News
Dare to taste? Sweden’s Disgusting Food Museum arrives in Hong Kong
- 2026-10-02
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Li Yinheng
- 2026-10-02
Presenting more than 80 unusual foods from 35 countries with their historical and cultural background, the Disgusting Food Museum opens up to the public from Sept. 29 till Nov. 26. “People should come with an open mind to see things that they haven’t really seen before,” said Andreas Ahrens, the CEO and founder of the Disgusting Food museum. Coming to the exhibition with a given vomit bag, visitors can tease up to eight selected foods at the end. The museum’s concept originated in Malmö, Sweden, had recorded 761 vomits over the eight years, and had tours to Los Angeles, Berlin, Bordeaux and Taipei, attracting more than 500,000 visitors. Follow the link below to watch the full reel: http://www.youtube.com/shorts/6pVvPC0A1bc Reported by Audrey FU, Linnea Hedman Edited by Henry Li Yinheng
Women’s sports is on the up in longest‑ever women’s world road race
- 2026-09-28
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: RONG Miu Tung ShellyEdited by: CHAU Wing Yau
- 2026-09-28
MONTREAL, Canada Sept. 26 - The Women Elite Road Race of the 2026 Union Cycliste Internationale Road World Championships started its longest race in history, covering 180.4 kilometres after the Union Cycliste Internationale changed its rules. The championships ran for eight days from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27, in Montréal, Canada, featuring 13 separate races. After raising the maximum distance for elite women’s world championship and Olympic road races from 160 km to 180 km, this year’s event has become the longest Women's World Road Cycling Championships since the women elite race was first introduced in 1958. The eight-lap course in Mount Royal circuit had passed through Côte de la Polytechnique with a gradient of over 11% and finished at the uphill of Avenue du Parc. In the final laps, the women's elite riders have to climb roughly 2,150 of the 2,570 metres total, testing riders' endurance. Around 141 riders have joined the Women Elite Road Race on Sept. 26. Demi Vollering from the Netherlands won the championship, beating Katarzyna Niewiadoma in the race, while Elisa Longo Borghini took bronze. Amanda Spratt, an Australian 39-year-old rider, finished 39th, said her strategy to the added kilometres was to conserve energy from the very start by eating and drinking constantly. “I think it is not very hard with the distance in the legs and when you were just doing the climb once,”Spratt said. “But it was definitely difficult for the last two laps, after making so much distance and laps,”she added. Spratt considered it a fun race, despite hours of racing and the punishing laps of Mount Royal. “It was a hard race, but giving up is not really in my DNA.” she said. Around 500,000 audiences arrived at the Avenue du Parc for the eight-day competition. Sean Zimmer, a …
Global visitors flock to Victoria Park for festive lanterns
- 2026-09-27
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Cao Beiyu、MA Yifan ChloeEdited by: Li Yinheng
- 2026-09-27
Hong Kong’s first International Lantern Spectacular is bringing lanterns from more than 20 countries to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, alongside local lantern art and traditional lantern-making craft from Nanjing. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board under the theme “Reunion”, the show was originally scheduled to run from Sept. 17 to 27 but has been extended through Oct.4. Follow the link below to watch the full reel: http://m.youtube.com/shorts/oQcVdWFLN3s?ra=m
Policy Address 2026: Government to relax regulations for cross-border yachts
- 2026-09-17
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: WU Sitan Elaine、PENG Yixin NaomiEdited by: LAU Ka Yan
- 2026-09-17
Video description: The Policy Address 2026 sets out new plans to take forward Hong Kong's yacht economy, including expanded Greater Bay Area cross-border cruising arrangements and streamlined certification for visiting yacht captains. Industry stakeholders are calling for further investment in supporting infrastructure and marine services to underpin the sector's long-term growth.
Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong government to call for private sector bids to build student housing
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- By: MA Yifan Chloe、SHI Puxuan AmyEdited by: CHEN Xiyun
- 2026-09-16
The Development Bureau will put the first student-hostel designated site up for sale this financial year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in today’s policy address. The tendered land will be from Kai Tak, Siu Lek Yuen, Shatin or Tung Chung East, according to the February release of LegCo, with no further details released. The land-selling initiative comes under the Hostels in the City Scheme, jointly launched by the Development Bureau and Education Bureau in July last year, and encourages dormitory developers from private sectors. The scheme was previously limited to the conversion of office buildings and hotels into student housings when introduced in the policy address last year. Ho Hang-kei, a professor researching housing policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said, developing new sites, as opposed to converting existing buildings, will compete for limited construction human resources in the market. He added that it may curb the number of building projects that can commence in the same period. “But in the medium term, I think that’s going to be quite an attractive position, given the steady stream of students and high occupancy rate,” he said. As of April, existing market-run student hostel projects have recorded an occupancy rate of between 98% and 100%, according to the report from Jones Lang LaSalle. Sun Yichen, 22, a master student at City University of Hong Kong, moved into the Yuè Residence in Kowloon in August this year since she failed to secure a place in the on-campus hall in June. Sun thinks that the hostel needs better security arrangements. “It’s very late for me to finish the class at 10 p.m. every night,” she said. “Temple Street draws heavy foot traffic after dark, and there is only one security guard on duty downstairs at the dormitory,” she added. TYR reporters …
Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong moves forward with shift to digital trade
- 2026-09-16
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: XIE Xinni Cindy、LO In Fei FayeEdited by: Li Yinheng
- 2026-09-16
Hong Kong is accelerating its digital trade initiatives by expanding paperless trade documentation and freight data sharing platforms, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in the policy address today. The government confirmed its goal of granting electronic trade documents the same legal validity as traditional paper documents in a response to the Legislative Council in April. “The government will introduce a bill on facilitating the digitalisation of ‘business‑to‑business’ trade documents,” Lee said. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched the Cargox pilot programme in May in collaboration with 21 major banks and leveraged the previously established Commercial Data Interchange infrastructure, with both programmes facilitating digital trade. Philip Li, manager of ICBC (Asia) Market Financing Department, said banks have more channels to access business data from small and medium-sized enterprises through these digital trade information platforms. “These third-party digital platforms add greater credibility to corporate information,” Li said. According to HKMA's research, the infrastructure narrows information gaps between banks and SMEs, helping smaller firms, especially young startups, obtain better loan terms with lower interest rates and less collateral required. Dong Xiaole, founder of Fortunae Limited, said everything in the trading process is becoming digitised, but the number of steps involved may have increased. “For instance, simply stamping a document is so easy, just one quick action, whereas electronic seals require more creation and verification steps,” Dong said. Chan Ka Ming, the Chief Operation Officer of Meat the Next Research and Development Company Limited, said when using electronic systems to process food customs declaration documents, it is necessary to backtrack and redo steps after an initial attempt, resulting in repetitive actions. “Regarding the CDI and Cargox launched by HKMA, we have only looked into it so far and haven't actually tried using these tools yet,” Chan added. According to the policy address, digitisation …
Policy Address 2026: HK$10 billion loan ‘not enough’ for building new campus site, after John Lee announced the development of Northern Metropolis University Town
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: ZHENG WU Anny、ZHENG Yuan ElaineEdited by: CHAU Wing Yau
- 2026-09-16
The new university town in the Northern Metropolis Development area will be expanded, Lee said today in the policy address, but universities, which are expected to fund new campuses, say the government is not offering enough money for building costs. In April, the government announced a low-interest loan scheme with HK$10 billion reserved to support universities in building campuses in the new development area. Dr Albert Chau, the Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) at Hong Kong Baptist University, said the low-interest loan is “not enough”. “Our university may build new laboratories and buildings, and the required funding is substantial, despite a HK$10 billion loan for universities.” Nineteen universities have submitted proposals for building a new campus in NMUT, Choi Yuk-lin, the secretary for Education of Hong Kong, said in a press conference in June. If all the proposals are accepted, each university would receive an average of around HK$500 million. According to the University Engagement Office of HKBU, its new Jockey Club Campus of Creativity, which opened in 2024 on its Kowloon Tong campus, cost HK$2.22 billion for 7,430 square metres, far exceeding HK$500 million. Zhou Haoming, a post-graduate student at the University of Hong Kong, said he is concerned that universities may raise tuition fees to fill the funding gap. “Government loans are a policy concession, but the school will ultimately have to put up the money for construction,”he said. Chau said that the tuition fee at HKBU will only be raised to meet inflation and won’t be a major way to gather funding for expanding the campus site. “We have no reason to transfer the burden of university development to our students. We should set proper tuition figures which students can afford. This is our social responsibility,” Chau said. Universities are expected to seek funds by utilising reserves or …
Policy Address 2026: Government to step up Chinese-language support for ethnic minority students
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Cao Beiyu、Man Cheok Lam LorraineEdited by: FENG Zhenpeng
- 2026-09-16
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government will adopt learning materials tailored for non-Chinese-speaking students and also provide them after-school Chinese language courses from Primary One to Secondary Three. The materials will help them pass two Chinese language standardised tests, which will help them integrate into the community and have more job opportunities. Based on the 2021 Population Census, ethnic minorities make up 8.4% of the population in Hong Kong. Among ethnic minorities under the age of 14, 35% to 38% are unable to read or write Chinese. Bahart Nangia, former director of the Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities and an Indian-Hong Konger, said, “language is the biggest barrier amongst ethnic minorities. Cantonese is not easy to learn.” He said for example, MTR staff may not be able to communicate in English if they need help. Chinese classes in schools are not “fully equipped to be teaching minorities with a cultural dynamic difference,” said Jeffery Andrews, one of the founders of the Diversity Hub, a multi-cultural community space in Hong Kong, as well as the first ethnic minority social worker in Hong Kong. Andrews said the government has put many resources into ethnic minority policies for the last 15 to 20 years but the framework for implementing Chinese as a second language in schools is still weak. Alishiba Matloob Aloosh, a Pakistani Hongkonger podcaster and a former TYR reporter who now works for RTHK Radio 3, said the government should put more effort into tackling the real adjustment issues behind why, even after learning the language, some people still find it hard to adapt in daily life. Discrimination, workplace barriers and difficulties with inclusion in schools and the community are all issues that need addressing. In the policy address, Lee said the scheme for ethnic minorities to serve …
Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong to support AI training for employees and SMEs
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG Shuyi、Yutong SuEdited by: Lou Zhengzheng、QIN Ziyang
- 2026-09-16
The policy address proposed several AI training programs to support employees in enhancing practical AI skills and optimized the existing AI support program for small and medium-sized enterprises. The government will release more than 200 training courses and activities under the “AI for All” programme before the first quarter of 2028. The government’s Employees Retraining Board will release an 18-month AI upskilling campaign in the first half of 2027, offering free online courses on workplace AI applications, expected to benefit at least 40,000 employees. Calvin Cheng, the Executive President of the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said that with subsidies from the government and corporate training, employees would be more willing to spend time learning how to use AI. “Many employees hold conservative views against AI, fearing job displacement,” Cheng said. “Companies need to educate their employees that AI is not meant to replace them, but to help improve their work efficiency.” According to Peter Shum, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, a lack of clear AI strategies from management creates a gap with employees keen to adopt AI but remaining cautious due to data leakage and security risks. Microsoft’s May 2026 Work Trend Index reveals that only 19% of AI users in Hong Kong believe their leadership has set a clear and consistent AI strategy. “The market is flooded with information about AI for SMEs, leaving them confused and unsure of what to do,” said Cheng. “The government can provide some successful showcases as guidance for them.” According to the Census and Statistics Department, as of March 2026, there were approximately 360,000 SMEs, accounting for more than 98% of the enterprises in Hong Kong. “The government needs to prioritize supporting SMEs in the field of AI, because large companies have substantial financial resources to …
Policy address 2026: Expert questions government expectations on expanding new university town
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Jinyang Carlos、ZHENG XinyiEdited by: CHEN Ziyu
- 2026-09-16
The Northern Metropolis University Town will expand to about 300 hectares, as announced in the Policy Address 2026 today, more than triple the size in a 2025 press release from the Development Bureau. The University Town is intended to resolve insufficient land resources, providing more space for the development of innovation and technology, higher education and the cultivation for high caliber talents. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said today this town will become the main development thrust of the Northern Metropolis. The town also encourages institutions from the mainland and overseas to establish campuses in the area, according to the consultation document before the announcement of Hong Kong’s five-year plan. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the government has prepared HK$10 billion in loans to assist the campus development in the Northern Metropolis in his 2026 budget speech. “For now, the return of investing in the university town is uncertain,” said Terence Chong Tai-leung, Executive Director of the Lau Chor Tak Institute of Global Economics and Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Chong said this depends primarily on its ability to attract major companies, yet those companies will not locate there based simply because of the surrounding infrastructure and that the government should adopt a public-private partnership model. “By providing land use to universities free of charge, while the universities themselves are responsible for constructing campus infrastructure. The government could then share the profits once the project becomes profitable,” he said. According to the Government's e-Tendering System, the estimated tender values for San Tin Technopole's supporting facilities,connected to the University Town, exceed HK$1.2 billion in Q3 and Q4 alone this year. Liu Xiao, owner of Golden Harbour Group Limited, a real estate company, said the long-term outlook for real estate around the university town is positive, though short-term …