TOP STORIES
Midea’s Hong Kong IPO drives the market to a two-week high in its first-day trading
- 2024-09-17
- Business
- By: XIA Fan、WANG RuoshuiEdited by: Junzhe JIANG
- 2024-09-17
Midea Group pushes the Hang Seng Index to reach its highest in the past fortnight as the city’s biggest initial public offering in over three years amid the sluggish local market. Under code 0300, the shares of the global electronic appliance giant opened at HK$ 59.2, an 8% increase from its listing price of HK$ 54.8, and closed at HK$59.1. The Hang Seng Index reached a two-week high and closed at 17660.02 accordingly. The Company’s Shenzhen-listed shares climbed by 1.83% last Friday, while the CSI300 index, which indicates the performance of the Top 300 Chinese companies, dropped by 0.42% compared with the previous close. The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets are closed today due to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Midea Group's IPO this time received 5.31 times oversubscription for the public offering and 8.06 times oversubscription for the international offering. It sold 566 million shares after exercising the option to expand its offering by 15% due to the excess demand, according to the company’s filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Foshan-based Midea priced its share at the top of the marketed range of HK$54.8 to raise $4 billion (around HK$31.2 billion), which made it the city’s biggest debut after Kuaishou Technology since early 2021. The Chinese manufacturer introduced 18 cornerstone investors who subscribed to 179.0327 million shares, approximately $1.258 billion (around HK$9.811 billion) of the offered shares. The list includes COSCO Shipping Hong Kong, UBS AM Singapore, and BYD’s subsidiary Golden Link, according to its IPO documents. Despite its strong performance today, Renee Wu, 28, an insurance agent at AIA Group and individual stock trader, remains sceptical about purchasing Midea’s shares. “I won't touch Chinese concept stocks anymore. I feel they lack investment value,” Wu said. “The risks they bring outweigh what they can provide. Chinese concept stocks are …
Huawei unveils world’s first tri-fold phone
- 2024-09-11
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG HaicenEdited by: Ji Youn Lee
- 2024-09-11
Chinese tech giant Huawei unveiled the first tri-fold smartphone, priced at 19,999 yuan (HK$22,000), yesterday at a launch ceremony in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen. Pricier than earlier models such as Huawei’s double-fold phone Mate X5, the newly launched Mate XT is more than double the starting price of Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, which was unveiled just hours ahead. Huawei's foldable phone Mate XT allows users to fold it into three sections like an accordion screen door. According to Yu at the launch, prices for the new smartphone start at 19,999 yuan for 256 gigabytes, with higher memory versions available for 21,999 yuan and 23,999 yuan. The phone comes in red and black colours. “The average consumer has limited knowledge of smartphones, let alone the benefits and value of the products,” said Will Wong, a senior researcher at IDC Consulting. “Therefore, they may be put off by its high price.” New products from both Apple and Huawei will be available from 20 September. Jene Park, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint, said the upcoming new Huawei products are not expected to have a major impact on Samsung's and Apple's business in terms of volume. “With a starting price of 20,000 yuan, more than double the starting price of the comparable iPhone 16 Pro Max, and limited production, the tri-fold phone is likely to be more of a symbol of Huawei's tech prowess than a major sales driver,” said Wong. Although Apple has shown strong demand in China as a mobile phone producer, a recent report released by Canalys in the second quarter shows it has fallen out of the top five in terms of sales for the first time in China, dropping from third to sixth place. “Huawei's new product may not have a huge impact on sales …
Diverse sailors make splashes at Hong Kong Race Week
- 2024-07-23
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG HaicenEdited by: Jemima Badajos
- 2024-07-23
The 2024 Hong Kong Race Week drew to a close on Feb.4. The six day event was the second time it was held since the Covid-19 lockdown in 2019. Ten classes of the event including both professional and amateur levels competed in Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, Stanley, Tai Tam and Lo Chau. This year’s Hong Kong Race Week was co-organised with the 29er Asian Sailing Championships, attracting 273 local and overseas sailors. Asia's top ranked sailors, Hangzhou Asian Games medallists and the winners in the last Hong Kong Race Week also gathered at Middle Island to compete. Many junior athletes from Shenzhen, Nanjing and Qingdao travelled to Hong Kong accompanied by their club coaches or parents to participate in the juniors category, a first for the event.
How is Cantonese opera inherited and evolving in modern society
- 2024-07-22
- The Young Reporter
- By: Yuqi CHU、Yuhan WANG、Jiaxing LiEdited by: Ziyu Bruce Zhao、Yuqi CHU
- 2024-07-22
Cantonese opera is an important part of Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. Despite the challenges this art form faces, many people are still dedicated to promoting and preserving it. At the same time, the Cantonese opera industry has also been adapting to the pace of the new era.
How Green Roofs Can Encourage a Green City Revolution
- 2024-05-12
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: KURNIAWAN Trista Vania、AO Wei Ying VinciEdited by: Elif Lale AYHAN、Yee Ling TSANG
- 2024-05-12
As Brisbane aims to become a greener city, the trend of green roofs is gaining momentum. While green roofs offer benefits, they also present challenges that cities must address before implementing new policies. Green roofs are also just one piece of the puzzle. Rather than relying on green roofs as one solution, cities like Hong Kong should view them as catalysts for inspiring more initiatives that pave the way towards a greener future.
AI-powered health and wellness tools: Personalising medical care at your fingertips
- 2024-05-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jemima BadajosEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2024-05-11
With an iPad’s front camera, artificial intelligence and sitting still for just 30 seconds, Vitals, an AI-powered app, can tell your vital signs by simply scanning the colour changes in your face. Vitals was developed by Panoptic.AI, a Hong Kong-based healthtech company founded in August 2022. The health and wellness monitoring app can identify up to 15 health indicators, including your breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, which can help track current lifestyle conditions and detect any potential health risks down the line. As the colours in your face are affected by blood flow, signals that only show these changes are tracked, which can also filter out “blind spots” such as beards and tattoos. Next, the signals are sent to the company through the cloud, while any personal identifiable information is kept back on the user’s device. Kyle Wong, CEO and co-founder of the start-up, says the product’s idea stems from their previous projects involving temperature screening and thermal imaging technology in large-scale areas, such as border control points and government facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s team realised that it was challenging to identify asymptomatic patients who did not show signs of fever or had taken medication that lowers their temperature, said Wong. “We were doing a lot of research about using a camera, trying to find what other features we can measure from the person,” Wong said. “That led to the idea of what we have now, which is by using a regular camera, and we're talking about the camera of your smartphone, your everyday, off-the-shelf device, we're able to measure these biomarkers,” he said. Artificial intelligence is developing in Hong Kong’s health technology industry as it transforms health and well-being services into a personalised and self-manageable tool. The rise of artificial intelligence in digital wellness …
Dyeing for Sustainability: Reviving natural indigo for eco-friendly textiles | Global News Relay
- 2024-05-08
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ka Man Wong、Jemima BadajosEdited by: Jenny Lam
- 2024-05-08
Environmentally-conscious artists and experts in the textile industry want to go back to the basics by promoting the use of natural indigo.
Women in male-dominated industries try to break the glass ceiling but still face difficulty
- 2024-05-07
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: LIU Yutong、BO ChuxuanEdited by: Yuqi CHU
- 2024-05-07
Christina Ho tried to keep the airplane’s rudder steady while responding to air traffic controls. She used to be a fashion designer but became an airline pilot for one of Hong Kong's leading airlines five years ago. Only 5.8% of the commercial airline pilots in the world are women, according to the data released by the International Society of Women Pilots. “As one of the few girls with no experience or engineering background in the class, I always reminded myself not to compare with others but only try my best,” Ho said. “I’ve never worried about the difficulties of being a woman or other people’s prejudice.” Ho once had an opportunity to enter the cockpit and watch the captain's professional operation when she was a flight attendant. She fell in love with this career and was attracted by its multi-tasking characteristics. “My heart beats faster and faster while taking off and speeding up, ” Ho said. “This experience inspired me to take hold of the motivation to learn when I come across something that captures my interest. ” At first, Ho’s mother didn't understand the hard work involved in the pilot training course. “After I flew with my mother for more than two hours in Australia when I graduated, my mother learned more about my work, understood my pilot dream and supported my career,” Ho said. Being a pilot is one of a number of professions that’s traditionally dominated by men. According to LinkedIn’s 2021 Opportunity Index, 41% of women in Asia Pacific believe they have fewer career development opportunities than men. A third of them thought gender was a barrier and there’s a lack of mentorship for women. Taki Li, 33, a head bartender at Bar Leone in Central, has been in this field for eight years. “My family …
Hong Kong kickstarts monthly pyrotechnics on Labour Day
- 2024-05-07
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: AU YEUNG Jim、AO Wei Ying VinciEdited by: Jemima Badajos
- 2024-05-07
A 10-minute pyrotechnic display lit up the sky of Victoria Harbour on Labour Day. It is the first instalment of the government’s plan to hold pyrotechnics and drone displays every month to better utilise harbourfront resources, boost tourism and stimulate consumption, as explained in this year’s budget address.
Sex Toy stores Unleash the Wild Side of Hong Kong's Bedroom Secrets
- 2024-05-05
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: WANG LudanEdited by: Lisheng CHENG
- 2024-05-05
“I had my first orgasm in my life around 4 am with a vibrator,” said Vera Lui, owner of Sally's Toy, an adult centered store in Central which opened 11 years. ago It is a cozily lit room filled with the smell of woody perfume and piano music. Books on sex and love pile up on the shelves on one side, while another shelf is lined with vibrating dildos of various sizes. There are more than 18 adult stores in Hong Kong, excluding the night stalls that sell adult products in the Yau Ma Tei area. The female sex toys market share was the largest in the world in 2021, and is expected to continue growing, according to the Business Wire research report. Many shop owners and organizations in Hong Kong said that adult toys are not only a pleasure for the body, but also a way for people to explore their own bodies and have a more holistic view of sex. “ I've been having sex since I was 17, but it wasn't until I was 23 that I felt my body was my own, not a tool to fulfill male needs,” said Vera Lui, owner of Sally’s Toy. Lui was given her first vibrator by her husband to explore the body and it changed her mind about sex toys. “It was the first time I used a vibrator,” Lui said. “ After I came home and searched on Google “how to use sex toys”, I understood my lower body structure,” Lui added. After the climatic epiphany, Lui wanted to spread her experience and knowledge about sex toys to as many people as possible. Lui and her husband opened Sally’s Toy in 2010. “You would be hard-pressed to find an adult store in Hong Kong where you could properly …