An explosion occurred at a street-facing shop on Friday in northeast China's Liaoning Province, leaving two people dead and 13 others slightly injured, according to local fire authorities.
The blast, caused by a suspected liquefied gas cylinder leak, took place at 6:42 a.m. at the shop in a residential building in Benxi City. The shop covers about 35 square meters.
The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The US side has doubled down on its blockade and sanctions on Cuba, going so far as to add Cuban leaders to its sanction list. That once again reveals the US hegemonic and domineering behavior and bullying practices. China firmly opposes it, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday in response to a question about US’ sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and some affiliated people and entities, including Diaz-Canel’s wife and stepson and Cuban leader Raúl Castro’s son and grandson.
A stable Cuba is what the international community wants to see, and any attempt from the US to destabilize Cuba will eventually backfire, the spokesperson said.
In response to the US’ sanctions, Cuban President Diaz-Canel said that these measures are aimed at reinforcing the blockade. Cuba will firmly stand against the imperial aggression. Cuban foreign ministry said that it is a ruthless act of economic aggression, and Washington could seek to use it as justification for more dangerous actions, including military aggression against Cuba.
We urge the US to immediately stop its blockade and any other forms of coercion and pressuring against Cuba, and stop infringing upon Cuban people’s right to survive and thrive. China will, as always, firmly support Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and opposing external interference, the spokesperson added.
General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith arrived in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday for a five-day state visit.
Authorities in Luzhi township of Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, said a fire broke out at a scrap recycling warehouse around noon on Wednesday. The blaze was extinguished without causing environmental pollution, and two people who suffered burns were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, per the authorities.
Prior to the statement, videos circulating online show a white mushroom cloud rising above the facility, with explosions heard by witnesses before the white mushroom cloud, according to media including Dahe Daily affiliated with Henan Daily.
The local emergency management bureau confirmed with Dahe Daily that relevant departments were handling the incident after the explosions.
According to media reports, there were two explosions heard. A witness surnamed Jiang said the fire started at 10 am. The first explosions occurred between 1:30-2:00 pm and the second at around 3:20 pm. A white mushroom cloud could be seen rising from the site, Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported.
Jiang’s workplace was only a few dozen meters from the affected factory. The blast wave shattered nearby windows and brought down parts of the company's aging ceiling. The witness experienced ringing in the ears from the shock wave generated by the explosion, but did not smell any unusual odors because of the wind direction at the workplace, according to Xiaoxiang Morning Post.
Former abbot of the renowned Shaolin Temple Shi Yongxin, originally named Liu Yingcheng, was sentenced on Friday to 24 years in prison and fined 3.5 million yuan ($488,050) for committing the crimes of occupational embezzlement, fund misappropriation, bribery as a non-state employee, and offering bribes, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported.
This case was publicly pronounced by the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang City in Central China's Henan Province. The Procuratorate found through trial that the defendant Liu, while serving as the abbot of Shaolin Temple and president of the Shaolin charity and welfare foundation, abused his official authority.
Between 2003 and 2025, Liu illegally embezzled over 131 million yuan of institutional assets either alone or in complicity with others. From 2012 to 2022, he misappropriated more than 151 million yuan of institutional funds for personal use and failed to repay the money within the statutory three-month period.
Starting in July 2006, Liu rendered assistance to others in undertaking construction projects and related business operations for Shaolin Temple, in return for which he illicitly accepted assets worth a total of over 11.63 million yuan.
From 1995 to 2022, to seek improper gains, Liu also offered bribes totaling more than 5.67 million yuan to state officials.
The Procuratorate ruled that Liu's conduct constituted the crimes of occupational embezzlement, fund misappropriation, bribery committed by non-state functionaries, and bribery of state functionaries.
Given the exceptionally huge sums implicated in Liu's crimes, as well as the especially aggravated circumstances surrounding his bribery offences, the protracted duration of his criminal acts, grave consequences and damaging social fallout, the Procuratorate sentenced him in accordance with the law to 24 years in jail and a fine of 3.5 million yuan, per CCTV News.
Upon the pronouncement of the verdict, Liu pleaded guilty in court and stated he would not lodge an appeal.
The Buddhist Association of China on Friday evening issued a statement on its official website stating that it believes Liu's sentencing was entirely self‑inflicted. This ruling embodies the principle that all are equal before the law and serves as a stern warning for members in Buddhist circles, read the statement.
The Procuratorate announced on March 20, 2026 that it has filed public charges against Liu, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing sources at the procuratorate. Earlier on July 27, 2025, the Shaolin temple management office announced in a statement that Liu is under a joint investigation by several departments.
During an unannounced visit on December 14, 2025, to Shaolin Temple, Liu Ning, secretary of the Communist Party of China Henan Provincial Committee, called on religious figures to take the lead in abiding by laws and regulations and strictly observing religious discipline, continuously enhance their spiritual cultivation, properly handle the relationship between Shaolin Temple and Shaolin culture, clarify the boundaries between Shaolin Temple, the Songshan Mountain scenic area, and cultural and tourism development, return to the true essence of religion, and safeguard the reputation and image of Shaolin Temple, Henan Daily reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attended a ceremony to present flower baskets to fallen heroes at Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing on Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday presented medals to recipients of the national medals and honorary titles, the highest state honors, ahead of the 75th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, conferred the highest state honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
At 8:10 on September 24, State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Company organized and completed a helicopter-assisted high-altitude segmented tower erection operation in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province. This marked the company's first use of a helicopter for tower erection.
Due to the surrounding crab ponds and extensive muddy road sections at the site where the iron tower needed to be installed, construction machinery such as cranes could not reach the designated repair location.
Additionally, the dense river network made it impossible to find suitable positions for temporary anchor lines to meet the construction angle requirements. To ensure the safe and efficient progress of the construction operations, the company's equipment department urgently applied to State Grid Electric Power Space Technology Co., Ltd. for helicopter support, using a helicopter to lift the tower head for emergency repair operations.
This helicopter-assisted tower erection operation was challenging, intensive, and demanding. Traditional helicopter-assisted iron tower erection only involves the overall lifting of lightweight towers. However, the weight of the iron tower to be installed exceeded the helicopter's load capacity, necessitating the adoption of a method where the lower section was assembled on the ground, followed by the helicopter lifting the tower head, and finally conducting an "aerial connection."
During the operation, the pilot swiftly flew the helicopter and stably hovered above Tower 84 of the 220kV Dutang 4947 line. Following the signals from the commander, the pilot slowly lowered the lifted tower head, while the ground personnel used traction ropes to guide the upper section into the temporary track, enabling the nearly 3-ton tower head to precisely connect with the tower body. After 30 minutes of "air-ground" collaborative operations, the new Tower 84 of the 220kV Dutang 4947 line was fully assembled.
Taiwan's future lies in reunification and it can only be determined by over 1.4 billion Chinese people, including 23 million Taiwan compatriots, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council, said on Wednesday, noting that Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities continue to seek "Taiwan independence" by relying on foreign forces, putting the Taiwan people in a risky situation of a potential conflict triggered by "Taiwan independence." Their moves seriously deviate from historical trend and are bound to fail.
Zhu's remarks were made in response to Lai's recent secessionist rhetoric and claim to strengthen Taiwan's "defense capabilities."
Lai's words once again exposed his stubborn "Taiwan independence" mentality, action to implement it and his malicious nature to continuously provoke confrontation. Taiwan's future lies in reunification and it can only be determined by over 1.4 billion Chinese people, including 23 million Taiwan compatriots, Zhu stressed at the press conference on Wednesday.
The spokesperson also noted that resolving the Taiwan question and achieving complete national reunification is the common aspiration of all Chinese people and a necessary requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
"We would like to remind the DPP authorities: While unification is the trend, how can division last long? 'Taiwan independence' is a dead end and evil deeds will ultimately be punished," said Zhu.
Lai and the DPP's recent provocative actions aim to assert their political intention and consolidate support for their secessionist moves in the island while signaling to the US their commitment to "self-defense" in hopes of securing additional aid, Xin Qiang, director of the Taiwan Studies Center at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
As a "practical worker for Taiwan independence," Lai is fully aware that the island cannot confront the mainland by itself, Xin said, noting that Lai has to rely on external forces, especially the US, by actions including purchasing arms and strengthening military cooperation, meanwhile through hyping the island's so-called "self-defense' capability.
However, the US merely views Taiwan as a pawn to contain the mainland, analysts said. A recent report released by the US Department of Defense's Inspector General revealed that moldy armor and expired ammunition were among "unserviceable" US military equipment delivered to Taiwan recently and some of the 2.7 million rounds of poorly packaged ammunition were manufactured in 1983 and had expired, South China Morning Post reported.
The report once again shows a fact that the US prioritizes its own interests at all times, and a pawn can easily become a discarded piece — Taiwan will be no exception, the spokesperson said.
For the sake of their own interests in pursuing "Taiwan independence," the DPP authorities not only passively accept the junk [military] items of the US but also willingly serve as an "ATM machine" for the US, squandering the hard-earned money of the Taiwan people. This will not only fail to ensure the safety of the Taiwan people but will also push them toward the peril of war, said Zhu.
The DPP authorities' recent provocations have sparked criticism within the island. Some politicians were cited by Taiwan media as saying that Lai cannot indulge in short-term gains at the expense of the Taiwan people, and his remarks are sure to be met with reactions from the mainland. Some netizens also expressed their worries on escalating tensions across the Taiwan Straits.
The consulates general of Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Poland in Shanghai and the European Union jointly launched the EU Jazz Month from September 6 to 29, creating good, healthy and happy vibes for music lovers.
Music bands, including Marco Mezquida - Tornado from Spain, Malstrom Live Concert from Germany, Fingerprint featuring Shirma Rouse from the Netherlands, Greg Lamy Trio from Luxembourg and Zk Collaboration from Poland, are in the spotlight over the month of September.
From September 6 to 7, Spanish jazz pianist Marco Mezquida, along with his musical partners, bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Ramon Prats, offered a wonderful rendition of the album "Tornado."
On September 8, German Malstrom Live Concert was staged as part of the EU Jazz Month.
Based on jazz, their music blended contemporary influences such as free improvisation, metal, rock, and electronica, with a strong sensory impact and ferocious performance.
