BBC: Chinese police assaulted journalist

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on during a meeting

with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.

LONDON— This is a dress with a story, and Elizabeth Emanuel wants to tell it.

Shocking pink with a plunging, ruffled neckline and body-hugging shape, the gown was designed by Emanuel for Lady Diana Spencer to wear at a Buckingham Palace party a few days before her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981. It was a visual coming-out event for the future princess, until then largely known for her conservative sweater-and-pearls look.

“This was definitely not a wallflower dress,” said Emanuel, who also co-designed Diana’s wedding gown. “This was a dress to be seen in and celebrated.”

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LONDON — The BBC said on Sunday that Chinese police assaulted and detained one of its journalists covering a protest in Shanghai, before later releasing him after several hours.

“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai,” a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster said in a statement.

“He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” the spokesperson added.

Shanghai is one of a number of Chinese cities that has seen protests over stringent COVID restrictions, which flared in recent days following a deadly fire in the country’s far west.

Footage on social media showed a man whom other journalists identified as Lawrence being arrested by men in police uniforms.

The BBC said it had not been given a credible explanation for Lawrence’s detention.

“We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught COVID from the crowd,” the BBC said.

China’s embassy in London has been approached for comment.

British designer Elizabeth Emanuel stands beside a replica of an evening gown she designed for then-Lady Diana Spencer to wear at a Buckingham Palace party a few days before her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981, in London, Friday,

November 18, 2022.

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