"Hong Kong Legislature Unanimously Passes Controversial National Security Law"

Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed a new national security bill, known as Article 23, which critics say further threatens the city's freedoms. The legislation, with extraterritorial effect, punishes offences including treason, sabotage, and sedition with sentences ranging from several years to life imprisonment. Critics fear it could be used to intimidate and restrict free speech in other jurisdictions, and the United States believes it has the potential to accelerate the closing of Hong Kong's once-open society. The law has sparked criticism from the U.S., Britain, and the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, while China's Foreign Ministry Commissioner's office in Hong Kong condemned the U.S. for its interference.