Plus: Delhi's thermometer breaks
IN TODAY’S EDITION
1️⃣ Hong Kong democracy figures, guilty? |
2️⃣ A new(ish) anthem in Nigeria |
3️⃣ Photo of the day |
Hi Intriguer. I interned in the US Congress many years ago (I refuse to say how many) and one thing has stuck with me ever since – being a congressperson stinks.
It’s a lot of travel, for pretty bad pay – the Californian Congresswoman I worked for regularly slept on her office couch to save cash – and that’s before we get to the fact that from the moment they’re elected they’re constantly trying to raise enough cash to get re-elected.
So I wasn’t surprised to read this New York Times article yesterday interviewing some of the 54 congresspeople who aren’t seeking re-election because ‘serving in Congress is no longer worth the frustration’.
And that, unless I’ve missed something, was the biggest US political story yesterday. 😬
P.S. Our main story today is about 14 Hong Kongers who made a much bigger sacrifice in the name of democracy and have now been found guilty of subversion for their efforts.
Trump found guilty.
A New York jury has found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. He’s now the first former US president to be convicted on felony charges. The judge is set to sentence him on 11 July, with options ranging from probation to home detention to prison time. Trump is due to receive the official Republican presidential nomination a few days later. He says the verdict is the result of “a rigged, disgraceful trial” and is expected to appeal. The conviction won’t prohibit him from continuing his campaign.
Biden okays Ukraine’s use of US arms to hit Russia.
President Joe Biden has reportedly told Ukraine it can use US weapons to strike back at targets on Russian soil, but only near Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. A US official has said the country’s official position “with respect to prohibiting the use of… long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed.” The development comes after Russia launched a surprise offensive along the northern front.
US, China defence chiefs meet.
The US defence secretary and China’s defence minister have met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and affirmed plans to reopen direct lines of communication between the two militaries. It’s their first meeting since Dong Jun became China’s defence minister in December.
Israeli party proposes early elections.
The party led by Netanyahu’s main political rival and war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, has proposed a bill to dissolve parliament and call early elections before October. The bill is unlikely to advance any time soon, and an election isn’t scheduled until late 2026.
TikTok is working on a separate US algorithm.
TikTok is reportedly working on a clone of its core algorithm that could result in a version of the popular app that operates independently of its parent company in China, according to Reuters sources. The idea would be to make it more palatable to US lawmakers who just passed a divest-or-ban bill on TikTok.
Mexico prepares for Sunday elections.
Millions of voters in Mexico will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president. Polling suggests the ruling party’s candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, has a significant lead over her main rival Xóchitl Gálvez.
TOP STORY
Hong Kong convicts 14 pro-democracy figures
A Hong Kong court has found 14 pro-democracy figures guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion under the city’s National Security Law.
Beijing imposed the law in 2020 – it covers crimes like secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign powers. But it defines the crimes broadly, and the city can use hand-picked judges (rather than Hong Kong’s usual juries) to decide cases.
The law and other measures quickly had a chilling effect on the city’s lively debate – the legislature is now made up of pro-Beijing loyalists, with most pro-democracy leaders in jail or exile. And that’s all despite China’s pledge to maintain ‘One Country, Two Systems’ when the UK returned Hong Kong in 1997.
These latest 14 convictions are part of a wider group known as ‘the Hong Kong 47’, arrested in 2021 due to their role in massive unauthorised primary elections. Defence lawyers argued that by pushing to elect pro-democracy representatives, the defendants were seeking to hold the state to account, not subvert it.
But prosecutors allege that, once elected, the plan was then to “undermine, destroy or overthrow the existing political system”.
Now, 1,240 days after their arrest, the court has delivered its verdict for 14 of the accused, with sentencing to follow. The maximum penalty is life in prison.
What about the 33 other defendants? 31 already took guilty pleas in exchange for a presumed sentence reduction. The remaining two – both ex-local lawmakers – were acquitted after the court found “the evidence was insufficient […] to be sure of their participation in the conspiracy”.
They’re now the first people in Hong Kong to be acquitted under this national security law, though the city’s justice department says it’ll appeal their acquittal.
So that’s that?
One of the city’s few remaining opposition parties tried to protest outside the court, but police quickly arrested them, including the wife of one of the 14.
In parallel, Hong Kong’s police chief announced he’s still deciding whether to charge another eight people who were involved in the 2021 primaries.
And after all that, the world did what it did last time: made statements condemning Beijing’s push to “stifle opposition and criminalise dissent”.
INTRIGUE’S TAKE
There’s a growing list of things that were once common in Hong Kong but are now banned: whether listening to a protest song, sharing political opinions online, or attending a Tiananmen vigil. Even unofficial primaries had their history until the 2020 one came along and spooked authorities with its high turnout (610,000 people) and bold demands (democracy).
So in that context, this week’s verdict isn’t surprising, though we’ll be watching for two possible ripple effects.
The first is around citizen identity and sentiment in Hong Kong. 74% of adults there express an emotional attachment to China, while 82% still say democracy is a good way to govern. As authorities continue their crackdown, it’ll be interesting to see to what extent these two numbers start to diverge.
The second is around business sentiment, which took a beating through Hong Kong’s protests and Covid, while Beijing ran crackdowns on key sectors like property and tech. But some metrics are stabilising, and the city’s stock index has now rallied 22% this year. So it’ll be interesting to see whether this uptick is just a bear rally, a blip from Beijing’s latest market support, or if investors are shrugging off the crackdown so long as it doesn’t come for them.
Also worth noting:
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Beijing’s foreign ministry says it supports the ruling on Thursday, and no one should use democracy as a pretext for unlawful activity.
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One of the 14 charged on Thursday was a dual Hong Kong-Australian citizen, Gordon Ng. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government has been denied consular access.
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We recently caught up with one of the pro-democracy figures who ran in Hong Kong’s unauthorised 2020 primary – Nathan Law. He shared what life is like in exile, and what he misses about home. For access to that special edition, simply follow the instructions below.
UP NEXT: MEXICO’S HISTORIC ELECTION
Intrigue Special Edition Dropping This Sunday
Folks in Mexico are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their first-ever female president, whether Claudia Sheinbaum or Xóchitl Gálvez. They’re also electing another 20,262 positions all over the country. So what does this mean?
We’ve asked some very intriguing friends in Mexico for the inside word and, like all our special editions, it’ll be accessible to anyone who’s referred at least two folks to Intrigue. So use your unique referral link below!
MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE…
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🇨🇳 China: Beijing authorities are preparing to impose a record $140M+ fine on PwC, according to Bloomberg. The penalties are linked to the multinational firm’s work auditing Evergrande, the bankrupt developer believed to have committed one of China’s biggest financial frauds.
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🇫🇷 France: US President Joe Biden will travel to France for his first state visit there next week, joining other world leaders in marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. While hosting the world leaders, there are rumours French President Macron wants to announce a coalition to send Western military trainers to Ukraine.
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🇦🇺 Australia: China has now lifted almost all of the $20B worth of trade sanctions it had previously imposed on Australian beef. The sector was one of several that China hit with tariffs and other restrictions during its row with Australia, but Beijing has progressively removed these measures since a new government in Canberra worked to “stabilise” ties from 2022.
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🇭🇹 Haiti: A transitional council has selected former Haiti leader and UNICEF regional director Garry Conille as Haiti’s next prime minister. He’s now faced with governing a country overrun by armed gangs, while waiting for a UN-backed peacekeeping force from Kenya.
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🇳🇬 Nigeria: President Bola Tinubu has signed a controversial bill to revert Nigeria’s national anthem to its pre-1978 version. Tinubu argues the new-old version is an ode to Nigeria’s diversity, but others question whether changing the anthem was a priority right now, particularly after little consultation.
EXTRA INTRIGUE
Some weekend recommendations from team Intrigue
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Listen: This podcast tells the story of the unstoppable rise of Shein, China’s fast fashion giant that’s taking the world by storm.
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Watch: In her short documentary, filmmaker Pawanjot Kaur tells the story of Jharkhand, a major coal-mining region of India now wrestling with the necessity and (in)justice of the energy transition.
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Read: As defence spending rises almost everywhere, dust off the personal memoirs of Ben Rich, the engineer who ran Lockheed’s top secret research program that produced the U-2 and other US aircraft.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Two men load a block of ice onto a rickshaw in New Delhi. Credits: Anadolu/Getty Images.
A historic heatwave has hit India’s capital this week, with temperatures hovering near 50°C (122°F). We say ‘near’ because thermometers actually breached the 50°C mark (a record) at one point, though local officials now believe that might’ve been an error. Either way, authorities have had to ration water and order the early closure of schools for summer holidays.
FRIDAY QUIZ
In which country was a former prime minister recently indicted for defaming the monarchy? |
Which country's current president was released from jail in 2019 after 580 days? |
Which country once arrested its own leader on a speeding ticket? |
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