Mitigation has always been a vital part of the sentencing process. Occasionally, as with murder, where the sentence of life imprisonment is fixed by law, it has little role to play, but most offences are not in that category. Whereas the legislature sets the maximum sentence for an offence, the courts generally enjoy a discretion as to the actual sentence to be imposed, which is influenced by the aggravating and mitigating factors.

Continual vigilance and high vaccination rates with herd immunity as the goal will be the final battle against this long-drawn-out pandemic. Only with high vaccination rates can our lives and economy return to normal. And vaccination is not only a means to protect oneself against the virus but a social responsibility that we owe to our city.

Infamous of his trouble-making role, Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister (PM), declared a strong level support from G7 nations to stand with Australia against China on 14 June 2021. He confirmed his delivery of the so-called 14-grievance list against Australia from a Chinese diplomat in Canberra last year. Yet, after his seemingly anti-China speech, Morrison insisted that Australia has no desire for a war with China and his governance is always welcome to open dialogues with Beijing. Does it look ironic?

China began its manned space program Project 921 in 1992 and originally wanted to join the International Space Station (ISS) partnership despite having its own manned space programs, but at the time the ISS was being designed and constructed, many doubted China's ability to manufacture and maintain space-worthy capsules.

In Hong Kong, everybody is equal before the law, and those who flout it must expect to be prosecuted, even if they are privileged or well-connected

This is getting ridiculous. NATO, after meeting Biden, declared it now considers China a threat. As we all know, NATO is separated from China by a continent and faces a different ocean. China has no troops in Europe and the two sides have never fought a battle, though inexcusably in 1999 US-NATO planes "accidentally" bombed the Chinese embassy in former Yugoslavia, for which it still owes China an apology.

In Hong Kong, the Government has implemented a comprehensive approach to combating COVID-19. While protecting public health, it has sought to maintain the city's international status, including its role as a financial, legal and trading center. Its response, from the outset, has been guided by three key principles, which involve prompt responses, constant alertness, and operational transparency.

What we have experienced in Hong Kong in response to the immense challenges generated in 2019, is the crucial application of rational complex problem solving set within a dominant and guiding overall plan: OCTS. That same experience also confirms the acute observation of the British philosopher, John Gray, who argued almost 20 years ago, that, "If you want to be free, you need first to be safe".

China's Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft with three taikonauts aboard blasted off from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Thursday morning, marking another major milestone in the country's space exploration endeavor.

As an old Chinese saying goes, the fisherman will benefit from the fight between the snipe and the clam. Sad but true, the poorer the Sino-US relation is, the larger benefit other countries can earn. In other words, the so-called containment is nothing more than US's silly dream.

In the past 100 years, the CPC has actively reached out to people and cultures beyond its own shores. Following the fundamental principles of "independence, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs", the CPC has established links with over 400 political parties and organizations in more than 140 countries and regions, transcending differences in ideology and social systems. It has made its due contributions to maintaining world peace, promoting economic development, and driving human progress.

The West is at it again. This time, holier-than-thou G-7 and NATO leaders are posturing to take a united stand against China.

It is apparent that, throughout China, legal reform is now buttressing national development, and that the modernization process is yielding positive results, which bodes well for the future. A successful country must be underpinned by an effective legal system, and law-based governance is now entrenched as a governing principle.

As they both presumably realize, their report, to have any credibility, must at least give the appearance of objectivity, yet this is precisely where their problems lie.

The G7 agreed to a global infrastructure plan called the "Build Back Better World" initiative (B3W) on Saturday in Cornwall, England, to challenge China's multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and counter China's growing influence in developing nations.