Friday Links: Taiwan’s rubber duck explodes, Jeremy Lin scores 16 in opener, and drunk policeman murders pregnant woman

Halloween in China, via chinaSMACK

There’s a big party in a Tianjin castle that you might have heard of. Otherwise, subway party tonight (and one tomorrow, too!). Otherwise, links.

Horrifying and terrible. “After learning that he cannot get milk tea at Wu’s rice noodle shop, Hu pointed his gun at one of the two customers and asked again: ‘So you don’t sell milk tea, do you?’ At that point, everyone at the scene can feel the tension. // Wu then told Hu to walk down the street for milk tea, but just as she finished the sentence, her husband was shot in the shoulder. When she tried to walk out to call for help, Hu aimed the gun at her and fired, first in her head, then in her belly.” (Offbeat China)

Uyghurs under closer surveillance. “In China’s urban areas, the relationship between Han, China’s predominant ethnic group, and Uighurs — who are often migrants there eking out a living as street vendors or day laborers — can be quite contentious. Colored by poor personal experiences with vendors or pickpockets, many Han attach negative stereotypes to Uighurs and bitterly complain about policies that they perceive to be favorable to minorities such as Uighurs.” (Tea Leaf Nation)

Corollary: “Beijing’s Uyghur Policy is Not Just Counter-Productive, it’s Disastrous.” (China Policy Institute Blog)

Corollary 2: “China Grants Xinjiang Independence Following Beijing Car Bombing.” (Ministry of Harmony)

Lesson here? “A German man was beaten up after confronting a queue jumper in a McDonald’s in Guangzhou in the small hours of August 24, Huadu District Prosecutor’s Office has been told.” (The Nanfang)

:( “Gyrating undergarments , snake oil remedies and life-changing watches may be seeing less airtime, as China’s television watchdog puts new limits on infomercials. // The country’s satellite TV stations will be allowed to air infomercials for a maximum of three minutes per hour, under new rules issued this week by the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.” (WSJ)

Oh dear. “A spate of thefts by passengers from China who help themselves at duty-free stores in Phuket International Airport before making airborne getaways has prompted debate about security. // The issue of the brazen thieves was raised at a meeting between airport authorities, shop owners and Chinese airlines and tour operators on Tuesday. // Shoplifters sometimes escape punishment after making it aboard their flights because of a reluctance by pilots to delay take-off – and an apparent reluctance by security staff to press the issue.” (SCMP)

Whoa. “A giant yellow duck on display in Taiwan became a high-profile victim of Thursday’s earthquake after it deflated before exploding during an attempt to reinflate it, officials said on Friday. // The 18-metre-tall duck in northern Taoyuan county began to deflate when an air pump went off during a power outage triggered by the 6.3-magnitude quake on Thursday night.” (SCMP)

Taiwan: big yellow duck deflated due to air pump problem by earthquake & exploded during the attempt of reinflation pic.twitter.com/jYdwIC1bZ1

— Phoenix TV News UK (@PhoenixUKNews) November 1, 2013