Britain on Wednesday blasted China for using a new national security law to stifle free speech in Hong Kong after the closure of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. "The forced closure of Apple Daily by the Hong Kong authorities is a chilling blow to freedom of expression in Hong Kong," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. "It is crystal clear that the powers under the National Security Law are being used as a tool to curtail freedoms and punish dissent -- rather than keep public order," he said, demanding China respect its obligations over Hong Kong's 1997 handover from UK rule. phz/jit/wdb