Chinese-backed authorities in Hong Kong have been successful in taking down the biggest pro-democracy publication Apple Daily. Last night, it closed in a blow to freedom of the press in the increasingly China-controlled territory. In the last week, its senior editors were arrested and bank accounts were frozen amid claims of breaching the national security law that basically bans criticism of China. Apple Daily’s founder Jimmy Lai is a prominent pro-democracy activist – he’s already in jail on a string of charges. In a statement last night, management said it had to shut “in view of staff members’ safety”. That makes today’s edition of the paper its last after 26 years. Meanwhile, the trial for the first person to be charged under the national security law kicked off yesterday without a jury. Pro-democracy protester Tong Ying-kit – who faces life in prison for carrying a flag with a protest slogan – has pleaded not guilty. #SquizShortcuts