“TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, US user data with the Chinese government. Nor would TikTok honor such a request if one were ever made,”CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify on Thursday, according to written testimony posted on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.He added that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity. “Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew will say to the committee.TikTok’s critics fear that its US user data could be…
Author: Mike Harrison
By AFP  March 22, 2023 | 09:04 am GMT+7 Taiwan’s leader Tsai Ing-wen speaks outside her office in February, 2022. Photo by AFP/Sam Yeh Taiwan’s leader will visit diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize next week while also making stopovers in the United States, the island’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, as it aims to shore up ties in Latin America. Tsai Ing-wen will depart Taiwan on March 29 for the 10-day trip, stopping in New York and Los Angeles while en route to and from the Central American countries, according to the ministry.During her trip, Tsai will meet Guatemalan President Alejandro…
The nations, eager to curb Western power, expressed concerns about NATO expansion in Asia and agreed to deepen a partnership which has grown closer since Putin launched an offensive in Ukraine.Putin said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijing’s 12-point position paper on the conflict, which includes a call for dialogue and respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty.”Many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China… can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when Kyiv and the West will be ready for it,” Putin said after talks with Chinese leader Xi…
The discovery of MT Princess Empress, which was carrying about 800,000 liters (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it capsized on Feb. 28 and eventually sank, was deemed crucial in stopping the spill, which reached shorelines in three provinces. Plugging the leaks and extracting any remaining oil from the tanker was urgent, Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor said in a media briefing. With the help of a remotely-operated vehicle that arrived on Monday from Japan, Dolor shared the first photos of the Philippine-flagged vessel from its exact location. The robot will also help determine the tanker’s condition, he said.…
The new law replaces the 2020 Jobs Creation law, which was praised by foreign investors for streamlining business rules in the bureaucracy-heavy country, but also criticized by labor and green groups as being too pro-business.In 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled the passage of that law was flawed due to inadequate public consultation and ordered a renewed debate process in parliament within two years.Tuesday’s passage of the decree meant most of the changes brought about by the law would stay, with some small changes on labor rules.Indonesia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry deputy chair Shinta Kamdani said the passage provided clarity…
To cleanse my body and lose weight, I currently mostly consume fruit juice in addition to a small intake of solid meals. Dear doctor, will this be effective? Answer:Fruits are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. They are filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Juices, smoothies, and other detox drinks are frequently used by many people as part of a weight-loss diet because it’s convenient and also beneficial for the body. However, cutting down on food intake and replacing it with too much juice can be harmful.Fruit contains a natural sugar called fructose. If you drink too much…
These days Linh still thinks she’s dreaming when she watches her husband hold their newborn son in his arms. “Without the dating app, maybe we would have never met each other,” she said.Linh, who was born to a family of 6 siblings in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, became a garment worker in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018.Outside of working hours, she took English classes and became a free tour guide around Bui Vien, a popular backpacker street in downtown Saigon, where she also honed her English skills with foreigners.Linh then downloaded a dating app after friends…
Yoon announced the decision at a cabinet meeting, saying South Korea and Japan should make efforts to remove obstacles that hinder developing bilateral ties.”I will preemptively order our trade minister today to begin necessary legal procedures to have Japan back on our white list,” Yoon told the meeting, which was televised live. “I’m sure Japan will respond if South Korea first starts removing the obstacles.”South Korea and Japan removed each other from the list in 2019 amid a decades-old row over a 2018 South Korean court order for Japanese companies to compensate forced laborers during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of Korea.Tokyo…
Activists around the world have long campaigned for the primate to be moved from Pata Zoo, located on top of a Bangkok mall, with singer Cher and actor Gillian Anderson adding their voices in 2020.But the family who owns Bua Noi — whose name translates as “little lotus” — have resisted public and government pressure to relinquish the critically endangered animal.The gorilla has lived at Pata for more than three decades but her case made headlines again this month after the zoo offered a 100,000 baht ($2,800) reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever graffitied “Free Bua Noi!”…
They were single, and there wasn’t even the hope of a spouse on the horizon.So tiger mom Hoa took matters into her own hands and began trying all sorts of clever methods and creative ways to find partners for her children.Hoa, 55, said her son Phuc has a stable job, a good income, bought a house and a car, but his love life was not good. Her daughter Hanh is also pretty, but she hasn’t brought a single man home to meet the family. Hoa has gone to the temples many times to pray to the gods that her children…