Apple Daily's demise deals another blow to Hong Kong's battered reputation
CNN
Hong Kong has long been Asia's leading financial hub, straddling the West and China. But as Beijing tightens its grip on a city still largely cut off by coronavirus restrictions, it's increasingly tricky for tech, media and banks to do business — and some fear the end of an era.
Almost exactly one year after the introduction of a controversial Chinese national security law, tabloid Apple Daily was forced to close down this week after its journalists were arrested and millions of dollars in assets were frozen. A dramatic police raid on its newsroom, a government notice served on its headquarters and the seizing of bank accounts stoked fears about press freedom and property rights in a city that was supposed to enjoy significant autonomy from Beijing until 2047. Hong Kong authorities sought to distance the newspaper's closure from what it called "normal journalistic work," and asserted that the rebellious, pro-democracy publication threatened national security.President Joe Biden on Sunday delivers his first commencement address of the 2024 season at Morehouse College, where the president may for the first time in months have to confront the angst that’s been percolating on college campuses nationwide toward his administration’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Arab and Palestinian Americans left a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night frustrated they did not have a clear understanding of how the Biden administration might act upon their concerns as the Israel-Hamas war devastates the civilian population in Gaza, participants told CNN.