Powerful Buddhist monks who have previously escaped punishment are the latest target of the government’s crackdown on excess wealth and alleged corruption
For a religious leader, the allegations were scandalous. Mistresses, illegitimate children, embezzlement. But in 2015, the head abbott of Shaolin monastery, the cradle of Zen Buddhism and kung-fu in China, was untouchable. Shi Yongxin, the so-called “CEO monk” who turned the 1,500-year-old monastery into a commercial empire worth hundreds of millions of yuan, held firm. Soon he was cleared of all charges.
But 10 years later, the 60-year-old monk was not so lucky. In July, not long after Shi returned from a trip to the Vatican to meet the late Pope Francis, the Shaolin Temple released a statement saying that he was being investigated for allegedly misappropriating funds and for fathering illegitimate children with multiple mistresses. Less than a fortnight later he was dismissed and stripped of his monkhood. He has not been heard from since.
Eubank Jr makes allegations against Matchroom at press conference
Hearn rejects claims and threatens legal action unless boxer apologises
Eddie Hearn has threatened to sue Chris Eubank Jr, after the boxer fired the first shots during a press conference ahead of his rematch with Conor Benn by accusing his opponent’s team of dirty tricks and “sabotage”.
Eubank Jr, who won their first bout by unanimous decision in April, claimed an ambulance taking him to hospital afterwards was stopped – and appeared to point the finger at Benn’s promoters, Matchroom Boxing.
Meta Ray-Ban Display have screen on inside of lens that can translate conversations, display information on landmarks and give directions
Meta has announced three new pairs of AI smart glasses, including the first Ray-Bans with a built-in screen for augmented reality.
The Meta Ray-Ban Display will be the first smart glasses with a heads-up display from a mainstream brand since the ill-fated Google Glass. They use a classic Wayfarer-like styling to avoid looking too obviously like wearable technology, while still having a camera, speakers and microphone.
Zelenskyy says Patriot and Himars included in Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List; drones threaten Volgograd oil refineries. What we know on day 1,303
The first weapons supplied to Ukraine under a programme funded by its European allies will include missiles for Patriot air defence systems and Himars rocket launchers, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. The two initial batches are worth US$500m each. Ukraine has secured over $2bn in financing via what is called the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or Purl. Ukraine’s president said he expected the total committed funds to reach $3.5bn in October. Patrick Turner, Nato’s senior representative in Ukraine, said: “Four packages [under Purl] have already been funded and equipment is already flowing.”
Russia closed its Volgograd airport and put oil refineries on alert for a Ukrainian drone attack early on Thursday morning. Between 10 and 15 explosions were heard and flashes were seen in the sky as air defence systems opened fire, said the Russian Telegram channel Shot.
It was likely a missile fired at Russian drones from a Polish plane that hit a house, a government minister said on Wednesday, when UAVs swarmed into Poland in an unprecedented violation of Nato airspace. Authorities initially said one of the 21 Russian drones hit the house on the night of 9-10 September. The minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, said on Wednesday: “Everything indicates that it was a missile fired by our plane, defending Poland, defending the fatherland, defending our citizens.” Poland’s PM, Donald Tusk, promised an investigation of how it happened but all responsibility for the damage still lay with Russia, which he said was responsible for orchestrating a provocation using drones.
Denmark said on Wednesday that it would for the first time acquire “long-range precision weapons” for its defence, citing the need to deter Russia. The prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, called it “a paradigm shift in Danish defence policy” adding that Russia would constitute a threat to Denmark and Europe “for years to come”, requiring “credible deterrence”. “With these weapons, the defence forces will be able to hit targets at long range and, for example, neutralise enemy missile threats.”
The announcement sparked a back-and-forth with Russia’s ambassador to Denmark who called it “pure madness” and equated it to “threatening a nuclear power publicly”. Frederiksen said the ambassador’s comments should be interpreted as a threat. “Russia is trying to threaten Europe and Nato into not defending our people and borders. Of course, we will not be intimidated.” Denmark’s defence ministry said it was looking into which long-range weapons to buy.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 172 drones as well as missiles on Tuesday night into Wednesday, Ukraine’s air force said. Air defences shot down or jammed 136 drones in the north, south and east of Ukraine. Missile hits and 36 strikes by UAVs were recorded at 13 locations, the air force said.
Lithuania has charged 15 people with terrorism offences over an alleged Russia-backed plot to detonate parcels last year in Germany, Poland and Britain. Prosecutors said that the suspects used delivery companies DHL and DPD to send four packages of explosives hidden in cosmetics containers from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to various European countries. The devices caused three explosions: at Leipzig airport, in a truck in Poland and a warehouse in Britain. The fourth malfunctioned, the Lithuania prosecutor’s office said, adding that it was an international inquiry. Those charged are Russian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Ukrainian citizens.
Ukraine and the US International Development Finance Corporation announced they would each commit $75 million to a joint investment fund that is part of Kyiv’s minerals deal with Washington, the Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on Wednesday. The US corporation said the investment would support Ukraine’s reconstruction and long-term economic recovery and strengthen US natural resources supply chains.
Armed forces say ‘special naval militia’ involved in Caribbean deployment as defence minister cites ‘threatening, vulgar voice’ of Washington
Venezuela says it has begun three days of military exercises on its Caribbean island of La Orchila as tensions soar amid US military activity in the region.
Forces deployed for what Washington called an anti-drug operation have blown up at least two Venezuelan boats and a combined 14 people allegedly transporting drugs across the Caribbean this month – a move slammed by UN experts as “extrajudicial execution”.
Scores of artists, speakers and activists appear at four-hour fundraiser curated by Brian Eno – but it’s Palestinian voices who make the biggest impression
The sheer scale of it was boggling. A total of 69 artists, speakers and activists were to appear at Ovo Arena Wembley.
There were stars of music: Damon Albarn, Bastille, PinkPantheress, Hot Chip and a festival’s worth of others. There were stars of stage and screen: Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, Guy Pearce, Ramy Youssef and a huge supporting cast. There were the firebrands, the podcasters, the people you’re sure are important but you have no idea why. And there were the people who, well, you don’t really know what they’re bringing: the former footballer Eric Cantona, the Love Island host Laura Whitmore, the Chicken Shop Dates YouTuber Amelia Dimoldenberg.
ABC says late night show will not air for foreseeable future after Kimmel accused Republicans of ‘doing everything they can to score political points’ from Kirk’s killing
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be suspended “indefinitely” after the late-night host’s comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk, ABC has announced, hours after the Trump-appointed chair of the US broadcast regulator threatened to take away the broadcaster’s license.
The network, which Disney owns, announced on Wednesday night that it would remove Kimmel’s show from its schedule for the foreseeable future.
Governor says ‘we grieve the loss of life of three precious souls’ as two injured in critical condition in hospital
Three police officers were killed and two were injured in a shooting on Wednesday in the southern part of Pennsylvania, state police said.
“We grieve for the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, served this commonwealth, served this country,” governor Josh Shapiro said.
Police have charged a man with murder, hours after bones were found during a search for the remains of a woman who vanished more than 20 years ago.
The breakthrough in the cold case was made late on Wednesday after the discovery of human remains, believed to be those of Susan Goodwin, 39, buried in the back yard of a house in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
Swedish researchers find low daily dose can halve risk in post-surgery patients with specific gene mutations
A daily dose of aspirin can substantially reduce the risk of some colorectal cancers returning after surgery, according to a major trial into the protective effects of the everyday painkiller.
Swedish researchers found that people who took a low daily dose of aspirin after having their tumour removed were half as likely to have their cancer return over the next three years than patients who took a placebo.
Vermont senator had taken flak for avoiding term as UN panel says Israel’s conduct meets criteria for genocide
Senator Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, calling the conclusion “inescapable” and becoming the first US senator to use the term.
“Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas,” Sanders wrote. “Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”
Prime minister seeks to make best of difficult state visit by US president with package of commitments by US firms
Keir Starmer has sought to navigate a politically treacherous state visit by Donald Trump with an announcement of £150bn of US investment in the UK, as the president was kept safely within the confines of Windsor Castle.
As thousands of protesters voiced their anger in London at a Stop Trump Coalition protest, the US president was escorted by the king and queen through a first day that ended in a state banquet but kept him out of reach of his critics.
It should have been a lot easier than this for Liverpool but the 92nd‑minute roar to celebrate Virgil van Dijk’s winner against Atlético Madrid made the hardship worthwhile. This is what everyone expects of Liverpool this season; the captain’s header was only their third latest decisive goal in five straight victories.
Arne Slot’s side have won every Premier League game so far with goals scored after the 80th minute. Liverpool looked as if they wanted to do things differently in the Champions League and were two goals ahead within six minutes thanks to Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah. If they thought they had done the business before anyone had broken a sweat, they were very much mistaken. Atlético’s goals came from an unlikely source in the full-back-cum-midfielder Marcos Llorente, who now has four Champions League goals at Anfield to his name.
The Allianz Arena will always hold cherished memories for Chelsea but when they pick through the wreckage of their first night back in the Champions League there will be plenty of moments that they would rather not have to think about again.
Back at the ground where they became European champions for the first time, there was the brief prospect of the team in blue pulling off another unlikely heist in Bavaria. Yet while there was defiance after Bayern Munich went 2-0 up inside 27 minutes, Cole Palmer halving the deficit with typical nonchalance, the problems at the other end were too great for Chelsea to overcome.
David Pittman, 63, convicted in 1991 of killing three people, executed after final appeal rejected by US supreme court
A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife’s sister and parents and setting their house on fire was put to death on Wednesday evening, a record 12th execution in the state in 2025.
David Pittman, 63, was pronounced dead at 6.12pm local time following a lethal injection at Florida state prison near Starke, under a death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Florida’s Republican governor has signed more death warrants this year than any of his predecessors.
With US president hidden from public view, media focuses instead on peripheral sideshow of clowns drawn by state visit
Never in its long and august history has the No 10 bus from Windsor to Staines (via Datchet and Wraysbury) received a welcome like this. Its passage secured by police escort, its progress followed by the world’s media, the orange single-decker trundles regally up Windsor’s high street, while onlookers crane to get a glimpse of the single pensioner conveyed within. “It’s not him,” one man mutters, a little superfluously.
It was that kind of a day on the banks of the Thames: lots of excitement over very little, a sideshow that felt largely peripheral to the pageantry unfolding within the sealed castle grounds. “I’m afraid nothing’s going to happen, madam,” a police officer informed a woman filming a Facebook Live video from the kerb as he shooed her a safe distance back towards the pavement.
World champion from 2022 is first American man to join
Kerley provisionally banned by Athletics Integrity Unit
The Olympic 100m silver and bronze medallist Fred Kerley will compete in the inaugural Enhanced Games, the event’s organisers revealed on Wednesday, weeks after the Athletics Integrity Unit handed the American a provisional suspension for whereabouts failures.
The 2022 100m world champion is the first track athlete and American man to join the event that permits athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in official competition.
Trail closes after 29-year-old man suffers non-threatening injuries in backcountry encounter with possible grizzly
A Yellowstone national park trail remained closed on Wednesday after a possible grizzly bear attacked a hiker, leaving him with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The 29-year-old man suffered injuries to his chest and arm in Tuesday’s attack on the Turbid lake trail north-east of Yellowstone Lake.
The TNT Sports pundits Cole and Owen Hargreaves, who played in the 2004/05 tie between these sides, are reminiscing about José Mourinho hiding in a laundry basket to give a team talk, due to a Uefa touchline ban.
“This is what it’s all about,” says pundit Joe Cole of tonight’s mouthwatering clash, which is a fair point.
Right then, the preambles have been entirely and completely completed, and as soon as Liverpool break from their huddle we can get on with kicking off.
The players are in the tunnel. The crowd have assuaged their lonely-walk-based fears. Not much stands between us and football.
Central bank moves to set rates at range between 4 and 4.25% but decision unlikely to satisfy Donald Trump
The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday, its first rate cut since December, as the central bank moved to stabilize a wobbling labor market even as Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to push up prices.
Rates are now at a range of 4% to 4.25% – the lowest since November 2022. But the decision is unlikely to satisfy Trump, who has lambasted the Fed for acting “too late” and called for a far bigger cut.
Faustino Asprilla will be in attendance as Eddie Howe aims to prove his side are Champions League contenders
It is only two years since Eddie Howe attended his first Champions League match but now Newcastle’s manager is on a mission to disrupt Europe’s elite.
As Barcelona arrived on Tyneside on Wednesday Hansi Flick’s La Liga champions certainly displayed no sign of complacency. Indeed Flick warned of the “intensity” his players must be braced for at St James’ Park on Thursday night.
Video from ‘unite the kingdom’ rally captured man saying ‘someone needs to shoot Keir Starmer’
A man allegedly captured on video at the far-right rally in London on Saturday threatening to kill Keir Starmer has been arrested by police.
An investigation was launched on Sunday in connection with the video, which was filmed at the event organised by the far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.
Alyssa Healy admits side was outplayed in New Chandigarh
Australia fall well short of 292 target as World Cup looms
Australia’s all-conquering cricket women have been given a wake-up call with their World Cup defence approaching as India handed Alyssa Healy’s side their biggest ever one-day international defeat in Punjab.
Healy admitted the champions had been “outplayed” in New Chandigarh on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) as they suffered a 102-run loss, a thumping so heavy that it even surpassed the Australians’ previous record 92-run defeat to England in Birmingham 52 years ago.
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