Laura Westbrook

The jailings of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and former executives at Apple Daily cement a climate of fear and self-censorship in the years since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law, journalists say. @AFP story: u.afp.com/S6Jy

Members of the public queue for the verdict in the Jimmy Lai national security trial in Hong Kong. “No hope” one supporter told me.

At least 44 people are now known to have died and 279 are still missing, after a major fire spread between high rise flats in Hong Kong. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. @LauraWestbrook is there for us this morning.

Tonight, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "We will always be a country that offers protection to those fleeing peril, just as we did... when we repatriated Hong Kongers." "repatriated" has never been used to describe HKers in the past few years -- hinting change in policy?

"We will inform the parties in good time" as to when the verdict will be reached, judge Esther Toh said. The trial began in December 2023. Lai took the witness stand in November 2024. @AFP story: u.afp.com/SAmt

Back in court for the closing arguments in Jimmy Lai’s national security trial, which was adjourned last week so he could receive medical treatment. People here tell me they are worried about his health.

Closing arguments were delayed again, due to concern over Jimmy Lai’s health and so he can be provided with medical treatment. He appeared visibly thinner in court.

Heavy police presence outside court, with dozens of police doing patrols.

Closing arguments from the defence and prosecution are set to begin again today in ex media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial, after being postponed due to a black rainstorm warning yesterday

I do love a #HongKong typhoon live blog: SCMP photogs out there getting the classic shots (sticky taped windows, man stands perilously close to wave smashing on wall) as well as snapping the unmoored vessel that so nearly drifted past the K- Town pier scmp.com/news/hong-kong…

Apparently, some Hong Kong media outlets received calls being told that they were not to use sound bites from opposition camp the League of Social Democrats’ press conference regarding its disbandment. Can’t help but think about red lines she talked about yesterday.

China’s national security authorities in Hong Kong and the city’s police launched their first publicly known joint operation, raiding the homes of six people on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. apnews.com/article/hong-k…

For most Chinese, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown that ended pro-democracy protests passed like any other weekday. While the decades-old Hong Kong vigil has vanished, some chose to commemorate in their own ways. apnews.com/article/china-…

A performance artist was forced to leave Causeway Bay and a shop selling small white candles was raided by customs officials on Tuesday (June 3). One jailed pro-democracy activist, Chow Hang-tung, is staging a 36 hour hunger strike in prison to mark the anniversary.

Here's a story about Hong Kong businesses caught between the U.S.-China trade war, and having to work around constantly changing tariff policies @LauraWestbrook @CBCNews cbc.ca/news/world/hon…

A Hong Kong judge sentenced former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting to three years and one month in prison on a charge of riot after an incident in which he was beaten up at a subway station during the city’s anti-government protests in July 2019. apnews.com/article/hong-k…

Hongkong Post is accepting parcels to the United States, but additional tariff-related paperwork will be required. Source: Me… I asked

DeepSeek's new AI chatbot is the trending topic this week. While its ultimate impact on the AI industry is still unclear, it appears to have censored answers on sensitive topics in China. We asked the chatbot about Winnie the Pooh and Taiwan: apnews.com/article/deepse…

Ex-Hong Kong opposition lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun dies at 55 after cancer battle sc.mp/zx4ym?utm_sour… via @scmpnews

Xi Jinping to send top-level China envoy to Donald Trump’s inauguration ft.com/content/68ac33… via @ft