TikTok restores service in US, thanking Trump

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.The video-sharing platform credited President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible — though the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban. TikTok had shut down in the United States late Saturday as a deadline loomed for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers.Earlier Sunday, as millions of dismayed users found themselves barred from the app, Trump promised to issue an executive order delaying the ban to allow time to “make a deal.”He also called in a post on his Truth Social platform for the United States to take part ownership in TikTok.Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture,” arguing that the app’s value could surge to “hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions.””By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands,” wrote Trump, who had previously backed a TikTok ban and during his first term in office made moves towards one.In a statement posted on X following Trump’s comments, TikTok said it “is in the process of restoring service.””We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”Beijing on Monday urged Washington to listen to “rational voices” over the ban.Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also said China attached “great importance to and protect data privacy and security”.”We have never and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide foreign data located in foreign countries in a way that violates local laws,” she said.TikTok, which was back online in the United States by Sunday afternoon, did not address Trump’s call for part American ownership of the app.Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told AFP the episode “marked a big win for TikTok and a political win for Trump,” likening the episode to “high-stakes poker between the US and China.”- President proof? -At a pre-election rally Sunday evening at a Washington sports arena, Trump hammered home his enthusiasm for saving the app, telling the crowd: “Frankly, we have no choice, we have to save it,” while indicating that there were a “lot of jobs” involved.”We don’t want to give our business to China, we don’t want to give our business to other people,” Trump told his supporters.The law allows for a 90-day delay of the ban if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly refused any sale.The Biden administration said it would leave enforcement of the law to Trump.From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.But it is also rife with disinformation, and its Chinese ownership has long spurred national security fears, internationally as well as in the United States.Sunday’s blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld the legislation banning it pending any sale.Trump, who signed an executive order stepping up pressure on ByteDance to sell in 2020, has since credited the app with connecting him to younger voters.It is unclear what the incoming president can do to lift the ban unless ByteDance ultimately sells, however.”Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress.Besides removing TikTok from app stores, the law requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, with the companies liable for penalties of up to $5,000 per user if the app is accessed.Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.- ‘I love TikTok’ -In Europe, TikTok’s suspension drew praise from the foreign minister of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, who said on X that banning the platform “must be considered in Europe as well.”The ban also became a hot topic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where American tennis player Coco Gauff scrawled “RIP TikTok USA” on a courtside camera.Meanwhile, in the US state of Wisconsin, a man was accused of setting a fire early Sunday at an unoccupied building where a member of Congress keeps an office “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban,” police in the city of Fond du Lac said in a statement.A last-minute proposal made Saturday by the highly valued start-up Perplexity AI offered a merger with the US subsidiary of TikTok, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.The proposal did not include a price but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.burs-oho/fox

TikTok restores service in US, thanking Trump

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.The video-sharing platform credited President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible — though the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban. TikTok had shut down in the United States late Saturday as a deadline loomed for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers.Earlier Sunday, as millions of dismayed users found themselves barred from the app, Trump promised to issue an executive order delaying the ban to allow time to “make a deal.”He also called in a post on his Truth Social platform for the United States to take part ownership in TikTok.Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture,” arguing that the app’s value could surge to “hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions.””By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands,” wrote Trump, who had previously backed a TikTok ban and during his first term in office made moves towards one.In a statement posted on X following Trump’s comments, TikTok said it “is in the process of restoring service.””We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”Beijing on Monday urged Washington to listen to “rational voices” over the ban.Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also said China attached “great importance to and protect data privacy and security”.”We have never and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide foreign data located in foreign countries in a way that violates local laws,” she said.TikTok, which was back online in the United States by Sunday afternoon, did not address Trump’s call for part American ownership of the app.Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told AFP the episode “marked a big win for TikTok and a political win for Trump,” likening the episode to “high-stakes poker between the US and China.”- President proof? -At a pre-election rally Sunday evening at a Washington sports arena, Trump hammered home his enthusiasm for saving the app, telling the crowd: “Frankly, we have no choice, we have to save it,” while indicating that there were a “lot of jobs” involved.”We don’t want to give our business to China, we don’t want to give our business to other people,” Trump told his supporters.The law allows for a 90-day delay of the ban if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly refused any sale.The Biden administration said it would leave enforcement of the law to Trump.From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.But it is also rife with disinformation, and its Chinese ownership has long spurred national security fears, internationally as well as in the United States.Sunday’s blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld the legislation banning it pending any sale.Trump, who signed an executive order stepping up pressure on ByteDance to sell in 2020, has since credited the app with connecting him to younger voters.It is unclear what the incoming president can do to lift the ban unless ByteDance ultimately sells, however.”Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress.Besides removing TikTok from app stores, the law requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, with the companies liable for penalties of up to $5,000 per user if the app is accessed.Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.- ‘I love TikTok’ -In Europe, TikTok’s suspension drew praise from the foreign minister of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, who said on X that banning the platform “must be considered in Europe as well.”The ban also became a hot topic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where American tennis player Coco Gauff scrawled “RIP TikTok USA” on a courtside camera.Meanwhile, in the US state of Wisconsin, a man was accused of setting a fire early Sunday at an unoccupied building where a member of Congress keeps an office “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban,” police in the city of Fond du Lac said in a statement.A last-minute proposal made Saturday by the highly valued start-up Perplexity AI offered a merger with the US subsidiary of TikTok, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.The proposal did not include a price but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.burs-oho/fox

Chine: exécution de l’auteur de l’attaque à la voiture-bélier ayant fait 35 morts

La Chine a procédé lundi à l’exécution de l’auteur d’une attaque à la voiture-bélier ayant tué 35 personnes dans la ville de Zhuhai en novembre dernier, la pire attaque en Chine depuis dix ans, selon un média d’Etat.Un tribunal de Zhuhai, une commune située dans la province de Canton (sud), a “exécuté Fan Weiqiu conformément à l’ordre d’exécution émis par la Cour populaire suprême”, a annoncé la télévision d’Etat CCTV.Le 11 novembre, l’homme avait délibérément foncé avec son SUV sur des personnes faisant de l’exercice devant un complexe sportif de Zhuhai, tuant 35 personnes et en blessant 43 autres, selon les médias d’État.Le tribunal a condamné fin décembre l’homme de 62 ans à la peine capitale pour un acte réalisé “d’une manière particulièrement cruelle” et pour des raisons “extrêmement abjectes”, selon les termes du tribunal alors rapportés par des médias officiels.Fan Weiqiu aurait “décidé d’exprimer sa colère” en raison d'”un mariage brisé, de frustrations personnelles, et de son mécontentement au sujet du partage des biens après le divorce”, selon la même source.La Chine a connu cette année plusieurs incidents meurtriers commis par des individus isolés, que certains experts relient à la frustration causée par le ralentissement de l’économie chinoise.Dans chaque cas, les autorités ont rapidement censuré les publications en ligne et démantelé les signes d’hommage déposés près des lieux du drame.Fin décembre, un homme ayant foncé sur une foule devant une école a lui été condamné à la peine de mort avec sursis.Le tribunal avait également estimé que le condamné avait agi pour “évacuer des émotions personnelles”, notamment après des “pertes financières suite à des investissements” et des “conflits familiaux”.Pékin garde ses chiffres officiels concernant la peine de mort sous le sceau du secret d’État.Mais des groupes de défense des droits humains, dont Amnesty International, estiment que des milliers de personnes sont exécutées chaque année dans le pays.

Sylvie Vartan, la plus belle pour aller chanter

Icône yéyé et show-woman de talent, Sylvie Vartan, qui fait à 80 ans ses adieux à la scène, a été une chanteuse populaire aux titres parfois provocateurs et aux mélodies souvent mélancoliques rappelant l’exil de sa Bulgarie natale.Vendredi, samedi et dimanche, celle qui a formé un couple mythique avec Johnny Hallyday donne ses trois ultimes concerts au Palais des congrès de Paris. Intitulés “Je tire ma révérence”…Le point final à une carrière de 63 ans de l’une des plus grandes artistes francophones: une cinquantaine d’albums, 40 millions de disques vendus et 2.000 couvertures de magazines, davantage que les autres stars françaises Brigitte Bardot et Catherine Deneuve.Parmi ses quelque 1.500 chansons, on compte de nombreux tubes: de “La plus belle pour aller danser” (1964), composée par Aznavour, à “L’Amour, c’est comme une cigarette” (1981) en passant par “Comme un garçon”, où elle troque la robe pour “le blouson” et “le ceinturon”, paroles irrévérencieuses pour l’époque.Elle est pourtant venue à la chanson par hasard. “Dès l’âge de 6 ans, je voulais être actrice. Et puis voilà, la vie m’a menée ailleurs”.En 1961, son frère Eddie lui fait sécher les cours pour enregistrer “Panne d’essence” avec Frankie Jordan. Succès immédiat à 17 ans et premier Olympia. Cette salle mythique l’accueillera pendant des décennies, parfois accompagnée de futures stars mondiales comme les Beatles en 1964.- La “lycéenne du twist” -Plutôt introvertie, la “lycéenne du twist” se mue vite en femme fatale et bête de scène.La blonde à la voix grave est née le 15 août 1944 à Iskretz, village de Bulgarie. Elle grandit à Sofia où son père travaille à l’ambassade de France.Elle a huit ans quand sa famille fuit le régime communiste pour la France par l’Orient-Express. Un arrachement qu’on ressent dans ses chansons comme la plus mythique, “La Maritza”, nom d’un fleuve bulgare.”Les belles chansons sont mélancoliques. La mélancolie me tient au corps depuis l’enfance”, disait-elle.Elle ne retrouvera qu’en 1990 son pays natal, où elle adopte sa fille Darina avec son second mari, le producteur américain Tony Scotti épousé en 1984.A Paris, les débuts sont difficiles pour les Vartan, qui vivent cinq ans dans une chambre d’hôtel.”Tombée brutalement” dans le succès, l’adolescente, perfectionniste, s’impose dans ce métier difficile, “particulièrement pour les femmes”. Essuyant une tempête de critiques en 1965 en étant la première à chanter… en pantalon.Le couple qu’elle forme alors avec “l’Idole des jeunes”, Johnny Hallyday, père de son fils David, est la proie des paparazzi.- Le “mariage d’une génération” -Leur union en 1965 dans un village de l’Oise, au milieu d’une cohorte de fans et de journalistes, est le “mariage d’une génération”. Ils partagent parfois la scène et enregistrent “J’ai un problème” (1973), duo resté célèbre. “Si tu n’es pas vraiment l’amour, tu y ressembles”, fredonnent-ils.En 1968, Sylvie Vartan survit à un accident de voiture qui coûte la vie à son amie d’enfance. Deux ans après, un nouvel accident, dont Johnny ressort indemne, l’oblige à rester six mois aux Etats-Unis pour retrouver son visage. Elle en profite pour suivre des cours de danse et s’initier aux shows “à l’américaine”.L’union des enfants terribles du rock s’achève par un divorce en 1980, après moult accrocs, ruptures et réconciliations.Elle s’installe à Los Angeles pour sa troisième vie. Mais retrouve régulièrement la France et son public.Pressentie pour jouer dans “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg”, elle aura finalement eu une carrière modeste au théâtre et au cinéma, avec un seul grand rôle (“L’Ange noir”, 1994). “Si je ressens un manque, c’est du côté du cinéma”, confessait-elle.Plutôt discrète sur sa vie privée, elle tape du poing sur la table après la disparition de Johnny, fin 2017, pour soutenir publiquement son fils et Laura Smet face à la veuve du chanteur, Laeticia.En 2024, en annonçant qu’elle tire sa révérence, elle rappelle que, si Johnny est “quasiment mort sur scène”, ce ne sera “pas le cas” pour elle.Des adieux à la scène “irrévocables”, confiait-elle à l’AFP en novembre. “J’ai vécu sur un volcan depuis mes débuts. J’ai tellement fait qu’à un moment donné, il faut se calmer un peu. Il est temps”.