US House passes Bill that could ban TikTok
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a Bill on March 13 that would give TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets of the short-video app used by about 170 million Americans or face a ban.
The Bill was passed 352-65, with bipartisan support.
But it faces a more uncertain path in the Senate where some favour a different approach to regulating foreign-owned apps that could pose security concerns. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not indicated how he plans to proceed.
TikTok called the Bill a “ban” and urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action.
Lithuania blames Russia for hammer attack
Lithuania blamed Moscow on March 13 for an overnight attack by a hammer-wielding assailant on an exiled top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny outside the aide’s home in Vilnius.
President Gitanas Nauseda said the attack on Navalny aide Leonid Volkov was clearly pre-planned and tied in with other provocations against Lithuania, which is a member of Nato and the European Union.
“I can only say one thing to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin - nobody is afraid of you here,” Mr Nauseda said.
UK seeks to ban foreign states from owning newspapers
Britain’s government outlined plans on March 13 to stop foreign states from owning newspapers, potentially giving ministers the power to block Abu Dhabi-backed Redbird IMI’s bid to buy the Telegraph.
The battle over one of Britain’s most famous newspapers has raised questions about the independence of the media, and the role of foreign investors acquiring ownership of politically influential assets.
The Telegraph has close connections with Britain’s governing Conservative Party and the political struggle for ownership of the 168-year-old newspaper is as much about power and influence as it is about money.
American who lived in an iron lung for 70 years dies
An American who lived inside an iron lung for more than 70 years after contracting polio at the age of six, died on March 11. Mr Paul Alexander was 78.
He was left paralysed from the neck down as a result of the viral disease, which he caught in 1952.
Polio left him unable to breathe independently, and doctors placed him inside the metal cylinder, where he spent the rest of his life, according to media reports.
Navarro stuns Sabalenka to reach Indian Wells q-finals
American Emma Navarro shocked second-seeded Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on March 13 to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA and ATP Indian Wells Masters.
Navarro, ranked 23rd in the world, pushed Sabalenka hard on a breezy Stadium Court to notch her first career win over a top-five player.
The victory continues a strong season for 22-year-old Navarro, the 2021 US collegiate champion who won the WTA title in Hobart and reached the semi-finals in Auckland and San Diego.
