Authorities from both sides dispatched rescue boats after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday, Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement.

Two people were found dead, two were rescued, and two were still missing, it said.

Taiwan dispatched coast guard boats to join the rescue after Chinese authorities asked them for help, according to a senior Taiwan official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

China’s coast guard last month began regular patrols around the Kinmen islands, which are close to China’s coast, after two Chinese nationals died trying to flee Taiwan’s coast guard after their boat entered prohibited waters.

The Chinese fishing boat capsized around 1.07 nautical miles west of Taiwan’s Dongding Island, Taiwan’s coast guard said. Taiwan’s armed forces stationed on the island were also involved in the rescue, it added without elaborating.

Taiwan dispatched four coast guard boats and their Chinese counterparts sent in six boats for the rescue, it said.

Taiwan’s top China policy-making body urged China last week not to change the “status quo” around waters there by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas, saying tension should be “controllable.” –Rappler.com

Officials said that 14 people had been discharged from the hospital, and that the initial indications were that a gas leak had caused the blast.

Last year, President Xi Jinping ordered a safety overhaul across China, calling on all regions to rectify safety risks and “hidden dangers” after 31 people died in a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant.

The explosion on Wednesday at a fried chicken shop, in the town of Yanjiao in China’s northern province of Hebei, caused a massive orange fireball. The force ripped off the fronts of several buildings, crumpled cars on surrounding streets and left large pieces of debris on fire.

On-site rescue work has ended, cleanup at the scene is still ongoing and an investigation has begun, officials said in a statement. – Rappler.com

The blast happened at about 8 am in the county of Sanhe, state broadcaster CCTV News said, roughly 80 km (50 miles) from the center of Beijing, the capital, where key annual parliament sessions had just concluded.

Videos on social media platform Weibo showed a large orange fireball over the site, followed by billows of grey smoke, and scenes of the destroyed frontage of buildings, mangled cars, with glass shards in the streets, and some objects still ablaze.

A suspected gas leak triggered the accident in a shop selling fried chicken in the town of Yanjiao, city emergency officials said in a statement, drawing rescuers, firefighters, health and other officials to the scene.

“I was at home when I heard a loud blast, I initially thought it might be a gunshot,” said Zhao Li, a middle-aged woman who lives about a kilometer from the blast site.

“The loud explosion was accompanied by a crash of glass and clouds of smoke,” said Zhao, adding that police sealed off the street to the site.

The fire had been brought under control, fire officials said in an earlier statement, adding that 36 vehicles and 154 people had been dispatched to the site and were carrying out rescue work.

China’s latest deadly gas explosion at an eatery comes after the government issued detailed guidelines last year on the use of gas appliances and cookers to avert safety risks.

Social media posters on Weibo said the explosion occurred near a cultural centre in the town. Construction of a metro line was taking place nearby, Chinese weekly the Economic Observer posted on its social media account.

City emergency authorities sent an investigation team, according to social media posts.

Regional supplier Taida Gas suspended service in several surrounding areas, as a precaution to prevent secondary injuries, it said in a statement.

“Our company … will resume supply after ensuring safety,” it added in the statement, although it said it did not service the area where the shop is located. – Rappler.com

Unofficial results show Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who had incumbent President Joko Widodo’s tacit backing, won the February 14 poll with nearly 60% of votes. The national election commission is expected to announce the official winner by March 20.

Anies, former governor of Jakarta, said he plans to file a complaint after official results are announced, but did not provide other details.

“We plan to file to (Constitutional Court) for sure but the content is not something that we can disclose,” he told reporters.

The move comes as parties supporting Anies and another presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, gear up to launch a parliamentary investigation into the government’s conduct in the lead-up to voting day and alleged election violations.

Though the Constitutional Court typically handles election disputes, Indonesia’s parliament has the power to investigate government policy or implementation of certain regulations and can examine the conduct of public officials, including the president.

Prabowo looks to have swept the presidential election on his third try, boosted by the unofficial support of the president, who has faced mounting allegations of ethical breaches and meddling, which his allies deny. – Rappler.com

The suspended sentence from a Beijing court on espionage charges does not entail immediate execution for Yang, Ambassador Xiao Qian said at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit on Monday.

If Yang complies with the terms of his imprisonment and committed no further crimes “theoretically there is a chance he will not be executed,” Xiao said.

His comments mark the first time a Chinese official has noted that Yang might not be executed.

Xiao also downplayed worries over Yang’s health on Monday and said that although it was “not perfect,” it was not as grave as described by his family.

A pro-democracy blogger and spy novelist, Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his arrest at the Guangzhou airport in 2019.

A Beijing court last month handed him a suspended death sentence on espionage charges, shocking his family and supporters, after five years in detention in Beijing and three years after his closed-door trial.

Yang opted not to appeal the decision, his family said, so as not to delay urgently needed medical care for a serious kidney condition. Yang remains in prison.

Details of the case have not been officially released.

Yang has said he never worked as a spy for a foreign country, and in letters to his family from jail has denied any wrongdoing.

Yang worked for China’s Ministry of State Security for a decade starting in 1989, including in Hong Kong and Washington, before quitting and moving to Australia.

A suspended death sentence in China gives the accused a two-year reprieve from being executed, after which the sentence is automatically converted to life imprisonment.

Yang’s family has said he is a political prisoner and “the absurdity of the 30-year-old espionage accusations that have been dredged up against him speaks to the prosecution’s failure to extract any kind of confession”. – Rappler.com

The havoc since last Thursday in the provincial capital of Padang and eight other areas has damaged nearly 700 homes, scores of bridges and schools and 113 hectares (280 acres) of farmland.

Indonesia’s rescue agency is hunting for those missing, officials said, with 150 rescuers drafted into the effort, hampered by blocked roads following the landslides.

“Today’s search involves 150 personnel from various disaster agencies,” Abdul Malik, the chief of the provincial rescue team, said in a statement. – Rappler.com

The draft, which includes new laws encompassing treason, espionage and external interference, is being closely watched by foreign diplomats and businesses who fear it could further dent freedoms in the financial hub, which has already been subjected to a China-led crackdown on dissent that has sent many pro-democracy politicians and activists into jail or exile.

The Legislative Council started debating the bill on Friday amid tight security, and several members of the largely pro-Beijing body said they expected it to be passed into law before mid-April.

Hong Kong leader John Lee had earlier urged lawmakers to pass the bill “at full speed.”

“The geopolitics have become increasingly complex, and national security risks remain imminent,” a government statement said.

Some lawyers analyzing the draft said that at first glance, elements of the revised sentences for some listed offenses are similar to Western ones but some provisions, such as those for sedition and state secrets, are broader and potentially tougher.

The bill includes sentences of up to life imprisonment for treason, insurrection and sabotage, 20 years for espionage, and 10 years for crimes linked to state secrets and sedition.

The European Union, in a statement to Reuters, said it had made clear in a diplomatic note its “grave concerns” over the far-reaching provisions in the bill on “external interference” and the law’s extra-territorial reach.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said the United States is closely monitoring the development of the so-called Article 23 legislation, “and its implications for US citizens and companies operating in Hong Kong.”

“We have serious concerns that if authorities rush forward with enacting proposed Article 23 legislation without adequate public consultation or incorporating checks and balances, the law will be used to continue suppressing dissent and erode the human rights and fundamental freedoms for people in Hong Kong,” the official said.

The draft bill noted some rights provisions.

“Human rights are to be respected and protected, the rights and freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, of the press and of publication, the freedoms of association… are to be protected,” the bill read.

Some investors said the desire to fast-track the bill was concerning.

“The fact they are rushing through Article 23 shows concern about public opposition. The business community is going to be unhappy unless there are guardrails protecting individual rights,” Andrew Collier, managing director at Hong Kong-based Orient Capital Research, told Reuters.

Simon Young, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, also said the broad definitions of crimes, especially those linked to foreign interference and collusion, could prove challenging to firms.

“It may well be that businesses or groups that have some connection with foreign governments might fall under the radar as an ‘external force,'” Young said.

Concerns over freedoms

Hong Kong has long been a business, academic, and media hub for China and the region, but critics say that in recent years the rule of law and freedom of information have been undermined.

Hong Kong and Chinese officials have said the draft is similar to laws in some Western nations and that it was necessary to plug “loopholes” in the national security regime.

That regime was bolstered in 2020 by another law imposed directly by China which said it was aimed at restoring stability after pro-democracy protests a year earlier.

The debate on the Hong Kong bill coincides with a move by China’s top lawmakers to create a slew of new national security laws in order to safeguard the mainland’s sovereign interests.

The Hong Kong bill proposes extending police detention for those arrested, without charge, for up to 14 days with a magistrate’s approval and potentially limited access to lawyers, compared to 48 hours currently.

Sentences for sedition, defined as inciting disaffection or hatred towards authorities through acts, words, or publications, have been expanded from two to up to 10 years for offenses in collusion with foreign forces.

Critics, including media advocacy groups, had called for sedition to be scrapped, noting its potential use to silence freedom of expression and the media.

The bill proposes jail terms of up to three years, up from one year, for possessing a seditious publication and police have the right to search any premise to seize and destroy such material.

The definition of state secrets also appears quite broad, some lawyers said, including military, security and diplomatic secrets, as well as classified social, economic and technological information involving the China and Hong Kong governments, and their relationship. – Rappler.com

EXEO Group workers winced at a company event on Thursday, March 7, as a “perionoid” device sent electric signals via pads placed below the navel to stimulate the lower stomach muscle and induce a cramping sensation.

“I couldn’t move. It hurt to the point where I couldn’t stand,” said 26-year-old Masaya Shibasaki after using the device jointly developed by researchers at Nara Women’s University and startup Osaka Heat Cool.

“I now understand women have to work while fighting this pain every month. It’s actually amazing how women can do that. I really respect them,” Shibasaki said.

EXEO said it wants to create an environment where its more than 90% male workforce can be more supportive of female peers, including when it comes to taking menstrual leave.

Companies in Japan are legally required to allow women to take menstrual leave. However, there is no requirement for the time off to be paid and surveys showed around half of female workers never take it.

“We hope those who experienced (menstrual pain) today go back to their workplace and speak about how they felt, and spread their understanding,” said EXEO public relations officer Maki Ogura. – Rappler.com

Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has complained in recent years that China has been using so-called grey-zone warfare, which wields irregular tactics to exhaust a foe without resorting to open combat.

In a report sent to parliament, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the ministry said Beijing has launched “multi-front saturated grey-zone” tactics to harass Taiwan, including increased patrols of ships and planes.

China has attempted to “increase burdens of our naval and air forces and to obscure the existence of the median line in the strait”, the report said, referring to an unofficial border between the two sides, which China’s forces have began regularly crossing in recent years.

It added China has also incorporated research and militia vessels in a move to “disguise military activities with civilians”.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to request for comment.

To counter the Chinese threats, the ministry said it was working on measures to “preserve” its troops in the event of a war by boosting the resilience of its infrastructure and running drills to ensure Taiwan forces survive in a prolonged conflict. It also said it was drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The ministry said it is stockpiling weapons and fuel to endure a prolonged war with China.

Philippines, US to hold military drills in islands facing South China Sea, Taiwan

In a conflict, China will try to speedily seize Taiwan and prevent external intervention, the ministry added. To complicate that, the island is working to diversify its command systems and incorporate more mobile and long-range weapons, as well as artificial intelligence, while boosting “connections” with democratic allies, including the United States. The report did not elaborate on what those steps entailed.

China said this week it would boost its defense spending by 7.2% this year, fueling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping’s 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of parliament, Taiwan Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng said Taipei would not join an arms race with Beijing because it was an “indisputable fact” that China’s military is more powerful than Taiwan’s.

“The only thing we can do is to boost every aspect of our training,” he said.

Taiwan Defense Ministry this week said it would this year increase the number of missile drills and begin night-time exercises for pilots.

Beijing last month begun regular coast guard patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast, after two Chinese fishermen died trying to flee Taiwan’s coast guard.

China says it aims to ‘contain’ foreign interference over Taiwan this year

– Rappler.com

Three sustained scratches and were allegedly involved in the “argument,” while the fourth sustained the most injuries on the face and head. The fourth was not acquainted with the other three.

“[The fourth] was a guest at the same hotel as the three; a bystander at the scene of the brawl when [they] were ‘attacked’ by the mob of Thai ladyboys,” said Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega.

In an additional report, two other Filipinos faced charges for assault. Another who was “attacked” is seeking to press charges. The DFA said the Philippine embassy was assisting both of them.

In a statement on Saturday, March 9, the Philippine embassy in Bangkok said the four Filipinos had returned home to the Philippines. The embassy said Philippine authorities had provided assistance to the Filipinos and settled the fines set by the Bangkok Civil Court against the four over the incident.

The embassy also cautioned about “unscrupulous individuals” using the incident to raise funds in the guise of helping the Filipinos. 

“We caution these concerned individuals from spreading misinformation or posting unsubstantiated information on social media,” it added. 

Videos of the brawl, which occurred in Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok, on Monday, March 4, went viral on social media. Thai news site Khaosod reported a group of around 20 Filipino transgender women allegedly taunted the Thai, which escalated into a violent scuffle that went into the wee hours of Tuesday, March 5.

Citing Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Millicent Cruz Paredes, De Vega said the first four Filipinos were brought to a police station. Interrogations are ongoing, and their statements will be verified alongside closed-circuit television videos.

Early this week, Philippine authorities also said that the Filipinos expressed their intention to leave Thailand as soon as possible.

The Thai Examiner reported that the incident prompted police to investigate an apparent influx of Filipino sex workers, and led to concerns over possible immigration violations and illegal activities. – Rappler.com