Forty-five people were sentenced from four years and two months to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for conspiracy to commit subversion in the city's largest national security trial to date. Former legal academic Benny Tai -- one of four "principal offenders" in the case -- received the heaviest sentence of 10 years. Frank Yung begins our coverage:

The court says the sentences it handed out were based not only on the National Security Law enacted four years ago, but also on common law principles. As Altis Wong reports, it stressed the defendants were not punished for their actions before the NSL was put in place and the court had not made reference to sentences handed out on the mainland.

Barrister and executive councillor Ronny Tong agreed with the court that the sentencing of the 45 activists was based on common law principles. He spoke to Frank Yung:

Chief Executive John Lee warned that anyone who intends to endanger national security will be punished in accordance with the law. Vanessa Cheng reports:

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the government will look into individual cases before deciding whether or not to appeal:

In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry says foreign criticism of the court sentences desecrates and tramples on Hong Kong's rule of law. Priscilla Ng has that story:

Electricity will cost slightly more for Hongkongers next year, with tariffs rising by 0.9 percent on Hong Kong Island and nearly one percent in Kowloon and the New Territories. Elvis Yu has the details:

A climate economist said while the hikes are in line with expectation, he's expecting the rate of increases to pick up in future due to uncertainties in the international fuel market. William Yu, CEO of World Green Organisation, told Elvis Yu that the SAR should look out for alternative energy sources to reduce its reliance on imported fuels.

The government says it expects mega events in the first half of next year to attract 840-thousand tourists, up 50 percent from the same period this year. Officials say there will be more than 90 mega events in the first six months of 2025, including festivals, conventions and sports events. Asked about the cancellation of events this year because of bad weather, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said the government will have better backup plans for things such as drone shows:

A stress test will be conducted at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Saturday. As Hailey Yip reports, police say the aim is to check communication levels between various departments.

The Hong Kong Toilet Association announced the results of its city-wide survey of public toilets. It publicised which ones rank the best and which ones should you try and avoid at all costs. Henry Hung, chairman of the Hong Kong Toilet Association, told Carol Musgrave the association judges toilets according to its formula - Cash, or Comfort, Accessibility, Safety and Hygiene.

Moscow says Ukraine has fired six American-supplied longer-range missiles into its territory. This would represent Kyiv's first use of the weapons inside Russia in a thousand days of war. The Russian Defence Ministry says the attacks resulted in no casualties or damage. The reported use of the weapons system comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons. Jamie Clarke has the story:

A US envoy has held “very constructive talks” with officials in Beirut about a possible cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The senior advisor to US President Joe Biden arrived in the Lebanese capital a day after Hezbollah reportedly gave a positive response to an American draft proposal to end the war. Here's Jamie Clarke:

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new type of material that can absorb carbon dioxide from the air. They say that half a pound of the yellow powder can remove as much of the greenhouse gas from the air as a tree. The study leader is a Chinese materials chemist who's working on his PhD at Berkeley. RTHK's San Francisco correspondent, Mark Niu, spoke to the team behind the discovery:

On the mainland, a man has been detained after ramming his car into a group of people outside a primary school in Hunan province on Tuesday. There were no fatalities in the incident. Jamie Clarke reports:

Vice Premier He Lifeng says Hong Kong must enhance its status as an international financial centre to fast-track the country's development as a financial powerhouse. He also pledged to expand financial links between the city and the mainland. Hailey Yip reports:

UNESCO's chair on AI and data science says artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in peacekeeping and international cooperation. Professor Lampros Stergioulas says real-time AI translation has made it easier for nations to communicate. He said AI can be used to deploy resources and support humanitarian missions, including powering robots and drones. But he also admitted the technology is a double-edged sword. He spoke to Kelly Yu on the sidelines of the Wuzhen summit in Zhejiang province:

Operation Santa Claus 2024 is in full swing, and this year we’re raising money for 11 charities. One of the charity projects is the “Improving Access to Community Therapies organised by Mind Hong Kong - a charity hoping to raise awareness of mental health and to reduce the associated stigmas that come with it. RTHK's Kristy Lai spoke to Mind Hong Kong CEO, Dr Candice Powell, and service user Coco, at the Mind-Hong Kong centre in Wan Chai.

In sports, Hong Kong recorded its third straight win under new coach Ashley Westwood as the SAR secured a 1-0 victory over Mauritius at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday night. RTHK's Asia football correspondent, Chris KL Lau, reports: