World News by Wild Rose

Thirty-one years ago, Hongkonger Raymond Lo Shu-yuen was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer and had a quarter of the organ removed. Now 75, Lo said the illness, despite its physical and mental toll, had taught him invaluable lessons about ageing, health and making the most of life. “I can say that the cancer itself saved me,” he said. “Why? If I did not have this illness, I would not have changed my past lifestyle such as working hard like a dog, eating a lot of junk food, doing no exercise...

Hong Kong’s health minister has warned that the city will need to “bear the consequences” of exaggerating concerns over the employment prospects of nurses, as such remarks could deter new blood from joining the profession. “I do not want recent comments, such as claims that ‘[nursing] graduation equals unemployment’, to dampen the interest of our younger generation in joining the nursing profession,” Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Thursday. “Training nurses takes time, and [the number...

Five public universities in Hong Kong have ranked in the top 100 of a renowned British publication’s latest global league table, as part of a trend described as a “historic realignment” of academic prowess from West to East. The University of Hong Kong remained the city’s highest-ranked tertiary institution, holding onto 33rd place from the previous year, in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on Wednesday. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) ranked 42nd,...

In the second instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick investigates the drug-interaction risks of combining Chinese remedies with Western medicine, and how Hongkongers can protect themselves from avoidable complications. An elderly woman with a mechanical heart valve was taking warfarin, a blood thinner to prevent and treat blood clots, when she began using the Chinese herb danshen, often marketed for “blood circulation”. Her blood lost...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has delivered a Mid-Autumn Festival blessing to residents from outer space, expressing her deep affection and longing for her home city. “Looking at the moon from here and looking down at the earth, I increasingly miss my family and friends in Hong Kong,” Lai Ka-ying said in a Mandarin speech recorded in China’s Tiangong space station. “On this occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wish people across the country good health and a happy family, as well as a happy and...

Hong Kong has cut its rate of cancer-related deaths by more than 40 per cent over the past three decades, the health minister said, as the city’s leader renewed his pledge to make it a hub for medical innovation. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau outlined the city’s progress in cancer control at the World Cancer Congress, which is being held in Hong Kong for the first time. Citing figures from 1993 to 2023, Lo said Hong Kong’s age-standardised cancer mortality rate had fallen by more than 40 per...

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan gives its universities an opportunity to show what their research can do for the city. Its ambitions for technology, regional development and international cooperation depend on decisions about institutions and people’s lives. Social scientists should help shape those decisions from the outset. The blueprint explicitly addresses public governance, including civil service performance, departmental coordination and digital administration. It also provides for...

Hong Kong deserves credit for its first five-year plan, accompanied by a detailed policy address. The plan establishes a useful framework beyond the annual policy cycle. Precisely because this is an important first effort, it is worth asking what could make the framework even stronger. One striking omission is that the five-year plan never explicitly mentions climate change. This does not mean Hong Kong is failing to act. On the contrary, the plan and policy address contain many measures dealing...

In the first instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Lisa Cam and Ashlyn Chak explore how a new generation of health-conscious youth is discovering century-old leung cha and helping neighbourhood tea shop owners safeguard a dying trade. Long before modern chain pharmacies and over-the-counter painkillers were readily available in Hong Kong, there were leung cha: intensely bitter herbal “cooling teas” brewed in massive brass cauldrons in traditional...

Doctors in Hong Kong have been urged to arrange blood tests for patients with symptoms of chikungunya fever, regardless of their travel history, after the city recorded its first local case of the mosquito-borne disease this year. The Centre for Health Protection issued a reminder to doctors on Thursday after a 55-year-old woman with no recent travel history was reported as Hong Kong’s first locally acquired chikungunya fever case in 2026. “To facilitate early diagnosis and timely public health...

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has said it will funnel HK$3 billion to support the construction of a Life and Health Academic Research Building at the city’s new Northern Metropolis University Town. During his policy address on Wednesday, Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu announced the creation of an integrated teaching and scientific research building in the Northern Metropolis. In a statement issued soon after the chief executive’s speech, the club said its Charities Trust had made a donation that...

Hong Kong health authorities are investigating an outbreak of suspected food poisoning that hit 39 pupils and staff members who ate lunch at a Sha Tin school earlier this week. Twenty-three boys and 14 girls, aged between five and 11, from Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School and two employees, aged 34 and 38, were affected. They developed stomach pain and diarrhoea about eight to 22 hours after eating school lunches provided by a supplier on Wednesday. A spokesman for the school,...

About 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s first batch of dental graduates who underwent mandatory internship training have joined the city’s Department of Health, a move that has helped “significantly ease” the manpower crunch. The development followed a controversial amendment to the Dentists Registration Ordinance in 2024, requiring all dental graduates in Hong Kong to complete a 12-month internship before obtaining a full licence starting in 2025. The measure aimed to enhance hands-on clinical...

The suicide rate among under-15s in Hong Kong rose to a decade-high in 2025, going against a downward trend overall, with social media activity strongly predictive of cases among young people, according to research from a local university. The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong also used World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday to call for schools to ramp up support for students in light of a spate of suicide attempts around the start of the academic...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying has conducted a live lesson for students of her alma mater from the Tiangong space station, showing them how chicken wings are cooked in zero gravity and how she locates the city’s lights from the darkness of space. In a livecast to teachers and students of Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College on Wednesday that was also streamed at other campuses across Hong Kong and Macau, Lai offered a glimpse of life in orbit and the experiments her team...

Biomedicine is set to feature in Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, due to be unveiled next week, as the city’s top officials signal closer medical cooperation across the Greater Bay Area. Lending weight to those ambitions, global pharmaceutical company GSK emphasised its interest in expanding its role in the region’s biotech development on Wednesday, at the fifth Hong Kong International Biotechnology Conference and Exhibition (BIOHK). Speaking at the event, Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, will deliver a live lesson from space to students and teachers at her alma mater at 9.50am on Wednesday, with the 90-minute event broadcast to campuses across the city and streamed live on television. Lai and her two fellow Shenzhou-23 crew members – mission commander Colonel Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan – will take part in the “Tiangong Class” at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College. Representatives from the youth sector and innovation and...

Hong Kong secondary school students’ performance has fallen in an international assessment focused on three core subjects, with their science score dropping out of the global top 10 for the first time in the study’s history. Experts said on Tuesday that the decline in Hong Kong scores in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) was partly due to the post-Covid impact on study habits and learning motivation. Held every three years, Pisa is a worldwide study by the Organisation...

First Hong Kong astronaut Lai Ka-ying will deliver a live lecture from space to students and teachers at her alma mater on Wednesday morning, with the session also broadcast to pupils across the city and in neighbouring Macau. According to an Education Bureau notice delivered to all primary and secondary schools on Tuesday, Lai, alongside her two fellow Shenzhou-23 crew members, mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan, would take part in the “Tiangong Class” at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen...

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific and Google are expanding AI-powered flight trials designed to steer aircraft away from contrail-forming zones in the Asia-Pacific region, using the data to inform broader sustainability decisions. Condensation trails, or contrails, form when aircraft fly through cold, humid patches of air, trapping atmospheric heat and accounting for roughly one-third of aviation’s total climate impact, according to Kemal Armada, product manager for climate and AI at Google...

Elite British universities are prioritising authentic curiosity and academic resilience over rigid test prep and “perfect personal statements”, top admissions officials have told an education summit in Hong Kong. Representatives from the “golden triangle”, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, spoke on day two of the Global Education Summit, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and HSBC Premier. The session focused on studying...

In the fourth instalment of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on Hong Kong’s growing wellness trends, Lo Hoi-ying examines how telehealth is reshaping access to care, as practitioners warn it cannot fully replace in-person diagnosis. Hong Kong housewife Chan Ket-yee, nearly 60, has battled severe eczema on her neck and underarms for decades. Splitting her time between the United Kingdom and the city, Chan saw a dramatic improvement after visiting a Hong Kong public dermatologist, whose...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying and her two fellow Shenzhou-23 crew members will deliver a live lecture from space for students and teachers in the city and neighbouring Macau. Hong Kong authorities revealed on Saturday plans for live broadcasts of “Tiangong Class” to take place soon, without specifying the date and time. The activity, jointly organised by the Hong Kong and Macau governments and the China Manned Space Agency, includes an expert lecture, an in-orbit demonstration and a...

Medical experts have stressed that Hong Kong’s next generation of healthcare professionals must combine clinical rigour with emotional resilience, an open-minded approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and the drive to transform the sector. The remarks came during a panel on the first day of the Global Education Summit, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and HSBC Premier. “We always talk about people going north, going to Shenzhen … for medical services. But I would say that it’s a...

Hong Kong health authorities have detected seven additional suspected food poisoning cases linked to a hotel restaurant in Yau Ma Tei, raising the total number of affected diners to 14. The Centre for Health Protection said on Saturday it had identified three additional food poisoning clusters involving The Astor restaurant at Eaton HK, after initially announcing two clusters on September 3. “The centre’s preliminary investigations revealed that all five clusters are epidemiologically linked,”...