China said it had taken over the premises of the US consulate in the south-west city of Chengdu on Monday after ordering the closure of the facility in retaliation for being expelled from the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.
Police in Chengdu restricted access to the area around the consulate on Monday morning, and four officials in personal protective gear were seen walking towards the consulate at about 10:30am local time.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the consulate was closed as of 10am. It said later that authorities entered the building and took over the premises.
The United States confirmed the closure of the consulate in a farewell video shared from the US embassy in China's Twitter account.
"The US consulate in Chengdu has been proudly promoting the mutual understanding between Americans and the people in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet since 1985. We will forever miss you," it said.
Moving lorries and vehicles with diplomatic plates could be seen around the consulate on Sunday as staff hurried to move out. This gallery depicts how the evacuation unfolded.
People stopped to take selfies and photos, jamming the pavement that was also busy with shoppers and families on a sunny day in Chengdu city.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and Houston in Texas are in the limelight of international politics as China and the US exchange orders to close consulates in the two cities.
Uniformed and plainclothes officers kept watch on both sides of the barriers after scattered incidents on Friday.
They included a man setting off firecrackers and hecklers cursing foreign media shooting video and photos of the scene, the Associated Press reported.
A man who tried to unfurl a banner or sign on Sunday evening was quickly taken away.
Earlier, a bus left the consulate grounds and people who appeared to be embassy staff spoke with plainclothes police before retreating behind the property’s solid black gates. It was not clear who was on the bus.
The US has four other consulates in mainland China, in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Shenyang, as well as the embassy in Beijing.
The Trump administration ordered China's consulate in Houston, Texas to close within 72 hours last week.
It claimed Chinese agents had tried to steal data from centres including the Texas A&M medical system. China dismissed the accusation as "malicious slander".
The closures are among the biggest threats in years to the increasingly fraught relationship between the US and China.
Relations have worsened in recent months because of various factors, including trade and the early handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tensions have soared between the world's two biggest economic powers on a range of fronts including trade, China's handling of coronavirus and a tough new security law imposed on Hong Kong, with US officials warning of a "new tyranny" from China.
The last Chinese diplomats left the Houston consulate on Friday.
Beijing said on Saturday that US agents "forcibly" entered the Houston consulate, which it said was "China's national property".
Its statement warned that "China will make a proper and necessary response in this regard".
The nationalistic tabloid Global Times warned in an editorial Monday that if Washington was "determined to push China-US ties in the worst direction... the 21st century will be darker and even more explosive than the Cold War era".
It said the rising tensions could lead to "unprecedented catastrophe".
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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The five pillars of Islam
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
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Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
