Periscope

Varsity surveyed more than 260 secondary school and university students to find out about their reading habits. Read the full results here.

Hong Kong currently ranks 37 among 97 countries in the Open Data Index but the city has set ambitious goals to be 'smarter'. But without legislating for access to information, and without providing data in friendlier fomats, those ambitions will be hard to realise, say open data advocates.

People and groups loyal to the Communist mainland and Nationalist Taiwan used to battle for influence in colonial Hong Kong. But as the economic and political clout of the People's Republic China has risen, support for the Kuomintang cause has waned. The KMT presence has become even more low-key after 1997 but Varsity finds there are still nationalist die-hards in the S.A.R.

Alternative tour operators offer new choices to diversify the city’s tourism offerings and explore the growing markets of ecotourism and cultural tourism.

This issue of Periscope looks at the difficulties workers face in claiming compensation for industrial accidents, at the uphill struggle to improve workplace conditions and get recognition for work-related health problems in the service industry, and at attempts by freelancers and casual workers to form unions.

Almost 70 per cent of young Hongkongers support the localists, our survey finds. We look at how Secondary School students view the localists, and why they think localism is the way out for Hong Kong.

Why does Hong Kong not have a political green party that can fight and win elections? Politicians can push green policies and legislate change, but some say there’s not much politicians or even the government can do in a town dominated by property developers and landowners.

They found themselves in the headlines when they fought to save their homes in Choi Yuen Village. But their houses and farms were finally demolished to make way for the controversial Guangzhou-Hong Kong Express Rail link. Now, the TV cameras have left and some of the original villagers are stuck in temporary houses while their dreams for a new model village are held up by red-tape.

During last year’s Occupy movement, the “reclamation” of Civic Square and the tents, study areas, libraries and art in the occupied sites of Admiralty, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay showed how collective actions could take place within public spaces. While the government tightens restrictions on the use of public space, it seems the public is awakened to the idea of public space as a place to express ideas.

Meet the local Cantonese-speaking parents who will only speak to their children. They say they want their kids to have a head-start. But experts tell Varsity kids have more to gain from a multilingual environment.