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At least 31 people are dead and seven injured in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, in northwest Ningxia region, after a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant Wednesday night, according to state media, CNN reported.

The explosion was caused by a leak of a liquified gas tank inside the restaurant, and took place around 8:40 p.m., according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Among the seven injured, one person is still in critical condition. The other six are being treated in the hospital for minor injuries, burns and glass cuts.

Local fire authorities sent 20 vehicles and more than 100 personnel to the scene, with search and rescue operations lasting until 4 a.m. Thursday morning, according to state media.

Photos posted by state media show the damaged building, with blackened exteriors, debris on the ground and smoke in the air. Firefighters are seen entering the second floor on a ladder and lifting people out on stretchers, according to CNN.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called the explosion “heartbreaking,” and said it was a “profound lesson.” He has issued instructions to authorities on the scene, requiring “all efforts” to treat the injured, strengthen safety supervision and protect residents’ safety, according to CCTV.

Interviews by police and firefighters on the scene established that two restaurant staffers had smelled gas about an hour before the explosion, said the Yinchuan government in a statement posted online on Thursday.

The two staffers found the valve of the gas tank had broken, and sent another staff member to buy a new one. The explosion took place as the valve was being replaced.

Police have detained nine people and frozen their assets, including the restaurant’s manager, employees and shareholders, according to state media China Youth Daily, CNN reported.

The restaurant is located on a busy street, state media reported. The incident came just before China began its three-day national public holiday, from Thursday to Saturday, marking the Dragon Boat Festival.

The country has been rocked by a number of safety incidents this year. A coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia in February left 53 dead; then in April, the deadliest fire to hit Beijing in two decades killed 29 people in a hospital.

The monsoon weather system has its influence in the eastern and central parts of the country at present, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said. Similarly, local wind and Westerly wind have their partial impact. The low-pressure system that has developed over Uttar Pradesh in India also has its influence in the western Nepal, the Department stated. The weather is generally cloudy in Koshi and Bagmati Provinces as well as the Madhesh, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces at present. It is partly to generally cloudy in the rest of the regions of the country with moderate rain accompanied by lightning at a few places, said meteorologist Sanjeev Adhikari. He said there is a possibility of rainfall in some places of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces today. The Meteorological Forecasting Division said there are chances of heavy rainfall tonight compared to the daytime. The weather bulletin issued by the Division stated that light rainfall is forecast in the western parts of the country as well today. It said the monsoon system has its impact in the eastern and central parts of the country at present while the local and Westerly winds have their impact in the rest of the parts.

Media experts and advocates for freedom of expression have argued that there is no direct law to protect the journalists in most of the countries in South Asia. They were speaking in a day-long training workshop on safety of journalists with a feminist approach organized jointly by Media Action Nepal and ARTICLE19 today in Kathmandu. The workshop was supported by Global Affairs Canada. Despite progressive legislation across South Asia, there are no concrete laws to protect journalists in South Asia other than Pakistan. Media trainers have complained that the South Asian countries do not have direct laws regarding the welfare of the journalists. Most of the South Asian countries have signed and ratified the international treaties such as CEDAW and ICCPR, however, practical execution of it is dismal, they lamented. A group of 20 female journalists participating from all the provinces of Nepal complained, “We have all experienced some sort of threats, sexual assault, and gender discrimination at least once during our professional journey.” I was called by the security force of the country which threatened and behaved derogatorily for writing news on them, a participant shared. Chairperson of the Media Action Nepal Laxman Datt Pant said, “Laws are being framed to restrict and refrain the freedom of expression. We need to protect the journalists in and outside the newsroom to ensure their safety.” Adding that journalists face risks and abuse depending on their race and sexual orientation, religion, and other characteristics, Pant called for institutionalizing  a strong system to support journalists in danger. Women journalists face multiple safety threats such as stereotyping, harassment, and gender discrimination, he added. “Not only the countries, even media houses do not have any policies regarding the safety of the journalists”, said Rumky Farhana, FEMSOJ project Lead in South Asia for ARTICLE 19. Equal inclusive and non-discriminative policy must be implemented on the basis of gender diversity, she added. Likewise, Faruq Faisel, Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 South Asia thanked the participants for their attentive and engaged role for the successful completion of the training. The training workshop was facilitated by Laxman Datt Pant and Namrata Sharma.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has said that 123 ropani of public land has been protected in the current fiscal year. Addressing public complaints on unauthorized use of public land, KMC Mayor Balendra Shah said that the KMC has managed to protect 123 ropani of public land in the current year. The public land protection was carried out as per the manifesto he released during the local level elections held a year ago. Likewise, the work of building 25 new parks, installing smart street lights, removing footpath shops and vendors and making it easy to use for the public has also been accomplished within a year. The KMC has installed 1,700 smart street lights during the period Mayor Shah said that 42 kilometers of roads have been paved, seven kilometers of new sewers constructed, and 1,500 meters of footpaths constructed. Similarly, the Book Free Friday program is being conducted for the first time in all public schools in the metropolitan city from the current academic session.