Trump, TikTok and a dangerous precedent for democracy
Updated 0715 GMT (1515 HKT) August 8, 2020
President Donald Trump's ongoing battle with TikTok is becoming one of the most curious chapters in America's emerging cold war with China. Earlier this week, Trump issued an executive order which gave the Chinese social media giant until the middle of September to find an American buyer or be banned in the country. He also issued a similar executive order for the Chinese messaging service WeChat.
This story draws together several threads. Microsoft is prepared to pay around $50 billion for an app that is primarily used to watch short, funny videos created by other users. The app currently has 100 million American users and analysts believe this might grow so fast it will soon be worth $200 billion. The Trump administration wants to ban the app because it believes its Chinese owners could be required to cooperate with the Chinese government, which in turn, could use the platform for espionage or to spread misinformation, threatening national security. If Microsoft and TikTok cannot pull off this purchase by mid-September -- a tall order for a deal of this size -- Trump pulls the plug on its US operation.
India plans to fell ancient forest to create 40 new coalfields
Narendra Modi’s dream of a ‘self-reliant India’ comes at a terrible price for its indigenous population
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent
Published onSat 8 Aug 2020 08.00 BST
Over the past decade, Umeshwar Singh Amra has witnessed his homeland descend into a battleground. The war being waged in Hasdeo Arand, a rich and biodiverse Indian forest, has pitted indigenous people, ancient trees, elephants and sloths against the might of bulldozers, trucks and hydraulic jacks, fighting with a single purpose: the extraction of coal.
Yet under a new “self-reliant India” plan by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to boost the economy post-Covid-19 and reduce costly imports, 40 new coalfields in some of India’s most ecologically sensitive forests are to be opened up for commercial mining.
Among them are four huge blocks of Hasdeo Arand’s 420,000 acres of forest in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, which sit above an estimated 5bn tonnes of coal.
Coronavirus fears as 250,000 bikers pour into South Dakota city for 10-day event
City council members voted 8 to 1 to forge ahead with the 80-year tradition.Dave MacleanNew York
Up to 250,000 bikers are heading into rural South Dakota for one of the world’s biggest motorcycle rallies - as many health officials across the nation continue to warn against even small gatherings.
Thousands of bikers rumbled through the streets of Black Hills - some without masks - for the start of the 10-day event in the city of Sturgis.
One rider who rode in from Arizona said that while he didn’t want to die, “I don’t want to be cooped up all my life either”.
Over 55,000 sign petition for France to take control of Lebanon
More than 55,000 people have signed a petition calling for France to take control of Lebanon following the deadly blast in Beirut. Critics say corruption and mismanagement by Lebanon's government was the cause.
Over 57,000 people have signed an online petition to "place Lebanon under a French mandate for the next 10 years" as of Friday morning.
The petition on the community petition website Avaaz was reportedly set up by Lebanese citizens on Wednesday following the explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, killing over 140 people and injuring more than 5,000.
Polish police detain 48 protesting LGBT activist's arrest
Polish police said Saturday they detained about 50 demonstrators who tried to prevent the arrest of a gay rights activist in the capital Warsaw, which sparked criticism from rights groups.
The activist, who was referred to officially in court as Michal Sz. but who identifies as a woman named Margot, is suspected of causing damage to a van plastered with homophobic slogans in Warsaw in June.
A court order mandated two months of pre-trial detention for the activist, who is also accused of pushing a volunteer from the Pro-Right to Life Foundation which owned the van.
Beirut explosion: Angry protesters take to streets
Thousands of Lebanese, furious with their political leaders, are taking to the streets again, four days after a huge explosion left at least 154 dead.
Some protesters have clashed with police who fired tear gas.
Tuesday's blast at the port devastated parts of the city and has reignited deep-seated anger at what many see as an inept and corrupt political class.
The explosion was caused by a huge stock of ammonium nitrate that had been seized from a ship but never moved.
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