days after it began. It is disappointing but one can't do much about these things."

Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim will miss next month's Twenty20 International series against Australia after he was unable to join the team in time for quarantine because of personal reasons.

Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim will miss next month's Twenty20 International series against Australia after he was unable to join the team in time for quarantine because of personal reasons. Bangladesh are undergoing a 10-day quarantine in Dhaka ahead of the five-match series, due to be held August 3 to 9. However, Cricket Australia said on Thursday, the series has come under doubt after their second one-day international against West Indies was suspended minutes before the start following a COVID-19 case among the West Indies staff. Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operations chairman Akram Khan said Mushfiqur opted out of their ongoing series in Zimbabwe to be with his parents. "Mushfiqur wanted to play the (Australia) series but he missed the quarantine by a couple of days," ESPNcricinfo news site quoted Akram as saying. "His parents are sick, so he had to leave the Zimbabwe tour. But the (10-day) quarantine is part of our agreement with Cricket Australia, so we couldn't include him. "They didn't agree to Mushfiqur entering quarantine two days after it began. It is disappointing but one can't do much about these things."

Cricket: Bangladesh's Mushfiqur to miss Australia T20 series

Having sat proudly on the medal table podium as a real sporting superpower at the last two Games, British success will be measured by a different metric in Tokyo, the country's leading Olympic and sporting officials said on Friday. 
 
From the low of 1996 when they managed only one gold and finished 36th in the rankings, Britain rose to finish third in the London Games medal table of 2012 on the back of a huge injection of lottery funding. 
 
Four years later in Rio, Britain finished an extraordinary second behind the United States. 
 
Expectations are lower this time, despite Britain sending their biggest team, of around 380, to an overseas Games and qualifying for 26 of the 33 sports. 
 
The British Olympic Association and UK Sport had previously announced a change of approach, with funding no longer targeted so narrowly at potential medallists, but the particular challenges surrounding the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games have further diluted that emphasis on "only the podium counts". 
 
"At this most extraordinary of Games success is definitely not just about counting medals," Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, told journalists. 
 
"It`s about our athletes reaching Tokyo, their well-being, and reaching their dreams but also about bringing us as Britons together and sharing that national pride. 
 
"We are not shying away from our target of wanting to keep winning medals and our long term aspiration is to always be in the top five, but it will feel very different this time and be very emotional and we also want every athlete to have a really positive journey." 
 
Hugh Robertson, chairman of the BOA and Britain`s former Minster for Sport, added: "Anybody watching this will realize these are an extraordinary and unique Games and this is going to be a bumpy ride and it will be an achievement just to get all those athletes to the start line. 
 
"We also have a much younger squad here than in London and Rio with some of that focus on potentially medalling in Paris (in 2024)." 
 
Officials have not made public any specific medal targets per-sport but are looking at a total range of 45-70 (compared to 65 in 2012 and 67 in 2016). 
 
"We are excited about the breadth and at some of the new sports coming in so there will be a real range of medal opportunities," Munday said. 
 
"But the athletes are also willing and keen to share their own experiences and it is important to tell those stories and show that this Games is more than medals. 
 
"I think the British public get it and are just thrilled that the Games are going ahead and that the athletes who have trained so hard to compete are able to be here."

Having sat proudly on the medal table podium as a real sporting superpower at the last two Games, British success will be measured by a different metric in Tokyo, the country's leading Olympic and sporting officials said on Friday.

Having sat proudly on the medal table podium as a real sporting superpower at the last two Games, British success will be measured by a different metric in Tokyo, the country's leading Olympic and sporting officials said on Friday. From the low of 1996 when they managed only one gold and finished 36th in the rankings, Britain rose to finish third in the London Games medal table of 2012 on the back of a huge injection of lottery funding. Four years later in Rio, Britain finished an extraordinary second behind the United States. Expectations are lower this time, despite Britain sending their biggest team, of around 380, to an overseas Games and qualifying for 26 of the 33 sports. The British Olympic Association and UK Sport had previously announced a change of approach, with funding no longer targeted so narrowly at potential medallists, but the particular challenges surrounding the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games have further diluted that emphasis on "only the podium counts". "At this most extraordinary of Games success is definitely not just about counting medals," Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, told journalists. "It`s about our athletes reaching Tokyo, their well-being, and reaching their dreams but also about bringing us as Britons together and sharing that national pride. "We are not shying away from our target of wanting to keep winning medals and our long term aspiration is to always be in the top five, but it will feel very different this time and be very emotional and we also want every athlete to have a really positive journey." Hugh Robertson, chairman of the BOA and Britain`s former Minster for Sport, added: "Anybody watching this will realize these are an extraordinary and unique Games and this is going to be a bumpy ride and it will be an achievement just to get all those athletes to the start line. "We also have a much younger squad here than in London and Rio with some of that focus on potentially medalling in Paris (in 2024)." Officials have not made public any specific medal targets per-sport but are looking at a total range of 45-70 (compared to 65 in 2012 and 67 in 2016). "We are excited about the breadth and at some of the new sports coming in so there will be a real range of medal opportunities," Munday said. "But the athletes are also willing and keen to share their own experiences and it is important to tell those stories and show that this Games is more than medals. "I think the British public get it and are just thrilled that the Games are going ahead and that the athletes who have trained so hard to compete are able to be here."

Olympics: Tokyo success about more than medals, say British officials

Opposition to the International Olympic Committee's ban on podium protests at the Tokyo Games intensified on Friday with more than 150 athletes, academics and social justice advocates signing an open letter demanding changes to Rule 50. 
 
The IOC earlier this month relaxed the rule, which had previously forbidden athletes from any protests but now allows them to make gestures on the field provided they do so without disruption and with respect for fellow competitors. 
 
However, there is still a threat of sanctions if protests are made on the podium during the Games. 
 
The letter said it was adding "a collective voice" to calls for amendments to Rule 50. 
 
"We believe the global sport community is at a turning point in matters of racial and social justice, and we call on you as leaders in the Olympic and Paralympic movements to make a stronger commitment to human rights, racial/social justice, and social inclusion," the letter read. 
 
Among the signatories were Black US&nbsp;sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were expelled from the 1968 Olympics after they bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists on the podium to protest racial inequality. 
 
The Muhammad Ali Center also signed the letter, with the late boxing world and Olympic champion`s cauldron lighting at the Atlanta 1996 Games having become an iconic moment of Olympic history. 
 
The letter called for no sanctions to be imposed on athletes who protested on the podium in Japan and demanded a review of Rule 50 after next year`s Beijing Winter Olympics. 
 
British track and field medal hope Dina Asher-Smith also joined the chorus of opposition as she prepared for the Games. 
 
"Protesting and expressing yourself is a fundamental human right," she told reporters. "If you were to penalise someone for standing up against racial inequality how on earth would that go? How on earth are you going to enforce that?" 
 
"When people feel strongly about something, particularly when it’s something that’s so close to your heart – and as a Black woman you think about racism – I just think you can’t police people’s voice on that."

Opposition to the International Olympic Committee's ban on podium protests at the Tokyo Games intensified on Friday with more than 150 athletes, academics and social justice advocates signing an open letter demanding changes to Rule 50.

Opposition to the International Olympic Committee's ban on podium protests at the Tokyo Games intensified on Friday with more than 150 athletes, academics and social justice advocates signing an open letter demanding changes to Rule 50. The IOC earlier this month relaxed the rule, which had previously forbidden athletes from any protests but now allows them to make gestures on the field provided they do so without disruption and with respect for fellow competitors. However, there is still a threat of sanctions if protests are made on the podium during the Games. The letter said it was adding "a collective voice" to calls for amendments to Rule 50. "We believe the global sport community is at a turning point in matters of racial and social justice, and we call on you as leaders in the Olympic and Paralympic movements to make a stronger commitment to human rights, racial/social justice, and social inclusion," the letter read. Among the signatories were Black US sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were expelled from the 1968 Olympics after they bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists on the podium to protest racial inequality. The Muhammad Ali Center also signed the letter, with the late boxing world and Olympic champion`s cauldron lighting at the Atlanta 1996 Games having become an iconic moment of Olympic history. The letter called for no sanctions to be imposed on athletes who protested on the podium in Japan and demanded a review of Rule 50 after next year`s Beijing Winter Olympics. British track and field medal hope Dina Asher-Smith also joined the chorus of opposition as she prepared for the Games. "Protesting and expressing yourself is a fundamental human right," she told reporters. "If you were to penalise someone for standing up against racial inequality how on earth would that go? How on earth are you going to enforce that?" "When people feel strongly about something, particularly when it’s something that’s so close to your heart – and as a Black woman you think about racism – I just think you can’t police people’s voice on that."

Olympics: Opposition to Tokyo Games podium protest ban grows

Daily contact testing will be rolled out to workplaces in Britain's food sector so staff, who have been 'pinged' by the COVID-19 app can keep working if they test negative rather than isolating, the government said on Thursday. 
 
Some supermarkets are facing shortages of specific products - mainly those in demand in hot weather - and some petrol stations have had to close after the health app told workers to isolate following contact with someone with the virus. 
 
British newspapers carried front-page pictures of empty shelves in supermarkets, declaring a "pingdemic". 
 
With cases rising to nearly 50,000 a day in the United Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of people have been advised - or "pinged" - by the National Health Service`s contact-tracing app to isolate for 10 days. 
 
The government said priority testing sites would be set up at the largest supermarket distribution centres this week, and up to 500 sites would start next week. 
 
"As we manage this virus and do everything we can to break chains of transmission, daily contact testing of workers in this vital sector will help to minimise the disruption caused by rising cases in the coming weeks, while ensuring workers are not put at risk," Health Secretary Sajid Javid said. 
 
Contact testing is designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 by identifying people infected by being in proximity to someone with the virus, either via the app or human contact tracers, but who have no symptoms themselves.

Daily contact testing will be rolled out to workplaces in Britain's food sector so staff, who have been 'pinged' by the COVID-19 app can keep working if they test negative rather than isolating, the government said on Thursday.

Daily contact testing will be rolled out to workplaces in Britain's food sector so staff, who have been 'pinged' by the COVID-19 app can keep working if they test negative rather than isolating, the government said on Thursday. Some supermarkets are facing shortages of specific products - mainly those in demand in hot weather - and some petrol stations have had to close after the health app told workers to isolate following contact with someone with the virus. British newspapers carried front-page pictures of empty shelves in supermarkets, declaring a "pingdemic". With cases rising to nearly 50,000 a day in the United Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of people have been advised - or "pinged" - by the National Health Service`s contact-tracing app to isolate for 10 days. The government said priority testing sites would be set up at the largest supermarket distribution centres this week, and up to 500 sites would start next week. "As we manage this virus and do everything we can to break chains of transmission, daily contact testing of workers in this vital sector will help to minimise the disruption caused by rising cases in the coming weeks, while ensuring workers are not put at risk," Health Secretary Sajid Javid said. Contact testing is designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 by identifying people infected by being in proximity to someone with the virus, either via the app or human contact tracers, but who have no symptoms themselves.

UK to launch daily COVID-19 tests in food sector to tackle 'pingdemic'

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Gandharv Walia

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