TikTok, the popular video app, is again in the crosshairs of US officials, with a high-ranking regulator and a group of lawmakers taking aim at national security concerns the Chinese-owned service may pose. Earlier this week, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Republican appointed during former President Donald Trump's administration, revealed that he had asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. The reason: the app collects data from users that poses risk to America's national security. "It is not just an app for sharing funny videos or memes," read Carr's letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. "That's the sheep's clothing." Google declined to comment. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment. Separately, nine Republican US senators, including Roy Blunt of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, sent a letter to TikTok expressing concern over a report the company had given officials in Beijing "backdoor … [Read more...] about US Officials Call TikTok a National Security Threat. Here’s What You Need to Know
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Taliban Chief Takes Victory Lap at Afghan Cleric Summit
Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada made a surprise appearance at an ongoing conference of Islamic clerics in Kabul, Afghanistan, declaring Islam “the religion of peace” while declaring that the Taliban “hopes for martyrdom” and celebrates the success of “our jihad.” Akhundzada has taken great care not to be seen in public. His remarks at the conference surfaced through Taliban media outlets like the Bakhtar News Agency and via spokesmen such as top Taliban representative Zabihullah Mujahid. The Taliban allowed friendly outlets to public audio, but not photos, of the event and reportedly blocked independent media from attending the event. Taliban officials convened thousands of Islamic clerics, Afghan media reported , to discuss political solutions to the nation’s problems. The jihadist organization banned women from the event, insisting that their “sons” would represent their wishes on issues such as banning girls from schools and women from working outside of … [Read more...] about Taliban Chief Takes Victory Lap at Afghan Cleric Summit
The world can’t wean itself off Chinese lithium
The industrial port of Kwinana on Australia’s western coast is a microcosm of the global energy industry. From 1955, it was home to one of the largest oil refineries in the region, owned by British Petroleum when it was still the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. It once provided 70 percent of Western Australia’s fuel supplies, and the metal husks of old tanks still dominate the shoreline, slowly turning to rust in the salt air. The refinery shut down in March 2021, but it isn’t just oil below the region’s red soil: Australia is also home to almost half of the world’s lithium supply. The trucks and machinery are humming once again, but now they’re part of a race to secure the clean energy sources of the future—a race being dominated by China. 2021 . Hundreds of so-called gigafactories across the country are churning out millions of EV batteries for both the domestic market and foreign carmakers like BMW, Volkswagen, and Tesla. China’s share of the market for lithium-ion batteries … [Read more...] about The world can’t wean itself off Chinese lithium