Hong Kong court postpones closing arguments in Jimmy Lai trial
HONG KONG : A court hearing for jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was postponed today due to bad weather, further lengthening a national security trial that began in 2023.
The city's weather observatory hoisted the highest-level rainstorm warning for around three hours this morning, leading the judiciary to cancel hearings for the day.
The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Today, lawyers were expected to present closing arguments as Lai's trial enters its final stages.
The judiciary said today that those due to attend postponed hearings should return on Friday.
The media tycoon has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, with Western nations and rights groups calling for his release.
Aside from the collusion offence – which could land him in prison for life – Lai is also charged with 'seditious publication' related to 161 op-eds he allegedly wrote.
The tycoon gave spirited courtroom testimony over more than 50 days during the trial, fielding questions about his political ideology, management style and overseas contacts.
Lai described himself at least twice as a 'political prisoner', which drew sharp rebukes from the three-judge panel.
Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly rejected criticism related to Lai, saying last month that his case was 'handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law'.
Antoine Bernard of Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday that Lai's treatment 'exposes the authorities' ruthless determination to silence and suppress one of the most prominent advocates for press freedom amid Hong Kong's rapidly deteriorating media landscape'.
Judges had previously indicated that a verdict could be reached by October.
Today was the fifth time this year that Hong Kong issued the 'black' rainstorm warning, beating the previous record of three such warnings in a year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Poverty reduction plan should be more ambitious, says economist
Muhammed Abdul Khalid says one of the 13MP's flaws is its low targets for reducing poverty and narrowing income gap. (Muhammed Abdul Khalid pic) PETALING JAYA : A targeted reduction of only 1.1% in the incidence of absolute poverty in the country shows a lack of ambition in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), according to an economist. For Muhammed Abdul Khalid, the objective to bring the rate down from 5.8% currently to 4.7% over the next five years was in sharp contrast to the government's objective to make Malaysia a high-income nation. 'We want to rank among the top 30 nations in the world (in terms of income), which is commendable,' he told FMT. 'On the other hand, we must also ensure that growth is inclusive.' At a talk organised by Kelab Belia Prihatin here on Aug 14, Muhammed had said that the government should focus more on reducing poverty and narrowing the income gap. 'Only then will we be a developed country, where everyone benefits,' he said. When tabling the 13MP for debate at the Dewan Rakyat on July 31, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had said that the target was to also eradicate hardcore poverty, which now stands at 0.19% of all households. Muhammed, who served as Dr Mahathir Mohamad's economic adviser during the latter's second stint as prime minister, also took issue with the RM15 billion increase in development expenditure to RM430 billion compared with the 12MP. 'That is only RM3 billion a year. We need to spend more on healthcare, education and housing. The government has announced plans to build a million new affordable homes over the next 10 years. 'How will this new target be achieved? Who will be responsible for delivering it?' he asked. Another shortcoming, he said, is Anwar's decision to ignore PR1MA, the previous government's affordable housing programme, despite pledging to build a million affordable homes from 2026 to 2035. He said another flaw in the 13MP is its low target for narrowing the income gap. 'Income inequality is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves despite it being one of the most pressing challenges,' he said. '(This is) made worse by the fact that lower-income groups continue to shoulder multiple taxes,' he added. He described the government's target of narrowing the rich-poor gap by only 1% over five years as 'extremely modest'. Under the 12MP, the gap as measured using the Gini coefficient was 0.390. The target under the 13MP is 0.386. For Muhammed, it is 'merely symbolic'. The average Gini coefficient in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is 0.315. 'If the government only aims for a marginal reduction, our inequality gap by 2030 will remain wide and far from the standards of more equitable societies. This is not good for the economy and rakyat,' he said. In 2020, the statistics department reported that income inequality in the country was higher in 2019 than it was in 2016.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
China grants scholarships to Senegalese students to boost educational, cultural ties
DAKAR, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Senegal on Wednesday held a ceremony to award the 2025 Chinese Government Scholarship certificates and bid farewell to Senegalese students heading to China for higher studies. Chinese Ambassador to Senegal Li Zhigang presented admission letters to 17 scholarship recipients. Li emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges in fostering strong bilateral relations. "Youth are the future of a country, the hope of a nation, and the backbone of society," he said, urging the students to make full use of their time in China. He encouraged them to "experience China" and "share China" during their studies, and to return as contributors to Senegal's development while helping advance China-Senegal and China-Africa friendship and cooperation. The students expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for the opportunity, saying they looked forward to exploring China's rich and diverse culture and to serving as ambassadors of friendship between Senegal and China.
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
China's Tibet marks anniversary with songs, dances, reminders of Party's rule
BEIJING, Aug 21 — Tibet marked its 60th year as a Chinese autonomous region today with songs, dances and a parade in its capital Lhasa with thousands cheering on, holding little red flags, amid placards telling all to heed the Communist Party's leadership. The festivities held at a massive square by the Potala Palace, the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, coincided with a rare visit by President Xi Jinping and a huge delegation from Beijing that included senior leaders from the party and government. In the parade broadcast on China's national television, participants held aloft red placards reminding all of what Tibet needed to accomplish under the guidance of Xi. 'Unwaveringly focus on the four major tasks of ensuring stability, promoting development, protecting the ecological environment, and strengthening border defence,' one placard read. 'Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and fully implement the Party's strategy for governing Tibet in the new era,' another said. In September 1965, six years after the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in the wake of a failed uprising, the Communist Party established the Tibet Autonomous Region — China's fifth and last autonomous region after Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi and Ningxia. A picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen next to an image of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, at an exhibition at the foreign ministry building in Beijing November 10, 2021. — Reuters pic The designation is meant to confer ethnic minority groups such as the Tibetans greater say over policy matters, including freedom of religious belief. But human rights groups and exiles describe China's rule in Tibet over the decades as 'oppressive', an accusation that Beijing rejects. Since Xi became chief of the Communist Party in late 2012 and then president in early 2013, China has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet - from requiring Tibetan Buddhism to be guided by the Chinese socialist system to demanding its people to 'follow the party'. Foreign journalists and diplomats still require special permission to set foot in Tibet. China's hold over Tibetan Buddhism even extends to how the next Dalai Lama should be picked. As the current Dalai Lama turned 90 this year, Beijing said the Chinese government would have the final say over his successor in the event of his death, rejecting the Dalai Lama's claim that a non-profit institution set up by him would have the sole authority to do so. China also opposes all contact between political leaders and the Dalai Lama, saying it would send the wrong signal to 'separatist' forces. After Czech President Petr Pavel met with the Dalai Lama in India on a private trip this year, China said it would 'cease all engagement' with him. Amid foreign criticism of its rule in Tibet, China argues that the lives of ordinary people have dramatically improved. From 2012 to 2024, Tibet's road network nearly doubled to 120,000km, linking every town and village. Its economy also grew to 276.5 billion yuan (RM162.8 billion) in 2024, a 155-fold increase from 1965, according to official data. 'Grateful to the general secretary, grateful to the Party Central Committee, and thankful to the people of the whole country,' one parade placard beamed. — Reuters
