The pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily looked set to close for good by Saturday following police raids and the arrest of executives - a move that critics say undermines the city's status as a free and open society as Beijing tightens its grip.<br /><br />Mark Simon, an adviser to the jailed owner and staunch Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, told Reuters on Monday the newspaper would be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after authorities froze access to the firm's core operating capital, needed for staff wages and other expenses, on national security grounds.<br /><br />In an internal memo to some staff seen by Reuters, Apple Daily said the board of its parent company, Next Media, would decide by week's end whether to keep going.
