Philippine crews boarded the fire-gutted MV June Aster on Friday. Five dead, 43 rescued and 84 still missing after the Manila-to-Coron blaze. Philippine rescuers climbed aboard the burnt-out hulk of the MV June Aster on Friday, more than 40 hours after a fire tore through the passenger-cargo ferry as it neared the end of a voyage from Manila. Crews reached the vessel at about 11:30 local time (03:30 GMT), the Philippine Coast Guard said, forcing their way past smoke that was still rising from the wreck. Five people have been confirmed dead and 43 have been pulled to safety, many of them now under hospital care. Another 84 passengers remain unaccounted for. The ferry had left the capital and was closing in on the island of Coron, in Palawan province, when flames broke out on Wednesday evening. Reaching the hull proved dangerous from the moment operations began on Wednesday. Coast guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab said searing heat and poisonous fumes kept teams off the ship for hours. "The biggest challenge for us really is to penetrate the ship [as] there is still a visible, thick smoke," she told the BBC. "No matter how we try to push through, high temperatures and toxic smoke remain a severe risk to our personnel," she told local media. Fires that burn without enough oxygen throw off heavy loads of carbon monoxide, a gas that can kill quickly. Images released by the coast guard on Friday morning showed smoke twisting up from the ferry, though later pictures taken that afternoon suggested the plumes had eased. The maritime agency said it would restart firefighting from the cargo hold, the storage compartment for containers and freight. Early accounts from survivors point to that same section as where the blaze first took hold. Investigators also noted that some passengers had not been wearing life vests. The missing count was revised down from 86 to 84 after officials determined that two people listed on the ship's manifest never actually boarded. Search crews have since expanded the area they are combing. The coast guard has sent out one of its largest ships, broadcast radio appeals to nearby vessels and flown an aerial sweep over the surrounding waters. Divers and nurses are working alongside the search parties. In Coron, a local diver told the BBC his team was ready to assist and waiting for word from the coast guard. One survivor described the chaos that gripped the vessel as the fire spread. Roland Lerma, 30, said he was knocked to the deck as passengers rushed for the exits. "When I was on the floor, people were trampling me," he told the BBC. He crawled until he could stand, then threw himself overboard. In the dark, he made out children who had also leapt into the water but could not see their faces. "It was cold [in the sea] If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died," he said. The Philippines' maritime authority is examining what caused the disaster. MV June Aster, Philippine ferry fire, Philippine Coast Guard, Coron Palawan, Manila ferry disaster, ferry rescue Philippines, Roland Lerma, maritime accident

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A fresh leak shows Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 3 with a redesigned body, Black and White options and a rumoured EUR 45.95 price tag. Samsung's next Bluetooth tracker, expected to carry the name Galaxy SmartTag 3, has appeared in a fresh leak that reveals a reworked design, two colour choices and a possible price. The images and details, published by tipster SammyGuru, surface almost three years after the Galaxy SmartTag 2 reached buyers in October 2023. Samsung has made no official statement, so every specification, price and timing detail remains unverified. The leaked renders show the tracker from several angles. According to the report, the device carries a squircle body - a square softened into rounded corners - with a circular panel set in the middle. On the White model, a pale frame wraps the outer edge while the central disc appears to use a brushed metallic texture, marked off from the surround by a raised ring. Alongside White, the tracker is said to come in Black. One notable absence in the images is any opening for a keyring or lanyard. Without a built-in loop, owners would likely need a separate holder with an attachment point to clip the tracker onto keys, luggage or a bag. The rounded-square outline with its central circle echoes the very first Galaxy SmartTag rather than the model it directly follows. A Companion for the Next Galaxy FE Phone The report suggests the SmartTag 3 will launch alongside Samsung's upcoming Galaxy FE handset. It would mark the company's first refresh of the tracker line since the SmartTag 2 arrived in October 2023. Samsung is positioning the accessory against Apple's AirTag and the trackers built around Google's Find Hub network. No hardware specifications for the SmartTag 3 have leaked. As a reference point, the SmartTag 2 runs on Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 with a stated reach of up to 120 metres and adds Ultra-Wideband for pinpointing an item's exact spot. That model connects to Galaxy phones and tablets on Android 9 or newer and is set up through the SmartThings app. The second-generation tracker also carries an IP67 dust and water rating and an NFC-driven Lost Mode. When someone taps a misplaced tag, that feature can surface the owner's saved contact details and a note on the finder's phone. Its battery is rated for as long as 500 days in the standard setting and up to 700 days when Power Saving Mode is switched on. Whether the SmartTag 3 keeps or improves on any of these figures is still unknown. What the Leak Says About Price On cost, the leak points to a European figure of EUR 45.95, or roughly Rs. 5,100, for either colour. That would place the new tracker about EUR 6 - close to Rs. 700 - above its predecessor. In the United States, the price is reportedly set to hold at $29.99, or around Rs. 2,900. The device has also reportedly cleared certification with South Korea's National Radio Research Institute, a step that often precedes a product's release. Even so, Samsung has confirmed none of the leaked material, and the price, feature set and launch date all await an official announcement. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 3, Samsung tracker leak, SmartTag 3 price, SmartTag 3 design, Samsung SmartThings, Apple AirTag rival, Galaxy FE, Bluetooth tracker

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A growing number of companies are linking career progression to how employees use artificial intelligence, raising questions about fairness at work. A growing number of companies are linking career progression to how their employees use artificial intelligence, making the technology a factor in who gets promoted. The shift ties advancement not only to results but to how readily workers adopt AI tools in their day-to-day jobs. As the practice spreads, it has drawn a pointed question: is it fair to judge someone's career on their use of AI? Supporters see the move as a way to push adoption of tools that are reshaping how work gets done. By rewarding staff who lean into AI, firms signal that the skills matter and encourage the rest of the workforce to follow. Critics counter that access to tools, training and the nature of a given role can vary widely between employees. Measuring workers by AI use, rather than the quality of their output, risks penalising those whose jobs offer fewer chances to apply it. The debate lands as employers weigh how to fold rapidly changing technology into long-standing systems for evaluating and promoting staff. For now, the trend is spreading faster than any settled answer on whether it is fair. AI in the workplace, promotions and AI, career progression, artificial intelligence at work, employee performance, workplace fairness, AI adoption

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league could repackage its TV rights when it revisits deals, citing an opt-out after the 2029-30 season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is weighing whether to restructure how it sells its television game packages when it negotiates its next round of media deals, a response to how audiences now watch football and the accelerating move toward streaming. Speaking to CNBC in Melbourne, Australia, ahead of the season-opening matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, Goodell said the league is in active conversations about the shape of those future rights. The Thursday night game, kicking off at 8:35 p.m. ET, marks the first time a regular-season NFL contest has been staged in Australia. Goodell said the league is talking with current broadcasters as well as prospective new ones about whether the existing bundle of packages still makes sense. "Should we repackage our current packages? Should we think differently about where we go with those things?" he said. At present, the NFL divides its schedule into several distinct rights packages. Fox and CBS, now owned by Paramount Skydance, carry Sunday afternoon games across two separate deals. NBC holds Sunday Night Football, while Monday Night Football sits with Disney's ESPN and ABC. Amazon streams Thursday Night Football. This season, Netflix also acquired the rights to five extra games. The league holds a contractual escape hatch: an opt-out it can invoke at the close of the 2029-30 season, allowing it to reopen and re-sell its packages. Goodell declined to say whether the NFL intends to pull that trigger, framing the clause as leverage rather than a commitment. "We don't have to make that decision today. That's the reason you have an option," he said. He described the provision as highly valuable, giving the league room to assess the media environment and decide how best to deliver games at the right price. Media partners in flux Several of the companies that currently carry NFL games are in the middle of major corporate upheaval, a backdrop likely to shape any renegotiation. Paramount is pursuing a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal held up by an antitrust challenge. Fox has struck a $22 billion agreement to buy Roku. Comcast, meanwhile, announced plans earlier this year to spin off NBCUniversal. Goodell acknowledged that the ground is shifting for everyone involved. "The world is changing for our partners. It's changing for us. It's changing for fans. Our fans are moving to other platforms," he said. He added that the league's task is to judge what is working, what is not, and which partners can carry its games to the widest audience once the option window opens. Chasing a global audience Goodell singled out international reach as a fresh strategic priority. The NFL is playing games this season in Spain, France and Brazil, part of a broader push beyond its home market. Netflix holds the worldwide broadcast rights to the 49ers-Rams game in Australia, though the commissioner noted that most NFL rights remain restricted to the United States. That global lens is relatively new for the league. Goodell said the NFL had not previously evaluated its media strategy around reaching fans around the world, and that partners capable of delivering games internationally will factor into decisions made after the opt-out date. Even as streaming grows, Goodell insisted that traditional broadcast television will stay central to the league's approach, chiefly to preserve free, over-the-air access in local markets. Every NFL game is currently available on broadcast TV, he said, and he expects that to hold. Local stations already simulcast games that air on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, ensuring regional viewers can still tune in without a subscription. "One hundred percent of our games are available on broadcast television. I see that continuing," Goodell said. The comments offer an early read on how the NFL is thinking about one of the most lucrative sets of rights in media, at a moment when its longtime broadcast partners are being reshaped by mergers, spinoffs and the pull of streaming. For now, the league is keeping its options open - literally - and declining to signal its hand years before it has to play it. NFL media rights, Roger Goodell, NFL TV packages, NFL streaming, 49ers Rams Australia, Netflix NFL, NFL Thursday Night Football, sports broadcasting

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Jasprit Bumrah bowled in India's full-squad session ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which begins September 13 in New Delhi. Jasprit Bumrah bowled in India's full-squad training session on Friday as the team stepped up its preparations for a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. All three matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17. The workout opened at low intensity. Players moved through a light warm-up before turning to fielding drills, in which ten of them were divided into two groups of five. Working in pairs, they took turns aiming to hit the stumps. The pace lifted once the squad shifted to the nets, where two lanes were running at the same time. Spinners bowled at one end and seamers at the other. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer batted against the spin unit, which featured Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi. In the neighbouring net, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took on the fast bowlers, a group that included Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Bumrah. Axar and Shivam Dube later took their turn with the bat. A handful of bowlers from Delhi were brought in to help the side complete the evening net session. The one anxious moment of the day involved Kishan, who was facing Navdeep Saini. The left-hander attempted to get under a delivery that reared up, but seemed to be struck awkwardly and dropped to the ground holding his lower back. The team physio attended to him straight away. After a spell with the medical staff, Kishan got up and walked off the field unaided. He showed no clear signs of pain as he left the practice area. The session forms part of India's lead-in to the short series against Afghanistan, with the two teams set to begin their contest at the Delhi venue on September 13. Jasprit Bumrah, India Afghanistan T20I, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Ishan Kishan injury, India cricket squad, T20I series 2026, Indian cricket team practice

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UK sanctions on West Bank settlements over Israel's E1 building plan near Jerusalem draw Israeli counter-measures against UK nationals and organisations. The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, prompting Israel to hit back with a series of counter-measures aimed at UK nationals and organisations. The UK measures followed Israel's move to open tenders for the construction of settlement homes in the so-called E1 area, a strip of land east of Jerusalem. The building plans have drawn widespread international condemnation. The E1 zone sits at the centre of the dispute because of where it lies. Development there would, in effect, split the occupied West Bank into two separate parts and cut off East Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian territory. That geography is why the tenders have been treated as more than a routine housing decision. In response to the British sanctions, Israel announced its own steps directed at UK nationals and UK organisations, turning a dispute over settlement construction into a direct diplomatic confrontation between the two governments. Khan al Ahmar and Maale Adumim Inside the E1 area lies Khan al Ahmar, a Palestinian community that has been living under demolition orders issued by Israel. Its residents face the prospect of losing their homes at the same time that Israeli settlement building in the surrounding area is being expanded. Next to the Palestinian community stands Maale Adumim, an established Israeli settlement. The two sit side by side in the same contested landscape, on opposite sides of a dispute that the E1 tenders have brought to a head. The sanctions on settlements are part of a wider British response. The UK has also moved to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, tightening the economic pressure alongside the targeted measures. The standoff leaves a small Palestinian community threatened with demolition at the exact spot where planned Israeli construction would reshape the map of the West Bank, and where a disagreement over building permits has now widened into sanctions and counter-sanctions between London and the Israeli government. UK sanctions Israel, West Bank settlements, E1 area, Khan al Ahmar, Maale Adumim, East Jerusalem, Israeli settlement homes, demolition orders

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A new American Cancer Society and WHO analysis projects a 67% rise in annual cancer cases by 2050, with 21 million diagnosed and 9.8 million dead in 2024. Nearly 21 million people were diagnosed with cancer around the world in 2024, and 9.8 million died from it, according to a wide-ranging new analysis led by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The report warns that the annual number of new cases could reach 34 million by 2050 - a 67% jump from 2024 - driven entirely by growing and aging populations. The findings, published as Global Cancer Statistics, 2026, estimate that roughly one in five people worldwide will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage of their lives. About one in nine men and one in 13 women are expected to die from the disease. The study was carried out by researchers at ACS and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's dedicated cancer agency, and appears in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the ACS flagship journal, with the report also posted on cancer.org. Dr. Hyuna Sung, senior principal scientist for cancer surveillance at ACS and the report's lead author, framed the disease as one of the defining public health problems of the century and a leading obstacle to longer lives. Mapping where and how heavily cancer strikes, she said, is critical to directing prevention and treatment efforts fairly. She added that the scale of the burden, while sobering, also signals opportunity: close to half of all cancer deaths could be averted by tackling changeable risk factors, and a further large share could be prevented through earlier detection and prompt care. The projections rest on GLOBOCAN estimates for 2024, an IARC database that records cancer incidence and deaths across 34 types of the disease in 186 countries. The team analysed how diagnoses and deaths differ by region and by a country's Human Development Index, then applied demographic trends to forecast the load in 2050. Sharp gaps between regions The geography of cancer is deeply uneven. Incidence rates ranged by four to five times between regions, with Australia and New Zealand recording the highest and parts of Africa and South-Central Asia the lowest. Death rates diverged less sharply - by roughly two times - but the pattern still varied by place and sex. The heaviest mortality fell on men in Eastern Europe and on women in Melanesia. Lung cancer remained the most common malignancy worldwide and the deadliest, with tobacco still the primary cause. Almost 2.6 million new lung cancer cases were logged in 2024, making up 13% of all cancers, and the disease killed 1.9 million people - 19% of every cancer death recorded that year. Breast cancer's uneven toll Female breast cancer was the second most frequently diagnosed cancer overall, with about 2.4 million new cases and 694,000 deaths. Among women it topped the list for both new diagnoses and deaths. The survival numbers expose a stark divide. Women in Western Africa are twice as likely to die of breast cancer as women in Australia and New Zealand, even though the disease is diagnosed only about half as often in Western Africa. The gap points to unequal access to screening and treatment rather than to how widespread the disease is. Colorectal cancer ranked third for new diagnoses and second for deaths, with more than 2.0 million cases and 918,000 deaths. Liver cancer added 843,000 new cases and 732,000 deaths to the global tally. Taken together, the report presents both a warning and an argument for action: much of the coming rise is fixed by demography, but a large slice of the deaths is not, provided prevention, testing and care reach the people who need them most. global cancer statistics 2026, cancer cases 2050, American Cancer Society, lung cancer worldwide, breast cancer mortality, GLOBOCAN 2024, cancer prevention, IARC WH

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Debutant Razaullah smashed 81 off 63 balls with nine sixes at Edgbaston, dragging Pakistan back into the third Test against England on day three. A 21-year-old debutant named Razaullah hijacked the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston on Friday, hammering 81 from 63 balls to drag his side back into a match they had been expected to lose. Coming in at number nine, he struck nine sixes in an innings that lasted around two hours and left England's bowlers scrambling. By the close of day three, England needed 130 to win, a target that had looked far more comfortable before Razaullah walked to the crease in Birmingham. Instead of wrapping up the game and taking Saturday off, both sides must return for a fourth day. Razaullah arrived in international cricket almost unknown. He had played just eight first-class matches, with a single century to his name, and was picked as part of wholesale changes Pakistan made before the final Test. Selectors saw him primarily as a raw, quick fast bowler, with comparisons drawn to Waqar Younis. His name was not one England's attack had prepared for. That changed quickly. He broke two bats during his onslaught and had to call for a third, flaying the England bowling to all corners. His nine sixes equalled the most ever hit in a single Test innings in England, matching Ben Stokes' 155 against Australia during the 2023 Ashes. In one innings he cleared the rope as many times as Sir Geoffrey Boycott did across his entire 108-Test career. England captain Joe Root ran out of answers. At one stage he pushed eight fielders back to the boundary, a defensive setting that did nothing to slow the debutant, who kept swinging with the confidence of a player untroubled by the situation. Pakistan, well behind in the match and written off before a ball was bowled, batted with a freedom absent from earlier in the series. Razaullah was not alone in the fightback. Opener Shan Masood anchored the innings with a patient 95, providing the application at one end that allowed the hitting at the other. Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, on BBC Test Match Special, said the innings marked the arrival of a genuine talent. "It's the first time he's been out there for Pakistan ever, and he absolutely lights up the show. This is the attitude that was needed," he said. "Someone with a strong body language and who believes in himself. They'll want him playing all formats because he's a natural in mind, body language and attitude. It was a tremendous fightback." The style of the knock drew comparisons to Pakistan's great entertainers, with echoes of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq in the way Razaullah attacked. For a player with only one first-class hundred and a reputation built on bowling pace, it was a startling introduction on the biggest stage. With 130 still to get, England remain favourites to close out the Test. But Razaullah's assault has ensured the match runs into a fourth day and handed Pakistan a contest they had appeared certain to concede. Razaullah, Pakistan cricket, England Pakistan Test, Edgbaston, third Test, Shan Masood, nine sixes, Test cricket

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An Irish man's Grok chat about moving to Kolkata revealed India's 14-year citizenship path and zero welfare. Elon Musk called the system 'realistic.' A social media exchange in which an Irish man asked Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok how to move permanently to India drew a public response from Musk himself, who summed up the country's immigration system in three words: "India is realistic." The conversation involved an account posting as Aidan Joyce, who said he had fallen in love with India during a family visit to Kolkata and wanted to settle there for good. Joyce asked Grok how quickly he could relocate and eventually become an Indian citizen. The chatbot's answers made clear that the process would be neither fast nor simple. According to the exchange shared online, Grok told Joyce that gaining Indian citizenship could take at least 14 years, depending on his circumstances and the route he chose. He would first have to establish legal residence and then meet the requirements for naturalisation. Grok also noted that India generally does not permit dual citizenship. Anyone who becomes an Indian citizen would have to renounce their existing passport. Joyce pressed the chatbot on money. He said he had arrived with his partner and two children, was "totally skint," and asked how much the Indian state would pay the family in social welfare while they looked for work. Grok's reply was blunt: "None." It explained that India offers no cash welfare or unemployment payments to new arrivals or non-citizens, and that ration cards, pensions and most assistance require Indian citizenship plus eligibility, such as Below Poverty Line status. Formal-sector schemes, it added, need prior contributions. "Support yourselves," the bot said. Joyce then asked whether he could quickly buy a house in India. The answer was again no. The thread appeared designed as a pointed comparison for Indians who have spent years waiting for US Green Cards. It highlighted that India provides no welfare to newcomers and that, unlike in the United States where visa holders can purchase property, buying a home in India is far harder for non-citizens. What began as mockery turned into an endorsement. One user summarised the thread by noting it takes years to gain citizenship, requires renouncing a previous passport, comes with zero welfare, and ends in deportation for those who overstay. Musk weighed in to call India's system realistic, giving the viral exchange a high-profile stamp of approval. Elon Musk, Grok, Indian citizenship, India immigration, Kolkata, dual citizenship, social welfare, Aidan Joyce

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A few sheets of old newspaper placed under your car's floor mats can absorb moisture, trap dirt and protect the carpet during the rainy season. A few sheets of old newspaper can serve a surprisingly practical purpose inside a car during the rainy season. Placed beneath the floor mats, newspaper helps tackle one of the most common problems drivers face in wet weather: moisture. Water, mud and dampness often enter the car on the soles of shoes and collect around the footwell, and while rubber or fabric mats catch most of the visible dirt, moisture can linger underneath and leave the carpet damp. Newspaper works as a simple absorbent layer. It soaks up some of that moisture before it settles into the carpet, and it is cheap, easy to find and quick to replace once it becomes wet. The catch is that it is a temporary measure. It manages small amounts of dampness but does not replace proper cleaning and drying. How the newspaper works under the mat Newspaper is made from paper fibres that absorb water well. Placed beneath a floor mat, it can soak up moisture reaching the footwell from wet shoes or damp mats, stopping water from sitting on the carpet for too long. Moisture often gets trapped between a wet mat and the carpet below it. A sheet of newspaper between the two adds an extra absorbent layer that collects some of that water. This is especially useful on rainy days, when shoes and mats carry more moisture into the vehicle. Dampness left under the mats for too long can produce an unpleasant smell. By absorbing excess water and keeping the carpet drier, newspaper can help limit that. It should be swapped out regularly, though, and it will not clear odours that are already present. The paper also acts as an early warning. If the sheets turn wet, it is a clear sign that water has collected in that spot, giving drivers a simple way to catch the problem early and dry the carpet before it worsens. Newspaper catches mud, sand and other debris carried in on wet shoes, keeping much of the dirt off the carpet and making the car easier to clean. When the paper becomes dirty or soggy, it can simply be removed and replaced with fresh sheets. What drivers should keep in mind Replacing wet newspaper regularly is essential. The paper only helps while it is dry; once soaked, it should not be left in place, because it can keep the carpet damp instead. Remove the wet sheets, check the carpet underneath and let the area dry before putting in fresh paper. Newspaper is not a permanent fix. It handles minor moisture, but if the carpet becomes consistently wet, the mats should be lifted out and the affected area dried thoroughly. Leaving moisture trapped beneath the mat for long stretches can create a more stubborn problem. More is not better when it comes to layers. Piling on extra sheets to soak up additional water can make the mat uneven, and loose or bulky layers may stop it from sitting securely. A few sheets that fit neatly underneath, without making the mat too thick, are enough. Extra caution is needed around the driver's mat. Loose paper there could shift the mat out of position, so the newspaper must stay flat and fully tucked underneath without creeping towards the pedals. The mat itself should remain firmly in place to avoid any obstruction while driving. car carpet rainy season, newspaper under car mats, car floor mat moisture, car interior monsoon care, absorb car footwell moisture, protect car carpet dampness, car cleaning tips rain, damp car smell fix

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Edgar Grospiron has resigned as president of the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics organising committee after 18 months, citing months of tension. Edgar Grospiron has stepped down as president of the organising committee for the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics, ending a tenure that lasted just 18 months. The committee's executive board confirmed his exit at a meeting on Thursday, the latest disruption to a project dogged by governance problems. Grospiron, who won the moguls freestyle skiing title at the 1992 Games, took charge in February 2025. A two-time Olympic medallist and three-time former world champion, he announced his own departure in a post on LinkedIn, where he said the move came after "months of tension". He concluded that the conditions needed for him to carry on were no longer in place. The organising committee framed the change in leadership as a planned handover rather than a crisis. In a statement, it described his decision as "part of a deliberate, organised and fully assumed transition, taken in the interests of the project and its governance". It added that the shift reflected "a shared desire with stakeholders to enable the organisation to quickly enter this new operational phase". A string of departures Grospiron's time in charge was marked by repeated internal conflict and a run of senior exits. In February 2026, chief executive Cyril Linette walked away from the committee, pointing to "insurmountable disagreements" with the president. Linette was not the first to go. Chief operating officer Anne Murac and communications director Arthur Richer had also resigned before him. Money has been tight throughout the planning. Grospiron acknowledged in February that the operation had "little time, little money". Even so, he maintained he could "deliver a Games that will honour our vision and ambition", so long as the committee provided "serenity" and "continuity". That stability never materialised. In July, after a fraught board meeting, French Olympic Committee president Amelie Oudea-Castera told La Tribune Dimanche that the project was "once again facing governance problems". Ice events moved from Nice The organising effort has also had to reshape its competition map. In May, plans for an "ice sports hub" in Nice collapsed after the city's mayor, Eric Ciotti, blocked a proposal to turn OGC Nice's Allianz Riviera Stadium into a temporary ice rink. The ice disciplines will now be staged in Lyon instead. Speed skating is the exception and will be held in Heerenveen in the Netherlands. Despite the upheaval, French authorities insisted the bid remains on track. Sports minister Marina Ferrari said there was "no concern about what comes next". Speaking to reporters, she said: "The bid is continuing to move forward. Our teams are mobilised and working. We are confident about the future of the Alpes project." The International Olympic Committee also sought to draw a line under the change, crediting Grospiron with "crucial work in laying the foundations for the success" of the Games. The IOC said it would "continue working in close collaboration with the organising committee to build on the solid foundations that Mr Grospiron has laid". 2030 Winter Olympics, Edgar Grospiron, French Alps Olympics, organising committee, Cyril Linette, IOC, Marina Ferrari, Olympic governance

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Taipei is drafting guidance for citizens visiting China as Beijing prepares device inspections at the border, NSC adviser Alex Huang says. Taiwan's government is drawing up official guidance to help its citizens reduce the dangers of visiting China, as Beijing readies border rules that could see travellers' mobile phones and other electronic devices searched. Alex Huang (黃重諺), an adviser to the National Security Council, set out the plan in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times published on Thursday. Beijing's rewritten entry and exit regulations are due to take effect next Tuesday, a change that has drawn concern abroad and led Washington to revise its own travel advisory for China. From next month, Chinese authorities will start carrying out random checks of personal communication devices. Huang said many Taiwanese fear that commercial secrets could be uncovered during such searches, or that remarks they posted on social media in the past might later be turned against them. The Mainland Affairs Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other departments are preparing the advisory together, Huang said. He singled out three categories of travellers who should take extra care. Officials, clergy and tech workers at risk The first group is public employees at every level of government, whether in local, central or security posts. Huang said they could be treated as sources of intelligence. He pointed to recent episodes in which police officers were quizzed about how critical infrastructure is protected and court staff were pressed on the inner workings of the judiciary. Village heads and local civil affairs officers, he added, could be approached for details about air-raid shelters, emergency stockpiles and how supplies are distributed. Religious workers make up the second group. Huang argued that China lacks true freedom of worship, noting that missionary activity, ordinations and baptisms have to take place under the watch of religious affairs bodies answering to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department. Meetings of worshippers and religious study sessions, he said, are handled as national security concerns. He cited reports that several members of the I-Kuan Tao faith who went to China as tourists were detained without clear cause and are still being held. The third group covers people employed in sensitive fields such as semiconductors, quantum research, advanced materials and defence, along with staff at major foreign firms and companies tied to businesses that Beijing has sanctioned. Huang said such workers face an especially high chance of having their movements curtailed. Beijing extending its reach Huang linked the tighter border regime to a broader effort by Beijing to keep skilled workers and technology inside the country and to dissuade its own citizens from pursuing careers overseas. He said China's slowing economy has left a small circle of people prospering while many others struggle, and that supply chains around the world are moving faster to cut their dependence on the country. He described the new measures as part of a pattern that began with the so-called "22 guidelines to penalise Taiwanese independence separatists." Together, he said, these steps show Beijing trying to project its legal authority beyond its own territory and reveal a deep suspicion of its population. As an illustration, Huang pointed to China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress. He said it places Han Chinese culture above other cultures, gives priority to standard spoken Chinese and simplified characters, and goes as far as instructing parents to raise their children to "love the CCP." Rules of that kind, he said, twist basic constitutional and governing norms. He also flagged changes to China's National Defence Mobilisation Law. The amendments would widen what can be mobilised to take in supply chains and other assets bound up with the country's development. Under the revised text, Huang said, civilian resources would no longer be temporarily requisitioned but expropriated outright, with ownership transferred to the state. Taiwan travel advisory China, China border rules, Alex Huang National Security Council, China phone inspections, Mainland Affairs Council, I-Kuan Tao detained, Taiwan semiconductor workers China, China entry exit regulations

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