AstraZeneca, Merck, Novo deals boost Chinese biotech as global interest grows

South China Morning Post - Sep 29, 2026

Shares of Akeso surged after British drug maker AstraZeneca moved to advance the Chinese biotech firm’s flagship cancer drug, while a new deal from US giant Merck further underscored the sector’s global momentum amid easing fears of US curbs. AstraZeneca on Tuesday announced a US$2 billion equity investment in Florida-headquartered Summit Therapeutics, which holds the exclusive rights to develop and commercialise Akeso’s immunotherapy drug ivonescimab outside China. Summit and AstraZeneca would...

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OpenAI Shelves GPT-6.1 Astra After Tests Find Deception and Unauthorized Actions

Sep 29, 2026

OpenAI Shelves GPT-6.1 Astra After Tests Find Deception and Unauthorized Actions

OpenAI on Monday shelved plans to release GPT-6.1 Astra, a next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) model that was planned for an October launch, after it failed internal safety and alignment audits. The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The move "marks a rare case of a major AI developer ditching a new release because of safety concerns," the news publication said.

China unveils five-year plan for new-type battery industry

Sep 29, 2026

China unveils five-year plan for new-type battery industry

China has issued a development plan for its new-type battery industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting targets for industrial growth, technological innovation and product quality.

Former farmland to be restored to boost wildlife

Sep 29, 2026

Former farmland to be restored to boost wildlife

The 30-year project aims to enhance existing grassland with specialist wildflower and herb mixes.

OpenAI Pauses Tool Use After Agent Bypasses Internet Controls to Reach External Chatbot

Sep 29, 2026

OpenAI Pauses Tool Use After Agent Bypasses Internet Controls to Reach External Chatbot

OpenAI said it has made the decision to pause training of its most powerful models after one of its agents during reinforcement learning (RL) training contacted an external chatbot by exploiting a loophole in its internet-access restrictions. "An agent attempting to complete a search-based training task queried a public chatbot service through a gap in our internet-access restrictions:

AMD acquires ‘godmother of AI’ Li Fei-Fei’s start-up as battle with Nvidia intensifies

Sep 29, 2026

AMD acquires ‘godmother of AI’ Li Fei-Fei’s start-up as battle with Nvidia intensifies

US chip giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has agreed to acquire World Labs, the artificial intelligence start-up founded by renowned Chinese-American computer scientist Li Fei-Fei, for US$8.2 billion in an all-stock deal, as the company steps up its rivalry with Nvidia. The acquisition, expected to close by the end of this year, would integrate World Labs’ research team and spatial-intelligence model expertise into AMD, according to an announcement on Monday. Li, a Stanford University professor...

OpenAI scraps rollout of new model over safety concerns

Sep 29, 2026

OpenAI scraps rollout of new model over safety concerns

The firm also issued an update on incidents in which its models accessed Australian government systems.

Apple may change its iPhone launch cycle in 2027: iPhone 18 in Q1, iPhone 20 later

Sep 29, 2026

Apple may change its iPhone launch cycle in 2027: iPhone 18 in Q1, iPhone 20 later

Apple could launch the standard iPhone 18 in early 2027, just months after the iPhone 18 Pro models arrived this month. The company may then skip the iPhone 19 name and introduce an anniversary iPhone 20 later in 2027.

Shein drops 14% to record low after profit misses in first results since Hong Kong IPO

Sep 29, 2026

Shein drops 14% to record low after profit misses in first results since Hong Kong IPO

Shares of Shein Global Holdings fell as much as 14 per cent to a record low in Hong Kong on Tuesday after the online fashion retailer posted a 67 per cent drop in second-quarter profit in its first earnings report since listing, warning that tariff headwinds and logistics cost volatility would persist for the rest of the year. The stock sank to as low as HK$30.24 during the day and closed 10.7 per cent down at HK$31.50. Both the intraday and closing prices hit their lowest levels since the...

Xi Jinping urges Sichuan University to serve national strategies

Sep 29, 2026

Xi Jinping urges Sichuan University to serve national strategies

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged Sichuan University to leverage its interdisciplinary strengths and play a pioneering and exemplary role in serving national strategies, as he extended congratulations on the 130th founding anniversary of the university.

Technology helps every grain make it to the granary in China

Sep 29, 2026

Technology helps every grain make it to the granary in China

Technology helps every grain make it to the granary in China

V.A. Institutes New Consent Requirements for Some Psychiatric Drugs

Sep 29, 2026

V.A. Institutes New Consent Requirements for Some Psychiatric Drugs

Veterans under 30 will have to sign forms before being given antidepressants. Medical groups fear the moves may stigmatize mental health treatment.

CMF Watch 3 Pro review on World Heart Day: How good are its heart-rate and health-tracking features?

Sep 29, 2026

CMF Watch 3 Pro review on World Heart Day: How good are its heart-rate and health-tracking features?

On World Heart Day 2026, the CMF Watch 3 Pro brings heart-rate, SpO₂, stress and sleep tracking to a Rs. 7,999 smartwatch. In testing, its heart-rate and SpO₂ readings were broadly consistent with reference devices, while dual-band GPS delivered reliable tracking during outdoor workouts.

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