At 8 a.m., here are the latest news: Biden has been diagnosed with cancer, and the cancer cells have spread to the bones; The discipline inspection commission and supervision authority responded to the incident of Huang Yangtiantian wearing earrings worth 2.3 million yuan; The president of Xiaomi Group said that Lei Jun is in seclusion to prepare for the press conference.

Top 3 Big News

Biden Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, Cancer Cells Have Spread to Bones

On May 18th local time, according to a statement released by the office of former U.S. President Biden, Biden was diagnosed with malignant prostate cancer, and the cancer cells have spread to the bones. The statement said that although this is a more aggressive form of cancer, it appears to be hormone - sensitive, so it can be effectively treated. Biden and his family are discussing treatment options with his doctors.

On May 18th local time, current U.S. President Trump posted on his social media platform "Truth Social" that he and his wife are deeply saddened by the recent medical diagnosis of former U.S. President Biden, and they extend their warmest and best wishes to Biden and his family. Trump wishes Biden a speedy recovery. (The Paper)

Ya'an Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission Responds to the Incident of Huang Yangtiantian's Earrings: Relevant Government Departments are Handling the Matter

Recently, it was rumored online that Huang Yangtiantian, an actress from a civil - servant family, was accused of wearing high - priced jewelry, which attracted public attention. On May 17th, a reporter called the telephone reporting center of the Ya'an Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission. The staff member said that relevant government departments were handling the matter.

According to previous reports, on May 11th, Huang Yangtiantian, an actress, shared photos of her coming - of - age ceremony on the Internet and said, "The earrings belong to my mother." In the photos, the earrings she wore were identified as the classic series of luxury brand GRAFF, with a public price of about 2.3 million yuan. On May 14th, some netizens posted about this matter, saying that Huang Yangtiantian's father was a former civil servant in Ya'an, responsible for bidding work. On the afternoon of May 16th, a user claiming to be Huang Yangtiantian's father posted on a social platform, saying that the rumored million - yuan earrings were not genuine, and the rumors about himself being involved in post - disaster reconstruction in Ya'an and being a corrupt official in disaster relief were false. (Modern Express, Shangguan News)

Lu Weibing, President of Xiaomi Group, Says Lei Jun is in Seclusion Preparing for the Press Conference

Lu Weibing, President of Xiaomi Group, revealed during the live broadcast of the strategic new product preview for Xiaomi's 15th anniversary on the evening of May 17th that he was in charge of Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro, and Lei Jun will unveil it. During the live broadcast, some netizens asked about Lei Jun's recent situation. In response, Lu Weibing said, "Lei Jun is in seclusion preparing for the press conference." (Shanghai Securities News) 

Big Companies/Big Events

An anonymous alumnus donates 100 million yuan to Fudan University to support the development of the philosophy discipline

According to the official news from Fudan University, on the afternoon of the 18th, the donation signing ceremony for the second phase of the Xie Xide - Yu Wujin Philosophy Development Fund of Fudan University was held. A Fudan alumnus donated 100 million yuan to the fund to support the development of the philosophy discipline without leaving their name or seeking any return.

It is reported that in 2016, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Philosophy and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the School of Philosophy at Fudan University, the donor contributed 30 million yuan to initiate the Xie Xide - Yu Wujin Philosophy Development Fund to support the academic construction and talent cultivation of the school. The donor said that the establishment of the fund is to express respect for President Xie Xide and Professor Yu Wujin, to show reverence for the humanistic spirit and the cause of philosophy, and also to place high hopes on the development of the philosophy discipline at Fudan University. (Luzhong Morning Post)

Cryptocurrency prices soar, multiple crypto billionaires kidnapped

On the evening of May 17th, the cryptocurrency market plunged rapidly. Bitcoin dropped by more than 1%, while Ethereum, Dogecoin and others saw even steeper declines. Ethereum fell nearly 5%, SOL dropped by more than 3%, XRP declined by over 4%, and Dogecoin tumbled by more than 6%. According to CoinGlass data, as of press time, more than 100,000 people in the cryptocurrency market had their positions liquidated, with a total liquidation amount exceeding $200 million.

In terms of news, since the beginning of this year, as cryptocurrency prices have risen, related criminal activities have also increased. A series of high - profile kidnappings and home invasions have occurred in European and American countries in recent months, and the victims are generally cryptocurrency billionaires with huge assets. Some security experts believe that the surge in such cases may be closely related to the untraceable nature of cryptocurrencies and the fact that the new Internet rich are keen on showing off and have a weak sense of security. (Nanfang Daily)

Domestic oil prices may see the fifth decline this year, and oil prices in many places may return to the era of 6 yuan per liter

At 24:00 on May 19th, the window for a new round of adjustment of the domestic refined oil retail price limit will open. Multiple institutions predict that on that day, the domestic gasoline and diesel prices will be lowered by about 230 yuan per ton, marking the fifth decline this year. The price of 92 - octane gasoline in many places will return to 6 yuan per liter.

According to the current refined oil pricing mechanism, the main basis for domestic refined oil price adjustments is the change rate obtained by comparing the weighted average price of international crude oil over 10 working days with that of the previous cycle. If the corresponding price adjustment amount per ton for the change rate is less than 50 yuan, the gasoline and diesel prices will not be adjusted, and the unadjusted amount will be accumulated or offset in the next price adjustment. (Economic Information Daily)

Japanese Restaurant That Refused to Serve Chinese Customers Has Closed

Previously, the barbecue restaurant "Yakitori Hayashin" in Osaka, Japan, posted a notice written in broken Chinese, stating, "Many people are impolite. We do not allow Chinese customers to visit our store. Thank you for your understanding." In response, the catering holding group "SASAYA", to which the barbecue restaurant belongs, issued an apology notice in simplified Chinese and Japanese on its official website on the 12th. The notice stated that the person in charge of the store's operations posted the controversial notice without the company's permission. The company has removed it and apologized to the customers who felt offended. In addition, some netizens uploaded photos on social media, claiming that the store has currently closed, although the apology statement from the headquarters did not mention this. (Xiaoxiang Morning News)

The gold price in Shenzhen Shuibei Mall has dropped to 756 yuan, with a weekly decline of over 4%

Affected by the recent decline in the international gold price, the gold price in the mall has dropped from the previous 792 yuan per gram to the current 756 yuan per gram, a decline of over 4%. The person - in - charge of a gold store said that some gold ornaments with new styles and small weights are quite popular among consumers. Affected by the decline in the gold price, the sales of some bracelet - type ornaments have even increased. In addition to consumers who buy gold, there is also a group of consumers who, seeing the downward trend of the gold price, choose to recycle and cash in the gold ornaments they hold. (CCTV Finance)

A woman claims she bought a million-yuan Land Rover but can't drive it on the road, possibly because the top salesperson at the 4S store took the money via personal QR code and fled

On May 17th, it was reported that Ms. Liu from Guangdong reported that she bought a new car worth over one million yuan at a car 4S store in August last year. She had paid all the fees, but found that the vehicle purchase tax hadn't been paid and the new car insurance hadn't been purchased, so the car couldn't be driven on the road normally. The 4S store responded that the money Ms. Liu paid had been transferred to the salesperson's personal account, and the company hadn't received the payment. The salesperson who handled the transaction had already "fled".

More than 10 other car owners have encountered the same problem. It is reported that all the car owners who faced similar issues bought their cars from Hong, the "top salesperson" at the 4S store. When they scanned the QR code for payment, the account did show the company's name. In response, the 4S store said that the QR code the car owners scanned was actually a privately forged payment QR code by the salesperson Hong, which was his personal act. Both the company and the customers were victims. Currently, the police have been notified and an investigation is underway. A handling plan for the car owners will be formulated only after the incident is thoroughly investigated and clearly defined. (Guangdong Radio and Television Station)

The number of registered museums in China has reached 7,046, with a free - admission rate of 91.46%

May 18th is the 49th International Museum Day. This year's theme is "The Future of Museums in a Rapidly Changing Society", and the host city for the International Museum Day is Beijing. Currently, China has established a museum system that is rich in types, diverse in subjects, and inclusive and equal. The National Cultural Heritage Administration has released the latest data on the development of China's museum cause: In recent years, on average, a new museum has been built and opened in China every less than two days. As of the end of 2024, the number of registered museums reached 7,046, an increase of 213 compared with the previous year. There is now one museum for every 200,000 people, and the free - admission rate is 91.46%. (CCTV News)

China's First Clinical and Translational Ward for Brain-Computer Interface Established

On May 17th, the Clinical and Translational Ward for Brain-Computer Interface at Beijing Tiantan Hospital was established. This ward was jointly built by Tiantan Hospital and multiple domestic scientific research institutions. It is China's first ward to apply brain-computer interface technology in clinical practice. In the future, this ward will carry out scientific research and clinical trials, providing innovative treatments for patients with neurological diseases such as hemiplegia. (Beijing Daily)

Woman Who Had a Threatened Miscarriage Was Denied Leave and Fired by Her Employer, Receives Over 72,000 Yuan in Compensation

Ms. Yan had worked at a cultural communication company in Beijing for many years and had signed a labor contract. After Ms. Yan became pregnant, she felt unwell. After being diagnosed with a threatened miscarriage by the hospital, she was advised to take a 14 - day leave. So she asked the company for sick leave. Unexpectedly, the company's attitude was very tough. "We can't approve it. You've been on leave for too long. Either come back to work or come and handle your resignation." Finally, the court ruled that the employer's termination of the labor contract with Ms. Yan was illegal. The court ordered the employer to pay Ms. Yan more than 72,000 yuan in compensation for illegal termination of the labor contract and the wage difference during the leave period. (CCTV.com)

Walmart previously said it would raise the prices of some products in the United States, and more and more American companies are joining the price - hike ranks

As a retail giant and the largest grocery retailer in the United States, Walmart is often regarded as a barometer for measuring the health of retailers and American consumers. A CNBC report suggests that more and more American companies are raising the prices of their products due to tariffs, and Walmart has joined this trend. Microsoft said earlier this month that it had raised the recommended retail prices of Xbox consoles and some controllers. An industry report released by the Telsey Advisory Group in the United States showed that from April 16th to April 30th, the prices of some Barbie dolls sold in the United States increased by 43%, and the prices of some washing machines of Whirlpool Corporation in the United States also rose by about $80 during this period. (CCTV News)

MIIT: Accelerate the R&D, industrial cultivation, and application development of 5G-A and 6G technologies

On May 17th, the 2025 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and the 160th anniversary celebration of the International Telecommunication Union were held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Zhang Yunming, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the president of the China Institute of Communications, stated that the information and communication industry should strengthen its sense of mission and responsibility, adhere to reform and innovation, and promote high - quality development. It should pay more attention to meeting the needs of the people, continuously improve service capabilities and levels, promote gender equality, care for special groups, and bridge the digital divide in the digital transformation, create a high - quality digital life, and enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. It should also pay more attention to meeting the needs of comprehensive innovation, carefully organize and implement various major national science and technology projects, accelerate the R&D, industrial cultivation, and application development of 5G - A and 6G technologies, and empower the construction of a modern industrial system. (China Securities Taurus)

Turkey discovers $30 billion worth of natural gas in the Black Sea

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey has discovered 75 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea, worth $30 billion. On Saturday, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul that this discovery was made after 49 days of drilling at the Goktepe 3 oilfield in Sakarya, which will meet the residents' needs for 3.5 years. In 2020, Turkey discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea, the largest discovery ever. Erdogan said that Turkey will continue exploration, "until we achieve the goal of complete energy independence." (Jiemian News)

The forefront of AI

OpenAI's AI Agent for Coding is Here

On May 16th (US time), OpenAI officially launched Codex. This is a software engineering intelligent agent that runs on the cloud and can handle multiple development tasks in parallel, assisting developers in completing programming work efficiently. Codex provides an input box and two buttons - Ask and Code. In addition to writing code, it also includes understanding code structures, answering questions about code libraries, and fixing bugs. OpenAI has been using Codex internally to handle tasks such as code refactoring, test generation, and error fixing. (Yicai Global)

Ministry of Education Regulates and Promotes AI Education in Primary and Secondary Schools, Banning AI for Homework

Recently, the "General Education Guide for Artificial Intelligence in Primary and Secondary Schools (2025 Edition)" and the "Guide for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence by Primary and Secondary School Students (2025 Edition)" were officially released. It clearly states that students are prohibited from directly copying content generated by artificial intelligence as homework or exam answers, and students in primary schools are prohibited from using the open - content generation function independently. At the same time, the guide emphasizes that teachers should not use generative artificial intelligence as a substitute for teaching. (21st Century Business Herald)

Financial Reports of Big Companies

Dingdong Maicai's Q1 Financial Report: GMV Reached 5.96 Billion Yuan, a Year-on-Year Increase of 7.9%

36Kr learned that Dingdong Maicai released its first-quarter earnings report on the evening of May 16. In this quarter, Dingdong Maicai achieved a GMV of 5.96 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.9%. Its revenue reached 5.48 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%, and it has maintained positive growth for five consecutive quarters. As of now, Dingdong Maicai has achieved profitability under the Non-GAAP standard for ten consecutive quarters and has achieved profitability under the GAAP standard for five consecutive quarters.

Compiled | He Yuting