Apple Daily, regarded as among the few independent media outlets in Hong Kong, will halt its operations by midnight tonight with its last print edition on Thursday, after police froze assets linked to the paper and arrested its executives. The popular daily tabloid made the announcement shortly after the board of directors of Next Digital, Apple Daily’s parent company, said on Wednesday that it “regrets to announce” the decision to close the pro-democracy newspaper, citing “current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong.” Next Digital is an investment holding company with a focus on media and publishing businesses. The announcement, which preceded Apple Daily’s announcement, had previously said that the last print edition would be on June 26 with the digital version accessible until 11:59 p.m. on the same day. “The company thanks our readers for their loyal support and our journalists, staff, and advertisers for their commitment over the past 26 years,” the …