The Young Reporter

Just after the US presidential debate on Sept 11, Taylor Swift wrote to her 280 million Instagram followers to declare her support for Vice President Kamala Harris saying she  “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them”.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) The next month, superstar Beyoncé made a surprise appearance at Harris’s Houston rally in the closing days of the campaign.  In addition to tech billionaire Elon Musk, popular podcast host Joe Rogan and Oscar-winning director Mel Gibson endorsed former President Donald Trump. Controversial influencer Logan Paul even interviewed Trump on his podcast “Impaulsive” in June.  During the presidential election campaign, a constellation of A-list celebrities leapt from the stage to the political arena, rallying behind both presidential candidates. However, despite the star-studded spectacle, Harris’s disappointing election results suggested that such an approach may be less effective than anticipated.  The trend of celebrity endorsements is not new in American politics. In the 2016 and 2020 elections, notable figures such as Lady Gaga and Jay-Z campaigned for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden respectively. John Affleck, Department Head for Journalism at Pennsylvania State University, said that many seek to portray themselves as socially responsible.  “There’s a public service aspect. I’m a good person, putting out these democratic values, asking people to vote,” he said.  Affleck added that some celebrities hope to connect with fans who share their beliefs, enhancing their visibility. “Someone may not know you that well but then you espouse this political viewpoint. And I might also have that political viewpoint, so I might be more likely to listen to your record,” he said.   Matt McAllister, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said that the surge in social media has transformed how celebrities communicate …

Washington, DC – Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election to Donald Trump in a speech on Wednesday afternoon at Howard University, telling her tearful supporters not to give up.  "The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for," she said in her speech. "The light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting." The future of the country is still bright, said Daniel Tellez, 22, an intern in the U.S. Congress from Ohio State University who was at Harris’s speech, adding that the Democrats need to understand the root of the defeat. Donald Trump won the six major battleground states in the U.S., obtaining 312 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed to win, according to the Associated Press, which historically calls the presidential election. “The Democrats should think deeply about why Trump won all the swing states, and Harris could not even get one,” Tellez said. Many experts have pointed to the economy as the key issue for voters. The inflation rate in 2021 was the highest since the 1980s despite significant increases in employment and average pay. “The main thing that differentiates Harris and Trump is the economy,” Tellez said, adding that he thought Trump’s message about the economy was clearer than Harris’s. Harris will be president in the future and bring the nation together,  said Merry, 69, who attended the concession speech and asked not to use her full name. "We all should be optimistic, and it is unnecessary to be anxious about everything,” Merry said. “At this point, we have nothing to do but to accept it,” Tellez said.  

Washington, DC – The economy is a driving issue in today’s presidential election in the United States, voters at the polls said. This is tracked by a September report that said around 81% of U.S. voters cited the economy and high inflation as their top concern, followed by healthcare and Supreme Court appointments, according to a survey from Pew Research Centre. Ben Frank, 34, a resident of Pennsylvania, said he has to pay more to raise a family of seven: “The food prices went incredibly high after the pandemic,” Frank said. “I used to pay US$150 (HK$1166.2) for one week, and it cost me US$200 (HK$1554.92) now.” James Wright, who works at mega retail outlet Target in Pennsylvania, said, “Food and gas are so much more expensive than before.”  In the last month, he spent around US$1,000 (HK$7774.76) on food, gas and other bills, over half his salary. Trump inaccurately blamed Biden’s government in the debate with Kamala Harris: “We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation's history.”  The inflation rate in the world’s biggest economy reached a three-year-low of 2.4% in September from a peak of 8% in 2022, according to the CoinNews Media Group. The inflation averaged 1.9% from 2017 to 2021 when Donald Trump was president, while the average rate has been on track at 5.6% in the past three years. Frank said that Donald Trump could solve the issue, although no further policies were given by the former president except to levy more tax on Chinese and other imported goods. People love Trump because he can bring something special, Frank said, and he thinks Trump’s policy may work if Americans consume more from nearby countries with lower transportation fees. Harris proposed tackling high prices by fighting against …

The Wine and Dine Festival last weekend stopped serving plastic cups following the government's plastic ban and encouraged guests to bring their own glasses or buy them on-site, as visitors increased by 10% from last year. The move aligned with the city’s' plastic-free initiatives, said Raymond Chan Chun-man, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's general manager of event and product development, “We encourage people to bring their own wine glasses. Instead, each visitor will receive a souvenir glass sleeve," he said. Wine glasses were also sold for $50. Participating restaurants and bars were allowed to pass out their own cutlery and cups to customers. “While we do recommend them to use the cups we provided, it is not within our purview to decide how they use them,” said Wong, a staff worker at the event who asked not to disclose his full name. Last year, plastic cups were sold at the festival for HK$5 each. The five-day festival at the Central Harbourfront expanded its opening hours until 11pm for the first time, with more than 300 participating booths offering thousands of global wines and cuisine, attracting about 155,000 visitors. Some visitors said the use of wine glasses enhanced their tasting experience, in terms of flavour and convenience. “Paper cups produce more bubbles in the middle of the drink and indirectly distort the flavour of the wine, whereas glasses do not,” said Kelvin Lee, a clerk at a non-profit organisation that supports children’s mental health. “If you finish a drink from one store and you want to go to the next one, the booth holder just needs to help you to swish the glass with water and then you can continue to use it,” said Jo Man, the CEO of the same NGO. “After guests have finished their wine, we clean their …

Queensland pays tribute to World Mental Health Day with an art exhibition raising awareness about mental health from 4 to 10 October. The Richmond Fellowship Queensland, a leading provider of mental health services, hosted the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition as a part of Queensland’s Health Week, showcasing 270 works of artists with lived mental health experiences. The exhibition has run for 33 years and continues to embrace the power of art and encourage conversations about mental health, recovery and well-being. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in five Australians experienced a 12-month mental disorder between 2020 and 2022, which constitutes a diagnosis of a lifetime mental disorder. Two in five people aged 16 to 24 were diagnosed with a 12-month mental disorder. Tea Delalic, Manager of Communications and Events of Richmond Fellowship Queensland, hopes visitors will develop an awareness of mental health after viewing each piece. “With all our artwork, there’s one common theme you’ll always see and that is hope. It’s no matter what their journey has been, or what they’ve gone through, there is always that hope that things will be okay and it will get better.” Delalic said many artists were initially hesitant to share their art because society places mental health labels that may limit their potential and affect their self-esteem. “Some artists need to come to a few exhibitions first to know that they are capable of doing this. With the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition, artists are like a little team that gives positive feedback to one another.” All works on display are for sale, with 85 per cent of their sales going to the artist. Pauly Jay, a barber-turned-artist who painted live in the exhibition, shared his experience with mental health and passion for street-art style paintings. “I have ADHD and I …

Florian Spiegel hopes to save the planet by promoting fuel-related securities, which represent a part of impact investing. Recently, his company Evident Capital released the world’s first tokenised airplane leasing fund with a fund mandate on sustainable fuels.  The Global Impact Investor Network, a US-based non-profit organisation that promotes impact investing, defines impact investing as investments that aim to create social and environmental impact alongside financial return.  Compared to traditional investment, which focuses on risk and return, impact investment aims to put a new axis on investment-- mainly, the social impact investments have.  In recent years, a growing number of corporations have recognised the importance of aligning their financial investment with their social and environmental goals, and the impact investing landscape is changing as new actors. Spiegel’s company, Evident Capital, aims to improve the financial market through transitional investment, a branch of impact investment. To cut the costs of current fossil fuel giants through cleaning the process, transitional investment incentivises oil and transport companies to invest in fuel-cutting equipment. Evident’s platform receives various private projects and then uploads them as divided digital securities on their network.    One of their projects, a Liquified Natural Gas carrier ship from Honduras, was able to raise enough funding from the security to build and buy new carriers, making it more efficient to use fossil fuels than other companies.  “A one percent decrease in the carrier gas industry can reduce more carbon than what 20,000 solar panels can create in a year,” Spiegel said.  Although official numbers cannot be listed, the company says uploaded products have reached a total of US$ 50 million (HK$ 391 million) within the year they have been on the platform.  “Small to medium investors who want to reach the impact investment market right now do not have enough funds …

Suna Limbu is an ethnic Nepali who lives in Hong Kong. Her five-year-old son, Abhinvadil Tamang, is enrolled in Integrated Brilliant Education Limited’s IBEL Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation Kindergarten, where they largely teach children from non-Chinese backgrounds. “When my son first started here, he was introverted and struggled to socialise with others. But now, he communicates with his friends and teachers,” she said. Limbu and her family rarely spoke English or Chinese at home. They speak Nepali. “His ability to speak and understand Cantonese has developed a lot. Before, he would only speak a few words. Now, he participates in class discussions and interacts more confidently with his classmates. I’m grateful to see him so happy,” she said. Hong Kong is home to over 600,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds, including about 30,000 students. Yet, the education landscape is challenging for many of these students because of language barriers and social disparities. Manoj Dhar is an ethnic Indian. He came to Hong Kong in 1999 and saw how ethnic minority children struggled through school. In 2015, he and his wife founded Integrated Brilliant Education Limited (IBEL) to provide subsidised Chinese-language tuition to students from non-Chinese backgrounds. Today, IBEL supports more than 260 individuals across the organisation’s two tutoring centres in Jordan and Sham Shui Po. “We cannot ignore the fact that language is not just a skill but a key that opens doors," said Dhar. “Back then, I saw these kids being left behind because of a lack of resources and support. I wanted to create a space where they could thrive, receive a quality education and feel valued.” After operating two tutoring centres for underprivileged children for over seven years, Dhar realised they needed to start proper schools to influence the education system and introduce mainstream Chinese …

The Chief Executive proposed to reduce liquor tax from 100% to 10% in this year’s policy address. This festival serves as a platform to help merchants advertise their liquors, as their costs are reduced from import duty adjustment.

Go down an unassuming stairway on D'Aguilar Street in Lan Kwai Fong and you will be greeted by a pair of  heavy Chinese-style doors. Further deep underground, you will face a wall of graffiti with the name of the bar, Bamboo. The owner of this Chinese style bar is Ran Guangwu, 25,  a micro-influencer on the mainland's internet. He started the bar with a group of young mainlanders and most of their customers are also from the mainland. "We host different themed events almost every weekend," Ran said. "People come here to relax, It’s like visiting a friend’s house." According to government statistics, the number of mainland students applying for Hong Kong degrees has risen from a maximum of 20% to 40% over one year, and newly enrolled students from mainland China account for 41% of total enrollment universities in Hong Kong in 2023. Meanwhile, a set of key performance indicators shows at least 35, 000 mainland Chinese have entered Hong Kong under the government run talent import scheme since 2023. They can stay in the city for at least 12 months.  Ran Guangwu hopes his bar can offer a home away from home for young mainlanders. Ma Xiaoshuai, 20, a mainland student from The City University of Hong Kong, is a client at Bamboo. “Most bars in Hong Kong are either too fancy or too wild, but this one is just right—very down-to-earth,” he said. He has made new friends there who share his background. Shi Zhengqi , 20, grew up in Fujian and moved to Hong Kong with his parents in recent years to restart his high school life. “We’ll be playing lots of table games here that you’d only find on the mainland, such as  Miss Card and King’s Game,” he said. Shi said the life pace …