World News by Wild Rose

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,”...

Hong Kong authorities are considering genetic testing as a supplementary tool for identifying breeds, an official has said after enforcement action against suspected fighting dogs sparked public concern. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) also said on Thursday that owners could keep existing fighting dogs, provided they complied with statutory requirements, and urged owners not to abandon their pets. Dr Michelle Yeung Lee, the department’s principal veterinary officer,...