Connect with us

Published

on

A Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the Chinese Consulate grounds in Manchester and beaten up.

In a video, posted by Political Asylum Manchester City Transit Station, an unidentified group of men in face masks approach the consulate fence at a pro-democracy demonstration outside the consulate and drag a man inside.

The protester told Voice of America (VOA), that the men took away a satirical portrait of Xi Jinping and then beat him up.

He said: “After I was pulled in, I was punched and kicked. I had scars on my face, bleeding, and swelling. Hair was pulled from my head, swollen and bruised. I had bruises on my neck and back, and my waist was a little sore.”

He added that protesters and the police managed to pull him out of the consulate.

Human rights campaigner, Luke de Pulford, tweeted a picture allegedly showing the protester who was attacked, with cuts on his face.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said the force is aware of an incident which took place at around 3pm on Sunday at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester.

Pic: Political Asylum Manchester City Transit Station
Image:
Pic: Political Asylum Manchester City Transit Station

They said: “Officers were present and responded immediately to diffuse the situation. Enquiries are ongoing at this time to understand the full circumstances.

“A police patrol plan is in place in the area following this incident.”

MPs are calling on the government to urgently investigate the matter and demand that the Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, is summoned.

Alicia Kearns, MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, tweeted a photo of protesters and the police at the consulate and suggested that the consul general had “full sight, and quite possibly was involved, in the assaults”.

Former Conservative leader, Iain Duncan-Smith, called for an apology from Mr Zeguang and said the government should demand those responsible be sent back to China.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy described reports of the incident as “deeply concerning” and said the foreign secretary should “urgently” summon the ambassador to demand an explanation for the incident.

The protest coincided with the first day of the congress of China’s ruling party, where President Xi Jinping is expected to win a third leadership term.

Sky News has contacted the government, the Chinese consulate in Manchester and the Chinese Embassy in London for comment.

Read more:
Xi Jinping’s speech: What we learned about whether China’s president is in the mood to step down
China’s 20th Party Congress is set to make history and President Xi could be ‘ruler for life’ – here’s why
Rare protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping days before Communist Party congress
China ‘catastrophically broke its word’ about Hong Kong – last UK governor

Continue Reading

UK

‘Immediate action’ taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

Published

on

By

'Immediate action' taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.

The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.

The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.

Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.

The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.

A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”

The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is launching a sentencing review in a bid to ease the crisis.

Continue Reading

UK

Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

Published

on

By

Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and  Keir Starmer, during a trilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Pic: PA
Image:
Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

Read more from Sky News:
Strike using UK-made Storm Shadow missiles ‘very successful’
Putin warns US and UK over ‘escalation of aggressive actions’

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.

Continue Reading

UK

Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting – as murder suspect arrested

Published

on

By

Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting - as murder suspect arrested

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.

Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.

One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.

Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.

Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.

Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.

More on Birmingham

“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.

“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.

“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”

Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.

Continue Reading

Trending