The UK has pledged to step up engagement with Beijing after Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the case resurfacing as a key issue following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent trip to Beijing.
Westminster has said it will “rapidly engage” with Beijing following the sentencing of British citizen and prominent China critic Jimmy Lai, as pressure grows on Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the government’s approach to China and its obligations to Hong Kong under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
The UK Foreign Office said it was “deeply concerned” by the ruling and reiterated calls for Lai’s release, warning that the verdict raised serious questions about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong guaranteed under the treaty. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the ruling as effectively a life sentence for the 78-year-old and urged his release on humanitarian grounds.
"I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai's health and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds so that he may be returned to his family. Following today's sentencing, we will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai's case," she said.
Lai’s case was discussed during Starmer’s recent visit to China, where the Prime Minister sought to reset diplomatic and economic ties with Beijing. Critics have argued that the sentencing risks undermining the UK’s efforts to balance engagement with China against concerns over human rights and its long-standing commitments to Hong Kong.
Opposition figures and human rights groups urged the government to take a firmer stance, calling for targeted diplomatic pressure and stronger coordination with allies. Some lawmakers accused Beijing of using national security laws to silence dissent and intimidate critics abroad, in breach of international agreements.
Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, has denied the charges and described himself as a political prisoner. His sentencing has become a symbolic test of the UK’s willingness to defend freedoms in Hong Kong under the terms of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
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Britain has moved to target Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and another Iran-linked organisation using new state-threat powers following a series of antisemitic incidents across the country.
Five major carmakers have largely won the first stage of a major legal battle at a High Court case brought by around 1.6 million claimants in the UK over allegations that their diesel vehicles were fitted with unlawful "defeat devices" that led to higher emissions.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 13th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
An overnight fire at a popular bar in Bangkok has killed at least 30 people and injured 70 others, making it one of the deadliest pub disasters in the Thai capital in recent years. Authorities say the venue quickly filled with thick smoke, trapping patrons inside.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The United States has announced a campaign to weaken the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the tribunal as a threat to American sovereignty and signalling that further sanctions, visa restrictions and diplomatic pressure on allies could follow.
The United Kingdom, the European Union, Spain and Gibraltar have formally signed a treaty establishing new arrangements for movement and border procedures between Gibraltar and Spain.
Around 500 soldiers from countries supporting Ukraine marched down Paris's Champs-Élysées during France's annual Bastille Day parade. France said the procession, which also included 25 Ukrainian soldiers, demonstrated that Europe was ready to respond to growing international threats.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that its Navy had struck U.S. military barracks, a satellite communications centre and a Patriot missile battery in Bahrain, while its Aerospace Force targeted an airbase in Jordan.
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