SCMP Hong Kong·Monday, December 15, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Monday, December 15, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

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...

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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..

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Shaping Future Talents: Cultivating an AI-Empowered Generation

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the future-ready talent landscape, creating an urgent need for skills that blend technical fluency with critical and creative thinking. This shift calls for classrooms that move beyond traditional instruction toward skills-based learning, where teachers serve as designers of meaningful experiences that enable students to learn, think and apply AI knowledge across...

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Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong conviction becomes China-West flashpoint

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s guilty verdict in a landmark Hong Kong national security trial has become a political flashpoint, as China’s Western opponents demand the former media boss’ immediate release and 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 offset unfair trade...

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Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium ranks world’s No 3 in ticket sales in debut year

Hong Kong’s 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium has been ranked the world’s No 3 in ticket sales in 2025 just nine months after its debut, with its operator saying the ranking cements the city’s status as Asia’s events capital. According to data compiled by Pollstar, a US-based trade publication for the concert and live music industry, the stadium also ranked No 5 worldwide for total gross revenue and No 1 in Asia for both categories. Its sister venue, the 10,000-seat Kai Tak Arena – which caters to...

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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,...

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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 855-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

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China-led Asia-Pacific region lifts global aviation outlook as profits set to soar

The global air travel market has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with the industry upbeat about 2026 and the Asia-Pacific region expected to lead worldwide traffic growth, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday. Load factors in Asia-Pacific were projected to hit an all-time regional high of 84.4 per cent next year, according to IATA, which represents some 370 airlines, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the world’s air traffic. Passenger demand was strong,...

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Hong Kong barrister granted temporary anonymity in molestation case

A Hong Kong barrister has been granted permission to hide his name in legal proceedings after being charged with molesting his pupil twice at his home eight years ago. The 32-year-old defendant, who represented himself at Eastern Court on Monday, applied for an anonymity order on the grounds that it could protect the identity of the person involved. The barrister faced two counts of indecent assault, alleging that he molested a person in a Sai Ying Pun flat on August 30, 2017. Prosecutors argued

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Hong Kong consumer watchdog finds 1 in 4 face washes fall short on ingredients

About a quarter of face washes tested contain only some or none of their claimed active ingredients, Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has revealed. It also urged users to try a small portion on their skin beforehand as a precaution when using cleansers that were highly acidic. The Consumer Council said on Monday that it tested 25 face washes with exfoliating properties and found that six of them, which were labelled as containing alpha-hydroxy acids, salicylic acid or both, failed to meet their...

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