UR MAG

Hong Kong Jimmy Lai

Lai, a 78-year-old prominent democracy advocate, wassentencedto 20 years in prison after beingfound guiltyin December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles. His co-defendants, who entered guilty pleas to the collusion-related charge, received prison terms ranging between six years and three months, and 10 years.

Some foreign governments and rights groups called for the release of the British citizen. But China's Foreign Ministry said Lai is a Chinese citizen, and urged other countries to respect its sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Here's what they said:

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her country's government is gravely concerned by the sentences handed down to Lai and his co-defendants, saying its thoughts are with their family members and supporters at this difficult time.

Wong said the prosecutions have had a chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong. She called on China to stop suppression on freedom of expression, media and civil society, as well as repealing the security law, under which Lai was convicted.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Lai was sentenced for exercising his right to freedom of expression after a "politically motivated prosecution." She was concerned for Lai's health and called on the Hong Kong authorities to release him on humanitarian grounds so that he may be reunited with his family.

"For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence," she said, adding that her government will "rapidly engage further" on the case.

In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a daily briefing that Lai is a Chinese citizen, calling him a major planner and participant in a series of anti-China destabilizing activities in Hong Kong.

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Lin said the judicial cases are purely Hong Kong's internal affairs, urging "relevant countries" to avoid interfering in Hong Kong's judicial affairs or China's internal affairs.

Beijing's office in Hong Kong affairs said Lai's sentence reflected Hong Kong's determination in safeguarding national security and demonstrated the spirit of the rule of law.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Lai's crimes are heinous and that he had used Apple Daily to "poison" residents and incite hatred. He said Lai deserved the sentence because he openly asked for foreign sanctions against China as well as Hong Kong and harmed their interests.

"His heavy sentence of 20 years in prison demonstrated the rule of law, upheld justice, and brought great satisfaction to the people," he said in a statement.

Taiwan's mainland affairs council condemned the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for suppressing human rights in the name of national security, urging for Lai's release. It reminded Taiwanese people to take Hong Kong's painful experience as a warning to safeguard its hard-won free way of life.

Rights groups

Amnesty International said the sentence marked "another grim milestone" for Hong Kong.

"Imprisoning a 78-year-old man for doing nothing more than exercising his rights shows a complete disregard for human dignity," Sarah Brooks, Amnesty's deputy regional director, said.

Reporters Without Borders' Director General Thibaut Bruttin said the court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities' contempt for independent journalism.

"We have already witnessed press freedom defender Liu Xiaobo die in prison due to insufficient international pressure. We cannot allow Jimmy Lai to suffer a similar fate," he said.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily speaks during an interview to response national security legislation in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's most vocal China critic, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in jail, ending the city's biggest national security case which drew international concern about Beijing's clampdown on the city's freedoms and autonomy.

Lai's sentence on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign ​forces and one for publishing seditious materials ends a legal saga that has spanned nearly five years.

Lai, founder of the feisty but shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 ‌and was convicted last year.

His 20-year sentence was within the harshest penalty "band" for offences of a "grave nature" and is the most severe punishment meted out yet, the three national security judges said.

Lai's sentence was enhanced by the fact that he was the "mastermind" and driving ‌force behind "persistent" foreign collusion conspiracies, the judges said.

They cited prosecution evidence that the conspiracies had sought sanctions, blockades and other hostile acts from the U.S. and other countries while involving a web of individuals including Apple Daily staff, activists and foreigners.

Besides Lai, six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal were sentenced to jail terms ranging between six and 10 years.

"In the present case, Lai was no doubt the mastermind of all three conspiracies charged and therefore he warrants a heavier sentence," the judges said. "As regards the others, it is difficult to distinguish their relative culpability."

The 78-year-old, a British citizen, has denied all the charges against him, saying in court he ⁠is a "political prisoner" facing persecution from Beijing.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs ‌Office, under China's state council, said in a statement the sentence "is a solemn and powerful declaration that whoever dares to challenge the law on safeguarding national security will be severely punished".

Hong Kong's leader John Lee said it upholds the rule of law and gratified the public, saying "Jimmy Lai's crimes are heinous and utterly unforgivable".

Lai's plight has ‍been criticised by global leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, spotlighting a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled Asian financial hub, following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Those concerns reflected in part Lai's long-standing international profile as a pro-democracy critic of China's Communist Party leadership and his extensive political connections, particularly among U.S. Republicans - ties that prosecutors cited during the case.

At the height of the protests in July 2019, Lai met then-U.S. Vice President ​Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington.

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Beijing in 2020 imposed the national security law in Hong Kong, saying it was necessary to stabilise the city after months of sometimes violent unrest.

LIFE ‌IN PRISON?

Lai's friends and supporters say is in frail health with diabetes and high blood pressure, and should be freed.

Lai's son, Sebastien, said the sentence "is devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father" and marked the "total destruction" of the Hong Kong legal system.

"After more than five years of relentlessly persecuting my father, it is time for China to do the right thing and release him before it is too late," he said from outside Hong Kong.

Lai, one of Hong Kong's most prominent Roman Catholics, arrived at the court in a white jacket, with hands held together in a praying gesture as he smiled and waved at supporters.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said a "sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust"

Hong Kong police played down concerns about Lai's health. The head of the force's national security department, Steve Li, said Lai's ⁠health concerns had been "exaggerated" and added that the tycoon deserved his sentence.

The judges said they were not inclined to give ​Lai any deduction for his medical condition, age and solitary confinement but acknowledged he would face a "more burdensome" time than other ​inmates. They cut a month off the sedition sentence and one year each for the collusion charges.

Beijing and Hong Kong officials have said that Lai has received a fair trial and all are treated equal under a national security law that they say has been vital to restoring order to the city.

Dozens of Lai's supporters queued for several ‍days to secure a spot in the courtroom, with ⁠scores of police officers, sniffer dogs and police vehicles - including an armoured truck and a bomb disposal van - deployed around the area.

"I feel that Mr. Lai is the conscience of Hong Kong," said a man named Sum, 64, who was in the queue.

Starmer raised the case of Lai, who holds British citizenship, during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month in Beijing, according ⁠to people briefed on the discussions, and called for his release.

Trump too raised Lai's case with Xi during a meeting in October. Several Western diplomats told Reuters that negotiations to free Lai would likely begin in earnest now that he has been sentenced.

Lai's ‌lawyer, Robert Pang, said he could not comment when asked whether Lai would appeal, saying he has 28 days to do so.

(Reporting by James Pomfret, Jessie Pang; Additional reporting by ‌Andrew MacAskill in London; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Michael Perry and Thomas Derpinghaus)

People turned their backs to TV screens as food, music and chatter filled the first half of the game until a hush fell across the island. Thehalftime showwas starting.

This was Puerto Rico's moment, a spotlight on a collective son whoquit bagging groceriesa decade ago and became the world's most streamed artist on Spotify last year. Since then, Bad Bunny has used his platform to applaud immigrants,sing about Puerto Rico's identity and turmoiland denounceU.S. immigration policies.

"He appeared at the right moment in the history of Latin America," said Marielys Rojas, 39, who is originally from Venezuela but has lived the last 22 years inPuerto Rico.

She was among the hundreds who gathered by a grassy knoll near a beach in Puerto Rico's capital to watch the halftime show on a huge screen as waves crashed behind them and the sounds of coquís, an endemic frog, filled the salty air.

Amarilys Reyes, 55, arrived at the seaside watch party with her 22-year-old daughter.

She had never watched a Super Bowl and didn't know who was playing, but it didn't matter. Like many others, she was only there for Bad Bunny.

"It's the biggest show of his life," Reyes said.

Energy, nerves and excitement had been building across Puerto Rico ever since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio would headline the Super Bowl XL Halftime Show.

Watch parties were quickly organized across the U.S. mainland and the island. Some dubbed it "Super Bori Sunday," a shortened nod to "Boricua," which refers to someone with Puerto Rican ancestry, while others referred to it "The Benito Bowl: Morcilla, Sancocho, Mofongo, Reggaetón and a little bit of Football."

One woman wrote on social media that she would watch the halftime show with her 87-year-old mother in Puerto Rico so they could dance together, while another person posted that they had prepared a PowerPoint presentation for their American friends dubbed "Bad Bunny 101."

Creativity flowed as Feb. 8 approached: One bar in Puerto Rico posted a promo featuring the quarterbacks from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots sitting on the iconic white plastic lawn chairs that grace the cover of Bad Bunny's newest album.

Even the Teletubbies got in on the excitement, shaking their colorful rumps toBad Bunny's "Baile Inolvidable" a day before the show.

Wonder Woman also lent her support, with Lynda Carter noting on social media that she was a "huge fan" of Bad Bunny, whom she noted was an American citizen: "Make no mistake."

But criticism of the first all-Spanish NFL halftime show spiked as the first half ended.

Jake Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has property in Puerto Rico and has posted about life on the island, wrote on X: "Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that."

Puerto Ricans quickly responded.

"Don't you live where he's from?" wrote one person while many others noted thatPuerto Ricansare U.S. citizens.

Luke Lavanway, a 35-year-old who lives in New York but was vacationing in Puerto Rico to escape the ongoing cold snap, said he had no problem with a halftime show in Spanish.

"That's part of us," he said. "That's what makes us great, and we should just enjoy it."

The crowd that had gathered for the halftime show began streaming out of the watch party as soon as the second half started, smiling as they reflected on what they had just witnessed.

"I thought it was phenomenal that Bad Bunny brought all Latinos together in one place and represented them all equally," said Carlos Ayala, 36, of San Juan. "It's an important moment for Latino culture."

He also thought it fantastic that Ricky Martin sang Bad Bunny's, "Lo que le pasó a Hawaii," which laments gentrification in Puerto Rico, a worsening issue for many on an island with a more than 40% poverty rate.

"Transmitting that message is extremely important in these times," he said, adding that he also appreciated the light posts and exploding transformers featured during the show, a nod toPuerto Rico's chronic outages"so the world can see what we live through."

Among those beaming after the show was Juliana Santiago, 35, who said her heart swelled with pride on Sunday night.

She said Bad Bunny proved that "you can accomplish things, that the American dream truly is real."

Clichés are annoying. They're overused, nobody likes to hear them and few people like to actually use them because they often feel like they should be saying something more creative or insightful.

Unless you've just won the Super Bowl and you're just ready to shout it as loud as you can because all of it has been just so true.

"Defense wins championships!" emphasized Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a wide receiver who usually spends his time trying to carve defenses up.

It's unlikely that the culture of theNFLwill turn away from the search for the next high-powered offense, the quest to put together as many explosive plays as possible, where touchdowns are always the ultimate goal.

But, man, thisSeattle Seahawksteam just made the case that maybe the focus should be on putting together a team of bruisers who can absolutely suffocate a top offense when it matters most.

"When it's all said and done, boy, those are a bunch of bad boys," said Ernest Jones IV, the middle linebacker who is the heart and soul of the Seahawks defense.

What the Seahawks did on Sunday isn't just unusual, it's close to unheard of. For three quarters, The Dark Side – the intimidating nickname bestowed upon this group – held Drake Maye and the Patriots offense to 78 yards.

Seventy-eight yards. There are games when the opening drive goes that far.

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This wasn't just some middling offense that got shut down by a great defense, either. Maye passed for more than 4,000 yards this year and finished second to Matthew Stafford in the MVP voting. He's not had a great postseason, but his quality has shown at every clutch moment throughout this Super Bowl run. He's a great player with a bright future and the Seahawk defense made him look like a junior varsity quarterback brought up to play in the state title game because all the other guys got hurt.

The craziest thing is that the Seahawks didn't even do it with that much effort from a play-call perspective. There weren't a ton of blitzes or dramatically unusual formations or looks for Maye and the Patriots. For the most part, they lined up in their base defense or a variation of it and just went after Maye.

And they got there. Repeatedly.

Maye was sacked six times, hit 11 times, lost a fumble and threw two interceptions that essentially sealed the game.

It didn't take long for the Seahawks' defense to realize they had the Patriots' number.

"Honestly, mid-first quarter," said safety Julian Love when asked by CNN Sports when he knew the Seahawks had the Patriots where they wanted them.

"And it's not necessarily like, 'OK, yeah, we're gonna jump ahead' or anything like that. It's like, 'OK, they have to earn each play.' They might complete a pass here, they might break a tackle here or there, but that's the nature of our defense. We swarm to the ball. We make them line it up and earn it each play. And it was just a style, it's a style thing. They're getting excited they got even a four- or five-yard run. And then we create a negative play. The next play, it's just us lining up again and again on defense to just impose our will."

'We all felt it'

At about the time that Love was feeling that his defense had the Patriots on the ropes, Jones said the feeling on the sideline changed.

How does one describe what it feels like to know you're showing up in a big way in the biggest game of your life? What's it like to know that you have been given the biggest opportunity and you're fully taking it?

Judging by the attitude from the Seahawks after the game, it's a whole vibe.

"We all felt it. We felt it during the game that we were dominating, even when they scored the touchdown they scored, because that was a lack of us looking ahead," Jones toldCNN Sports.

"It takes a lot to lock into those … moments where you got them on the ropes, but I think that's where Mike comes in. Mike's been really like, no matter what, the way anything is going, he keeps us straight ahead, going forward. "

Mike is head coach Mike Macdonald, who at 38 years old, just became the third youngest coach in history to win a Super Bowl.

Macdonald came to Seattle from Baltimore, where he put together a fearsome Ravens defense and studied underJohn Harbaugh. He was expected to reignite a franchise that had grown used to being OK under former head coach Pete Carroll. The Seahawks were always good, but they were never great in Carroll's final years.

Before this year, the Seahawks hadn't won a playoff game since 2019. They hadn't advanced past the divisional round since the last time they were in the Super Bowl 11 years ago, which they lost to the Patriots.

Suffice to say, Macdonald has more than done his job. And it starts on defense.

"I'm not surprised, it's what they do," he told CNN's Andy Scholes on the field after the game. "Guys pick each other up every time, that's what we've been doing since last year. It's awesome to do at this stage."

Inflicting pain on mind and body

The effect of this Seattle defense was clear after the game on the man they targeted most all night: Maye.

The second-year quarterback out of the University of North Carolina came into this game carrying the weight of history on his shoulders. After all, it was another second-year quarterback who kick-started the best period of the franchise's history: Tom Brady won Super Bowl XXXVI at 24, a year older than Maye is now.

The disappointment – with how he played, with the final score, with having this season come to an end – had Maye in tears as he spoke postgame with reporters. He gamely stayed for a long time, answering questions, but it was clear the game had taken a toll on him, most of it due to the opponents' swarming defense.

"They're well coached. You know, we knew they can be in the right spot. They mix it up. And I think they've got good players at all three levels. That's the biggest thing," Maye told CNN Sports.

"They made more plays than we did. And, you know, I got to make better throws and move in the pocket and change the launch point and do a lot of things … at a better level for us to win."

Maye looked like he'd just survived a fight. His hair was pressed down, his eyes were tired and his body sort of sagged as he sat in his chair. He had taken off his jersey and pads but still wore his cleats and the rest of his uniform.

All week, Maye was as chipper as one could be. It had been a long season and he was a little banged up, but from Super Bowl Opening Night through all the media availabilities that this week demands, he was charismatic, polite and charming. What stood out most was his energy. It seemed like Patriots staffers would have to tear him away from the microphone because he was happy to keep talking about his team and their season.

On Sunday night, he looked like a man who'd had his soul ripped out. And that's what a great defense does to quarterbacks.

That might come off as a little dark. But take it from Smith-Njigba: That's the point.

"Man, the real Dark Side. S**t gets dark, for real."

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TheSeahawks' "Dark Side" defensehad just turned the lights out on the Patriots ina 29-13 Super Bowl 60 victory.

"We struggled. Some plays we probably want back. We didn't play our best. We lost. Got to take it on the chin," Diggs said. "They played a better game. That was a good (expletive) team we played."

Super Bowl 60's final score wasn't even indicative of what transpired on the field. The Patriots were held scoreless through the first three quarters.New England's offense was neutralizeduntil it scored 13 points and gained 253 yards in what essentially was a futile fourth quarter with the game already decided. The Patriots offense never got within Seattle's 40-yard line prior to the final quarter.

"They have a hell of a defense. One of the top defenses in the league," Diggs said. "They are fast in the back end, they have fast backers and they got a good interior."

Check out the biggest defensive moments from Patriots vs. Seahawks

The irony of Seattle's Super Bowl 60 win is that Drake Maye was the one seeing ghosts.

Sam Darnold, notoriously known for his "seeing ghosts" comment, was the quarterback who managed the game, took what the defense gave him and avoided costly turnovers.

Maye was the quarterback that had multiple errant throws, an ill-advised interception toSeahawkssafety Julian Love and a pick-six to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

"I'd like to go back to the beginning and redo it," Maye said. "There are so many plays that can decide and change the game. I had an (interception) returned for a touchdown. There were plays in the first half where I feel like I could've made a better throw or make a better decision. It really just comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn't. They made plays tonight."

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Maye completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards (235 yards coming in the fourth quarter) to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye was sacked six times and fumbled once.According to Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks generated a 52.8% pressure rate, the highest in a Super Bowl since at least 2018.

"It definitely hurts," Maye said. "It's been a long ride. They played better than us (Sunday). They deserved to win that game."

The Seattle Seahawks celebrated its Super Bowl victory with confetti, Gatorade and the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Feb. 8, 2026.

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Seahawks celebrate Super Bowl victory. See the jubilation.

TheSeattle Seahawkscelebrated its Super Bowl victory with confetti, Gatorade and the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Feb. 8, 2026.

What might hurt New England even more is the fact its defense played well enough to win ... until things went off the rails in the fourth quarter.Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker IIIwas the sole provider of consistent offense and kicker Jason Myers' four field goals were the only points given up through three quarters. But when Darnold tossed a 16-yard touchdown to tight end AJ Barner to put the Patriots in a 19-0 hole, the deficit was insurmountable.

"It's tough," Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams told USA TODAY Sports. "We just didn't make enough plays to win the game. We didn't make enough plays when we needed to."

The Super Bowl loss won't quiet critics who were up in arms about the Patriots' strength of schedule this season. New England had the NFL's easiest schedule (in terms of opponent combined win percentage). Then the Pats defeated a Los Angeles Chargers team with a patchwork offensive line, a turnover-happy C.J. Stroud and theHouston Texanswithout Nico Collins, and a Bo Nix-lessDenver Broncosclub in a blizzard en route to Super Bowl 60.

There's no guarantee that they'll make it back to the NFL's ultimate game. The AFC figures to be better in 2026 and the conference's postseason featured no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. But the Patriots spent over $200 million in guaranteed money on free agents in 2025. Most of their impact players will return next season and they have invaluable Super Bowl experience to go along with the agony of defeat.

"It's definitely gonna sting. It's gonna sting all the way up to the start of next year. But I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of this team," Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. "All year nobody believed in us. … To make it to where we were, is a testament to our work. We came up short. Every year a team loses the Super Bowl."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Patriots have no answers for Seahawks' Dark Side defense in Super Bowl