China: Ship Fire Kills 25, New Hominin Finds, Tech and Market News

A fire on an international cargo ship docked in Qingdao, China, killed 25 people, state media reported. The ship had arrived from abroad. In other news, China announced plans to improve welfare for gig workers, warned bankers against flooding the IPO market with low-quality companies, and saw a fund with a 182% return express optimism about optical stocks. Independent refiners scrambled for oil, pushing up spot premiums. DeepSeek launched its V4.1-Flash model. Scientists unearthed fossil bones and tools from a mysterious ancient human, and ancient proteins revealed Denisovans' survival landscape in South China for the first time. Global clean investment fell 17%, partly due to a pullback in China.