29/07/2025

TUESDAY | JULY 29, 2025

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Shaolin Temple head disrobed

o Accused of embezzlement

social media platform Weibo as of yesterday morning. The last post to the abbot’s personal account on Weibo declared: “When one’s own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present”. Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called “vicious libel”. Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas. He helped the temple establish dozens of companies but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism. The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top lawmaking body. – AFP

In response, the Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the Communist Party, said it would cancel Shi’s certificate of ordination. “Shi Yongxin’s actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks” the association said in an online statement. The association “firmly supports the decision to deal with Shi Yongxin in accordance with the law”. Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with different women. China’s government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders and “improper” conduct is often grounds for removal from office. A hashtag related to the scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on

BEIJING: The head of the temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for “extremely” bad behaviour, Beijing’s top Buddhist authority said yesterday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation. The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin (pic) , known as the “CEO monk” for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of “embezzling project funds and temple assets”. The monastery said Shi had “seriously violated Buddhist precepts”, including by allegedly engaging in “improper relationships” with women. Agencies were conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat.

Three dead after train derails in Germany FRANKFURT: Three people were killed and several others injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany on Sunday.

Invasion show wake up for Taiwan viewers TAIPEI: A new Taiwanese television series that imagines the run-up to an invasion is getting rave reviews from viewers, who said the first programme featuring the sensitive topic is a wake-up call for the public facing heightened military threat. In the show, Zero Day Attack , a war plane goes missing near Taiwan. The invading force then sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei. At viewings in Taipei last week attendees have included the top US diplomat in Taiwan Raymond Greene, who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a strident critic of Beijing. The series is set to premiere on Aug 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video. “Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day,” said Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode in the Taipei premier last week. The premise of Zero Day Attack is a topic that has for years been considered too sensitive for many Taiwan filmmakers and television show creators, who fear losing access to the lucrative Chinese entertainment market. More than half of the show’s crew asked to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people including a director pulled out of the production at the last minute, said its showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei. But as China steps up military threats, including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to Taiwan, the upcoming drama confronts the fear by setting the 10-episode series around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The drama focuses on several scenarios Taiwan might face in the days leading up to ainvasion, including a global financial collapse, the activation of sleeper agents and panicked residents trying to flee the island. “Without freedom, Taiwan is not Taiwan,” the actor who plays a fictional president says in a televised speech, urging unity after declaring war on the invading nation, in the show’s trailer. The live broadcast then gets abruptly cut off, replaced by a feed of a foreign state television anchor calling for Taiwanese to surrender and to report “hidden pro-independence activists”. “We’ve been comfortable for a long time now,” said viewer Leon Yu, 43-year-old semiconductor industry professional, adding Taiwan’s freedom and democracy must be kept. “There are still many people with their heads buried in the sand and not wanting to face the clear and present danger.” – Reuters

About 100 passengers were aboard the train, when the accident occurred at around 6.10pm (Monday 12.10am in Malaysia) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state. Police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims including the train’s driver and a member of staff onboard. Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were, though tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. Two train carriages had derailed, it added. Local police and prosecutors said yesterday the derailment may have been caused by an overflowing sewer. “It is believed that heavy rain in the area of the accident caused a sewage shaft to overflow,” Ulm police and Ravensburg prosecutors said in a joint statement. “The water triggered a landslide on the embankment next to the tracks, which in turn caused the derailment,” they said. Severe storms swept through the region at the time of the accident, according to weather services. The investigation is still ongoing and there is no indication of any foul play or interference with the line, authorities said. In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and

Rescuers working at the site of the derailment on Sunday. – DPA/ AFPPIC

technical problems. The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure. – AFP

had asked them to “provide the emergency services with all the support they need”. German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays and

Four dead, eight missing in China landslide BEIJING: A landslide triggered by unusually heavy rain killed four people and left eight others missing in northern Hebei province as downpours force thousands to evacuate. In Fuping County, more than 4,600 people were evacuated over the weekend, it said. And in neighbouring Shanxi province, one person was rescued and 13 were missing after a bus accident, CCTV reported.

AFP journalists saw power lines swept away by muddy currents while military vehicles and ambulances ploughed through flooded roads. A river had burst its banks, sweeping away trees, while fields of crops were inundated with flood water. Authorities in the capital issued the country’s second-highest warning for rainstorms and the highest for floods, Xinhua news agency said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heatwaves. – AFP

The landslide in a village near Chengde City was “due to heavy rainfall”, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The national emergency management department said it dispatched a team to inspect the “severe” flooding in Hebei, which encircles Beijing. Swathes of northern China have been inundated in recent days, with record rain in Hebei on Saturday, state media said.

Footage from the broadcaster showed roads in Shanxi and a crop field submerged in rushing water on Sunday. In Beijing, more than 3,000 people in suburban Miyun district were evacuated. The area’s reservoir “recorded its largest inflow flood” since it was built more than six decades ago, state media reported. In Mujiayu, a town just south of the reservoir,