Feel-good stories to stop the gloom: Pioneering surgery, plastic roads & the haka for Christchurch

From a group of New Zealand students who have killed hatred with love to the first ever 3D printed middle-ear bone transplant, here are three positive stories to show you that not all is doom and gloom in the world.

School boys perform haka to honour Christchurch victims

Video footage of teenage boys performing the haka as a show of respect to the victims of the Christchurch shooting has gone viral. The students from Christchurch Boys High School went to Hagley College to perform the ceremonial dance. Hagley College has become a welfare centre where families of the victims have gathered to mourn and receive help.

Students from around New Zealand joined in on the trend, also performing the haka as a show of sympathy for the families of those affected by the massacre.

Fifty people were shot and killed with at least another 50 injured. The attack on the mosques has left the world reeling. The first funeral is expected to take place on Tuesday. Government confirmed 65 visas have been issued to help ensure family members can attend the final send-offs.

Breakthrough in ear surgery

The University of Pretoria’s health faculty professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team flew the South African flag high recently after they performed a groundbreaking ear operation at Steve Biko Hospital.

A 40-year-old man received a 3D printed middle-ear bone implant, the first of its kind in the world. The implant is expected to increase his ability to hear.

Jeffreys Bay plastic road

The Kouga municipality in the Eastern Cape recently constructed the country’s  first plastic road, according to local reports on Jbaynews.

The project is aimed at providing alternatives to handling excessive plastic rest materials in South Africa as well as at shortening the backlog for road repairs.

It's reported that more than a million plastic bags can be used for one kilometre of road.