37 h. ago China jails smugglers of weapon metal antimony, taking tough stance on critical minerals

A Chinese court has convicted 27 individuals of smuggling more than 166 tonnes of antimony, a critical mineral used in weapons, semiconductors and flame retardants, in a significant enforcement action under Beijing’s tighter export controls for dual-use items. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong province ruled that the group had illegally shipped the critical mineral without obtaining export licences, according to a statement released on Tuesday. Lead defendant Wang Wubin was...

Events

37 h. ago Beijing, Hong Kong slam G7 over criticism of Jimmy Lai trial verdict

Beijing and Hong Kong have slammed the G7 for “trampling the city’s rule of law” after the group criticised the guilty verdict handed down at former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial and demanded his immediate release. The strongly worded statements on Thursday were in response to a joint call from the foreign ministers of the G7 and the European Union’s high representative, who condemned Lai’s prosecution while expressing their ongoing concerns about “deteriorating...

Politics

66 h. ago Hong Kong Bar Association chief urges critics to assess Jimmy Lai verdict fairly

The chief of the Bar Association has called on the public and foreign governments to review the judgment against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, convicted of national security offences, before forming their own opinions, acknowledging such verdicts could spark controversy amid differing values. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet reaffirmed that Hong Kong’s judicial independence and the rule of law are “alive and strong”, despite the landmark...

Politics

66 h. ago South Korean court rules Yoon’s martial law illegal as walls close in

Once South Korea’s top prosecutor and head of state, Yoon Suk-yeol now faces the courtroom reckoning of a lifetime, as successive rulings brand his failed attempt to impose martial law “unconstitutional and unlawful”, setting the stage for a verdict that could carry the death penalty. In one of the most consequential legal findings since the country’s return to democracy in 1987, the 21st Criminal Court of Seoul Central District Court on Monday declared that the 2024 martial law decree...

Events

3 d. ago Open court, detailed ruling in Jimmy Lai trial ‘prove Hong Kong rule of law strong’

An open court and a detailed ruling in former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s closely watched national security trial have demonstrated the strength of Hong Kong’s rule of law, legal experts have said. Lawyers, including the Hong Kong Bar Association, on Tuesday urged members of the public to respect the city’s judicial process and study the High Court’s judgment carefully before drawing conclusions after several Western countries criticised Lai’s guilty verdict, prompting a strong rebuke from...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong leader raises Jimmy Lai conviction in meeting with China's Xi

Hong Kong leader raises Jimmy Lai conviction in meeting with China's Xi  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong leader raised Jimmy Lai conviction in meeting with China leader

Hong Kong leader raised Jimmy Lai conviction in meeting with China leader  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago Jimmy Lai case shows how China is rewriting Hong Kong’s history

Jimmy Lai case shows how China is rewriting Hong Kong’s history  The Washington Post

Politics

3 d. ago Jimmy Lai Convicted: Why Beijing Is Silencing Opposition in Hong Kong | Vantage With Palki Sharma

Jimmy Lai Convicted: Why Beijing Is Silencing Opposition in Hong Kong | Vantage With Palki Sharma  Firstpost

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Don’t be misled by lies,’ Beijing tells foreign media in Hong Kong after Jimmy Lai ruling

Beijing’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has issued a rare open letter explaining the “facts and truths” behind former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s guilty verdict, urging international media outlets to uphold objectivity and present an accurate picture to the world. “To help you better understand the case, I wish to present the facts and truths surrounding it,” a spokesman for the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said on Monday. The city’s High Court found...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Don’t be misled,’ Beijing tells foreign media in Hong Kong after Jimmy Lai verdict

The Chinese foreign ministry’s arm in Hong Kong has issued a rare open letter explaining the “facts and truths” behind former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s guilty verdict, urging international media outlets to uphold objectivity and present an accurate picture to the world. The Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong on Tuesday also sent letters to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, condemning their editorials on the verdict as “wilful distortion” and...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai  Al Jazeera

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Despicable’: Hong Kong slams Western ‘smears’ as US calls for Jimmy Lai’s release

A political row over former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has intensified after his guilty verdict, with the Hong Kong government condemning what it called “despicable political manipulations” and the United States calling for his release. The clash overnight followed Monday’s guilty verdict against the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper. Lai was convicted of two conspiracy counts of collusion with foreign forces and a third of conspiracy to print and distribute...

Politics

4 d. ago Hong Kong court’s verdict in Jimmy Lai trial sheds light on law, experts say

The court’s verdict in former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s trial has shed light on the ways in which implicit acts and actions taken before the national security law came into effect may constitute criminal offences, legal experts have said. Lai, 78, was found guilty on all three charges he faced under the Beijing-imposed national security law on Monday, marking the first time a court had ruled on the offence of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. The landmark verdict was...

Events

4 d. ago Trump urges Xi to show leniency for Jimmy Lai as Britain summons China’s ambassador

Britain’s government on Monday summoned China’s ambassador to the UK to protest the conviction of British citizen Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on national security charges in Hong Kong, while US President Donald Trump said he urged leniency for Lai in a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters, without specifying exactly when he spoke with Xi. “He’s an older man, and he’s not well. So I did put...

Politics

4 d. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Post sketches offer public a glimpse of courtroom moments

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been found guilty on all three charges after a landmark national security trial, nearly five years after he was first denied bail following his arrest. The 78-year-old businessman turned opposition activist, who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid, was convicted on Monday of two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications. The high-profile trial...

Events

4 d. ago Court finds Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai guilty after landmark national security trial

Hong Kong’s High Court found former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying guilty on all charges in his national security trial on Monday, ruling that he had used his tabloid newspaper and international connections to push for foreign intervention and sanctions against the local and central governments. In open proceedings watched by a packed gallery of spectators including representatives of foreign governments at West Kowloon Court, a panel of three judges convicted the businessman turned opposition...

Events

4 d. ago Jimmy Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong becomes flashpoint between China, West

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s guilty verdict in the former media boss’ landmark national security trial in Hong Kong has become a political flashpoint between China and its Western opponents, as they demand his immediate release while Beijing strongly rejects their interference. But while the High Court’s ruling on Monday could send the businessman-turned-opposition activist to jail for life, Western countries were unlikely to hit Hong Kong with more sanctions as they needed to cooperate with Beijing to...

Politics

4 d. ago Jimmy Lai’s ‘rabid hatred’ of party led him down ‘thorny path’: Hong Kong court

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s “rabid hatred” of the Communist Party of China has led him down a “thorny path”, according to the judges who found him guilty on three counts of national security offences. The 855-page full judgment released on Monday started with the “rags-to-riches” success story of Lai, but was overshadowed by criticism, particularly regarding the credibility of his evidence. Born in Guangzhou in 1947, Lai smuggled himself into Hong Kong at the age of 12,...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai used personal ties to seek foreign sanctions: court ruling

A landmark ruling of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s marathon trial has revealed how the former media boss used his personal ties with foreign political figures to solicit intervention before and after the national security law took effect five years ago. In an 857-page judgment handed down on Monday, three High Court judges ruled that Lai intended to tap his vast political network to trigger sanctions against Beijing and the Hong Kong government, knowing that his requests would be heeded. The 78-year-old...

Events