The Young Reporter

Around 2,000 protesters gathered in Brisbane’s central business district on Oct.19 to call for an end to mass immigration, which they believe is worsening Australia’s housing and cost-of-living crisis.  Nearly 300 counterprotesters joined nearby, with banners calling the protest a racist and fascist movement.  This is the second round of anti-immigration protests, also known as “March for Australia”, across the country.  The first was held on Aug. 31 with thousands protesting in major cities, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. In Brisbane, 6,000 protesters, out of a city of 2.5 million, joined the demonstrations.  “Racism may intensify, and I feel concerned about my safety,” said Alice Wong, 28, a Hong Kong student in Melbourne planning to obtain permanent residency, who didn’t go to the protest for physical safety concerns. Wong said the protest promotes the idea of white superiority.  “When they protest against immigration, it feels like they think immigrants are taking away their resources, like housing or job opportunities,” she said. Australia’s housing market is surging at its fastest pace in almost four years, with Brisbane becoming Australia’s second-most expensive housing market, according to the House Price Report in 2025.  Kev, 72, an Australian who participated in the protest and preferred to keep his last name anonymous, said he has never seen a country in such a bad economic position.  “We’ve never had so many people coming to the country so quickly, and the government has been no help,” he said. In September 2023, Australia’s net overseas migration peaked at 558,000 after lifting COVID-19 restrictions, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  Australia recorded a net overseas migration of 446,000 people in 2024, down from the previous year but still far from pre-pandemic numbers of 239,000 in 2020. Kev said he isn’t against immigrants, but he wants to see …

18:39 Among the nine senior generals previously announced as expelled from both the Party and the military following review by the plenum session, eight had been members of the 20th Central Committee. The nine disciplined senior generals are He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin, Lin Xiangyang, Qin Shutong, Yuan Huazhi, Wang Houbin, and Wang Chunning. (LIU Ci, DU Xiatong) 18:36 Despite consistently ranking as the top four alternate members in votes for two consecutive terms of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Ding Xiangqun, Ding Xingnong, Yu Lijun, and Yu Jihong were not elevated to full membership at this Plenum. Lieutenant General Ding Xingnong serves as the Deputy Political Commissar of the PLA Rocket Force. The other high-vote recipients were Ding Xiangqun (Party Secretary and Chairwoman of China People's Insurance Group Co., Ltd., and also serves as Chairwoman of China People's Property Insurance Co., Ltd), Yu Lijun (Head of the Organization Department of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee), and Yu Jihong (President of Beijing Normal University).（WEI Yanfangru） 18:30 The Plenum proposed to further advance the construction of Digital China. The Digital China initiative, first produced in 2023, stands as the most overarching proposal, encompassing the development of digital infrastructure and data resource systems. It is dedicated to integrating the content, services, and industrial growth within China's existing internet ecosystem. (CAO Zijian, LI Zhongyi) 18:30 The Plenum proposed accelerating the pursuit of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening to lead the development of new quality productive forces, a concept not only including the well-concentrated industries like AI, Biotech, and Electric Vehicle, but also including frontier industries like Quantum Technology and Life Science. (CAO Zijian, LI Zhongyi) 18:26 The Plenum pointed out that efforts should be intensified to rectify wage arrears. (LI Xiang) 18:25 The Plenum urged more …

Pravakar Bogati, 22, graduated with an engineering degree in Nepal last year, but has been unable to find a job in the capital of Kathmandu despite months of looking. So when protests broke out in early September, he joined, hoping his voice would lead to political change. It worked. After six days of violence, large-scale protests in different cities that saw more than 70 killed, mostly young protesters shot dead by police, the prime minister resigned and parliament was dissolved. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed interim leader, and a general election is now scheduled for March, sparking hope for reform, particularly among Gen Z. Experts, meanwhile, are calling for institutional changes in the country's economy and society. Bogati said it was important to stand up to let the government know the demands of the public.  “It was not about toppling the government,” he said. “We wanted to let them know that there are certain people among the youngsters who have a different view on the political stances of the people and how the government should be run, how the country itself should be.” A decade-long civil war transformed Nepal from a 240-year-old monarchy to a republic in 2008. Three major parties have dominated the government since: The Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). In a game of political “musical chairs,” as Bogati describes it, there have been 13 prime ministers from these three political parties since 2008.  Bibek Raj Kandel: “The old narratives the political parties used to sell about how they managed to make the country a republic no longer resonate.” Bibek Raj Kandel, an analyst and AsiaGlobal Fellow at the University of Hong Kong, said Gen Z protested for change because they did not experience the monarchy …

Life at Lung Kwu Tan village, located at the west end of Tuen Mun, is disrupted by the construction of I･PARK 2, an emerging waste-to-energy incinerator. Villagers worry about even more garbage trucks driving through Lung Kwu Tan Rd, the only road connecting the residential area with the outside world. I･PARK 2 is crucial to help Hong Kong achieve the zero-landfill goal for direct municipal waste disposal, as set out in the Waste Blueprint 2035. However, Tuen Mun West already hosts many energy and waste facilities, including the WENT Landfill Extension Project and T･Park, the first self-sustainable waste-to-energy facility in Hong Kong that uses sewage sludge as fuel.   

Video description: Super typhoon Ragasa has toppled trees and caused flooding in many areas. Local green institutions, Hong Kong Timberbank and sunflower farm Shun Sam Yuen are calling for more environmental awareness as they deal with the aftermath. Reporters: Sean Cheng Tsz-sen, Vinci Ao Wei-ying Editor: Vinci Ao Wei-ying

Ng Po-ki, the 34-year-old star with boy band Error, was not performing at Tai Po Sports Ground on a recent Tuesday evening. Dressed in a blue T-shirt bearing "Tai Po Running Club", Ng was seen warming up with a crowd of more than 60 runners in the club that he founded. Hands clapping, runners changed their stretching poses from left to right. After the warm-up session, the pacers divided people by skill level, tightening their shoelaces before the run. From urban pavement to sports tracks, the area soon resonates with the sound of determined footsteps as runners begin their run. “I am here to support these people on their running journeys, whether it’s for health or personal best," said Ng who founded the club in 2023 with former TV journalist, Lau Chun-kong, following a local TV sports reality show that documented celebrities training for a marathon. Amid Hong Kong’s growing fitness enthusiasm, the running club is more than a place to sweat, it is a hub for social bonds. It has helped transform Tai Po, a district framed by valleys and rivers, into a vibrant destination for both seasoned athletes and casual joggers. Tai Po, a suburban district in northeastern Hong Kong overlooking the Tolo Harbour with a growing population of 300,000, has been highly favoured by runners and cyclists along its tree-lined coastal walkways. Ng recalled the club’s beginning with only a dozen participants.  “When more people join the running, some members come up with different plans and set the levels of intensity based on each individual’s ability. Some groups stay in the sports grounds, some have street running," Ng said. The club now holds free running sessions every Tuesday evening and Sunday morning. Welcoming all fitness levels, it has drawn over 21,000 members to its Facebook group. “I …

A developer update to the first-person shooter video game Counter-Strike 2 triggered a collapse in its virtual trading market on Oct 22, wiping out almost US$2 billion in real money. Valve, the American video game developer of Counter-Strike 2, released an update that allowed players to more easily craft rare weapon skins in the game, causing a plunge in the value of skins that are purchased and traded with real-world money. Although the value rebounded in November, it remains below most buyers’ original purchase price. Skins are virtual cosmetic items that change the appearance of weapons without affecting the gameplay. They are categorized by color, ranging from basic white to the rarest gold. The price of gold skins dropped by approximately 30% to 40%  on the international third-party game trading platform Buff Market, hitting players who had collected them as virtual investment commodities for future resale and rental. Previously, the gold skins could only be obtained either by unlocking in-game loot boxes containing randomized virtual items such as skins, gloves, and other weapons, or by trading with other players through third-party online marketplaces, including NetEase Buff and Youyou Youpin, which are both platforms that primarily serve Chinese players. John Liu, 20, a mainland Chinese student at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said he purchased a rare “marble fade” butterfly knife skin for approximately 13,000 yuan (HK$14,201.54) on NetEase Buff because he anticipated later reselling it at a higher price for a profit. After the update, the “marble fade” Butterfly knife’s skin value fell to 5,999 yuan (HK$6,553). “I just gave up on selling after seeing the price hit its lowest point a couple of days ago,” he said. According to data from Buff  Market,  several virtual items in the game, such as gloves and knives, experienced a price recovery in …

Video description: Super typhoon Ragasa has toppled trees and caused flooding in many areas. Local green institutions, Hong Kong Timberbank and sunflower farm Shun Sam Yuen are calling for more environmental awareness as they deal with the aftermath. Reporters: Sean Cheng Tsz-sen, Vinci Ao Wei-ying Editor: Vinci Ao Wei-ying

The number of Hong Kong students studying in Australia has dropped to a 20-year low, according to government data, signalling a shift in study abroad preferences among Hong Kong students.  Data from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs reveals a stark decline: only 1,766 student visas were issued to Hongkongers in the 2024-2025 period – less than a quarter of the total from two decades ago.  The trend is part of a broader downturn in new enrolments from key markets. Mainland Chinese students newly enrolled at Australian universities in the same period also fell by 2.4% to 41,442, contributing to a 17% year-on-year national drop in new international students reported in August 2025, according to Australia’s Department of Education. Despite this, the total number of international students studying in Australia remained unchanged. This could be a result of an influx of students arriving from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and the continued presence of returning students. Hongkongers have long favoured Australia for its high-ranking universities, friendly immigration policies, and minimal time difference from home. However, observers have noted a combination of factors that are diverting Hong Kong students elsewhere. Willy Kwong, a Hong Kong-based migration agent, said the drop is partly due to the expansion of tertiary education opportunities in Hong Kong, which has reduced the need for students to study abroad. Australia has been known among Hong Kong students as a popular backdoor into competitive fields. Health-science majors such as physiotherapy, veterinary studies and environmental studies have been particularly popular as admission is often more accessible than Hong Kong. Kristy Lau, a Melbourne-based education consultant, said many secondary students were drawn to Australian universities as a more accessible alternative to highly competitive local programmes in Hong Kong.  “The acceptance rates of these [health-science related] majors at Australian universities …