The landmark case has drawn international scrutiny of Hong Kong’s judicial independence amid a years-long crackdown on rights and freedoms in the global financial hub

International News via Reuters:

Hong Kong’s High Court found tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty on Monday of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in the city’s highest-profile trial under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.

The landmark case has drawn international scrutiny of Hong Kong’s judicial independence amid a years-long crackdown on rights and freedoms in the global financial hub after 2019 pro-democracy protests that Beijing saw as a challenge to its rule.

While 78-year-old Lai’s supporters see him as a freedom fighter, Beijing regards him as a mastermind of the protests and a conspirator advocating for U.S. sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland. Chinese authorities have rejected accusations of eroding the city’s rule of law.

SENTENCING EXPECTED NEXT YEAR

“There is no doubt” that Lai “had harboured his resentment and hatred of” China for many of his adult years, Judge Esther Toh told a packed courtroom as the tycoon, wearing a pale green jumper and a grey jacket, sat with his arms folded. 

The two other judges in his case were Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China’s Communist Party leadership, has already spent five years in jail, facing a slew of litigation under the sweeping security legislation that Beijing enacted in response to the 2019 protests.

A pre-sentencing hearing at which Lai can plead for lenience is scheduled for January 12. His lawyer, Steven Kwan, said Lai would decide whether to appeal after the sentencing.

Hong Kong leader John Lee and national security police chief Steve Li told reporters on Monday they welcomed the verdict.

“The judiciary is confident and unafraid of any intimidation and firmly discharges its responsibility to safeguard national security,” the city’s leader said at the airport before a regular visit to Beijing.

Lai, who suffers from health issues including diabetes and high blood pressure, was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He had pleaded not guilty on all counts.

The verdict bookends a year that marked the essential disappearance of Hong Kong’s democratic opposition under pressure from Beijing. The Democratic Party voted to disband on Sunday.

RIGHTS GROUPS CRITICISE THE VERDICT

Lai’s trial began in December 2023, with the verdict seen as a potential fresh diplomatic flashpoint in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

U.S. President Donald Trump raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in October and has said he would do his utmost to “save” Lai.

Britain condemned Lai’s “politically-motivated prosecution” in a statement on Monday by its foreign office, calling for his immediate release.

China’s foreign ministry said it “deplores” countries smearing Hong Kong’s justice system, urging respect for China’s sovereignty.

Lai’s son Sebastien told a London press conference that the conviction was the perfect example of how the national security law had been weaponised “against someone who essentially said stuff that they didn’t like”.

“It’s hard to smear the Hong Kong legal system more than this judgment and more than this trial,” he said.

Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the verdict a “sham conviction” and “a disgraceful act of persecution”.

“Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy,” she said.

Other groups, such as Amnesty International, and pro-democracy activists who fled the city after the protests fearing prosecution have also condemned the verdict.

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have said his trial was “fair and just” and that the national security law treats all equally. They have said no freedoms are absolute when it comes to safeguarding national security.

Lai’s family say his health has worsened after more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement. 

Sebastien Lai said his father had lost 10 kg (22 pounds) in the last year alone. “This is a man who is very much in a horrible situation,” he told a press conference.

CITY MOURNING FIRE VICTIMS

The verdict comes at a delicate moment for Hong Kong, where residents have been mourning after a fire last month killed at least 160 people in one of the worst blazes in a residential complex globally in recent years.

Authorities have warned they would crack down on anyone who tried to use the fire to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019.

After the verdict, China’s national security office in Hong Kong called Lai a “pawn of external anti-China forces” who attempted a “colour revolution” in the city.

“We strongly condemn the political manipulation of Hong Kong by a small number of Western politicians and anti-China media under the guise of ‘human rights’ and ‘freedom’, openly exonerating Jimmy Lai,” it said in a statement.

Additional reporting by Clare Jim, Joyce Zhou, Anne Marie Roantree, Donny Kwok and Farah Master; writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by William Mallard, Michael Perry, Kate Mayberry and Alex Richardson

The death toll from the cyclone-induced floods and landslides, which destroyed houses and forced people into evacuation centres on Sumatra in late November, reached 1,030 as of Monday, with 206 people still missing

International News via Reuters:

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto said on Monday that activities in areas on Sumatra that were hit by deadly floods may return to normal in the next two to three months, after a disaster that claimed more than 1,000 lives.

The death toll from the cyclone-induced floods and landslides, which destroyed houses and forced people into evacuation centres on Sumatra in late November, reached 1,030 as of Monday, with 206 people still missing, according to official data.

The storms also killed about 200 people in southern Thailand and Malaysia.

Prabowo told a cabinet meeting on Monday that reconstruction in the three affected provinces was already underway, adding that he had already apologised because authorities could not realistically complete the process in a matter of days.

“I don’t have the staff of Moses,” he said, referring to the biblical figure’s ability to perform miracles. “We cannot finish this in 3-5 days. Perhaps in 2-3 months, activities will return to normal.”

Prabowo said authorities would soon build hundreds of temporary homes for those displaced. Reconstruction on Sumatra is expected to cost at least $3.11 billion, senior government officials have said.

Green groups say deforestation linked to mining and logging exacerbated the impact of the floods.

Indonesia’s environment ministry has temporarily halted the operations of the companies accused of violations, and that it will require them to perform environmental audits.

Prabowo on Monday said any company found in an audit to have violated rules should have its permit revoked.

Indonesia’s forest minister said earlier on Monday that the country will revoke 22 forest use permits covering over 1 million hectares.

The revoked permits included more than 100,000 hectares on Sumatra, but the minister did not link the revocation directly to the floods.

Prabowo also said on Monday that the situation on Sumatra was under control, adding that foreign leaders had offered aid.

“I said, thanks for your concern, we can handle it,” he said.

Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by David Stanway

Forty-three-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed was identified on social media as the bystander who hid behind parked cars before charging at the gunman from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground

International News via Reuters:

A Sydney resident who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during the mass shooting at Bondi Beach is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for bullet wounds to his arm and hand, his family said.

Forty-three-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed was identified on social media as the bystander who hid behind parked cars before charging at the gunman from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground.

Australian police on Monday said a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son carried out the attack at a Jewish celebration on Sunday afternoon, killing 15 people in the country’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.

“My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people,” Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told state broadcaster ABC News in an interview.

He said that Ahmed is an Australian citizen and sells fruits and vegetables.

“When he saw people lying on the ground and the blood, quickly his conscience pushed him to attack one of the terrorists and take away his weapon,” Mohamed Fateh said.

Jozay Alkanji, Ahmed’s cousin, speaking while he was leaving the hospital in Sydney on Monday evening, said: “He’s done the first surgery. I think he’s got two or three surgeries, that depends on the doctor, what he says.”

Tributes have poured in from leaders both abroad and at home.

U.S. President Donald Trump called Ahmed “a very, very brave person” who saved many lives. Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state where Sydney is located, has hailed him “a genuine hero” and said the video was “the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Ahmed with just over A$1,000,000 ($665,100) raised in a few hours. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was the largest donor, contributing A$99,999 and sharing the fundraiser on his X account.

Outside St George Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, where Ahmed is being treated, strangers came to show their support.

Misha and Veronica Pochuev came to the hospital with their seven-year-old daughter, Miroslava, to drop off flowers for Ahmed.

“My husband is Russian, my father is Jewish, my grandpa is Muslim. This is not only about Bondi, this is about every person,” Veronica said.

Miroslava held the bouquet with a note that read “To Ahmed: for courage and saved lives”.

Yomna Touni, 43, is raising money to help Ahmed’s recovery.

“He potentially saved many people yesterday, and that, for us, from an Islamic perspective, is to have saved all of mankind, you know,” Touni said.

“Killing one person is like killing all of mankind, and that’s what those terrorists did.”

($1 = 1.5035 Australian dollars)

Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Michael Perry and Saad Sayeed

The walkout, backed by 400 employees and announced by union representatives, comes at a particularly difficult time for the museum, which is still reeling from an October jewel heist worth 88 million euros

International News via Reuters:

The Paris Louvre museum will remain closed on Monday after staff voted in favour of a strike over pay and working conditions, disrupting access for thousands of visitors to the world’s most-visited museum.

The walkout, backed by 400 employees and announced by union representatives, comes at a particularly difficult time for the museum, which is still reeling from an October jewel heist worth 88 million euros ($103.30 million) and recent infrastructure problems including a water leak that damaged ancient books.

“Due to public strikes, the museum is currently closed,” Le Louvre said on its website.

The labour action, called by the CFDT, CGT and Sud unions, follows what they described as “increasingly degraded working conditions” and insufficient staffing. In their strike notice, the unions said employees are suffering from “an ever-increasing workload” and “contradictory instructions” that prevent them from carrying out their duties properly.

Union requests include hiring more permanent staff, particularly in security and visitor services and improving working conditions. The unions also oppose a 45% ticket price increase from mid-January for non-EU tourists. The hike is meant to help finance renovations.

The Louvre welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors daily.

($1 = 0.8519 euros)

Reporting by Benoit Tessier, Noemie Olive, Mathieu Rosemain and Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten

The incident has raised questions whether Australia’s gun laws, among the toughest in the world, need overhaul, with police saying the older suspect had held a firearms license since 2015

International News via Reuters:

Australia vowed stricter gun laws on Monday as it began mourning victims of its worst mass shooting in almost 30 years, in which police accused a father-and-son duo of killing 15 people at a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach.

The incident has raised questions whether Australia’s gun laws, among the toughest in the world, need overhaul, with police saying the older suspect had held a firearms license since 2015, along with six registered weapons.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his cabinet agreed to strengthen gun laws and work on a national firearms register to tackle aspects such as the number of weapons permitted by gun licences, and how long the latter are valid.

“People’s circumstances can change,” he had told reporters before the cabinet met. “People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.” 

Of the two gunmen, the 50-year-old father was killed at the scene, taking the tally of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in critical condition in hospital, police told a press conference.

The 40 people taken to hospital after the attack included two police officers in serious but stable condition, they added. The victims were aged between 10 and 87.

Police did not release the suspects’ names. Security officials said one was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.

“We are very much working through the background of both persons. At this stage, we know very little about them,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters.

National broadcaster ABC and other media identified the men as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram. Home Minister Tony Burke said the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, while his son is an Australian-born citizen.

Police gave no details of their firearms, but videos from the scene showed the men firing weapons that appeared to be a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun.

Two flags of militant group Islamic State were found in the gunmen’s vehicle, ABC News said, without citing a source. 

Albanese said measures being considered ranged from curbs on open-ended licences to limits on weapons held by a single individual and the types that are legal, including modifications, with permits restricted to Australian citizens.

HERO BYSTANDER DISARMS GUNMAN BEFORE BEING WOUNDED

Witnesses said the 10-minute attack at the beach, crowded on a hot weekend evening, sent about 1,000 people attending a Hanukkah event fleeing along the sand and into nearby streets.

A bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during the attack, has been hailed as a hero whose action saved lives. He went under surgery after being shot twice. A fundraising page drew more than A$1,000,000 ($665,000) for him.

Bondi resident Morgan Gabriel, 27, said she had been heading to a nearby cinema when she heard what she thought were fireworks, before people started running up her street.

“Their phones had been left down the beach, and everyone was just trying to get away,” she said, adding that two of the six or seven she sheltered turned out to be close friends.

“It’s a very sad time this morning,” she said, with the beach bare of the usual throng of swimmers, surfers and runners.

“So this is very, very quiet. And there’s definitely a solemn sort of vibe.”

Mourners paid respects and laid flowers at a makeshift memorial at the Bondi pavilion draped in Israeli and Australian flags as police and private Jewish security guards patrolled.

“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism,” Albanese told reporters after laying flowers at Bondi Beach.

“The Jewish community are hurting today,” he added. “Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together.”

WORLD LEADERS CONDEMN ATTACK

World leaders from U.S. President Donald Trump to French President Emmanuel Macron had offered condolences and support, Albanese said.

Sunday’s shootings were the most serious in a string of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars in Australia since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had warned Albanese that Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood would fuel antisemitism.

In August, Australia accused Iran of directing at least two antisemitic attacks and gave its ambassador a week to leave the country.

Mass shootings are rare in Australia, one of the world’s safest countries. Sunday’s attack was the worst since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in the southern island state of Tasmania.

“You can very easily become very angry and try to blame people, turn on people, but that’s not what this is about,” said

Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law Eli Schlanger was killed on Sunday.

“We need to step up at a time like this … And we will, and we will get through this, and we know that. The Australian community will help us do it.”

Jews number about 150,000 of Australia’s population of 27 million, with about a third estimated to live in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, including Bondi.

($1=1.5035 Australian dollars)

Reporting by Renju Jose, Scott Murdoch, Christine Chen, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Byron Kaye, Pete McKenzie, Stella Qiu in Sydney, Peter Hobson in Canberra and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Michael Perry, Saad Sayeed and Clarence Fernandez

Major cities including Berlin, London and New York stepped up security around Hanukkah events on Sunday following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

International News via Reuters:

Major cities including Berlin, London and New York stepped up security around Hanukkah events on Sunday following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Berlin police said they were ramping up measures around the German capital’s Brandenburg Gate, where a large electric menorah is being lit to mark the first night of Hanukkah.

“We have long planned comprehensive security for tonight’s Hanukkah event at the Brandenburg Gate – in light of the events in Sydney, we will further intensify our measures and maintain a strong police presence there,” a spokesperson said on X.

Meanwhile, New York Mayor Eric Adams said on X that extra protection was being deployed for Hanukkah celebrations and synagogues in New York City.

“We will continue to ensure the Jewish community can celebrate the holiday in safety — including at public Menorah lightings across the city. Let us pray for the injured and stand together against hatred,” Adams said.

In Warsaw’s main synagogue, armed security was doubled for its Sunday evening event.

Polish police also said they had decided to ramp up security.

“Due to the geopolitical situation and the attack in Sydney, we are strengthening preventive measures around diplomatic missions and places of worship,” a press officer for Poland’s National Police Headquarters told Reuters in a text message.

The officer specified this meant “intensified preventive measures in the area of ​​diplomatic and consular missions, religious sites and other institutions related to Israel and Palestine.”

The event at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate will also include a prayer for the victims of Sydney’s Bondi Beach shooting, which left at least 11 people dead in what Australian officials described as a targeted antisemitic attack.

Germany has long followed a policy of special responsibility for Jews and for Israel, known as the Staatsraeson, due to the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust.

Security measures at synagogues and other Jewish institutions are the norm in Berlin, but a police spokesperson said these would be ramped up for the Hanukkah period.

London’s Metropolitan Police said it had also increased security, but did not want to give details.

“While there is no information to suggest any link between the attack in Sydney and the threat level in London, this morning we are stepping up our police presence, carrying out additional community patrols and engaging with the Jewish community to understand what more we can do in the coming hours and days,” it said in a statement.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez asked local authorities to reinforce security around Jewish places of worship during the December 14 to 22 period, a spokesperson for the minister said.

Nunez called for increased deployment of security forces, with particular vigilance around religious services and gatherings that draw large crowds, especially when they take place in public spaces, the spokesperson added.

Reporting by Friederike Heine in Berlin, Justyna Pawlak and Karol Badohal in Warsaw, Suban Abdulla in London; Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Christina Fincher and Chris Reese