HONG KONG CONVICTS MEDIA TYCOON JIMMY LAI IN NATIONAL SECURITY CASE. (PHOTO).

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 Hong Kong convicts media tycoon Jimmy Lai in national security case A Hong Kong court on Monday morning convicted pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai of sedition and colluding with foreign forces in a high-profile national security trial. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily and a prominent critic of China’s ruling Communist Party, was first charged in 2020 after Beijing enacted a sweeping national security law following a year of pro-democracy protests in the city. Lai has been detained since 2020 and now faces the possibility of a life sentence after a three-judge panel found him guilty on both charges. The case has drawn international attention, with former U.S. President Donald Trump stating he would do “everything” possible to help Lai and vowing to raise the issue during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A U.S.-registered nonprofit, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, denounced the charges as “trumped-up” and called on the U.S. government to hold Hong...

SAHEL ALLIANCE SAYS SPLIT FROM ECOWAS 'IRREVERSIBLE'. (PHOTO).


 Sahel Alliance says split from Ecowas 'irreversible'


The military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said Friday their decision to quit West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which they have condemned as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France, was "irreversible", AFP reported.


The statement from the trio of countries in the volatile Sahel region came just as the regional group, the Economic Community of West African States, prepared for a summit on Sunday where leaders had hoped to find a solution to keep them from leaving.


The three breakaways have not announced plans to attend. They held a separate ministerial-level meeting Friday in Niger's capital, Niamey.


"The ministers reiterate the irreversible decision to withdraw from ECOWAS and are committed to pursuing a process of reflection on the means of exiting in the best interests of their peoples," they said in a joint statement.


Breaking with France


The three countries have launched a regional bloc of their own, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after breaking with France and pivoting toward Russia.


Their departure from ECOWAS could have a major impact on the free movement of people and goods in the region, which currently shares a common currency, the CFA franc.


The breakaways, which have all gone through military coups and insurgencies by militant groups in recent years, announced in January they were quitting ECOWAS.


Under the bloc's rules, their departure takes effect a year after the announcement, in January 2025.


Their disaccord with ECOWAS came after it threatened a military intervention over a July 2023 coup in Niger - the region's sixth in three years - and imposed heavy sanctions on the country, drawing the ire of the new military rulers.

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