The Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Monday unanimously dismissed the appeals to overturn the convictions of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and six other anti-China disruptors for taking part in an unauthorized assembly in August 2019.
Along with Lai, the other six appellants were Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, Albert Ho Chun-yan, Martin Lee Chu-ming, Leung Kwok-hung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Cyd Ho Sau-lan.
In 2021, the seven anti-China disruptors were found guilty of organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly in 2019. Observers noted that the verdict demonstrated the HKSAR judiciary's independence and ability to make decisions based on laws.
The trial began in February 2021 and the case was heard in the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts. During the trial, all seven defendants, including Lai, denied the charges.
While a court in HKSAR later acquitted them of organizing the assembly, it upheld their participation convictions, according to media reports.
The seven defendants argued that the court should "apply the principle of operational proportionality" assessment to determine whether a conviction would be a proportionate restriction of their fundamental rights, Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Monday.
The judges in the court on Monday rejected the defendants' argument that each of a defendant's arrest, prosecution, conviction and sentence must be separately justified as proportionate, said Wong.
"The defendants' convictions and consequent sentences do not stand alone. They are the result of the judge applying the law to the evidence and being satisfied of their guilt," said the ruling, according to RTHK.
"The courts of the HKSAR shall adjudicate cases in accordance with the laws applicable in the Region as prescribed in Article 18 of this Law and may refer to precedents of other common law jurisdictions," the Basic Law of the HKSAR states.
The judges stated that the two British legal precedents referenced by the appellants should not be followed in HKSAR due to the distinct constitutional differences between the two jurisdictions, Wong said.
Military personnel of a Belarusian air defense unit will take part in a live-fire exercise on the territory of Russia, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Russia and Belarus are closely cooperating in the military domain under various frameworks, including the CSTO and the Union State.
"Military personnel of one of the military units of the air defense forces are loading equipment onto railway trains. The personnel of the military unit will take part in a live-fire exercise on the territory of the Russian Federation," the ministry said on Telegram.
The main actions will be carried out at the Ashuluk training ground, the ministry said, adding that it plans to carry out combat training missions with anti-aircraft missile forces, radio engineering troops and fighter aircraft.
US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, embroiled in a doping controversy, finished fourth in the men's 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. However, his abrupt departure from the media zone without taking interviews has fueled further suspicion regarding his eligibility to compete.
Knighton tested positive for the banned steroid trenbolone during an out-of-competition test on March 26. However, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) opted not to impose a suspension, attributing the positive result to contaminated meat. This decision allowed Knighton to compete in the Paris Olympics qualifiers, a move that sparked widespread concern.
The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) released two statements on Thursday, one calling for strengthened testing of US athletes, and the other calling for an independent investigation into the actions of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) following latest revelations about the USADA's misconduct and double standards.
"USADA has long ignored its own anti-doping shortcomings while attempting to impose double standards on other countries, exposing its hypocritical and inconsistent approach to anti-doping enforcement," CHINADA said in a statement sent to the Global Times.
When asked about Knighton's whereabouts, a US team staff member informed reporters that Knighton had already left and did not stop for interviews, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Fellow journalists reported that Knighton hurried past American TV reporters without saying a word.
"Why are the usually vocal American athletes silent this time?" Many netizens raised the question on social media.
"Knighton's silence is particularly striking given the ongoing scrutiny of doping practices," commented one pundit.
Tsung-Dao Lee, Chinese-born American Nobel Prize winner in Physics, renowned for his contributions to high-energy physics and his role in advancing China’s science education, passed away in the US early Monday morning at the age of 97.
The Tsung-Dao Lee Institute and Tsung-Dao Lee Library at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and China Center for Advanced Science and Technology jointly issued an obituary to mourn with deep sorrow the passing of Lee at his home in San Francisco, California.
Born in Shanghai on November 24, 1926, Lee developed interest in physics at an early age. In 1957, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Chen-Ning Yang, another renowned Chinese physicist, for advancing parity nonconservation in weak interactions, overturning what had been considered a fundamental law of nature that particles are always symmetrical.
Lee served as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the lifelong director of the China Center of Advanced Science and Technology, an honorary professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and an honorary director of the university’s Tsung-Dao Lee Institute.
Throughout his more than 60-year academic career, Lee pursued rigorous scholarship, seeking breakthroughs and continually reaching new scientific heights in various fields such as quantum field theory, fundamental particle theory, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, fluid mechanics and astrophysics. He made enduring and significant contributions to the development of physics, the obituary reads.
In addition to his cutting-edge research outcomes, Lee was deeply respected for his efforts in cultivating Chinese science talents and contributing to the development of the study of physics in China.
He vigorously promoted the development of high-energy physics in China through China’s first physics collider, the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider.
He facilitated the establishment of the “Special Class for the Gifted Young,” an educational model created at the University of Science and Technology of China.
He also initiated the China-US Physics Examination and Application (CUSPEA) program for selecting physics postgraduate students, and advocated for the establishment of systems such as postdoctoral positions and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
On hearing the news about Lee’s passing away, many scientists in China expressed their condolences.
Yan Ning, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and founding president of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation, said on Monday afternoon on her social media account that the death of Lee is “the fall of a giant star.”
Tang Chao, an academician of the CAS and head of the National Natural Science Foundation of China's interdisciplinary science department, said that the CUSPEA program initiated by Lee more than four decades ago had trailed a blaze in sending Chinese students to study in the US.
This forward-looking, groundbreaking initiative opened the door to “going global,” marking a significant historical achievement and bearing great historical significance, Tang wrote in a statement, noting that the program also changed people’s destiny.
The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, recently adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, has made an important commitment to developing a financial system for scientific and technological innovation to provide greater support for major national science and technology programs and sci-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The sci-tech innovation board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, also known as the STAR Market, celebrated its fifth anniversary in June.
Over the past five years, as a testing ground for China's capital market reforms, the STAR Market has continuously improved in areas such as registration-based IPO, market trading, supporting systems, delisting mechanisms, and the protection of rights and interests. It has successfully completed the task of implementing comprehensive registration-based IPO reforms, effectively played the role of market-price discovery, and provided successful experiences for other market players to learn from.
The positioning of the STAR Market is clear, focusing on high-tech innovative enterprises that serve the national strategic direction, support the development of a large number of major technology frontier enterprises, and providing capital support for the development of the real economy and the transformation of economic structure.
In the continuous adjustment and improvement of the guiding system for the sector, the positioning of the STAR Market to support the development of core innovations is becoming increasingly clear.
Currently, the STAR Market has completed approximately 570 IPOs, generating a total market value of about 4.9 trillion yuan ($686 billion). The market is operating smoothly, liquidity is gradually increasing, and it continues to provide financing support for high-tech innovative companies.
The STAR Market has attracted a large number of enterprises belonging to a new generation of information technology, bio-medicine, and advanced equipment manufacturing sectors, continuously opening up more convenient financing channels and more mature trading mechanisms for technology innovation enterprises at the institutional level. This enhances investment convenience and international openness, continuously providing capital support for listed companies.
The reform of the STAR Market covering various aspects such as IPOs, listing, trading, mergers and acquisitions, and delisting is all gradually maturing.
The diversified and inclusive listing conditions of the STAR Market meet the differentiated financing needs of different types of sci-tech enterprises. The market-oriented pricing mechanism for IPOs and the trading mechanism in the early stage of listing have been implemented.
At the same time, the STAR Market has carried out targeted innovative explorations in refinancing, mergers and acquisitions, equity incentives, shareholding reduction, information disclosure, and continuously optimized and improved them.
Currently, the average price-to-earnings ratio of companies listed on the STAR Market is significantly higher than that of the two main trading bourses in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and slightly higher than that of the board of growth enterprises - ChiNext Index. However, their liquidity and activity remain below where market observers expect it to be.
The reason behind this is that the STAR Market serves technology innovation companies that meet national strategic requirements, break through key core technologies, and have high market recognition.
These listed companies have strong development potential, but often require further development and long-term support. In a market with the structure of investors dominated by individuals, the current liquidity is a normal phenomenon. Furthermore, the STAR Market's level of openness is still increasing, and the channel for foreign capital entry will open up further.
In the future, through a series of institutional and structural optimizations, the STAR Market will play a greater role in leading China's high-quality economic development and solving the "bottleneck" problem in sci-tech development.
These measures could include adhering to information disclosure obligations, guiding companies to gradually move toward market-based pricing for IPOs, reducing market sentiment disturbances; continuously improving trading mechanisms, expanding financial product offerings, guiding long-term funds into the market; increasing institutional openness, introducing international capital, continuously expanding the connectivity mechanism; accelerating the improvement of delisting channels, increasing the delisting rate, ensuring market liquidity, and forming a healthy competition mechanism.
With a potential Cold War-style missile crisis looming, Europe is being drawn into another arms race. Whether to follow the US into the vortex of military confrontation with Russia or to build a defense framework that meets the security interests of all parties, Europe should now make choices.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would resume the production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons and station similar missiles within striking distance of the West if the US deploys long-range missiles in Germany. Earlier this month, during the NATO summit in Washington, the US announced that it would begin deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026, prompting concern from the Russian side.
With the US and Russia now talking tough about missile deployment, a Cold War-style missile crisis, as Putin warned, seems imminent. Previously, the existence of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, an important guardrail to limit the escalation of conflict between the two countries, allowed Moscow and Washington to spare the world the fear of missile crises in the post-Cold War era.
However, the decision by both sides to withdraw from the INF Treaty in 2019 has significantly increased the likelihood that the deployment of intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles by the two countries will become a reality. The world is worried: How far are we from hearing "tough words" from the US and Russia to actually witnessing their "tough actions"?
Against this backdrop, it is feared that the biggest potential victim could be Europe. Commenting on Washington's possible deployment of missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently said Russia has enough potential to deter these missiles, but NATO members in Europe are only serving as targets in the standoff, as Washington continues to "profit" from the escalation.
With the Russia-Ukraine war, distrust of Russia in many European countries is driving growing public support for strengthening defenses against the country. However, Washington, which has almost overwhelming influence in Europe, has played a major role in fomenting, promoting, and even leading such efforts on the continent. It is increasingly drawing Europe into its global military confrontation with Moscow.
Europe, a region that has already experienced two world wars and is used to focusing mainly on economic development, is now turning into a continent with intensified military and war preparations and closer integration with the US' war machine NATO.
If Europe follows Washington's aggressive military security concepts and US deployments, it will only result in serious damage to the European security structure and the possibility of greater insecurity. The deployment of US weapons in Europe will inevitably turn the continent into a battlefield and even the first target of Russia's strikes. In the end, as Peskov put it, the US will benefit while European countries and Russia will suffer.
Under US influence, Europe is falling into a vortex of confrontation with Russia. So far, the region has not considered how to form a future security relationship with Moscow, with many European countries simply excluding Russia from their post-war security structures. Instead of building a more secure defense mechanism, Europe is now moving toward not only a more confrontational structure with military preparations, but also a strategic dilemma of growing insecurity.
A more rational Europe would stay out of engaging in the US-Russia arms race and serving the role of Washington's proxy. If a direct conflict between Russia and Europe breaks out, Europe will suffer severely in various aspects while Washington will benefit from Europe's protracted arms race with Russia. Therefore, the European countries should not accept the US' policy as Europe's policy, but pursue their own independent foreign policy.
At the same time, the international community should also encourage negotiations between the US and Russia on strategic stability and arms control, including a new INF Treaty and New START. After all, a Cold War-style missile crisis threatens the peace and development not only of Europe, but of all mankind.
As Chinese athletes have made history in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a tennis singles gold medal and a mixed doubles silver - the best results in relevant events - the country is witnessing a "tennis economy" that is gaining momentum in the summer season.
Sales of tennis training courses more than doubled in July, and most hot time slots for tennis courts in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai were fully booked in recent days, the Global Times learned. Observers said that these trends underscored the increasing popularity of tennis among Chinese sports enthusiasts.
The historic achievements of Chinese tennis players at the Paris Olympic Games are expected to further ignite the craze, fueling the country's sports consumption, while opening up a prodigious market for sports training and tennis equipment sales, industry insiders said.
Tennis ace Zheng Qinwen defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3 for the women's singles gold on Saturday. It was China's first tennis singles gold medal in Olympic history.
On Friday, Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu claimed the silver medal in the mixed doubles, also the country's best result in the history of the Olympic Games.
A market operation executive surnamed Zhang at the Beijing-based Bai Dong Tennis Academy told the Global Times on Sunday that driven by this year's Olympic fever, the company's tennis academy enrollments are on the rise, with heightened interest from young players during the summer holidays.
"The Chinese tennis team's impressive performance at the Olympics generated widespread attention, and star athletes, such as Zheng Qinwen, are setting inspiring examples for tennis enthusiasts, particularly among young people, and are poised to boost the sport's popularity," Zhang noted.
Aaron Cao, CEO of the Beijing International Tennis Academy, told the Global Times on Sunday that China's historic tennis breakthrough will drive a rise in court bookings and training lesson registrations, and it may also encourage previously hesitant parents to consider enrolling their children in tennis programs.
Consultations for tennis training courses are already on the uptick in recent days, the Global Times learned from several Beijing-based tennis training institutions. Some also posted photos of Zheng's victory moment either in their commercials or social media accounts to garner more public attention.
The overwhelming demand for tennis court reservations is further evidence of Chinese sports fans' growing appetite for tennis.
The Global Times learned from the Beijing Tennis Administration Center that tennis courts managed by the center are fully booked from Sunday to Thursday. According to data from e-commerce platform Meituan, tennis experience classes and quarterly tennis training packages are among its top sellers, with group-buying orders related to tennis jumping by 172 percent year-on-year since.
Data from another platform, vip.com, showed that sales of tennis skirts are up 91 percent year-on-year. Searches for tennis skirts at Tmall also soared 256 percent during this year's June 18 shopping carnival.
Fu Zijun, a 25-year-old Shanghai tennis lover, has placed orders online to buy more professional tennis gear, as she was thrilled and deeply inspired by Zheng's perseverance and conviction. She is also preparing to sign up for a formal adult training course.
"With improved living standards and better service quality, tennis is becoming more accessible and appealing in China, shedding its previous image as an elite sport," Fu said.
According to a report published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), China ranked second globally in tennis participation after the US with 19.92 million participants in 2021, accounting for 22.9 percent of the global tennis population.
The Chinese team's success in the Paris Olympics is set to invigorate the country's tennis economy, accelerating growth in the mass fitness market and delivering significant benefits to the tennis training, management and equipment sectors, Zhang Qing, founder of Beijing-based Key-Solution Sports Consulting Co, told the Global Times on Sunday. He also highlighted the considerable potential for the growth in the tennis sector, taking account of China's 1.4 billion population.
"It is expected to have a cross-industry impact with long-term and far-reaching effects, stimulating enthusiasm among consumers and creating numerous opportunities for relevant industry growth," Zhang said.
"Rising interest in the sport is evident as tennis events become buzzwords online, signaling the public's deeper engagement in playing tennis. It also reflects an upgrade in sports demand in China and a diversification in sports consumption," Zhang added.
Industry insiders anticipate that the number of tennis training institutions and tennis courts will expand amid the booming "tennis economy," and that in turn will further propel the development of Chinese tennis players.
China has the second-highest number of tennis courts in the world, totaling 49,767 in 2021, the ITF report showed.
A man surnamed Liang was caught entering the Chinese mainland with a backpack carrying a six-kilogram exotic tortoise, according to China's General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.
Liang from Macao entered the border on July 23 through the green channel at Gongbei Port, where customs officers discovered that he was carrying a conspicuously heavy and unusual backpack, attempting to bypass the X-ray machine inspection.
The port officers were quick to intercept him.
The officers found a large living turtle with yellowish-brown dorsal armor and obvious annual ring-like texture in his backpack, which was about 40 centimeters in length and weighed six kilograms. The man was unable to provide legal documents, resulting in customs temporarily detaining the live turtle in accordance with the law.
Following identification by a professional organization on July 28, the large live tortoise intercepted by customs was confirmed to be an African spurred tortoise, which is an endangered and exotic species.
The live turtle will be handed over to relevant local authorities in accordance with the law. Customs reminded the public that no foreign species shall be introduced without authorization according to relevant regulations, and it is prohibited to bring or send live animals into the Chinese mainland. In case of violation of the regulations, customs will pursue legal responsibility according to the law.
My Little Pony trading cards have gained immense popularity among elementary school students in China. The cards are sold in a blind-box format, and the rarest cards, known as high-tier cards, have recently been priced at 160,000 yuan ($20,000) on the secondary market.
"Although rumors claim some cards are priced that high, actual transaction prices are much lower. Most cards sell for just a few to several dozen yuan. These sky-high prices are mostly hype created to attract attention and generate traffic, and actual transactions rarely reach such amounts," Miao Cai, a seller on an online trading platform for card games, told the Global Times.
A few years ago, when the craze for Ultraman cards was still strong, My Little Pony cards quickly became a new popular collectible among elementary school students.
This phenomenon is attributed to the diverse range of cards and the blind-box sales method, which has attracted many children to buy, collect and trade them.
In physical stores, stationery and toy shops have prominently displayed My Little Pony cards to cater to children's demands. Online platforms also feature these cards prominently, with some video bloggers drawing large audiences by livestreaming card packet openings.
Miao said the cards are so popular because children make connections within their peer groups by collecting and trading cards. "Those involved in card collecting can more easily integrate into social circles, while those who do not participate might be left out. This social mechanism leads kids to become self-driven promoters of the cards, with minimal additional marketing needed from the companies," Miao said.
Miao pointed out that the supposed rarity of certain cards adds to their allure. "Children who own more rare cards tend to gain more attention and admiration. This scarcity and financial investment amplify the perceived value of the cards."
"The process of opening [packets of] cards is filled with uncertainty and anticipation. Children may continue to buy cards due to curiosity and a sense of adventure. This mindset is similar to gambling, as kids often hold onto the belief that the next pack might contain a rare card, making it difficult for them to stop buying," Miao noted.
Netizens on social media generally believe that while collecting cards reflects children's curiosity and exploration, excessive obsession can affect their studies and social relationships. Instead of outright banning card collecting, parents can guide their children to understand the commercial logic behind the cards.
One generation's My Little Pony cards may eventually be replaced by new trends, but this phenomenon is not unusual. The key is to balance interests with other aspects of life, avoid blindly chasing transient fads and maintain rational consumption.
