Jimmy

The 156-day trial, the most high-profile use of Beijing’s draconian national security law, is set to come to a close.

Hong Kong’s High Court is set to hand down a verdict in the case of pro-democracy campaigner and media mogul Jimmy Lai next week, bringing an end to his lengthy national security trial.

Lai’s verdict will be delivered by a three-judge panel in a hearing that begins at 10am local time (02:00 GMT) on Monday, according to a court diary notice seen on Friday.

Founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, Lai, 78, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

He previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces, as well as a third count of sedition under a colonial-era law.

Authorities accuse Lai, who has been detained since December 2020, of using the Apple Daily to conspire with six former executives and others to produce seditious publications between April 2019 and June 2021.

He is accused of using his publication to conspire with paralegal Chan Tsz-wah, activist Andy Li, and others to invite foreign countries – including the United States, Britain and Japan – to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile measures against Hong Kong and China.

Prosecutors also accuse Lai of stoking hatred against authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong through writing and publishing more than 150 critical op-eds in the outlet.

He faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Lai has been held in solitary confinement for more than 1,800 days, with his family saying they fear for his wellbeing and his health is deteriorating as he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as heart palpitations that require medication.

In August, the court postponed closing arguments in his 156-day trial – which began in December 2023 – citing a “medical issue” involving the 78-year-old’s heart.

Authorities say Lai has received proper treatment and medical care during his detention.

Trump to do ‘everything I can to save him’

Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years under British colonial rule.

As part of the “one country, two systems” approach, Hong Kong officially operates a separate judicial system based on Common Law traditions, meaning Lai has greater legal protections than he would in mainland China.

But Hong Kong has experienced significant democratic backsliding in recent years, which accelerated following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019-20, which resulted in a harsh crackdown on dissent in the territory by Beijing.

In 2020, Chinese authorities introduced a draconian national security law to crush the protest movement, establishing secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign organisations as crimes carrying hefty punishments.

Lai’s trial represents the most high-profile use of that law, with critics condemning his trial as politically motivated.

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments insist Lai is being given a fair trial and have said the legal process must be allowed to reach its conclusion.

But his case has drawn international scrutiny, including from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly promised to “save” Lai. In August, Trump promised to do “everything I can to save him”.

“His name has already entered the circle of things that we’re talking about, and we’ll see what we can do,” Trump told Fox News Radio.

Trump also reportedly raised Lai’s case during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping when the pair met in South Korea in October.

Jimmy McKenna who has played Jack Osborne in Hollyoaks since 1996, admitted his co-stars have stepped up to ensure he is not spending the festive season alone this year

A soap legend has revealed his wife has died as he opens up about his secret grief for the first time.

Jimmy McKenna who has played Jack Osborne in Hollyoaks since 1996, admitted his co-stars have stepped up to ensure he is not alone during the festive season following his tragic loss. While he did not divulge details of her cause of death but admitted the festive season “has been a wee bit melancholy”.

While speaking to Inside Soap Magazine about his plans for Christmas, the 72-year-old revealed his wife Bev, who he shares four children with, had passed away.

READ MORE: Angry Ginge’s former teacher breaks silence after I’m A Celebrity win

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan say ‘it shouldn’t have come to this’ in new statement

His revealed co-star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, has stepped up to ensure he won’t be alone at Christmas inviting Jimmy into his home along with members of Bev’s family. “I’ll be with Nick and his partner Sarah for Christmas Day. Nick’s mum, my mum-in-law and sister-in-law are coming. Nick’s daughter Ellie and her boyfriend will be there too, there’s nine of us in total,” he said.

He continued: “Since my wife Bev passed, Christmas has been a wee bit melancholy for me. So it’s good to just be surrounded by friends, having a laugh and a wee drink!”

Jimmy has been a familiar face on screens since the 1980s when he landed a small part in Coronation Street playing Jim Lomax in 1985. He returned to the cobbles just over a decade later in 1994 playing an Immigration Officer in two episodes.

For 14 years from 1996 he juggled his soap role with a role in the David Jason police procedurial A Touch Of Frost in which he played Sgt. Don Brady. He has also had roles in Taggart, Rumpole of the Bailey, Soldier Soldier and Heartbeat.

Hollyoaks airs on Mondays through to Wednesdays at 7am on Channel 4 before airing on E4 at 7pm.

For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.

After an unusual year in his late-night tenure, Jimmy Kimmel is officially sticking around for a little while longer.

The host signed a one-year contract extension with ABC so “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will continue through May 2027. Kimmel’s previous contract was set to expire in May 2026, at the end of the 2025-2026 television season.

The extension, first reported by Bloomberg, comes a few months after the network and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., temporarily benched Kimmel following sharp backlash over comments he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. Hours before the indefinite suspension was announced, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of ABC affiliates, said they would not air the series after Kimmel’s comments.

Kimmel returned to the air after a nearly weeklong absence, delivering an emotional monologue in which he ardently defended free speech. He did not explicitly apologize for his comments, which Sinclair said was a condition that had to be met before it would broadcast the show again, but both Nexstar and Sinclair resumed airing the program shortly after Kimmel returned.

During his brief time off the air, Kimmel found himself at the center of a fiery culture war. Talk show hosts, actors, comedians, writers and even the former head of Disney condemned ABC’s decision to pause production, but a wave of critics celebrated Kimmel’s suspension, including President Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who had publicly urged ABC to act on Kimmel’s comments.

The late-night landscape has been the subject of much discourse about free speech since CBS announced in July that it would not be renewing the storied network franchise “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” The decision, the company said, was due to financial reasons and not — as many have speculated — because of Colbert’s criticism of a settlement between the Trump administration and Paramount, the parent company of CBS, over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

Kimmel’s previous contract extension in 2022 was good for three years. It came at a time of speculation over whether he’d continue with the show.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35 Central.