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TODAY’S INTERNATIONAL story

Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate Lai

What happened
Hong Kong’s High Court today convicted media tycoon Jimmy Lai of violating the Chinese territory’s 2020 national security law and sedition, in the latest blow to the former British colony’s pummeled pro-democracy movement. The verdict was handed down a day after Hong Kong’s last major opposition party, the Democratic Party, voted to disband under intense pressure from the pro-Beijing government.

Who said what
The Lai verdict, carrying up to life in prison, highlights Hong Kong’s “shrinking tolerance for dissent,” The New York Times said. Officials in the city and mainland China had cast Lai, 78, as the “mastermind of antigovernment demonstrations that engulfed” Hong Kong in 2019, “posing a serious challenge to Beijing’s authority.” Lai said he was promoting the freedoms and autonomy promised by Beijing when Britain handed over governance of Hong Kong in 1997.

A rags-to-riches clothing magnate, Lai pivoted to media in the 1990s. His popular Apple Daily newspaper mixed “vivid” and “sometimes racy” journalism with “relentless criticism of China’s ruling Communist Party,” until Hong Kong’s government forced its closure in 2021, The Wall Street Journal said. President Donald Trump “said earlier this year that he would do everything he could to ‘save’ Lai,” but neither he nor Chinese President Xi Jinping “mentioned the case” after they met in South Korea in October.

What next?
The Hong Kong court said it will decide Lai’s sentence in mid-January. Trump said last year that “it would be ‘easy’ to free” Lai, said Mark L. Clifford in a Times op-ed, and he “should deliver on that boast by leveraging the global groundswell” of support for Lai and the “reduction of American tensions with China” to convince Xi to release the ailing freedom advocate.

TODAY’S CRIME Story

Rob Reiner, wife found dead in 'apparent homicide

What happened
Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in the Los Angeles home yesterday in what police called an “apparent homicide.” Officials did not identify the victims, discovered at the couple’s Brentwood residence, but a spokesperson for the family announced their “sudden” and “tragic passing” in a statement last night, asking for “privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”

Who said what
Reiner, the son of the late comedy legend Carl Reiner, “catapulted” to fame playing Archie Bunker’s son-in-law on “All in the Family,” The Associated Press said. He became “one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood,” creating “some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s,” including “The Princess Bride,” “Stand By Me,” “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally.” The Reiners were also active in political causes like same-sex marriage rights and early childhood development programs, The New York Times said, and their stature as “among the biggest names in the Democratic Party was evident in the tributes released after their death.”

The Reiners “had injuries consistent with being stabbed,” the Los Angeles Times said, citing unidentified sources. There was “no sign of forced entry into the home” and a ”family member was being interviewed in connection with the deaths.”

What next?
The Los Angeles Police Department “is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest” at this time, and “no one has been detained, no one is being questioned as a suspect” in the “death investigation,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a press conference last night. He promised a “thorough” investigation, starting with obtaining a search warrant of the property.

It’s not all bad

The American Cancer Society recently issued new guidelines for cervical cancer screenings, saying patients should be able to collect their own samples of their cervical cells. This is an “accessible alternative” to the Pap smear, which can be uncomfortable and also distressing for women with a history of sexual or medical trauma, said The New York Times. Research has shown that self-collection, using a swab at home or in a doctor’s office, improves screening rates and is effective for early detection and prevention.

Under the radar

Denmark scraps letters and its iconic red post boxes

Danes are sending their last Christmas cards through the mail. PostNord, Denmark’s state-owned postal service, will stop delivering letters at the end of this year, bringing an end to the 400-year-old tradition.

The country’s 1,500 remaining red post boxes have been “vanishing” since June, and the “handful” that remain are headed for museums, said The Times of London. The news has “rattled” postal services around the world. Britain, for example, is wondering if this is a sign of things to come for its “beleaguered” Royal Mail.

PostNord has seen a “steep decline in letter volumes” in recent years, said the BBC, from 1.4 billion letters in 2000 to 110 million last year. The sharp downward trend is being driven by a shift towards digitalization — Denmark is one of the world’s most tech-dominant nations, trailing only South Korea, according to the OECD’s 2023 Digital Government Index. The Danish government has embraced a “digital by default” policy, with all correspondence carried out electronically for more than a decade.

It’s hard not to imagine the UK postal system entering a “doom loop” as higher prices for a lesser service will “inevitably lead people to consider whether they actually need to send that card or whether an email greeting will suffice,” said James Moore in The Independent. Royal Mail would be wise to “watch and learn” from how things play out in Denmark. The volume of letters being sent in the UK has dropped from 20 billion in 2004-05 to 6.6 billion in 2023-24, but that’s still a lot of letters, Moore said. “So you can breathe easy. For now.”

On this day

December 15, 2011

The Iraq War officially ended as the U.S. declared an end to its conflict in the country. More than 1.5 million U.S. troops were deployed to Iraq, and at least 4,492 died, during the eight-year war, which ended dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime. The war remains controversial in the U.S. and globally.

TODAY’S newspaperS

‘Shots, then screams’

“17 dead in 2 attacks,” in Australia and at Brown University, the San Francisco Chronicle says on Monday’s front page. “At Brown, shots, then screams in lecture hall,” The Washington Post says. “Man held in Brown attack after 13 hours of tensions,” The New York Times says. “Police to release person of interest,” The Dallas Morning News says. “International student enrollment dropping,” The Columbus Dispatch says. “15 killed in attack at Jewish event in Sydney,” the Los Angeles Times says. “Bystander risks life to disarm gunman,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says. “Looming premium increases sow angst,” USA Today says. “Chinese amass U.S.-born babies via surrogates,” says The Wall Street Journal.

► See the newspaper front pages

Tall tale

Tempting bait

A moviegoer brought mousetraps to the Cinemark theater in Waco, Texas, to raise awareness of its rodent problem — and caught a mouse during the screening. Customers have been complaining about seeing mice and rats scurrying around the theater, and Cole Pauley decided to “take mousetraps and build a wall of protection around me,” he told KWTX. Cinemark blames the furry intruders on construction nearby. The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is now investigating the issue.

Morning Report was written and edited by Nadia Croes, Irenie Forshaw, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Rafi Schwartz, Peter Weber and Kari Wilkin, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.