TikTok's chief executive says the social media company expects to win a legal challenge to block legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden that he said would ban its popular short video app used by 170 million Americans. The bill gives China-based ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.

Washington

TikTok's Chief Executive, Sol Tzu-Chu, announced that the company is prepared to legally contest a new bill signed into law by President Joe Biden, which mandates the parent company ByteDance to sell off TikTok's U.S. operations within 270 days or face a nationwide ban. This legislation comes amidst concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers over national security risks allegedly posed by TikTok's connections to the Chinese government. They accuse ByteDance of potentially using the app to gather data on and spy on U.S. citizens.

Sol Tzu-Chu described the bill as essentially a ban on TikTok and an undermining of the voices of its 170 million American users, despite the bill's proponents arguing the move is aimed at protecting national security rather than limiting Americans' use of the app. The White House has emphasized that the legislation's goal is to address the issues related to the People's Republic of China's ownership of TikTok and thus safeguard American national security by requiring the divestment of its U.S. assets.

This development is part of a broader technological and trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, with TikTok at the center of disputes concerning the regulation of tech companies' international operations. The potential for a protracted legal battle, possibly extending to the U.S. Supreme Court, hints at a lengthy dispute ahead over TikTok's presence in the U.S. market. Additionally, this situation signals potential reciprocal actions by China against American tech companies, as evidenced by a recent directive to Apple from the Chinese government to remove certain apps from its store, citing national security concerns.



TikTok CEO expects to defeat U.S. restrictions

Just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that gives TikTok's parent company just nine months to sell the app or see it banned, TikTok's CEO, Sol Tzu-Chu, says the legislation is unconstitutional and vows to fight back. Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice. Politicians may say otherwise, but don't get confused. Many who sponsored the bill admit a TikTok ban is their ultimate goal. U.S. lawmakers passed the bill amid growing fears over what they believe are national security risks posed by TikTok because of its ties to the Chinese government. Officials accuse Beijing of using ByteDance, the app's parent company, to access data and to spy on U.S. citizens. White House insists the law is about keeping TikTok's 170 million American users safe. This is not about a ban. This is about divestment, selling, right, being sold. This is about our national security. This is not concerns about Americans using TikTok. This is about PRC ownership, right? This is about the control of TikTok. Lengthy legal action that's likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court means it could take years before TikTok is expelled from the American markets. The law is the latest move in the ongoing tech and trade war between Washington and Beijing, and the four-year battle over TikTok is a significant flashpoint. China could be modelling how to retaliate, making U.S. tech companies potential targets for restrictions. Just last week, Apple said China ordered it to remove Meta's WhatsApp and threads from its app store in the country over Chinese national security concerns.

Dozens of people in two rubber dinghies have reached the southern coast of England, the latest among thousands of asylum-seeking migrants to make the risky sea crossing from France this year.

Dover

Asylum seekers arrive in England despite Rwanda threat

Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes.

Rio Grande

Record-breaking rain hits southern Brazil

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Canberra

Pressure mounts on Immigration Minister after latest detainee incident

Mexican authorities have reportedly discovered a fourth body near the cliff site where Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson disappeared, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. The Australian family of the brothers are en route to Mexico. The bodies are yet to be formally identified.

Ensenada

Fourth body discovered in Mexico search for Australian brothers

Ukraine is eagerly waiting for Western aid as Russia racks up more victories on the battlefield. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on a visit to Kyiv gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use British weapons to strike directly at Russia.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

U.K. allows its weapons to be used on Russian soil

Canadian police have charged three Indian men with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year and said they were probing whether the men had ties to the Indian government.

Surrey

Canada police charge three with murder of Sikh leader

China has launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

Wenchang

China launches mission to far side of the moon

Britain's opposition Labour Party won a parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday (May 3) and control of several councils, inflicting heavy losses on the governing Conservatives to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

London

U.K.'s Labour claims big early win over Conservatives

Turkey has announced that it is halting trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza. Israel denounced the decision as breaking trade agreements.

Ankara

Turkey to stop trade with Israel until Gaza ceasefire

Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual world rankings on Friday, highlighting Argentina among the countries where the situation has deteriorated.

Paris

States doing less to support press freedom, says watchdog

Arizona's Democratic governor signed a bill overturning an 1864 law banning abortion, a month after the state's supreme court said the Civil War-era rule was valid.

Arizona

Arizona governor signs bill repealing 1864 abortion ban

U.S. President Joe Biden said that both freedom of speech and the rule of law must be respected in protests at college campuses over Israel's war in Gaza. In response to a reporter's question, Biden said that the campus protests had not forced him to reconsider his policies in the Middle East.

Biden breaks silence on protests at University Campuses

From suspensions to expulsions to criminal charges, college students across the U.S. involved in these pro-Palestinian protests could face life-changing consequences. Some are demanding amnesty for these protesters.

New York

More than 1,000 student protesters arrested across U.S.

English voters are heading to polling stations to pick mayors, councilors and a new lawmaker in the last electoral test for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a national vote later this year.

Voters head to polls in last test for U.K.'s Sunak

The US State Department accused Russia of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow. In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used "riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC," the department said in a factsheet.

Zaporizhzhia

U.S. accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine

There are grave concerns for Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson who are missing on a surf trip in Mexico's Baja region. The pair have failed to arrive at their accommodation and are not responding to contact from their families.

Council of the City of Sydney

Grave fears for brothers missing on Mexico surf trip

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has kept open the prospect of tax incentives in the budget as business warned that changes to foreign investment laws. It comes amid criticism that budget spending could prompt further inflation and prompt rate rises.

Government hints at further tax incentives in Budget

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his country will break diplomatic relations with Israel. He's criticised Israel's conduct since the start of the war on Gaza. Petro requested to join South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

Bogotá

Israel-Gaza War

Colombia ends diplomatic relations with Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, pushing to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a deal that would halt fighting and bring some hostages home from the enclave.

Jerusalem

Blinken pushes for sustained aid into Gaza during Israel trip

Police in Georgia fired teargas and rubber bullets at protesters demonstrating against a bill that would require organizations – including media and NGOs – that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as agents "pursuing the interests of a foreign power." The bill has been dubbed the "Russian law" by its detractors.

Tbilisi

Thousands protest against Georgia's 'foreign influence' bill

A diplomatic push is underway to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, with the U.S. exerting pressure on Hamas to agree to Israel's terms. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to attack Rafah in southern Gaza, whether there's a ceasefire or not.

Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without' ceasefire deal

Qantas has apologised to customers after its app exposed personal passenger data. The airline blames a technical disruption and says the data breach was not a cyber security incident.

Qantas app data breach exposes customer data

The International Court of Justice has ruled against issuing emergency measures over German arms sales to Israel as requested by Nicaragua, which had argued that there was a serious risk of genocide in Gaza amid Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory.

The Hague

ICJ rejects measures over German arms exports to Israel

New York police have entered Columbia University and arrested protesters barricaded inside a building who have been calling on the New York school to divest itself from companies associated with Israel.

Police enter Columbia University, arrest protesters

A smiling and healthy-looking King Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday (April 30) for the first time since he was diagnosed in February with cancer, paying a visit to a treatment center for the disease in London.