Yvette Tan
Live editor

Court has adjourned again for lunch - and we're pausing our coverage for the day.

Before we wind the page down, here's a quick look at where we are now:

• The hearing resumed at 10:00 local time after being twice delayed, the first time as a typhoon swept through Hong Kong, and then because more time was needed to install a medical device to monitor Lai's heart
• The prosecution started off today's hearing discussing key sections of the Beijing-imposed National Security Law, including what a "conspiracy" entails
• Lai, who founded the now-closed Apple Daily, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to collude with foreign forces, to threaten national security. He is also accused of publishing seditious articles
• The closing arguments are expected to last about eight days and it could take weeks, or even months, before judges arrive at a verdict

• Lai, who is 77, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted
• He is among hundreds of people who have been detained and charged under the controversial NSL, which critics say have silenced dissent in Hong Kong - Beijing however justifies that it is needed to maintain stability in the city

Danny Vincent
Reporting from court

The prosecution is now discussing the definition of the words "collusion" and "sanctions" as set out in the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL).

As prosecutors Anthony Chau reads through sections of the NSL to the court, Lai can be seen clasping his hands tightly, and shuffling a little in the dock, while occasionally looking around the room.

As we mentioned earlier, Lai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security.

The BBC had access to Jimmy Lai in 2021, just before he was handed a 14-month jail term for organising illegal protests. Watch the full interview here:

We've got a bit more on the prosecution's earlier submissions on the allegations that Lai had conspired to collude with foreign forces.

Whether or not a conspiracy succeeds, so long as the parties involved intended and had agreed to arrive at such a goal, the charge of conspiracy would hold, argued Anthony Chau, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.

Earlier, Lai's defence lawyers had countered that such an agreement was lawful before the national security law came into force.

Court is back in session after a break to sort out some technical diffculties.

Image source, Reuters

Like many charged under the national security law, Lai has been denied bail and the right to a jury.

Hong Kong authorities have also barred top British barrister Timothy Owen from representing Lai, who is a UK citizen. Authorities have cited national security concerns.

Despite foreign lawyers having operated for decades in the city's courts, in 2023 Hong Kong enshrined a Beijing ruling into local law which gave Hong Kong's leader the power to block foreign lawyers from working on national security cases.

Lai tried to challenge the decision, but his attempt was thwarted. Hong Kong's national security committee also asked immigration authorities to deny Owen a work permit.

Other British lawyers working on behalf of Lai have also claimed they face harassment.

Lai continues to be represented by Hong Kong-based lawyers Robert Pang, Steven Kwan and Marc Corlett. The latter, who is from New Zealand, can represent Lai as he was called to Hong Kong's bar in 2020.

The closing arguments are expected to last about eight days, and it could be another few weeks, or even months, before the court reaches a verdict on Lai's case.

A judge had earlier indicated that it could come in October, according to reports by Reuters and the Hong Kong Free Press.

Lai, who is 77, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty. His family and his lawyers have repeatedly raised concerns around his deteriorating health.

His son Sebastien told BBC in a recent interview that his father would "die in prison" if convicted. "Even if he gets five years for example. That’s practically the same as a death penalty," Sebastien Lai had said.

Martin Yip
BBC News Chinese, Hong Kong

The court is taking a short break as they have run into some technical difficulties - the judges are unable to find earlier case judgements cited by the prosecutors.

We'll bring you more updates when the hearing resumes.

Danny Vincent
Reporting from court

Jimmy Lai is sitting crossed armed behind a glass panel at the back of the courtroom. He seems to be listening intently through headphones as the prosecution lays out its case for his involvement in conspiracy.

Lai had earlier pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

Image source, Getty Images

Sebastien Lai has spent the last few years garnering attention to his father's detention and calling for his release.

He tells the BBC that he fears his father will "die in prison" if he is found guilty, pointing to his age and health.

"Even if he gets five years for example. That’s practically the same as a death penalty. Given his health, given his age," Sebastien said. "He will die in prison."

Jimmy Lai is a British national - though the Chinese government considers him a Chinese citizen and does not recognise dual nationality.

Sebastien also adds that his father's case is "crucial for China-UK relations", adding that if he died, it would show that "as a country [the UK].. we didn’t stand up for one of our bravest when it mattered."

Image source, Reuters

Long lines formed outside the courthouse this morning, as many in Hong Kong made their way to court to witness the final stage of Lai's high-stakes trial.

Among them is an ex-Apple Daily employee, identified only as L, who has tried to attend hearings "wherever possible" since the trial began in late 2023.

Lai's spirit has "inspired Hong Kongers," L told BBC Chinese, adding that she hopes to get a seat in court today to "show my support".

Still she admits feeling helpless, as ex-colleagues have been detained over the last four years since Hong Kong's controversial national security law came intro force.

"And yet we see many people who, despite being unable to change the situation, are holding on to what they believe is right. We must continue on this path," she says.

We're expecting the prosecutors to begin with their closing arguments, summarising the last one-and-a-half years of trial, and the defence will then be given time to do the same.

Lai, 77 has been accused of collusion with foreign forces and sedition. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Danny Vincent
Reporting from court

The hearing has started.

Lai has been given his medicine and the heart monitor, the court has heard. He has been certified as mentally and physically fit for court, a judge said.

Danny Vincent
Reporting from court

As we mentioned earlier, Lai is back in court. Wearing thick-framed glasses and a white shirt under a windbreaker, he is surrounded by three correctional officers. Earlier he waved to family members and supporters sitting in the gallery.

It's just past 10:00 and Jimmy Lai is back in the dock. The hearing is set to begin shortly - we'll bring you the latest updates as we have them.

Image source, Getty Images

One of the most outspoken champions for Jimmy Lai's release has been one of his sons, Sebastien, who has travelled around the world leading a campaign calling for his father's release.

"Even if he gets five years for example. That's practically the same as a death penalty. Given his health, given his age," Sebastien tells the BBC.

Two other sons, Ian and Timothy, were arrested along with Jimmy Lai in August 2020 after raids on Apple Daily's offices. They were later released on bail.

The tycoon has several children from two marriages.

Lai's second wife, Teresa, whom he married in 1991, has consistently attended his national security trial, sometimes accompanied by his children.

Image source, Getty Images

We bring you an update from another Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, Ted Hui, who says has been granted asylum in Australia, where he has settled more than four years ago after fleeing Hong Kong.

In a Facebook post over the weekend, Hui says his protection visa also covers his wife, children and parents who currently live with him in South Australia's capital Adelaide.

Hui, who faces criminal charges in Hong Kong for his involvement in the 2019 pro-democracy protests, describes how he and his family were forced "to leave a homeland we love and where our most precious memories remain".

"That freedom was not surrendered, but taken by repression, even as we fought to defend it; and in standing for democracy, we were driven into exile," he writes.

Hui also calls on Australia to "not forget those in Hong Kong who still suffer in prison".

"Men and women like Jimmy Lai, the defendants in the 47 democrats case, and the leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance etc face long sentences simply for defending basic democratic rights," he writes, adding "Australia must do more to rescue them and to speak up for their humanity".

Lai is the most prominent person charged under Hong Kong's controversial national security law.

He founded a string of popular pro-democracy titles that included Next Media, a digital magazine, and the widely read Apple Daily newspaper.

Lai had been a persistent critic of Chinese authorities in a local media landscape increasingly fearful of Beijing. He took part in Hong Kong's pro-democracy demonstrations.

This made him a hero for many in Hong Kong, while Beijing views him as "the agent and proxy of the anti-China forces".

The trial has drawn international attention. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said securing the release of Lai, a UK citizen, is a "priority".

Critics say Lai's case shows how Hong Kong's legal system has become a weapon to silence political opposition.

Image source, Getty Images

Jimmy Lai was born in 1947 in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, to a wealthy family that lost everything when the communists took power two years later.

He was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat.

While working odd jobs and knitting in a small clothing shop, he taught himself English. He went from a menial role to eventually founding a multi-million dollar empire including the international clothing brand Giordano.

When China sent in tanks to crush pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, Lai began a new journey as a democracy activist, as well as an entrepreneur.

He wrote columns criticising the Tiananmen Square massacre and launched pro-democracy titles like Next Magazine and tabloid paper Apple Daily.

Many in Hong Kong hailed him as a defender of freedom though others in the mainland viewed him as a "traitor".

Read more about Jimmy Lai's life here.

We're back in court to hear the closing arguments in the case of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is fighting charges under Hong Kong's national security law (NSL).

Lai's hearing was scheduled to start on Thursday, and was first delayed for a day as a typhoon swept through the city.

Then on Friday, a judge called for another adjournment so that a medical device could be installed to monitor his heart. Lai's lawyers and his son Sebastien have raised concerns over his deteriorating health over the past year.

Lai is among hundreds of Hong Kongers detained since Beijing imposed the NSL, which it says is needed to quell unrest in the former British territory. But critics argue that it has been used to crush dissent.

Stay with us as we bring you live updates.