China reaffirms principles on TikTok amid talk of deal

China’s Ministry of Commerce has reiterated that its position on the popular short-video app TikTok issue remains firm and unchanged, stressing that Beijing will not reach any agreement that compromises its principles, the interests of Chinese companies, or international fairness and justice. Ministry spokesperson He Yadong, speaking at a regular press briefing on Thursday, said […]

Cross-border terrorism intolerable, UNSC told

Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remains the “gravest threat” to Pakistan’s national security, a senior Pakistani diplomat has told the UN Security Council, as he exhorted the Taliban authorities to fulfill their international obligations on counterterrorism. “The TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), with nearly 6,000 fighters, remains the largest UN-designated terrorist group on Afghan soil,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar […]

Louboutin hands menswear reins to Jaden Smith

Christian Louboutin of scarlet-stiletto fame has named Jaden Smith, who has followed in his superstar father Will’s footsteps as an actor and rapper, as artistic director of the French shoemaker’s men’s collection. “Jaden Smith will unveil four collections per year, including shoes, leather goods, and accessories,” the brand said in a statement. Louboutin, the head […]

Reading the grammar of illness

In what could mark a turning point for modern medicine, European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model capable of predicting future illnesses years before symptoms emerge. The system, called Delphi-2M, was unveiled in a paper published in Nature on Wednesday. Drawing on the same “transformer” architecture behind consumer chatbots such as ChatGPT, the […]