Sentences of nearly seven years handed down over 2019 action that was pivotal moment in uprising against Chinese rule

A Hong Kong court has sentenced 12 people to jail terms of up to almost seven years in a high-profile rioting case linked to the storming of the city legislature during a pro-democracy protest in 2019.

The incident was a pivotal moment in the months-long protests that embroiled the territory in the boldest populist uprising against Chinese Communist party rule since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing. Demonstrators broke into Hong Kong’s legislative council building on 1 July 2019, smashing windows and streaming inside as public anger mounted over an “extradition” bill that would have allowed authorities to send people to mainland China for trial.

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Lai’s supporters say evidence of Andy Li should not be relied upon as it was obtained through torture

A key prosecution witness in the trial of Jimmy Lai took the stand in a Hong Kong court on Wednesday, giving evidence that the UN’s special rapporteur has said could be tainted because of allegations of torture.

Andy Li , a computer programmer turned pro-democracy activist, gave evidence about his role in a crowdfunding campaign, Stand With Hong Kong, to rally support for the pro-democracy protests in 2019. The campaign, which ultimately raised more than $1.8m (£1.4m), placed advertisements in several newspapers including the Guardian, the Washington Post and the Australian.

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Three members of Hong Kong Cantopop band Mirror feature in this fiendishly watchable crime caper which steals much from Ocean’s Eleven and, oddly, ASMR videos

Here is a very silly and yet fiendishly watchable heist thriller that features three members – Edan Lui, Anson Lo and Keung To – of the Hong Kong Cantopop boyband Mirror in major roles. That’s worth knowing not because they break into song at any point, but because that explains the film’s prepackaged feel and why at least one of the actors, Keung To, feels so weirdly miscast as a ruthless gangster. But as with much of the plot mechanics in this film, it’s best not to think too much and just roll with punches.

The obscure objects of desire here are vintage watches: specifically a trio of timepieces owned at one point by Pablo Picasso and a fourth watch alleged to have been the first watch on the moon, worn by Buzz Aldrin. (Turns out Neil Armstrong left his watch on the spacecraft when he took those first small steps.)

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Territory’s global reputation on the line as media mogul and democracy activist finally tried over alleged national security crimes

Hong Kong’s global reputation will be tested this week when the long-delayed trial of the pro-democracy activist and former media mogul Jimmy Lai gets under way.

Lai, who turned 76 in jail this month, is charged with colluding with foreign forces under the national security law , as well as sedition. If convicted, which experts say is highly likely, the British national faces spending the rest of his life in prison.

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New curriculum from 2025 part of push to create sense of national identity among schoolchildren

Hong Kong is to introduce “patriotic” education in all primary schools by 2025, in the government’s latest push to “systematically cultivate” a sense of national identity among schoolchildren

Under the new framework, primary school pupils are expected to learn about national security and will also be taught about the opium war and Japan’s invasion of China, two key events in Beijing’s narrative of a “century of humiliation”, which it pushes as a reason for nationalism.

Students will also learn about significant Chinese historical figures and national achievements under the leadership of the Chinese Community party.

“The enrichment aims to keep pace with the times and systematically cultivate students’ sense of belonging to our country, national sentiments and sense of national identity from an early age for the implementation of patriotic education,” an official document reads.

The education bureau said the changes were made in line with national-level legislation that called for strengthening patriotic education in China. Mainland China maintains separate governing and economic system in Hong Kong but has gradually increased its control.

On Thursday, the education bureau announced the existing general studies curriculum in primary schools would be replaced with a new humanities curriculum by 2025. While the curriculum would contain general studies elements, such as health, citizenship and community, it would emphasise patriotic education, with new modules on national identity, national history and national security.

Paul Lee Kin-wan, an education official overseeing curriculum development, said that patriotic values existed in the previous curriculum, and students should know about China’s achievements. “It wouldn’t be right if students know nothing about their country after six years of education,” Lee said.

Students are expected to spend 93 hours – about 7% of their time in primary school – on the new curriculum.

Most of the suggested learning material came from government departments, including a short video about the legislative process of Hong Kong’s national security law, with no mention of the mass protest movement that preceded its enactment.

One veteran educator, who wished not to be named, said the curriculum seemed to emphasise national education over other components. “At that age, it is important to nurture good lifestyle and habits and students’ curiosity about their surroundings,” the educator said, adding that modules on students’ relationships with their family, friends and neighbours took up far less space.

While the curriculum highlights China’s achievements, the educator said the government should make it clearer whether more sensitive topics, such as China’s societal issues, could be discussed in class. “China has historical problems and existing ones. We need to face up to them for the country to progress.”

For more than a decade, the Hong Kong government had been trying to incorporate national and patriotic education into school curriculums. In 2012, a plan to introduce moral and national education in primary and secondary schools provoked mass class boycotts and protests, leading to it being temporary shelved.

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A Washington state senator, Jeff Wilson, said he discovered the pistol on his flight and notified customs officials at the Hong Kong airport.

Liu Yiqian made global headlines in 2014 and 2015 by paying top prices for paintings and antiquities but is starting to liquidate some of his artworks.

Hui Ka Yan, who grew up poor in the countryside, was a symbol of China’s economic rise. With Evergrande teetering, his future is uncertain, too.