Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, symbol of pro-democracy movement, to close

Tabloid founded by Jimmy Lai and targeted by police raid last week will print final edition on Thursday

• The blackest day': Apple Daily's demise comes as no surprise

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, will shut down online at midnight on Wednesday and print its final edition on Thursday, in a move observers fear signals the death knell for press freedom in the territory.

The paper and its activist founder, Jimmy Lai, had become symbols of the pro-democracy movement and a thorn in the side of Hong Kong's government and police, making it a prime target in the government's efforts to stifle Hong Kong's media.