BEIJING (AP) — President Donald Trump began his trip to Beijing on Thursday by telling Xi Jinping "it's an honor to be your friend," even as his Chinese counterpart offered a cautionary warning about avoiding a possible clash between the two nations.

The stark contrast in tone underscored just how far apart the leaders remain on thorny issues including the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington's relationship with Taiwan — and suggested that Trump and Xi's highly anticipated meetings are likely to be longer on pageantry and symbolism than major breakthroughs.

In remarks before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People moved behind closed doors, Trump was full of platitudes, saying of Xi, "You're a great leader. Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it's true."

"It's an honor to be with you. It's an honor to be your friend," Trump said before promising that "the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before."

Xi was darker, expressing hope that the U.S. and China can avoid conflict while saying that history, and the world were asking "whether the two countries can transcend the 'Thucydides Trap' and forge a new model for relations between major powers."

China's leader used a term popular in foreign policy studies, referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, the result is often war.

"Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both," Xi said. "The two countries should be partners rather than rivals, achieve success together and pursue common prosperity, and chart a correct path for major-country relations in the new era."

Xi has mentioned "Thucydides Trap" before with regards to U.S.-China relations, dating back to as early as 2014. China's leader included it in his messages to Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, in 2022 and 2024. Still, his evoking the term as Trump began his visit with optimism was noteworthy.

The remarks from each followed a sweeping greeting for Trump outside the Great Hall of the People, an imposing building on Tiananmen Square that houses China's legislature. Cannons boomed a welcome salute and a band played "The Star-Spangled Banner" and China's national anthem.

The hall featured giant, red-carpeted steps and huge expanses of marble, where soldiers hung large American and Chinese flags. School children in bright colors offered a welcome routine, jumping as the girls waved flowers and the boys hoisted American and Chinese flags while the two leaders walked past them.

Bangchak Corporation unveiled its first quarter 2025 performance, posting net profit (excluding special items) of 953 million baht, with the refining business achieving EBITDA of 10,245 million baht—more than double year-over-year. CEO Chaiwat Kovavisa reported that the group generated 142,528 million baht in revenue and service income, a 6% increase from the prior year period, while EBITDA climbed 40% to 17,795 million baht.

The company recorded normal operating profit of 953 million baht excluding special items. Including special items recognized in the quarter, parent company profit reached 6,144 million baht, more than doubling compared to the same period last year, translating to earnings per share of 4.17 baht. Bangchak successfully managed operations and its supply chain amid volatile global energy markets shaped by supply tensions and geopolitical uncertainty, achieving average production of 279,800 barrels per day with total petroleum sales of 3,700 million liters, a record high.

However, uncertainties surrounding Middle East tensions, rising energy costs, and global crude price volatility remain concerns the company is closely monitoring to adjust business plans accordingly. Since March 2025, Bangchak has maintained its commitment to ensuring the country's energy supply and delivery, sourcing quality crude from multiple global regions. In the first quarter, the company experienced limited direct impact from Middle East conflict due to its diversified crude supply strategy.

Nevertheless, supply route uncertainties through the Strait of Hormuz and Middle East tensions have driven up crude costs, crude premiums, shipping, and insurance expenses, reflecting war risk premiums that the company will recognize progressively from the second quarter onward. Bangchak is maximizing efforts to source additional crude from new sources to maintain refining rates and meet domestic energy demand, having already secured supplies through July 2025 while closely monitoring the energy situation and adjusting operations accordingly to manage costs and business continuity.

The company has complied with relevant regulations and cooperated with authorities on consumer assistance measures, including launching B20 diesel as an alternative for transport, fishing, and industrial sectors. It also continues the "Fry to Fly—2 liters exchanged for 1 liter" program under the concept of "cooking oil for vehicle fuel exchange" to help ease consumers' cost-of-living burden.

Additionally, a 700,000-barrel crude tanker safely transited the Strait of Hormuz and reached Bangchak's Sri Racha refinery as planned. The company is also supporting the sourcing of feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, which has commenced with initial product delivery scheduled for May 2025. The group continues to recognize recurring synergies and benefits from operational efficiency improvements at two refineries, totaling approximately 2,800 million baht, compared to 1,800 million baht in 2024.

Lao Lottery Today: May 14, 2569 Drawing Results - Latest Lao Lottery Winning Numbers

Official results for the Lao state lottery, also known as Pattana lottery, administered by the Lao Development Lottery Company under the oversight of the Ministry of Finance, for the drawing held on May 14, 2569:

6-digit prize: XXXXXX 5-digit prize: XXXXX Last 4 digits: XXXX Last 3 digits: XXX Last 2 digits: XX

Lao Lottery Prize Payout Rates and Calculation Methods

Lottery players can calculate their winnings based on their purchase amount in Kip:

4 digits: 6,000x payout (for example, 1,000 Kip purchase wins 6,000,000 Kip) 3 digits: 500x payout (for example, 1,000 Kip purchase wins 500,000 Kip) 2 digits: 60x payout (for example, 1,000 Kip purchase wins 60,000 Kip)

Understanding the Lao Lottery (Pattana Lottery): What Is It? What Time Is the Drawing?

The Lao lottery, officially called Pattana lottery, is operated by the state-owned Lao Development Lottery Company under the supervision of the Lao Ministry of Finance. It is the legally recognized government lottery of Laos.

Lao Lottery Schedule and Broadcast Channels

Drawing days: Monday through Friday; the 5/45 Pattana lottery draws on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Time: Live broadcast begins at 8:00 PM Indochina Time Broadcast channels: Lao National Radio and Lao National Television Channel 1 (LNTV)

How to Check Lao Lottery: 6-digit, Last 4-digit, Dream Interpretation Numbers, and Animal Names

The Lao lottery system begins with a single 6-digit drawing but can be divided into multiple prize categories depending on regional preferences. The most common format focuses on the last 4 digits. Additional lottery games include dream interpretation numbers (4/40) and animal name numbers, which are unique features of gambling in Laos.

Lao Lottery Today: May 7, 2569 Drawing Results - Latest Winning Numbers Lao Lottery Today: May 11, 2569 Drawing Results - Latest Winning Numbers Lao Lottery Today: May 12, 2569 Drawing Results - Latest Winning Numbers

An American passenger shared a bewildering experience after using a driverless taxi service for the first time, only to have the vehicle drive away from the airport with his luggage still in the trunk. The unexpected incident occurred at San Jose Mineta International Airport in California when the passenger encountered problems with Waymo's autonomous vehicle service. The passenger, D. Jin from Sunnyvale, was trying a robot taxi for the first time in late April to travel to the airport. The trip went smoothly with no issues until the vehicle reached its final destination at the airport. The problem arose when Jin attempted to remove his luggage from the trunk by pressing the trunk release button, but the door did not function as expected. At that exact moment, the Waymo self-driving vehicle began moving away from the parking spot, inadvertently taking his suitcase with it. Jin immediately contacted Waymo's customer service to request that the vehicle be stopped or the situation be resolved, but was informed that the car had already traveled to a parking facility and could not be recalled. He then had to continue his trip to San Diego for work without a change of clothes or important documents, causing considerable inconvenience. Waymo later reported that his luggage was found safely at a service center in San Francisco and offered options for him to retrieve it himself or use a free ride, but the company subsequently agreed to return the bag at no cost following additional coordination with the media. Waymo stated that according to company policy, it does not accept responsibility for items left in vehicles and does not provide compensation for damages. However, the system is designed to automatically open the trunk when passengers exit the vehicle, though Jin confirmed that this feature did not function on this occasion. Similar incidents have occurred before, with reports that a tennis coach in San Francisco experienced his equipment being taken away by a Waymo vehicle in the past year, reflecting the challenges of customer service systems in the era of autonomous vehicles that still need further development to handle unexpected situations comprehensively. San Jose Mineta Airport became the first airport in California to officially offer Waymo's driverless vehicle service starting in November 2025.

ONE Championship's The Inner Circle event takes place Friday, May 15 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium (Rama Intra), featuring a matchup between ONE Kickboxing flyweight world champion Superlek and Russian boxer Abdullah Dayakayev under Muay Thai rules in the bantamweight division. The weigh-ins on May 14 revealed that Dayakayev tipped the scales at 148.2 pounds, exceeding the bantamweight limit of 135-145 pounds, while Superlek comfortably made weight at 143.2 pounds. Dayakayev has agreed to pay compensation to the Thai fighter, and both camps have agreed to continue with the fight.

At the second high-level meeting of the Education Ministry on May 14, 2025, Deputy Education Minister Akkhananth Kannitinant was tasked with leading discussions to review projects affecting schools and systematically reduce teacher workloads. Akkhananth stated that his priority is addressing teacher burden, a problem he personally volunteered to oversee after hearing consistent feedback from educators in the field who feel overwhelmed by redundant project documentation and want more time for teaching rather than paperwork assessments.

"I will urgently compile all projects from every department to consolidate those with similar objectives using a model of 'one evaluation covering multiple programs,'" Akkhananth explained. "For socially sensitive projects, we'll carefully plan communications to ensure smooth implementation and acceptance from all parties. Regarding the white school project that many teachers have raised concerns about, we cannot cancel it within this fiscal year's budget, but we will definitely address it in next year's budget."

"I take every teacher's voice seriously and want to show genuine commitment through concrete action, not just written policy," he continued. "We will send a clear signal to schools that the ministry will not operate as before. Whatever is redundant and can be eliminated, we will cut. Whatever can be integrated, we will consolidate—to reduce paperwork burden, restore happiness, and give teachers their time back to genuinely care for students in their classrooms."

The ministry also prepared to launch the "Center for the Protection of Rights and Freedoms" as an umbrella to comprehensively safeguard the rights, freedoms, safety, and remediation for both students and teachers across all dimensions. All departments have been ordered to integrate their work into a coordinated system with a revised direction to be completed by May 19.