HONG KONG: Hong Kong police arrested a former senior journalist with the Apple Daily newspaper at the international airport on Sunday night on a suspected national security charge as he tried to leave the city, according to media reports.
Fung Wai-kong would be the seventh staffer at the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper to be arrested on national security grounds in recent weeks. He was an editor and columnist at the now-closed paper, Hong Kong media reported.
Police said in a statement that a 57-year-old man had been arrested at the airport for “conspiring to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security.” They added that he had been detained and investigations were continuing.
A former Apple Daily journalist, Jack Hazelwood, said on Twitter that Fung was attempting to board a flight to London and called on British authorities to take action.
Apple Daily, a popular tabloid, was forced to fold following a raid by several hundred police on its headquarters on June 17 and the freezing of key assets and bank accounts. It printed its last edition last Thursday.
Authorities say dozens of the paper’s articles may have violated a China-imposed national security law, the first instance of authorities taking aim at media reports under the legislation.
Critics of the law, introduced last June, say it has been used to stifle dissent and erode fundamental freedoms in the former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Some of the critics also say the closure of Apple Daily, which mixes pro-democracy views with celebrity gossip and investigations of those in power, marks the end of an era for media freedom in the city.
Officials in Hong Kong and China have repeatedly said media freedoms are respected but not absolute, and cannot endanger national security.
The shutdown of Apple is the latest setback for media tycoon Jimmy Lai, the newspaper’s owner and a staunch Beijing critic, whose assets have been frozen under the legislation and who is serving prison sentences for taking part in illegal assemblies.
Lai is also awaiting trial after being charged with collusion with foreign forces, which carries up to life in jail.
The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association, reacting to reports of the airport arrest, condemned the police for targeting journalists again, and asked them to explain the incident.
In a move seen as another blow to press freedoms in Hong Kong, online pro-democracy media outlet Stand News said late on Sunday it would stop accepting monthly sponsorship from readers and shelve older commentaries for now.
Stand News said most of its directors, including barrister Margaret Ng and singer Denise Ho, had accepted recommendations to step down.
Two founding directors, Tony Tsoi and chief editor Chung Pui-kuen, would remain, it added.
Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily journalist at airport
https://arab.news/8356c
Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily journalist at airport
- Hong Kong police arrest a former senior journalist with the Apple Daily newspaper at the international airport.
- Apple Daily was forced to shut down following a raid by Hong Kong police on its headquarters on June 17 and the freezing of key assets and bank accounts.
MrBeast’s first Saudi-shot video racks up tens of millions of views as Riyadh Season leans into his brand
- ‘100 Pilots Fight for a Private Jet’ amassed around 72m views and tens of thousands of comments within days of release
- Production coincides with ‘Beast Land,’ a theme-park-style experience at Riyadh Season
LONDON: MrBeast’s first video filmed in Saudi Arabia has pulled in tens of millions of views within days of release, coinciding with Riyadh Season 2025’s celebrations themed around the US creator’s extravagant stunts and big-money giveaways.
The YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, published “100 Pilots Fight for a Private Jet” on Saturday, featuring 100 pilots from different countries competing for a private jet worth about $2.4 million. The episode follows his signature formula of large-scale, elimination-style challenges built around eye-catching prizes.
Within a few days, the video had amassed around 72 million views and tens of thousands of comments, underscoring the continued global pull of MrBeast’s content. Organizers of Riyadh Season have highlighted the collaboration as a sign of the festival’s growing international profile.
Donaldson, who began posting videos in 2012, has become one of the world’s most influential online creators, with more than 450 million subscribers and a business empire spanning sponsorships, consumer brands such as Feastables, and food ventures including MrBeast Burger.
Various estimates value his wealth in the billions of dollars, although figures differ across sources.
His rapid rise has also brought scrutiny. A reality competition project, “The Beast Games,” has faced lawsuits alleging unsafe working conditions, harassment, and withheld pay and prizes, claims that Donaldson has dismissed as being “blown out of proportion.”
Some of his high-profile philanthropic videos, such as funding eye surgeries, hearing treatments, or well-building projects in Africa, have been questioned by observers who argue they blur the line between charity, branding, and spectacle.
Despite the controversy, his popularity remains strong, including in the Middle East. In Riyadh, he has lent his name and concepts to “Beast Land,” a temporary theme-park-style experience running from Nov. 13 to Dec. 27, featuring obstacle courses and game-style challenges reminiscent of his online videos.
The collaboration comes amid a broader push by Riyadh Season to cement the Saudi capital’s status as a major entertainment destination. Last year’s edition attracted more than 20 million visitors from 135 countries, and organizers say they expect greater numbers this year.
