Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Newspaper Apple Daily to Cease Operations This Week  

The parent company of Hong Kong pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper announced Wednesday that it will shut down the publication this week. 

Next Digital, owns Apple Daily and is one of the largest media company in Hong Kong, released a statement saying the final print and online editions of Apple Daily will be published no later than Saturday, June 26, citing “the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong.” Local news outlets say the Apple Daily’s final print edition will come out as soon as Thursday.    Apple Daily and its 73-year-old publisher, Next Digital founder and owner Jimmy Lai, have been the target of Hong Kong authorities since China imposed a strict national security law last June in response to the massive and sometimes violent anti-government protests in 2019.    The newspaper’s offices were raided last August after Lai was arrested at his house on suspicion of foreign collusion.