Hong Kong's embattled Apple Daily to close by Saturday

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend after police arrested five editors and executives and froze $2.3 million in assets linked to the paper.

The board of directors said in a statement Wednesday that its print edition and online edition will cease no later than Saturday due to “the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong.”

The widely expected move followed last week’s arrests. The five were detained on suspicion of colluding with foreigners to endanger national security. Police cited more than 30 articles published by the paper as evidence of an alleged conspiracy to impose foreign sanctions on Hong Kong and China.

It was the freezing of assets that spelled the paper's demise. The board of directors had earlier this week written to Hong Kong’s security bureau requesting the release of some of its funds so that the company could pay wages.

The police operation against Apple Daily drew criticism from the U.S., the E.U. and Britain, which say Hong Kong and Chinese authorities are targeting the freedoms promised to the city when the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials have said the media must abide by the law, and that press freedom cannot be used as a “shield” for illegal activities.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UDPATE. AP's earlier story is below:

The first person to stand trial under Hong Kong's national security law pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of terrorism and inciting secession by driving a motorcycle into police officers while carrying a protest flag.

Tong Ying-kit was arrested on July 1, 2020, a day after the sweeping national security law took effect in response to massive pro-democracy protests that challenged Beijing's rule.

Tong was accused of...