HK police shoot activist in chest

A man is detained by police during clashes in the Wanchai district of Hong Kong on October 1 as the city observes the National Day holiday to mark the 70th anniversary of China's founding. Pics/AFP

Hong Kong: In a fearsome escalation of violence, Hong Kong police shot a protester at close range in the chest on Tuesday, leaving the teenager bleeding and howling on the ground. Tens of thousands joined anti-government protests that spread across the semi-autonomous Chinese territory even as Communist leaders in Beijing celebrated 70 years in power.

The single pistol shot fired by the officer as protesters swarmed toward him hit the 18-year-old on the left side of his chest, police spokeswoman Yolanda Yu said. She described the protesters as "rioters" and said the officer had feared for his life.

Protesters step on a poster with an image resembling Chinese President Xi Jinping in Istanbul

Hong Kong's hospital authority said the teen was one of two people in critical condition, with a total of 51 people injured as fierce clashes between protesters and police wracked China's freest and most international city.

While officers have previously fired warning shots in the air during the protests, this is the first time a protester is known to have been shot. Organisers said at least 100,000 people marched along a broad city thoroughfare in defiance of a police ban, chanting anti-China slogans and some carrying Chinese flags defaced with a black cross.

1 lakh
No. of people who took part in the protest

Beijing unveils missile capable of 'targeting US in 30 minutes'

China unveiled the DF-41 intercontinental-range ballistic missile, touted to be the most powerful missile on the planet at the National Day parade in Beijing on Tuesday.
DF-41 has a range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometres), more than any missile on Earth, reported CNN. The missile capable of carrying 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads and could theoretically, hit the United States in 30 minutes, according to the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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