NYT researcher to appear in court

The Chinese researcher for the New York Times who was tried in June on charges of revealing state secrets will appear in court Friday, raising the possibility of a verdict, his lawyer said Monday. Zhao Yan was arrested in September 2004 after the newspaper accurately reported that former president Jiang Zemin would stand down from the key leadership post of military chief. Zhao's lawyers are not permitted to disclose details of the trial but a previous indictment said he described jostling over military appointments between Jiang and current president Hu Jintao, the South China Morning Post reported. Zhao, who also stands accused of fraud, could face a jail sentence of 10 years or more if found guilty.