TOP STORIES
Hong Kong’s last Eurasian otters spark a conservation race
- 2025-12-26
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lou ZhengzhengEdited by: LIU Yutong
- 2025-12-26
North of Lantau Island, waves crashed against coastal rocks. In February 2024, a team from Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden discovered a white, crumbly solid — the first Eurasian otter feces recorded there in half a century. Back at the lab, Aiko Leong Kwok-yi, a 30-year-old conservation staff at the Fauna Conservation Department under the KFBG, handled the sample for DNA testing, leaning in to sniff its scent. “Otter faeces do not smell foul, they smell salty like dried salted fish. When fresh, it smells like tea, jasmine tea, not stinky at all,” Leong said. The discovery on Lantau Island has ignited a fragile hope for Eurasian otters clinging to survival in the city. With only seven individuals remaining, primarily in the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Wetlands, the otters are at extremely high risk of extinction. In response, KFBG, the only local team dedicated to otter conservation, launched a two-and-a-half-year Eurasian otters research project on Dec. 1 this year. The project received HK$2.2 million funding from the Civil Engineering and Development Department. The study will deepen understanding of the distribution and status of otters, identify habitats and threats of it within Lantau Island, beginning with the collection of feces samples. Leong, who joined the team in 2020 and now leads the project, set her sights on animal research after reading about legendary conservationist Jane Goodall at the age of 11. “Jane Goodall’s story just hit me that there are people who can work with animals every day. I found my life’s purpose at that moment,” Leong said. “From that day on, I've been heading straight in this way, never turning any corners,” Leong added. The path has been physically demanding. During early fieldwork, she navigated slippery coastal rocks, once nearly falling into the sea. “I asked myself, why …
The story of Peter: How socially vulnerable people in Denmark reintegrate back into the society
- 2025-12-21
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LEUNG Chi NgaiEdited by: SIU Tsz Hang
- 2025-12-21
Reported by Bono Leung Chi-ngai Edited by Henry Siu Tsz-hang Video description: Peter is one in around 17,000 people in Denmark receiving a Socialt Frikort, a card that is applicable for socially vulnerable people to obtain a certain amount of tax-free income. He is currently a driver for PantForPant, a working community under the NGO Foreningen Gade Liv that hires socially vulnerable people. Here he shares his reintegration process back into the society.
Mourners grieve at Taipei Main Station after deadly stabbings
- 2025-12-21
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHAN Wing Yiu、LAI Uen LingEdited by: Wing Chi HO
- 2025-12-21
Flowers, handwritten notes and candles for memorial are placed at Taipei Main Station, following a deadly attack on Friday night that left at least four people dead and 11 others injured. Police said the suspect, Chang Wen, 27, set off multiple smoke bombs inside the station before launching a knife attack. Police added that he later moved to the Zhongshan shopping district, a popular commercial area, where the assault continued. After the attacks, the suspect fell to his death from a department store building, Director-General of National Police Agency of Taiwan Chang Jung-hsin said at a press conference. Authorities said Chang had an outstanding warrant for evading military service and is believed to have committed the crime alone. While the motive remains unclear, investigators said the attacks appeared to be planned. In response to the incident, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an announced on Saturday that the city government implemented various measures, including strengthening police deployment and increasing random inspections throughout the city. Around 2,000 police officers are assigned at metro stations and other key locations to enhance security measures across the city, according to the National Police Agency. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged a full public inquiry and offered condolences to the victims and their families on his official page. According to his Facebook page, he visited hospitals on Saturday to meet survivors and express support.
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai found guilty in national security trial
- 2025-12-17
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Dake LiuEdited by: LAI Uen Ling
- 2025-12-17
Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, 78, the founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was found guilty on three charges of violating national security. Lai was convicted of two counts of "conspiracy to collude with foreign or external forces to endanger national security" under the National Security Law and one count of "conspiracy to publish seditious publications." He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Judge Esther Toh Lye-ping said in the judgment that Lai's evidence was “contradictory and inconsistent and he was evasive and unreliable in many instances" and dismissed some of his testimony. The court also said in concluding remarks that during the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement, Lai had “constant invitation to the US to help bring down the Government of the PRC with the excuse of helping the people of HK.” The trial, which spanned 156 days, is the first in Hong Kong to involve the charge of "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.” Lai was arrested by Hong Kong's national security police in August 2020 and has remained in custody since December that year, a detention of nearly five years. Hong Kong’s officials and Beijing's official representative body the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong have both issued statements welcoming the court's guilty verdict. Press freedom organisations around the world criticised the ruling. Reporters Without Borders wrote in a statement that it is a “shame trail” for Lai and “emblematic of a wider and devastating collapse of press freedom” in Hong Kong. The British Consulate General in Hong Kong and the European Union Office in Hong Kong also issued statements to show their concern regarding the verdict. The British Consulate General condemned “the politically motivated prosecution" on Monday evening and called for “immediate release” of Lai. Lai became a British citizen after obtaining a UK …
No more clubs and wine: the rise of morning rave in Australia
- 2025-12-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHAU Wing YauEdited by: KURNIAWAN Trista Vania、LAI Uen Ling
- 2025-12-16
Young Australians are leading a new trend all over social media, focusing on alcohol-free socialising and personal wellness. The trend is on the news everywhere in Australia. Data shows 76% of 1000 young Australians, aged 18-24, prefer to socialise without alcohol. Meanwhile, one in four Australians has reduced their alcohol consumption over the past year. Instead of bars and clubs, people in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne are flocking to cafes and bakeries hosting 8 am morning raves to kick off the day feeling fresh and energised.
Remnants of the City of Victoria: from colonial boundary stones to modern hiking landmarks
- 2025-12-11
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHEN Xiyun、FENG Zhenpeng、Li YinhengEdited by: YANG Haicen
- 2025-12-11
Along the shaded fitness path on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley, a weathered stone stands quietly by the trail. “City Boundary, 1903,” reads its surface, reminding pedestrians of the remnants of Hong Kong’s colonial past. “I'm not sure what they are, but they lie along my running route, so I always treat them as rest stops and jogging milestones,” said Solo Chan, 56, a hiking fan who walks along Broadwood Road daily. “Every time I meet a new one, I pause and search for the recreational spot recommended nearby, so that I can decide the next leg of my trip,” Chan added. “It has become a great pleasure of mine during the daily morning runs.” These stone monuments, now over a century old, were erected in 1903 by the British colonial government to delineate the limits of the early developed administrative area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, called the City of Victoria, according to the Development Bureau. The stones are crafted from hard granite, with a square columnar body and a pointed pyramidal top. They were originally designed to be approximately 1.3 meters high, but current records indicate that some stones are between 98 centimetres and 1 metre in height. The boundary the stones mark is still legally defined in the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance, and include what Chinese residents commonly refer to as the “Four Circuits and Nine Yeuks,” the colonial-era predecessor of today’s Central and Western District and Wan Chai District, according to official records from the Lands Department. Although the city’s boundaries have since expanded and no longer carry significance in city planning, they offer tangible links to the history of Hong Kong’s urban development, the Development Bureau added. Now, they have become landmarks for hikers to check in. “People look for boundary …
“I’m raising the child I once was”: why young Chinese find healing in personified pet parks
- 2025-12-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Li ZhongyiEdited by: YANG Haicen
- 2025-12-11
Outside a small pet barbershop, a brown poodle stood on a grooming table while a groomer trimmed its coat. On the fresh grassland a short distance away, a Border Collie ran through a line of training obstacles, landing steadily after each jump. Nearby, a Teddy dog sat in a stroller, waiting for its afternoon snack as its owner stood beside it. This scenario was taking place in reality in a pet entertainment park named LOHAS located at the top floor of China plaza in China Guangzhou’s Yuexiu district. Opened at the end of 2025, the park is the first-of-its-kind in Guangzhou, pet-themed entertainment zone that comes with a hotel, club, barbershop, grocery store, coffee shop and even a “marriage corner” for pets. Hegla Li, 26, and her one-year-old Border Collie, Doubao, are one of the first customers at LOHAS. “I am always afraid my little one might get lonely and depressed at home, so I took him to the pet entertainment park, basically to help him make more furry friends,” she said. Li, single and unmarried, has no plan for having a child and recently put on hold her plans of furthering her studies of medicine and travelling around the world, all for her furry friends. “To me, my dog is the emotional anchor that brings me comfort. Doubao gives happiness, energy and vitality and I would like to give him my company, money and anything that I think is interesting and worthy to him in return,” She said. There are many young Chinese like Li who would much rather devote their energy and resources on pets rather than building a family. Since 2020, the birth rates of China have been continuously declining and dropped to an all-time low of 6.39% in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics …
Performative Male: Gen Z new solution to attract female?
- 2025-12-11
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: FENG Zhenpeng、Li YinhengEdited by: LAI Uen Ling、LI Sin Tung
- 2025-12-11
“Performative male”, a western Gen Z pop trend begins to enter Asia. Young people have unique attitudes and views towards performative male in Hong Kong. TYR spoke to Gen Zers and psychological expert to know more about what behind the new trend. Reported by Stephen Feng Zhenpeng, Henry Li Yinheng Edited by Elaine Lai Uen-ling, Tricia Li Sin-tung
More than a toy: how plush “babies” fill an emotional void for Gen Z
- 2025-12-10
- Culture & Leisure
- By: Ye Enyi、ZHENG XinyiEdited by: LIU Yutong
- 2025-12-10
Yin Yunjie, a 24-year-old financial accountant, not only owns plush toys, but also raised them. She talked to it, celebrated its birthday with a cake and worried about it like a parent. Her “baby” is a cotton doll modeled after her idol, Liu Yaowen from the leading popular boy group in mainland China, Teens in Times, also known as TNT. “When I leave for work, I say goodbye. When I come home, I hug him first,” she said. “If I don’t come back at night, I’m afraid he’ll be scared sleeping alone and feel lonely.” “It truly became an indispensable part of my life,” she added. Yin represents a growing Gen Z trend of "cyber parenting," where plush toys like Labubu, Chiikawa, and Jellycat are raised as emotional companions rather than mere collectibles or decorations. This shift is emerging alongside the rapidly expanding plush toy market, which is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.1% from 2025 to 2032, led by the Asia-Pacific region at 9.6%, according to Persistence Market Research. In addition, Gen Z builds identities and communities around their plush “babies”. These toys provide comfort and a sense of stable connection, filling a gap left by fragmented real-world relationships, according to Wong Ho-chun, 29, assistant professor of sociology and social policy department at Lingnan University. While millennials and Gen X might cherish stuffed animals for comfort or decoration, Gen Z engages in “cyber parenting,” said Wong. “The contemporary world is fragmented and high-pressure, demanding constant multitasking and production,” Wong said. “But dolls are always there to be with them and ‘listen’ to their thoughts as the outside world changes quickly.” “In this context, plush toys fill a void, serving as both an emotional comfort and a compensation for diminished social interaction,” Wong added. Yin …
Legislative Council Election 2025: generational handover as members stepping aside for younger generation
- 2025-12-08
- Politics
- By: Dake LiuEdited by: LAI Uen Ling
- 2025-12-08
On a November morning in Hong Kong, the sun scorching the tiled roof of the Wong Tai Sin Temple, hundreds of people pressed together to head to the main altar in a rite for the upcoming Legislative Council election. Devotees walked slowly past the great bronze incense burner, heads bowed, respectfully planting three sticks of incense each. Alan Chan, 68, edged forward in the slow-moving river of bodies, his three incense sticks already lit and trembling between his fingers. For decades this had been his quiet anchor: a bow, a murmured name — Tommy Cheung Yu-Yan. But the 76-year-old lawmaker had just announced his retirement from Legco after 25 years. His prayer caught in his throat. He stared at the altar’s flickering candles, the sea of unfamiliar faces on campaign flyers taped to nearby pillars. "These young candidates I don’t recognise a single one…How am I supposed to vote? How am I supposed to pray?" he said. Cheung is one of 12 current Lego members aged 70 or above who declared they will not run in this year's election, including former Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yin, 74, and convener of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, 75, accounting for a little over a third of all 35 lawmakers who announced their election withdrawal. Most veteran lawmakers said that they hope to make way for the younger generation. This unprecedented wave of withdrawals is despite no existing legislation specifying a retirement age limit for members of Legco. Although the reasons for the generational shift remain unclear, some commentators have speculated that Beijing seeks a younger cohort of legislators who will appeal to Hong Kong’s youth and align more closely with national development priorities. Martin Cheung Tat-ming, Chief Researcher at a leading local think tank, said the most direct reason why …