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

News National

0 9 0

ITAT Delhi cancelled a Rs 12.83 lakh penalty on a Delhi taxpayer, ruling that a dispute over the India-UAE treaty rate is not under-reporting of income. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) Delhi has cancelled a Rs 12.83 lakh penalty imposed on a New Delhi taxpayer, ruling that no penalty for under-reporting can apply when the income he declared matched the income the tax department finally assessed. The only real disagreement, the tribunal found, was over the tax rate the man could claim under the India-United Arab Emirates Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The taxpayer, identified in the proceedings by the surname Lalwani, filed his income tax return on November 4, 2022, declaring total income of Rs 8.43 crore. The Assessing Officer (AO) at Jhandewalan reopened the case on March 22, 2025, and reworked the tax treatment of Rs 1.17 crore of interest income earned by his minor child. The officer clubbed that Rs 1.17 crore with the father's income and changed the rate applied to it. In doing so, the AO also refused to allow the lower rate of tax the man had claimed under the India-UAE treaty. Separately, the officer declined credit for Rs 2.62 lakh in tax deducted at source (TDS), on the ground that the related rental income had not been brought into the taxable total. On the same date, the AO invoked Section 270A of the Income-tax Act, 1961, and levied the Rs 12.83 lakh penalty for what it described as under-reporting of income. The Commissioner of Appeals (CIT-A) upheld that penalty. The taxpayer then took the matter to ITAT Delhi, which ruled in his favour on July 28, 2026, and ordered the penalty deleted. Why the tribunal struck down the penalty The central question before ITAT Delhi was whether a Section 270A penalty could stand when the income shown in the return and the income assessed by the officer were identical. Section 270A deals with cases of under-reporting or misreporting of income. The taxpayer argued there was no gap between what he declared and what was assessed, so there was nothing under-reported. He further contended that the fight over the Rs 1.17 crore was confined to the rate of tax under the India-UAE treaty, not to whether the income existed or had been disclosed. The tribunal accepted this. It noted that the disputed interest income had already appeared in his return and had also been carried into the assessed income. Chartered accountant Surana, quoted by ET, said the assessment "merely altered the tax treatment by denying the concessional treaty rate." On that basis, he said, ITAT Delhi treated the matter as a dispute about the rate of tax rather than the amount or the disclosure of income. The tribunal also examined the denied TDS credit of Rs 2.62 lakh. After reviewing the taxpayer's explanation as recorded in the assessment order, it found no significant defect in it. That issue, too, was held insufficient to brand his conduct as under-reporting or misreporting warranting a Section 270A penalty. According to Surana, the taxpayer prevailed because the reported and assessed income were the same, the Rs 1.17 crore interest had already been disclosed, and the core dispute was the treaty rate. How clubbing of a minor's income works The case turned in part on the clubbing provisions of the Income Tax Act, under which income belonging to one person is added to another taxpayer's total in defined situations. The aim is to stop tax avoidance by shifting income to someone else. These provisions apply to individuals, not to firms, Hindu Undivided Families or companies. As a general rule, a minor child's income is clubbed with the income of the parent who earns more. Once clubbed, it is taxed at the rate that applies to that parent, which can raise the overall bill if the income is moved to someone in a higher bracket. The law carves out exceptions. Income a minor earns through manual work or by using a special skill or knowledge is not clubbed. Where a minor's income is clubbed, Section 10(32) allows an exemption of Rs 1,500 per child. Income a spouse earns from their own personal skill or manual work, or from assets bought with their own independent funds, is also kept out of the clubbing net. Separately, income from assets transferred to a son's wife is taxed in the hands of the person who made the transfer. The ruling underlines a distinction that decided the case: a disagreement over whether taxable income exists, or how much of it there is, is not the same as a dispute over the rate applied to income that has already been fully disclosed. ITAT Delhi, Section 270A penalty, India-UAE DTAA, clubbing of income, minor child income tax, income tax appeal, TDS credit, under-reporting income

News National

0 4 0

A camouflaged Maruti WagonR test mule has been spotted, pointing to a 1.2L 3-cylinder engine, possible underbody CNG and a launch later in 2026. Maruti Suzuki has been caught testing an updated version of the WagonR, with a heavily camouflaged test mule spotted running on public roads. The sighting points to a facelift arriving later in 2026, though the most meaningful changes appear to sit under the bonnet rather than on the surface. The WagonR currently sells from Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 6.97 lakh, ex-showroom, across LXi, VXi, ZXi and ZXi Plus trims. It is offered with petrol and factory-fitted CNG options, paired with manual and AMT gearboxes. Those choices are expected to carry over to the updated car, and buyers should brace for a price rise when it goes on sale. Familiar Shape Under The Camouflage Despite the full-body wrap, the test car keeps the WagonR's tall-boy stance and overall silhouette, suggesting a modest update rather than a ground-up redesign. At the front, the headlamp placement looks unchanged, while the camouflage hides the grille and bumper. The side profile appears the same, and at the rear the model retains its signature vertically stacked tail lamps flanking the windscreen. The mule seen testing looks like a mid-spec variant. It runs on steel wheels, skips a rear wiper and fog lamps, and places its turn indicators on the front fenders instead of the wing mirrors. A brief look inside did not reveal any obvious cabin overhaul. Maruti may add features and equipment revisions with the facelift, but nothing on that front can be confirmed from the disguised vehicle. The Real Story Is The Engine The bigger change is expected to be mechanical. Maruti has been steadily swapping its older 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine for the newer Z12E 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit. The Swift and Dzire have already moved to it, followed more recently by the Baleno facelift, and the WagonR looks set to be next in line. In the Baleno, the Z12E makes 83 hp and 112 Nm. Across the models that have made this switch, outright power has dropped while fuel efficiency has improved, and a similar trade-off can be expected here, though Maruti has not confirmed the WagonR's final numbers. The current car offers both 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol engines, so how the company reshapes the engine lineup for the new model remains an open question. CNG Could Get A Packaging Rethink Both petrol and CNG versions are expected to continue with the new WagonR. The CNG variant may also see packaging improvements. One possibility is an underbody CNG tank, similar to the setup Maruti has already introduced on the Brezza CNG. Moving the cylinder beneath the floor would free up usable boot space compared with the conventional cylinder that currently sits in the luggage area. The spy shots, however, do not offer clear proof that the test car is running this arrangement, so it stays a possibility for now With testing under way, the updated WagonR is likely to reach showrooms later this year. Going by the disguised mule, the visual changes could be limited, leaving the powertrain update as the main talking point when the car finally launches. Maruti WagonR, WagonR facelift 2026, Z12E engine, WagonR CNG, Maruti Suzuki, 3-cylinder engine, WagonR price, underbody CNG

News National

0 4 0

Neymar sits out with a grade 2 thigh injury and Gabigol is suspended as Santos host Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro in the Brazilian championship. Santos faced Cruzeiro without two of their biggest attacking names on Saturday, the 12th, in the 27th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro. The match kicked off at 9 p.m. Brasília time at Vila Belmiro, with Neymar and Gabigol both ruled out for very different reasons. Neymar is sidelined by a muscle injury. He suffered a grade 2 tear in his right thigh during the match against Palmeiras on September 2. The problem is considered moderate, involving a partial rupture of muscle fibres, swelling and intense pain in the rectus femoris. The forward has already begun treatment. His recovery is estimated at six to eight weeks, a timeline that could keep him out of as many as 13 matches. The most optimistic projection points to a return at the end of October, while a more conservative reading suggests he may not play again until early November. Given Neymar's recent history of injuries, his camp has ruled out any attempt to bring him back early. The player's staff prefer to respect the full recovery window rather than risk a setback. Gabigol's absence stems from two separate issues. The striker picked up his third yellow card, triggering an automatic suspension that bars him from the 27th round. Even if he were clear on disciplinary grounds, he could not have played. Gabigol belongs to Cruzeiro and is on loan at Santos, and a contractual restriction prevents him from being fielded against his parent club. Unlike Neymar, Gabigol's return is straightforward. He will be available again as soon as his suspension is served, with no medical timeline to manage. Beyond the two forwards, Santos went into the game carrying further squad problems, leaving the hosts short of attacking options against Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro. Neymar injury, Gabigol suspension, Santos vs Cruzeiro, Brasileirao, Vila Belmiro, Campeonato Brasileiro, Santos FC, Cruzeir

News National

0 6 0

Apple's launch event brought the folding iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro, and new Apple Watches with an always-on microphone, in John Ternus's first outing as CEO. John Ternus introduced Apple's first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, in his first public appearance as the company's chief executive. The debut, staged at Apple's launch event, paired a high-profile product with a high-profile leadership change, giving the new CEO a marquee device to headline his opening act. The iPhone Duo marks Apple's entry into a category that Android manufacturers have occupied for years. Rather than break new ground on the format, Apple appears to have studied its rivals closely, selecting the features it judged to work best from existing Android foldables and building around them. The Verge's Allison Johnson tested the new phones in Cupertino ahead of the event. The iPhone 18 Pro and its variable aperture Alongside the foldable, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The headline camera change is a new variable aperture, which lets the lens open and close to different f-stops. But the standout improvement may be simpler than the mechanism suggests. The more meaningful gain appears to be the wider maximum aperture itself, which lets in more light, rather than the added ability to stop the lens down to narrower settings. New Apple Watches that listen Apple also refreshed its smartwatch line with the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Both carry a new sensor array, raising the question of whether the added hardware delivers genuinely new health metrics or simply more loosely defined wellness data. Victoria Song tested the watches for The Verge. The more striking addition is on the software and privacy side. Both new watches can keep a microphone switched on at all times, using it to summarize the conversations a wearer has throughout the day. The Series 12 pairs this with an always-on Siri capable of generating AI recaps of a user's day. Apple published a document explaining how the listening features are designed to protect user privacy, an acknowledgment that an always-listening wrist device invites scrutiny. Local AI and the OpenAI math dispute The event coverage extended beyond Apple's own hardware. In a separate segment, The Verge's Nilay Patel and David Imel spoke with AI researcher CJ Trowbridge about the current state of running local large language models directly on the Mac, a growing interest for users who want to keep AI workloads on their own machines rather than in the cloud. Attention also turned to a controversy surrounding OpenAI. The company has claimed a significant mathematical breakthrough, but the announcement has unsettled parts of the academic community. Mathematicians are pressing OpenAI for proof that it did not rely on their existing work to reach the result, and the dispute has cast a shadow over what the company presented as a milestone. Several shorter items rounded out the week's technology news. The so-called Trump phone was hit with a $250 price increase. Sony returned to one of its best-known audio products, revisiting the XM4 headphones six years after their original release. And Hori released an electronic take on the Ocarina of Time that, by design, requires no musical ability to play. Together, the announcements point to a busy stretch for Apple and the wider industry. For Apple, the day carried added weight: a new foldable, a redesigned camera system, and a set of always-listening wearables all arrived under a new chief executive making his first impression from the stage. iPhone Duo, foldable iPhone, John Ternus Apple CEO, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, variable aperture camera, Apple AI features

News National

0 10 0

Leaked Chinese MIIT documents reveal the facelifted Hyundai Custo minivan with a Staria-like front, vertical LED headlights and a black grille. Hyundai's Custo minivan has received its first facelift in China, with the updated model surfacing through homologation documents filed with the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The leaked images reveal a heavily reworked front end that draws clear inspiration from the larger Staria MPV. The Custo first appeared in 2021 and is built by Beijing Hyundai, the joint venture between China's BAIC Motor and Hyundai. The same vehicle is sold under the Custin name in the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, and the exterior changes shown in the leaked documents could eventually reach those markets. The Custo name is a nod to Jacques Cousteau, the French explorer credited with inventing SCUBA equipment. A completely revised front end The entire face of the minivan has been redesigned, giving the Custo a new identity. The grille now carries a black finish that stands out sharply against the white body colour shown in the leaked photos, with contrasting elements covering almost the whole front section. The update introduces vertically arranged LED headlights, with daytime running lights flanking them on the outer edges. A connected LED bar may run across the top, with either end doubling as turn indicators. A cascading grille sits in the centre and holds the Hyundai logo. Lower down, the design adds bull-bar-style elements and a faux skid plate. Familiar sides and rear The side profile has been left largely untouched. The changes there are limited to a new alloy wheel design and triangular elements added to both front fenders. The Custo continues to ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, which adopt a fresh pattern with this facelift. At the rear, the tail lights carry over unchanged, while the bumper gains new chrome elements. Depending on the variant, Hyundai will fit a single-pane sunroof at the front and a panoramic sunroof for the rear. The interior was not shown in the leaked pictures. Dimensionally, the facelifted Custo measures 4,959 mm in length, up to 1,856 mm in width and 1,733 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 3,055 mm, and its sliding doors open into a wide aperture for access to the rear seats. Two turbo-petrol options Badges on the tailgate point to the powertrain line-up. The leaked images show 270T and 380T markings, both of which relate to the engines on offer. For Beijing Hyundai, the 270T designation refers to a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 270 Nm of torque and 170 bhp, paired with either a seven-speed or eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 380T badge denotes a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit rated at 353 Nm and 230 bhp, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai does not currently sell any minivan or MPV in India, but the Custo is part of a broad global line-up for the South Korean carmaker. The facelift keeps the model competitive in China, where it has been on sale since 2021, and the revised styling could filter through to the Custin-badged versions in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Hyundai Custo facelift, Hyundai Custo, Beijing Hyundai, Hyundai Staria, Hyundai Custin, MIIT leak, Hyundai minivan, Custo facelift specs

News National

0 10 0

Alstom will build 29 battery-electric TransPennine Express trains at its Derby factory under a near-£1bn deal, supporting more than 6,350 UK jobs. Britain's first battery-electric trains for long-distance main line services will be assembled at Alstom's Litchurch Lane plant in Derby, the Department for Transport has confirmed. Construction of the fleet is scheduled to start in 2028, with the first units expected to carry passengers in 2034. The order covers 29 Adessia Stream trains and is backed by an investment of close to £1bn. According to the government, the programme will sustain more than 350 roles at Alstom and around 6,000 further jobs across suppliers throughout the country. The trains will be purchased by rolling stock firm Rock Rail and then leased to operator TransPennine Express. Andy Burnham said the fleet would bring "faster, more reliable journeys to the north and thousands of British jobs for the next generation". He described the daily impact of unreliable services on passengers. "I've lost count of the number of times someone has stopped me to tell me about the train that never came," he said. "And when that happens, it means missed shifts, missed appointments, and missed opportunities. Today, that starts to change." Cutting journey times across the Pennines The new fleet forms part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade, which aims to raise capacity by 30% and add thousands of extra seats each day across the Pennines by the early to mid-2030s. The trains are due to run on routes linking Liverpool Lime Street with Scarborough, Manchester Airport with Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly with Hull. The Department for Transport said travel times would fall by as much as 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds, and by up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York. Where the network has not been electrified and services currently rely on diesel power, the battery-electric units will be able to operate without producing emissions. Step-free boarding is also being promised across the fleet. A boost for Derby's rail heritage The agreement lands at a difficult moment for Alstom, which operates the largest rolling stock manufacturing site outside China. In 2024 the company won a £370m deal to build 10 trains for London's Elizabeth line. That contract came fewer than three months after a redundancy consultation placed 1,300 jobs at the Litchurch Lane site under threat. The factory has been making trains since 1876. Rob Whyte, Alstom's managing director in the UK, called the deal a "landmark moment for Britain's railway". He said the news mattered well beyond the company itself. "We're absolutely delighted. It's fantastic news for Alstom as a company but also for the city of Derby and the East Midlands," he said. "It's a great opportunity for us to continue our legacy." Whyte acknowledged a gap in production before the new work ramps up. "We have a period where new builds will stop until the TransPennine order starts, but we've already taken on some refurbishment works for CrossCountry and for ScotRail and we'll look to transfer as many people as we can into that area," he said. The Unite union welcomed the announcement. General secretary Sharon Graham said it would bring a "huge relief to Alstom's Derby workers and those in the supply chain", adding that "Unite's Alstom members have worked tirelessly in campaigning to ensure Derby's proud history of train making continues well into the future". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander spoke to the BBC at the Alstom site, standing beside one of the new Elizabeth line trains. "It's fantastic news that a city like Derby, that's got such a proud railway heritage, is also going to be manufacturing that new fleet of trains for the north of England as well," she said. "It is good news." Alstom, battery-electric trains, Litchurch Lane Derby, TransPennine Express, TransPennine Route Upgrade, Adessia Stream, UK rail manufacturing, Rock Rail

News National

0 5 0

A review at Addenbrooke's Hospital found 209 patients harmed under surgeon Kuldeep Stohr, with 41 severe cases and one death. Families demand a public inquiry. A mother whose teenage daughter was among more than 200 patients found to have been harmed by a now-suspended NHS orthopaedic surgeon says she no longer has any faith in the hospital that carried out the operation. Lynn, whose 13-year-old daughter Tammy was treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, described the scale of the failures as "ridiculous". Figures made public on Monday show that 209 patients experienced harm while under the care of surgeon Kuldeep Stohr. Of those, 41 cases were graded as severe and one patient died. The numbers appeared in a report drawn up for the board of directors at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), which runs Addenbrooke's. The trust said it was "deeply sorry". Stohr has previously stated that she was fully co-operating with the investigation into her work. Screws placed in the wrong position Tammy's family was among the first to be given the results of an independent investigation last year. Her lawyers say the trust provided a written admission that the surgery fell below acceptable standards. Screws intended to be fixed into Tammy's hip joints to help her move more freely were positioned incorrectly and failed to attach properly to the bone. Lynn said the sheer number of affected patients could not be brushed aside. "One or two can be classed as a mistake, but this amount - no," she said. She added that the situation was especially hard for parents who had watched their children go back into theatre for further operations. She also questioned who had compiled the board report, saying relatives no longer believed what the hospital told them. More than 900 cases examined The wider review being carried out by CUH has so far assessed the treatment of over 900 patients. A large share of the cases involve children who were operated on by Stohr. The board report had been posted on the trust's website before a meeting scheduled for Wednesday. It was then taken down after journalists approached the trust for comment. The trust said a "confidential interim update" had been "shared by mistake in our public board papers". Stohr has been absent from work since March 2024. She was suspended by the hospital, with the trust initially citing personal reasons. Calls for a public inquiry Another parent, Natasha, is pressing for a public inquiry into how children treated by Stohr came to be injured. Her daughter Neave, aged 19, is among those affected. The trust expects to release its final conclusions in November. Chief executive Nicola Ayton said the findings would be given to patients and their families ahead of publication. Elizabeth Maliakal of Hudgell Solicitors, which acts for several of the families, said she anticipated the final report would be "damning". She said some of her clients, including children, had undergone significant operations they did not need - procedures that brought no benefit and left them in pain for years. "I expect the final report from the trust, once all the findings of the independent review panel are known, to be highly critical," she said, pointing out that fatal harm had already been confirmed in at least one instance, alongside many other injuries. Kuldeep Stohr, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, NHS surgeon suspended, patient harm review, orthopaedic surgery children, public inquiry NHS, Hudgell Solicitors

News National

0 4 0

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

News National

0 11 0

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

News National

0 7 0

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

News National

0 7 0

Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with the UAE, citing hostile acts and giving the Emirati ambassador 48 hours to comply. Algeria has decided to sever diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, its foreign ministry announced, blaming what it described as "provocative or hostile" acts by the Gulf state. The statement, carried by Algerian state media, said the country had reached the point where it could no longer tolerate the Emirati conduct. The ministry summoned the UAE ambassador and informed him of the decision, telling him he had 48 hours to comply. It said Algeria had "exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations" before taking the step. "Algeria spared no effort to draw the Emirati side and warned it of the dire consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified behaviour," the statement said. The ministry did not set out any specific incidents or grievances to explain the move. There was no direct response from the UAE government. However, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, addressed the issue in a post on X. He did not name Algeria, but appeared to reject the manner in which the rupture had been handled. "Diplomatic relations are managed through rationality, communication and clarity of interests," Gargash wrote. He added that ties are not built on "riddles and signals that require decoding," and that successful diplomacy rests on understanding and managing shared interests and differences. "Ambiguity is not a policy, and noise does not compensate for the absence of vision," Gargash said. Years of regional friction Relations between the two countries have grown increasingly strained over recent years, driven by opposing positions on several regional questions. The two governments have found themselves on different sides of some of North Africa's most contentious disputes. Algeria refuses to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel. The UAE, along with Algeria's neighbour and rival Morocco, established ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. That divide has been a persistent source of tension between Algiers and Abu Dhabi. The Western Sahara divide The two states are also at odds over Western Sahara, a territory at the centre of a decades-long dispute over sovereignty. The UAE backs Morocco's claim to the region. Algeria, by contrast, supports the Polisario Front, an armed group that seeks an independent state in Western Sahara for the Sahrawi people. The competing alignments have deepened the rift, tying the Algeria-UAE relationship to the wider rivalry between Algeria and Morocco. The severing of relations marks a sharp escalation in a dispute that has simmered for years without a formal break. With no detailed explanation from Algiers and no substantive reply from Abu Dhabi beyond Gargash's remarks, the specific trigger for the decision remains unstated. Algeria UAE relations, diplomatic ties severed, Anwar Gargash, Western Sahara dispute, Abraham Accords, Polisario Front, Algeria foreign ministry, Morocco Algeria rivalry

News National

0 6 0