Markets

Chinese men, particularly those born in the mid-90s, are increasingly driving the medical aesthetics market. Motivated by dating prospects and career advancement, this demographic seeks discreet treatments for acne, aging, and general appearance enhancement. While domestic options grow, men often prefer natural-looking results and prioritize professional expertise. The market is expanding, with focused strategies targeting this male segment, though education and trust remain key challenges.

A Spring Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport shortly after takeoff due to a mid-air malfunction, suspected to be an oil pressure system failure. Passengers reported a significant descent and deployed oxygen masks. Spring Airlines confirmed a technical issue and is investigating the incident, while clarifying its flight codes.

OpenAI has paused operations for employees this week, partly in response to Meta’s aggressive recruitment of its researchers. Leadership is actively working to retain staff and is reassessing compensation. The company is refocusing on its primary mission of achieving AGI, even as competitors like xAI push forward with new models.

Robinhood is expanding its global reach with stock and ETF tokens for EU investors, marking a significant entry into the European market. The company is also developing its own Layer 2 blockchain for tokenized assets. Additionally, Robinhood is launching crypto perpetual futures in the EU and crypto staking for US customers, further broadening its crypto offerings and aiming to make investing more accessible worldwide.

A Beijing man reported his car stolen, only to discover he had driven it to a bathhouse while drunk. He only remembered his actions after police reviewed surveillance footage. Mr. Jiang, whose blood alcohol level was significantly over the legal limit, was charged with dangerous driving, receiving a suspended jail sentence and a fine.

Baidu has open-sourced its ERNIE 4.5 AI models, featuring multi-modal Mixture-of-Experts with enhanced orthogonality. Modong Space, China’s national computing platform, is the first to integrate these advanced models. ERNIE 4.5 optimizes training and inference for improved text generation, image comprehension, and multi-modal reasoning, catering to diverse real-world applications.

SOHM, Inc. appointed Ravi Kapoor as an Independent Director. Kapoor brings over 30 years of experience in corporate law, M&A, and financial management. His expertise is expected to enhance SOHM’s strategic direction, corporate governance, and growth initiatives, particularly aligning with the company’s focus on generic drugs and gene-editing technologies.

Taobao Tmall launched its “Authentic Experience Score” system, moving beyond user ratings to objectively assess sellers on product quality, logistics, and service. Integrated into search, recommendations, and marketing, this score empowers consumers and rewards merchants with high performance. The system utilizes metrics like return rates, delivery times, and response times. This initiative aims to foster a more trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem by incentivizing genuine quality and service.

FOXO Technologies’ subsidiary, Myrtle Recovery Centers, has secured a second year of funding from Scott County for its opioid abatement program. This renewed support will allow Myrtle to continue providing essential care to uninsured patients at its Tennessee facility. The company is experiencing high demand and plans for further expansion.

A viral video shows a car erupting in flames while refueling, possibly caused by the driver’s continuous manipulation of a beaded bracelet. The friction from the beads is theorized to have created a spark that ignited gasoline vapors. The incident highlights gas station safety, emphasizing the risk of static electricity and vapors, and advising patrons to discharge static and avoid leaning over the fuel intake.