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China completes world’s first 5G remote surgery in test on animal | South China Morning Post

China has successfully tested the world’s first remote-surgery equipment using 5G mobile network technology. In the January 8 procedure, a doctor in the southeastern province of Fujian removed the liver of a laboratory test animal at a remote location, by controlling robotic surgical arms over a 5G connection.

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Living with kidney failure in China | South China Morning Post

Sun Wenjuan has been fighting for her life for the past 16 years, while her parents have been scraping by so they all can survive. Both of Wenjuan’s kidneys failed while she was still a teenager and ever since she’s had to undergo dialysis treatment two to three times a week. Thanks to the kindness of strangers and …

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The dramatic abdication of Malaysia’s King, Sultan Muhammad V | South China Morning Post

Malaysia’s national palace announced Sunday that King Sultan Muhammad V has abdicated his role as Agong – or “king of kings”. The January 6 announcement did not provide a reason for the King’s decision to step down from the largely ceremonial position, in which he had served only two of his five-year term. The Oxfor…

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Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang and top police officer in Japan car crash | South China Morning Post

A top Hong Kong police officer was involved in a head-on crash in Japan on Christmas Day with a car carrying actor Eric Tsang Chi-wai. Director of Crime and Security Li Chi-hang was sent to hospital before being transferred to another facility by helicopter for surgery. Tsang was conscious after the incident and has…

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The Yakult story: Japanese health drink conquers the world with beneficial bacteria | South China Morning Post

The first bottle of Yakult was produced in 1935 in Japan. Japanese scientist Minoru Shirota came up with the health drink by combining using water, skimmed milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, citrus aroma — and of course live bacteria. Shirota had discovered the presence of lactic acid bacteria in human intestine…

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102-year-old great-granny becomes the world’s oldest skydiver | South China Morning Post

A 102-year-old great-grandmother is believed to have become the world's oldest skydiver after descending 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) through the South Australian sky. Irene O'Shea’s successful tandem dive at the age of 102 and 194 days broke the world record. She took the plunge to raise funds for a motor neurone dis…

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Congolese ‘Doctor Miracle’ receives Nobel Peace Prize for helping rape victims | South China Morning Post

Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, 63, and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, 25, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2018 for their work against sexual violence as a weapon of war. Mukwege, also known as ‘Doctor Miracle’, helps his patients in the Democratic Republic of C…

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Man sets off explosive on crowded bus in Sichuan | South China Morning Post

A Chinese man ignited an alleged explosive on a bus, injuring 17 in southern China’s Sichuan province. The shocking CCTV video shows a man queuing to board a bus suddenly lighting a bag of alleged explosives at the door and throwing it inside the crowded bus. The bus windows shattered, and 17 passengers were injured…

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CRISPR/Cas9: a gene-editing tool with promise and peril | South China Morning Post

Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, has claimed to be the first person in the world to use an editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically engineer a pair of twin babies. This technology is relatively fast, simple and inexpensive and opens doors to potentially lucrative biotech and medical advances, as well as sparkin…

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Chinese scientist claims to have created world's first gene-edited babies | South China Morning Post

A Chinese researcher claims that he has helped make the world's first genetically modified babies, Lulu and Nana. The researcher, He Jiankui, says the twin girls’ DNA was altered with the CRISPR gene-editing tool to switch off an HIV-related gene so they would be born with an immunity to HIV viruses. Chinese health …

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China postpones easing ban on tiger and rhino parts | South China Morning Post

China has backtracked on a controversial move to ease a ban on using tiger and rhino parts for “scientific, medical and cultural purposes”. Environmental groups protesting against the move said it would be a setback to the efforts of protecting endangered animals. A senior official told Chinese state media Xinhua on…

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Yangtze River recovery: divers and robot struggle to find sunken bus | South China Morning Post

Rescuers have been trying to locate a sunken bus since it plunged into the Yangtze River after crashing into a car. Over 10 people were believed to be on the bus. Two people have been confirmed dead. The driver of the car is being treated in hospital. Recovery progress has been hampered due to low visibility and dif…

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Search for survivors ends in Sulawesi triple-disaster zone | South China Morning Post

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi was struck by a triple-disaster on September 28, 2018. The search operations that followed the earthquake, tsunami and soil liquefaction are now coming to an end. At least 2,073 people lost their lives. 82,000 people have been displaced in the seaside city of Palu alone. There are s…

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Inside the Afghanistan clinic that delivers more than 60 babies a day | South China Morning Post

Afghanistan is still struggling to recover from years of war. One consequence of decades of conflict has been the toll on healthcare. The country has one the world’s highest infant and maternal mortality rates. But humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres has been working to change that. It opened a matern…

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Amid dengue fever outbreak, Hong Kong schools battle mosquitoes | South China Morning Post

Hong Kong’s Department of Health has carried out a mass campaign to combat mosquitoes following an unprecedented dengue fever outbreak in the lead up to the new academic year in September. During August, 26 people contracted the mosquito-borne virus in Hong Kong. People with dengue fever display symptoms including h…

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20,000 pigs culled amid African swine fever outbreak | South China Morning Post

20,000 pigs were slaughtered as African swine fever has spread in hog farms across several cities in China. There are no vaccines to stop the spread of the virus, and a mass cull is the only method to prevent further outbreaks. The virus is not harmful to humans, but it can lead to haemorrhagic fever in pigs. Anothe…

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New ID card to give Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents access to public services on mainland China | South China Morning Post

From September 1, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents will be able to apply for an identity card that will give them access to mainland services. Those who have been living, working and studying on the mainland for more than six months are eligible and card holders will have access to services like medical care an…

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Calls grow for higher wages and better treatment for Hong Kong’s foreign domestic workers | South China Morning Post

Hong Kong’s foreign domestic workers have been referred to as the backbone of the city’s middle class and the engine of its economy. Their presence has allowed families to earn double incomes and the sheer number of foreign domestic workers accounts for 10 per cent of the city’s workforce. But issues such as low wag…

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Secrets of bacteria sharing your carriage on the MTR revealed | South China Morning Post

A study led by a professor at the University of Hong Kong has found that, along with the 5 million people who take the city’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) each day, many more millions of microbes also make the commute. The study examined how humans pick up microbes, offering valuable insight into managing the spread o…

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Touching wedding dance with dying dad | South China Morning Post

An American woman who realised that her dying father would not live to walk her down the aisle decided to film a touching video of them dancing. Meredith Parnell’s father Lynn had been battling cancer for 12 years, and saved up his strength for the “wedding dance”. He died two days later. Years on, the video was sho…

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Vaccine scandal is latest in China's notorious history of substandard infant products | South China Morning Post

Chinese pharmaceutical company Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology has been found to have sold more than 250,000 substandard DPT vaccines to a public health agency in eastern China’s Shandong province. It's not the first time China has been gripped by a scandal over the quality of infant goods, and many parents rema…

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