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Li Ka-shing’s CK Life unit eyes China fast track for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

CK Life Sciences, a unit of Li Ka-shing-backed CK Group, plans to bring its cancer vaccine candidates to mainland China through a “fast track” channel as Beijing moves to accelerate early-stage drug development. “We are planning to run investigator-initiated trials [IITs], hopefully, in the next year,” CK Life Sciences’ vice-president and chief scientific officer Dr Melvin Toh Kean-meng said in a recent interview. His comments came as CK Life Sciences set up Sequencio Therapeutics in Hong

European countries appeal to Israel to abandon plans...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Four European countries have called on Israel to abandon a bill seeking to revive the death penalty for people convicted of acts of terrorism, a measure opponents say would target only Palestinians. In a joint statement on Sunday ahead of an anticipated final vote in the Knesset on Monday, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom expressed their “deep concern” about the bill. “The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring...

Why Kenneth Rogoff thinks China’s yuan will be a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Professor Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University has repeatedly warned that the US dollar is approaching a crisis of legitimacy. Having written extensively on the global recession in the late 2000s, Rogoff has turned his focus to the US currency’s increasingly unstable place at the top of the world’s financial hierarchy. A former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and a chess grandmaster, he published Our Dollar, Your Problem in May last year. In this interview, Rogoff

UK’s PM Starmer to host industry leaders for Middle...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Monday convene senior government and military officials alongside energy, shipping, finance and insurance sector leaders to discuss the Middle East war, his office said late on Sunday. The round table meeting in Downing Street will examine the impact of Iran’s effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up oil prices and costs in various sectors around the world. Participants will include representatives from energy giants

Can Hong Kong hitch a ride on China’s commercial...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

China’s 15th five-year plan is about to make commercial aerospace a mainstream pillar of national development, and Hong Kong cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Whether the city can translate this national push into concrete local strengths will become a test of its ability to integrate with – and contribute to – China’s next wave of strategic industries. Commercial aerospace has moved to a full-scale strategic policy in just a few years, sitting at the intersection of satellites,...

Man charged in Germany after fatal stabbing of his...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

A man has been charged with stabbing his wife, daughter and son in the western German city of Witten, resulting in the death of the 13-year-old boy, prosecutors said on Sunday. A judge at the district court in the nearby city of Bochum issued an arrest warrant on suspicion of murder and the man has been remanded in custody. The suspect has made no statement, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office said. The 40-year-old German national was detained on Saturday. Police said an argument...

Netanyahu says Israel will widen its invasion of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, adding that “Hezbollah still has residual capability to fire rockets at us”. There were no immediate...

Hundreds flee as fire rips through German nightclub

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Hundreds of people were evacuated from a nightclub in southwest Germany after a fire broke out, police said on Sunday, with images from the scene showing the blaze raging on the building’s roof. Police said the fire began at around 3.45am in the nightclub in Kehl, which is on the border with France. The blaze went on to “spread over the whole building”, a police statement said. All of the roughly 750 people inside at the time were able to escape, with three people treated by emergency...

Israeli police prevent Catholic leaders from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

The Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, the Latin Patriarchate said on Sunday. Jerusalem’s major holy sites, including the church, are closed because of the continuing war in Iran, as the city has come under frequent fire from Iranian missiles. The Catholic Church called the police decision “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate...

Elite sports training opens new doors for Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In Kai Tak Arena, under bright lights, a group of young fencers crossed blades in a demonstration bout that drew sharp intakes of breath from the crowd. Silver medallist Ho Sze-long from the 15th National Games of China faced off against Chan Lok-hei, a two-time junior silver medallist in Hong Kong, their movements precise and swift. Nearby, nearly 170 young fencers competed in the Champions Cup for 20 coveted places

Philippine oil refiner Petron buys Russian crude,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Petron, the Philippines’ only refiner, has procured 2.48 million barrels of crude oil from Russia as the Southeast Asian nation scours the world for alternative suppliers to support domestic energy needs with the war in Iran raging. “If the current crisis persists and alternative crude sources remain unavailable or insufficient, Petron may again be compelled to consider purchases of Russian crude oil to augment the national fuel supply,” parent company San Miguel said in a statement to market...

Vietnam arrests 74 over falsified environmental,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Authorities in Vietnam have arrested more than 70 people, including government officials, accused of falsifying data from air and waste water monitors at power plants and other major emitters, state media said Sunday. The state-run People’s Police newspaper said police had identified “nearly 160 environmental monitoring stations that had been tampered with, altered and had their data falsified” – accounting for more than half of the total number of stations nationwide. Police arrested 74

‘Doctrine of the Mean’: how the US lost a 2-decade...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

For decades, the United States led the charge in the pursuit of brain-computer interface technology, betting big on bold, high-risk breakthroughs that promised to revolutionise medicine and human-machine integration. In the end, it is China crossing the finish line first. Using a semi-invasive approach that may lend credence to the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” – or the philosophy of seeking a middle path between extremes – a team in China has now come up with a commercially approved

Ukraine strikes Russian Baltic port, hundreds of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

A drone strike claimed by Ukraine triggered a fire at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga as the regional governor on Sunday reported new damage at the major exporting hub hit for a second time in days. Ukraine has intensified retaliatory attacks on Russian infrastructure – including refineries, oil depots and ports – saying they are justified as part of the effort to cut revenues funding Russia’s offensive. “There is damage to the port of Ust-Luga. There were no casualties,” Russian regional...

Quieter, stealthier, further: new hybrid unit to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

A hybrid propulsion system designed to make small battlefield drones stealthier and go further has passed its flight tests, according to Chinese state media. The system’s motor is driven by fuel-powered electricity, combining two systems to make the best of both, according to a report on Friday on CCTV-7, China’s military television channel. Drone propulsion has largely followed two distinct paths. Fuel-powered systems are typically used in bigger uncrewed aircraft, offering strong

Iran targets Bahrain aluminium, 2 injured amid Hormuz...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Aluminium Bahrain, which runs one of the world’s largest smelters, said on Sunday it was assessing the damage following Iranian strikes on the facility and another major aluminium producer in the United Arab Emirates. Two employees at Aluminium Bahrain were hurt in Saturday’s attack, the state-controlled company said, while regional peer Emirates Global Aluminium’s site sustained ‌significant damage from missile and drone strikes the same day. Most Gulf aluminium producers, which account for...

Brace yourself for conditions at fire-hit Wang Fuk...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Hong Kong authorities have warned former residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court to brace themselves for the conditions in their homes when they return next month to collect belongings, while saying that those with health issues, among others, should not enter the buildings. The government also provided residents with psychological assessment questionnaires to help them decide whether to return home as part of an operation starting on April 20, according to notices seen by the South China...

Japan upgrades destroyer with Tomahawk missiles. Why...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

Japan has upgraded a naval vessel with capabilities to fire long-range Tomahawk missiles, with the first firing test expected this summer – a move experts said would pose a security threat to China. The Aegis destroyer Chokai “completed modifications and crew training” in the US that started in October, “confirming its acquisition of Tomahawk missile launch capabilities”, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Friday. He said a ceremony marking the acquisition of these

French prosecutors open terror probe after Bank of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/29

French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into a suspected attack targeting Bank of America’s Paris headquarters after the reported overnight arrest of a man who allegedly tried to ignite an improvised explosive ‌device outside the US bank’s premises. In an emailed statement to reporters, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said the investigation involves the suspected attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist plot,

1 month, 2 straits, more strikes: how long will the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/28

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, another major shipping lane is at risk of closure but the chances of a prolonged conflict remain slim, according to Chinese analysts.The assessment came on Saturday as Iran-backed Houthi rebels joined the fray by firing missiles at Israel from Yemen. The Israeli military said it intercepted one of the projectiles. Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted a Houthi source as saying the missile attack was meant “as a warning”. The Houthis...

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