The government says Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation will be gazetted on Friday. Lawmakers will hold a meeting later in the morning for its first and second readings. Chief Executive John Lee says he has written to Legco President Andrew Leung, calling on the legislature to add meetings to vet the bill at full speed. In Legco on Thursday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam assured lawmakers that any public interest defence allowed for leaking state secrets under the legislation would come with an ‘extremely high threshold’ and apply only in exceptional circumstances. Violet Wong reports:

Top mainland officials have stressed the urgency of passing the Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation. In a meeting on the sidelines of the two sessions taking place in Beijing, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang told Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress that he appreciated the SAR's efforts in enacting the legislation. Vanessa Cheng reports from Beijing:

Jailed former activist Tam Tak-chi has lost his appeal to overturn his conviction and sentence for sedition. The Court of Appeal rejected his argument that intention to incite violence was a necessary element for the offence. The ruling is the first of its kind since the establishment of the SAR and is legally binding on other cases in lower courts. Damon Pang reports:

A government hotline which deals with enquiries, suggestions and complaints has found itself on the receiving end of some complaints. Announcing the results of its investigation, the Ombudsman said the 1823 hotline needed to speed up various aspects of its work. Anne Chan reports:

Dozens of NGOs will see reductions in their government funding in the next few years as the administration tries to balance its books. Welfare chief Chris Sun says it will be the larger organisations that are affected by the cuts. Chloe Feng reports:

There are calls to offer subsidised childcare services to civil servants, with facilities housed within government buildings. The Federation of Trade Unions made the appeal ahead of Friday's International Women's Day. Elvis Yu reports:

The MTR Corporation says its annual net profit fell more than 20 percent to HK$7.8 billion in 2023, as financial gains from its property developments fell sharply. But it was not all gloomy for the MTRC, as total revenue for the year rose over 19 percent to almost HK$57 billion. Hailey Yip reports:

China will offer visa-free travel to nationals from six more European countries. That is according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also said a conflict between China and the United States would have what he called "unimaginable consequences". Kelly Yu reports from Beijing: