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July 18th - Tencent officially launched its self-developed efficiency agent, WorkBuddy, as a standalone app on July 18th, with simultaneous releases on iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS. As the first general-purpose agent application to be integrated into the HarmonyOS system, the WorkBuddy app not only possesses most of the capabilities of the desktop version but also supports remote task initiation from a mobile phone to a computer.

On July 18, 2026, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, met with Lesotho's Foreign Minister Tao in Shanghai. Tao was in China to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Wang Yi welcomed Tao to China to attend the conference and to sign the agreement on establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization on behalf of the Lesotho government. Wang Yi stated that no country should be left behind in the development of artificial intelligence, especially developing countries, which should enjoy their legitimate rights to technological development. China's promotion of the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization is aimed at enhancing the capacity building of countries in the Global South, enabling all countries to jointly embrace the new technological era, and ensuring that artificial intelligence benefits all mankind. China's diplomacy has always adhered to the principle of equality among all countries, regardless of size. Although China and Lesotho differ in area and size, they have always been strategic partners of mutual trust and support. China will continue to support Lesotho in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests, encourage Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Lesotho, welcome more Lesotho specialty products to be exported to China, and promote bilateral relations to a wider range and a higher level.

On July 18th, at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Alibaba Cloud officially launched Agent Native Cloud, along with enterprise-level intelligent agent tools such as AgentTeams and Agentic Computer. These tools cover multiple dimensions, including infrastructure, development platforms, and cloud desktops, transforming agents from mere tools for enterprise access into native enterprise capabilities. Zhou Qi, head of Alibaba Cloud's cloud-native application platform, explained at the conference that Alibaba Cloud Agent Native Cloud provides a reliable operating environment at the infrastructure layer. At the platform level, Agent Native Cloud integrates the one-stop infrastructure platform AgentRun, the multi-agent governance and collaboration platform AgentTeams, and the full-stack observation and continuous optimization platform AgentLoop, accelerating the construction, governance, evaluation, and optimization of agents throughout their lifecycle.

Ukrainian President Zelensky: Ukraine attacked two major logistics facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions of Russia and also struck Russian oil facilities.

July 18th - According to real-time data from Lighthouse Pro, as of 16:02 on July 18th, the total box office (including pre-sales) for the 2026 summer movie season (June 1st - August 31st) has exceeded 4 billion yuan! "Kung Fu Women's Soccer", "Letters to Grandma", "Toy Story 5", "Minions and Monsters", and "Four Crossings" are currently ranked in the top 5 at the box office.

On July 18, 2026, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, met with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto in Shanghai. Airlangga Hartarto was in China to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Wang Yi emphasized that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the building of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future has made positive progress in recent years. As representatives of the Global South and emerging economies, China and Indonesia share similar development goals, extensive common interests, and obvious complementary advantages. Both sides should strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, move in the same direction, actively interact, eliminate interference, maintain focus, and continuously deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, setting an example of solidarity, mutual assistance, and self-reliance in the Global South. China appreciates the Coordinating Minister's reiteration of welcoming Chinese enterprises to invest and cooperate in Indonesia and hopes that Indonesia will provide a fair and just business environment for this. China-Indonesia cooperation is not directed against any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party. Both sides should take the lead in upholding the multilateral trading system, jointly oppose "decoupling and supply chain disruptions," and safeguard the security and stability of global supply chains. China is willing to work closely with Indonesia in international and regional affairs to promote the building of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future with regional and global influence, contributing to the common development of both countries and humanity.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched a devastating missile and drone strike on fighter bunkers and large aircraft parking aprons at a U.S. military base in Azraq, Jordan.

Following important instructions from General Secretary Xi Jinping and requirements from Premier Li Qiang, Zhang Guoqing, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, led officials from relevant departments to Pengshui County, Chongqing, on the evening of the 17th to guide the search and rescue and emergency response work at the site of the landslide disaster. Zhang Guoqing emphasized the need for all-out scientific search and rescue efforts, strict prevention of secondary disasters, and meticulous resettlement and basic living security for the affected people.

July 18th - According to reports from Kyodo News and other media outlets, Apple Inc. raised the prices of its iPhones in Japan on the 17th due to the depreciation of the yen and soaring semiconductor prices. The report indicates that, according to Apple's official Japanese website, the official prices of multiple iPhone models have increased across the board. Among them, the higher-priced iPhone 17 Pro Max increased from 194,800 yen to 214,800 yen, an increase of 20,000 yen (approximately 834.6 yuan), or about 10.3%. Industry analysts believe that Apple may have adjusted the prices of its products due to exchange rate fluctuations.

On July 18th, several foreign institutions expressed optimism about China's AI industry chain, noting that investing in it has become a global consensus. Data shows that China currently produces over 1.5 billion chips daily, and its large-scale models handle trillions of words daily, ranking first in the world. This year, the growth rate of China's core AI industry is expected to continue exceeding 30%. A recent industry research report from Goldman Sachs points out that the current total market capitalization of China's AI sector is approximately $4 trillion, indicating significant growth potential compared to its own industrial advantages. UBS, in its recent China equity strategy report, also noted that demand for AI technology components in China remains very strong, with orders already booked until the end of 2027.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that Ford is recalling 387,911 vehicles in the United States because seats may shift unexpectedly and fail to properly restrain occupants in a collision, increasing the risk of injury.

On July 18th, according to the Financial Times, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released updated regulatory data this week on short sellers' bets on UK listed companies under new rules. The data contained several obvious errors, raising questions about the quality of information provided under the new disclosure regime. Previous regulations required the public disclosure of the specific names of hedge funds and investors holding significant short positions, but the new rules have removed this requirement. Instead, the regulator will now disclose the total short positions for each stock in an aggregated manner. The FCA released this data after the new rules came into effect. However, according to an analysis by data provider Breakout Point, the new information released by the FCA contains several obvious errors. Some positions were subsequently deleted or altered without leaving any record of the changes. The data also includes positions from several years ago, which are highly unlikely to still exist. Ivan Kosovich, founder of Breakout Point, stated that initial problems might be understandable and the situation is improving, but "hidden alterations" in official market records should not become the norm.

Bahrain's Ministry of Defense said it intercepted multiple Iranian airstrikes on Saturday.

The China Earthquake Networks Center officially reported that a 4.3-magnitude earthquake occurred at 13:47 on July 18 in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang (38.71 degrees north latitude, 75.07 degrees east longitude), with a focal depth of 10 kilometers.

The Kuwaiti military stated that Kuwait is currently intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran.

July 18 - According to data from Xinjiang Power Exchange Center Co., Ltd., Xinjiang's total electricity transmission to other regions in the first half of 2026 reached 79.024 billion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 25.11%, of which 27.84 billion kWh was from renewable energy sources, a year-on-year increase of 33.92%.

Kuwait Airways said it has rescheduled most of its flights due to the closure of Kuwaiti airspace on Saturday.

The Kuwaiti military stated that Kuwait is currently intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran.

On July 18th, Anhui Shenji Technology Co., Ltd., a chip subsidiary of NIO, participated in the World Artificial Intelligence Conference for the first time independently. In addition to showcasing the Shenji NX9031 chip and in-vehicle domain controller, the company also launched new AI products such as the "RuiDong" embodied intelligence development platform and a distributed intelligent agent platform. Since its establishment in June 2025, Shenji has completed nearly 3 billion yuan in financing. Currently, Shenji has formed a complete product series consisting of multiple chips including the NX9031X, NX9031U, and NX9031C, comprehensively covering three cutting-edge AI tracks: intelligent assisted driving, embodied intelligence, and agent inference.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called for increased agricultural subsidies to protect food safety and safeguard farmers' livelihoods.