Hong Kong's democracy setback: Elected seats to be slashed.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, has proposed a plan to reduce the proportion of directly elected seats in local district councils to about 20%, down from 90%, and fill the rest of the 470 seats with government appointees, rural committee chairpersons, and others elected by local committees. The move is seen as part of Beijing's increasing control over the former British colony, which was promised autonomy when it returned to China in 1997. Critics regard the requirement as part of a broader crackdown on the pro-democracy movement after the massive protests and enactment of the sweeping national security law in 2020.