The Young Reporter

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered the 2025-2026 Budget speech on Wednesday. He said that “strictly containing public expenditure is a must” and it is crucial to strive for a balance among restoring fiscal balance and lowering potential impacts that may arise. For the coming fiscal year, the total government expenditure will increase by about 8.9% to HK$822.3 billion, while the total government revenue is estimated to be HK$659.4 billion. Chan expects that there will be a deficit of HK$67 billion for the year, and fiscal reserves will decrease to HK$580.3 billion. Here are the key takeaways of this year’s budget plan.  

Far-right supporters demonstrated against left-wing extremism while antifa supporters called out the rise of fascism in the city centre of Berlin on Feb. 22, one day before Germany’s federal election. One of the right-wing protests was organised by Ferhat Sentürk, the founder and leader of a far-right party, Bürgerliche Allianz Für Deutschland, or Civic Alliance for Germany, formerly a member of Alternative for Germany, or AfD.  A group of far-right supporters marched from Dorothea-Schlegel-Platz near Friedrichstraße Station to Berlin Central Station waving the national flag of Germany. Meanwhile, another group of antifa supporters gathered in Schiffbauerdamm to protest against the far-right supporters. Police set up blockades on both sides of the far-right demonstration route to prevent clashes. “If you have a child as a woman, you may not be able to have a legal abortion because some populists and moralists believe that our self-determination does not matter,” said Penelope Alva Frank, a LGBTQ activist, during a speech in the antifa protest. “We have to show that we resist as German people against this far-right propaganda, and this far-right movement is against human rights,” said Marianna, a Green party and antifa supporter who did not disclose her surname because of privacy concerns. Despite police interventions, some antifa supporters managed to block far-right protesters on Hannoversche Strasse for about an hour. The Young Reporter reached out to a number of far-right supporters during their demonstration, but they claimed they do not speak English. The far-right AfD gained widespread support in states that were formerly part of East Germany and nearly doubled their seats to 152 in the Bundestag, according to the Federal Returning Officer. The Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union in Bavaria, a centre-right alliance, won 208 seats and became the dominant force in the Bundestag.  The incumbent governing coalition, …

Germany shifts to the right after reaching a voter turnout of 82.5% in the 2025 federal election, a record high since the unification of Germany.  On Sunday, voters elected a new Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, commonly known as CDU/CSU, a centre-right political alliance, top the election result taking 208 seats with 28.5% of the votes.  The far-right nationalist party, Alternative for Germany, or AfD, comes in second with a record 20.8% votes. It now holds 152 seats, according to The Federal Returning Officer. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor candidate of CDU/CSU, is set to become Germany's next leader,and will put together a governing coalition. Prior to the election, CDU/CSU was the largest opposition party in the Bundestag. CDU represented  the alliance in 15 of the 16 states, while CSU only contested in the southeastern state of Bavaria. Mark Schneider, CEO of a startup company and a member of CDU, said he believes the party can form a strong government that is able to make clear decisions. “Germany is facing a downshift in the economy. We are not in the best moment,” Schneider said. “Europe has a lot of challenges, including the war in Ukraine. But the last three years of the government were very weak.” He said he would prefer not to have a coalition government, but he suggested the CDU should ally with the Free Democratic Party, another centre-right political party.  FDP lost all of its current 92 seats with only 4.33% of the votes, and failed to meet the 5% threshold needed for parliamentary representation.  CDU/CSU’s election campaign promised a crackdown on immigration and a deregulation of Germany’s ailing economy. The country’s GDP has decreased for two consecutive years, according to the Federal Statistical …

Hong Kong Rope Skipping Championships 2025 organized by Hong Kong Rope Skipping Federation (HKRSF) was held on March 8 at Olympian City 2. Previously held in the Yuen Long Jockey Club Building Sports Centre, this is the first time this competition was held in a shopping mall. “In the gym, only the family and friends of the athletes would be there to watch, but in the mall, many passersby would also stop and watch the game,” said Leung Kin-lok, 31, a member of Rope Skipping Sports Federation of Hong Kong.  More than 400 players participated in this competition, the highest in five years. The event features speed and endurance races, as well as synchronised and wheel fancy dress races.  “The mall provided us with site and security assistance, and we brought more foot traffic to the mall,” Leung said. “I think the change of venue this time is quite a successful breakthrough.” “By holding activities in places with a larger flow of people, we hope that more people can learn about the skipping rope culture and join this sport in the future,” said Leung. Kwok Long-yin, 13, said that he has been participating in this competition for 4 years, but competing in the mall really gives him a very special and enjoyable experience. "The atmosphere is great and many passing spectators cheer us on, which gives me greater confidence,” Kowk said. Since 2014, The Olympian City has been regularly organizing sports-related events, such as the Hong Kong Breakdancing Team Selection Competition and Summer City Sports Carnival. This rope skipping competition is held annually and it is the only selection for the Hong Kong China Team recognised by the International Rope Skipping Organisation.  For this competition, only members of the HKRSF are eligible to participate. Competitors who score 20 points within …

Tropical Cyclone Alfred, South East Queensland’s first tropical cyclone in 50 years, is predicted to make landfall on Australia’s eastern coast with dangerous winds and heavy rainfall on Friday night or Saturday morning.  The more than 2.5 million people in Brisbane may experience winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour and up to 200 millimetres of rain by Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, As of Thursday, BOM stated that Alfred was still over 200 kilometres east of Brisbane, but may bring damaging storm tides and major flooding when its centre crosses the coast on early Saturday.  Alfred is the first cyclone to hit the region since Cyclone Zoe in 1974, less than two months after Cyclone Wanda flooded 13,500 homes.  Cyclone Alfred, a category 2 cyclone, has winds with an average maximum speed of 89 to 117 kilometres per hour,  A category 2 cyclone is destructive enough to damage infrastructures, cause power outages, and uproot trees, said Xiaocheng Yu, a climate science researcher at the University of Queensland. “Due to its stable circulation pattern,  Alfred is expected to stall near Brisbane, increasing the risk of intense and prolonged rainfall,” she said.  She mentioned that intense rainfall could lead to flooding, especially in Brisbane, where a river runs through it.  “Tropical cyclones are small-scale, high-variability systems, making accurate predictions challenging,” she added.  She encourages the public to stay indoors and take precautions to protect their homes and garages from flooding.  Brisbane resident Taneen Estah, 19, said she is concerned. “I’ve never experienced one. Nobody in my family knew until yesterday. We live on a hill, so we might not experience flooding, although we may be stuck at home for a few days,” she said.  Estah said she struggled to stock up on necessities due to panic-buying at supermarkets. …

Marimo Lai, a 53-year-old clerk in Hong Kong, sat in the canteen and took out a blood glucose monitor from her bag before having lunch. Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago, testing her blood sugar level  has become part of her daily routine. The results showed her blood sugar was stable. Marimo has been ordering her food under a personalized meal plan for two years. “Ever since I found this kind of lunch box, it has been much easier to control my blood sugar,” she said. Marimo’s food is from Nutribute, a catering company that claims to provide a balanced diet. A typical meal costs $63 per set and more for special needs such as diabetes and pregnancy. Nutribite has sold 22 million meal boxes in 2024, and sold their products at more than 100 Pacific Coffee shops and Hung Fook Tong shops in Hong Kong, showing more Hongkongers want to embrace a healthier diet with convenience labeled nutritional lunch boxes, said Susan So, the general manager of Nutribite. At present, about 700,000 people in Hong Kong  suffer from diabetes, according to the Hong Kong Diabetes Federation, and it will surge to 920 ,000 by 2030, accounting for 13% of the total population. Terry Ting, 50, is a registered dietitian. “As more people recognize the importance of a balanced diet especially after the pandemic  but lack the  time and money to cook for themselves, the demand for such services will grow,” he said. He thinks these food companies should follow government guidelines in their nutrition labels. Other healthy food delivery platforms in Hong Kong include WeBite, Eatology, Fittery, Nosh and Calfit. WeBite specialises in group meal deliveries to offices and campuses.  “They started to provide this service to Hong Kong Baptist University in November 2024, and …

Chu Fuk-ling and Jack Zhu vigorously swung their paddles, and the ball swiftly crossed the net. They secured third place in the men's doubles at the Hong Kong round of the 2024 Pickleball World Championships in December. “Pickleball has evolved in terms of speed and technical variety in recent years, and players now not only master the standard forehand and backhand shots but also frequently employ techniques such as drop shots, which are used to surprise opponents,” said Ho King-choi, a coach with the Pickleball Association of Hong Kong, China.  Racket sports, such as pickleball and padel, are gaining popularity among people of all ages, leading to an increase in various programmes and clubs aimed at promoting these emerging sports in Hong Kong. However, when it comes to venue allocation, pickleball benefits from government support, which provides more accessible public venues, while padel does not. Pickleball has been around since 1965, but it has picked up in popularity over the last few years. A bit like a combination of tennis and badminton, two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a hollow plastic ball over an 86-centimetre-high net until someone wins. In the US, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport, with more than one million children playing and has the largest participation rate from those aged 25 to 34, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association report in 2024. Hong Kong has more than 12 public venues for playing pickleball, and the city ranked among the top 11 in regional search popularity for pickleball, according to Google Trends.  Joanna Hiew, a pickleball player, was watching the finals of a pickleball tournament and said anyone can participate in the competition as long as they form a team. “The tournament of pickleball is usually flexible, with the team of the …

The Hong Kong Sevens is underway at the new multi-billion dollar Kai Tak Sports Park. The rugby tournament is set to welcome more than 43,000 fans worldwide over three days with a total of 26 games. Reporter: Audrey FU Editor: Gigi Ho Wing Chi

The government said it plans to increase the quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and continue its Belt and Road Scholarship to attract more talented international students under the “Study in Hong Kong” brand.  The number of places for PhD students will increase from 300 to 400 per year, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po in the budget address on Wednesday.  The PhD fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$337,200 and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$14,000 per year for a period of up to three years. “The cost of living in Hong Kong is extremely high. International students really need scholarships plus tuition to survive in Hong Kong,” said Felipe Kondo, 21, an undergraduate student from Brazil who received a University Grants Committee scholarship.  Hong Kong is the most expensive city in the world for international employees, according to research from HR consulting firm Mercer.  “Without the scholarship programs, I do not think I would have come to Hong Kong,” Kondo said. According to official figures, the Hong Kong government set up the Belt and Road Scholarship Scheme in 2016 for students from selected countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. From 2016 to 2021, more than 330 students from countries along the Belt and Road have received this scholarship from the Hong Kong government, and this number is increasing year by year.