Hong Kong Police confirm an officer shot a protester Fifteen protesters injured in clashes, one critically Why are there protests in Hong Kong and when will they end?  Analysis: China’s parade should raise alarms in US China’s military celebrations, Hong Kong’s protests, in pictures  Hong Kong police shot a pro-democracy protestor in the chest on Tuesday as violent clashes erupted across the city hours after China held a massive military parade in Beijing to celebrate 70 years of Communist Party rule, according to a news agency. It was the first such injury from a live round in nearly four months of increasingly violent protests and threatened to strip the spotlight from China’s carefully-choreographed birthday party, designed to underscore its status as a global superpower. While President Xi Jinping took salutes from some 15,000 troops in the capital, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong threw eggs at his portrait, with tens of thousands of people defying police orders to disperse. Running battles raged for hours across multiple locations, with some hardcore protesters hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails, while police responded for the most part with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon. But in one area north of the skyscraper district, a police officer unloaded his weapon at close range into a young man, video footage showed. “An officer discharged his firearm after coming under attack and a protester was struck in the chest in Tsuen Wan district today,” a police source said, requesting anonymity. The wounded protester received initial first aid from officers before paramedics arrived and took him to hospital, the source added. China’s 70th anniversary: Parades in Beijing, protests in Hong Kong – in pictures Many of the fights in the city were especially fierce with police in one district having corrosive liquid thrown at them and officers in another area retreating into a town hall from projectile-throwing crowds. Burning barricades sent a pall of black smoke over the city, a regional hub for some of the world’s biggest banks. The violence cast a shadow over the lavish parade in Beijing where tanks, new nuclear missiles and a supersonic drone paraded down the Avenue of Eternal Peace as Xi and other Communist Party leaders watched from a rostrum overlooking Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The event was meant to showcase China’s journey from a poor nation broken by war to the world’s second largest economy. Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong 12:53PM Police confirm 18-year-old was shot because officer ‘felt lethal threat to life’ Senior superintendent Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan has confirmed to The Telegraph’s China Correspondent Sophia Yan that a man was shot using live rounds and said: “An 18-year-old man got shot in the left shoulder/chest area around 4pm, he was sent to hospital though was conscious at the time.” Yu said protesters were attacking police, although it wasn’t specified how, and said officers warned protesters to stop. When they continued, it led to officers to feel their lives were under threat, the superintendent said. “That officer felt there was lethal threat to life and fired a shot in protection and to keep colleagues safe,” Yu added.  “The police feel saddened as they wouldn’t like to see anyone get hurt and call on the rioters to stop their actions.” The protesters being labelled “rioters” is a significant change in the language used thus far.  Pro-democracy activists have asked not to be called “rioters” because the act of rioting in Hong Kong carries a maximum 10-year sentence.  12:27PM Fires being lit in Hong Kong’s streets Sophia Yan witnessed protesters wearing masks to cover their faces setting fire to leaflets which had been strewn on the floor.  Lighting more fires, pic.twitter.com/A2EorbNWh1— Sophia Yan (@sophia_yan) October 1, 2019 Fires have also been used to set barricades alight in the city. 12:00PM Officer shot protester after his unit was attacked, source says A Hong Kong police officer shot a protester in the chest with a live round on Tuesday after his unit was attacked by demonstrators during sustained clashes in the city, a police source said. “An officer discharged his firearm after coming under attack and a protester was struck in the chest in Tsuen Wan district today,” the source said, requesting anonymity. The wounded protester received initial first aid from officers before paramedics arrived, the source said, adding the victim was then taken to Princess Margaret Hospital. 11:58AM US President congratulates China on parade Donald Trump wades in… Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2019 Meanwhile the European Union called Tuesday for “de-escalation and restraint” in Hong Kong after a police officer shot a demonstrator during a flare-up in the political protests roiling the city. “In light of the continuing unrest and violence in Hong Kong, the European Union continues to stress that dialogue, de-escalation and restraint are the only way forward,” EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters. 11:36AM Tear gas used as police and protesters clash The Telegraph’s Sophia Yan is in the heart of the protests in Hong Kong.  More tear gas as police push forward and protesters retreat pic.twitter.com/8LCzLiW3dj— Sophia Yan (@sophia_yan) October 1, 2019 She reports that tear gas is being used by police to push protesters back. 11:33AM Fifteen wounded, one critical, as police confirm protester was shot Fifteen people were wounded on Tuesday after a day of running clashes between police and protesters, with one person in critical condition, Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority said. Police did not respond to requests for comment but have said they fired live rounds into the air in previous clashes. Video footage of a police officer firing at a protester at close range went viral, but there was not immediate verification of its authenticity. Hong Kong police say pro-democracy protester was shot in the chest by officer during clashes Tuesday, according to AP. 11:27AM Flaming barricades and water cannons in Hong Kong Our China Correspondent Sophia Yan is on the front line in Hong Kong. Her videos show just how violent the protests have become.  Protesters set up barricade w fire pic.twitter.com/RZrq8T3QQY— Sophia Yan (@sophia_yan) October 1, 2019  Follow her on Twitter here.  11:18AM Survival of The Communist Party The Communist Party has repeatedly defied the odds to remain in power for seven decades. Under Mao, tens of millions of people died during the disastrous Great Leap Forward, and the country was plunged into violent chaos during the decade-long Cultural Revolution. After Mao’s death in 1976, the party launched the reform and opening-up policy under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, starting decades of breakneck growth and development. But the party retained a stranglehold on power, sending troops to end the biggest challenge to its rule in 1989 when pro-democracy protesters occupied Tiananmen Square. 11:17AM Mao portrait beamed across Beijing The Beijing festivities continued with a pageant involving 100,000 civilians and 70 floats depicting China’s greatest achievements. A giant portrait of Mao, followed by those of past leaders and Xi, streamed across the avenue as the president and other officials waved. A float carrying a portrait of late Chinese leader and founder of the People’s Republic of China, chairman Mao Zedong Credit: REX Replicas of a space rocket, a homegrown passenger plane and high-speed trains were followed by smiling ethnic minorities – imagery that glosses over accusations of human rights abuses in the frontier regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. 11:16AM Price of pork soars  US trade war negotiations have dragged on, and African swine fever has raced through the country’s pig supply, sending pork prices soaring. But a major headache remains Hong Kong. Despite increasing levels of violence, there is still huge public support for a movement that presents the most serious threat to Beijing’s rule since Britain returned it to China in 1997. In his speech, Xi said China “must adhere” to the one country, two systems policy governing Hong Kong and “maintain the long-term prosperity and stability” of the city. He also called for the “peaceful development” of relations with self-governed Taiwan but also reiterated his determination to seize the island, by force if necessary. 11:15AM New weapons Xi, who wore the distinctive “Mao suit”, delivered a speech invoking the “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation – his grand vision of restoring the country to perceived past glory. “There is no force that can shake the foundation of this great nation,” Xi said from the Tiananmen rostrum where Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Helicopters flew in a “70” formation over the city as troops goosestepped across Tiananmen Square in what state media described as the country’s biggest ever military parade, featuring 580 pieces of armament and 160 aircraft. Chinese soldiers sit atop mobile rocket launchers Credit: Getty The People’s Liberation Army brought out its newest hardware, including the DF-41, a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with range enough to reach the entire United States, and the DF-17, a launcher for a hypersonic glider. Warplanes including the J-20 stealth fighter soared through the smog-choked skies, and state media said a high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance drone made a public appearance for the first time. “The party hopes that this occasion will add to its legitimacy and rally support at a time of internal and external challenges,” Adam Ni, China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, said. 10:45AM Protester was shot in the chest ‘after clashes with demonstrators’, police say Police sources have told AFP that the protester was shot by an officer after his unit was ‘attacked’ by demonstrators. They add that the protester has now been taken to hospital. “An officer discharged his firearm after coming under attack and a protester was struck in the chest in Tsuen Wan district today,” the source said, requesting anonymity. 10:42AM Tear gas fired in four districts Protests have only begun to fully get under way in Hong Kong, where it is early evening. Until now, the demonstrations have developed in a similar pattern – thousands engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with authorities. But live fire would be a significant escalation in the response from security forces.  Police have fired tear gas in the areas of Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun, and ordered the evacuation of the legislative council complex.