pictures created on August 01, 2020 shows the logo of the social
media video sharing app Tiktok displayed on a tablet screen in
Paris, and US President Donald Trump at the White House in
Washington, DC, on July 30, 2020.JIM WATSON, Lionel BONAVENTURE /
AFP
US President Donald Trump late Friday lashed out anew at
ByteDance, issuing a fresh executive order stating the Chinese
internet giant must sell its interest in the Musical.ly app it
bought and merged with TikTok.
The order builds on sweeping restrictions issued last week by
Trump that TikTok and WeChat end all operations in the US, his
latest explosive moves aimed at countering China’s rising global
power.
ByteDance bought karaoke video app Musical.y from a Chinese
rival about three years ago in a deal valued at nearly a billion
dollars. It was incorporated into TikTok, which became a global
sensation.
Trump’s order contends there is “credible evidence” leading him
to believe that ByteDance’s take-over of Musical.ly “threatens to
impair the national security of the United States.”
“As we’ve said previously, TikTok is loved by 100 million
Americans because it is a home for entertainment, self-expression,
and connection,” ByteDance said in response to an AFP inquiry.
“We’re committed to continuing to bring joy to families and
meaningful careers to those who create on our platform for many
years to come.”
The order set to take effect in 90 days retroactively prohibits
the acquisition and bars ByteDance from having any interest in
Musical.ly.
Trump ordered that any sale of interest in Musical.ly in the US
had to be signed off on by the Committee on Foreign Investment,
which is to be given access to ByteDance books.
It also ordered that any saved user data be destroyed.
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Trump last week made good on threats against WeChat and TikTok —
two Chinese-owned apps with major audiences that US officials say
pose a national security threat.
Through an earlier executive order, he gave Americans 45 days to
stop doing business with the platforms, effectively setting a
deadline for a potential, under-pressure sale of TikTok to
Microsoft.
Trump has also called for the US government to be cut in on the
deal, a stance slammed by critics who said it appears
unconstitutional and akin to extortion.
Last week’s move also threw into doubt the US operations of
WeChat’s parent firm, Tencent, a powerful player in the video game
industry and one of the world’s richest companies.
China condemned the move as “arbitrary political
manipulation”.
Trump has claimed TikTok could be used by China to track the
locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for
blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.
TikTok — used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make
quirky, short-form videos on their cellphones — has repeatedly
denied sharing data with Beijing.
WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment
platform and is reported to have more than a billion users, with
many preferring it to email.
The latest US actions follow a protracted battle over Huawei,
the Chinese network and smartphone giant accused by the Trump
administration of being a tool for espionage.
-AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/15/trump-targets-tiktok-again-with-new-executive-order/
Budget Ministry Sets-up Committee on 23rd Annual
ICE, Senior Officials
The Permanent
Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, has
formally inaugurated the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the
hosting of the 23rd regular Inter-Governmental
Committee of Experts (ICE) and Senior Officials meeting in
Nigeria.
Idowu, while
addressing the LOC said “The committee will be responsible for
planning, organizing and executing all approved activities for the
hosting of the ICE, co-opt any organization(s), person(s)
relevant to the successful hosting of the event and carry out any
assignment as may be required towards the success of the
event”.
According to the
Permanent Secretary, the ICE is a body established by the
United Nations General Assembly for West Africa.
She informed that the
committee met annually to discuss Economic and Social issues and
made recommendations based on the working documents prepared by the
Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (ECA/SRO-WA).
Idowu stated that the
recommendations were subsequently considered by the Annual
Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic
Development.
She noted that the
meeting was initially scheduled for May, 2020 but was
postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her words, “With
several meetings held between officials of the UNECA and the
Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the new
date for the ICE meeting will be November, 2020, depending on the
COVID-19 situation”
She charged the LOC to
be committed and bring their wealth of experience to bear, towards
a successful hosting of the conference while assuring them of
the Ministry’s maximum support to enable the committee succeed in
the onerous task.
Responding on behalf
of the Committee, a Deputy Director in the Ministry, Dr. Sanjo
Faniron, said the Committee would put in its best to ensure
adequate preparation and a successful hosting of the meeting.
The last edition of
the Inter-Governmental Committee of Experts and Senior Officials
meeting was held in Robersfield, Republic of Liberia, in 2019.
Victoria Agba-Attah
D(Information) BNP
14/08/2020