"Make No Mistake, This Is A Ban": TikTok Vows To Fight New US Law In Court

TikTok's CEO vowed Wednesday to fight in the courts to overturn a newly signed US law that could see the popular app banned due to allegations it is controlled by the China government.

The legislation gives TikTok nine months to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or be shut out of the American market.

The US and other Western officials have alleged the social media platform allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It has 170 million users in the United States alone, many of them young.

Critics say TikTok is also a conduit to spread propaganda. China and the company strongly deny the claims.

"Make no mistake, this is a ban. A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice," TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted on TikTok moments after President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.

"Politicians may say otherwise, but don't get confused. Many who sponsored the bill admit a Tiktok ban is the ultimate goal."

Chew called the move "ironic" given that the "freedom of expression on TikTok reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom."

"Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere," Chew told the platform's users.

"We will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side."

The ban measure was included in a $95 billion foreign aid package, including military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The bill, which could trigger the rare step of barring a company from operating in the US market, passed the Senate by a 79-18 vote three days after it cleared the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support.

Under the bill, ByteDance would have to sell the app or be excluded from Apple and Google's app stores in the United States.

TikTok for years has been in the crosshairs of American authorities, who say the platform allows Beijing to snoop on users in the United States.

The bill passed by Congress also gives the US president the authority to designate other applications as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country deemed hostile.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, came out last week against banning TikTok, saying "doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Regret Time In KKR": India Star, Primed For T20 WC Spot, Makes Big Claim

A reinforced skillsets and the ability to perfectly read the ebbs and flows of a match have made Kuldeep Yadav a tough customer, but back in 2019 the left-arm wrist spinner felt the need of a guiding force around him as his form went south while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. Kuldeep had an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery in 2020 but once he joined Delhi Capitals, his performance both for the national team and in IPL improved significantly, making him the first-choice spinner across formats.

He has taken 41 wickets in 33 matches since joining DC and he spoke how things transformed since he worked for months under coach Kapil Pandey to develop new skills post the surgery.

“In KKR, I needed guidance but now I don't need it, as now I dictate terms. In 2019, Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni, his national team mentor) had retired that year and I needed guidance. The idea that I have now, has come with experience,” Kuldeep said about his success in the last one and half years.

Kuldeep bowls the most challenging overs, including Powerplay, and when asked about his recipe of success, he attributed it to taking challenges head on.

"I still regret my time in KKR (from 2016-2020) and feel whatever I am doing now, wish I could have done it back then.

“It still hurts me that had I worked on those skills back then, I could have dominated even more,” Kuldeep said during a select media interaction.

“But it didn't happen back then as experience is something that you get only when you play a lot. When you encounter failure in life, then only you learn and now I am more confident about my skills and at the same time respectful of the fact that opposition can be good too,” the wily spinner said.

Maturity is something that has had its positive effect over the years on him.

“Back in the day, I didn't do (respect opposition) that. I believed in my skills but then at the same time you need to understand how the batter is playing and that maturity has come, knowing my strength and where to bowl so that it is difficult to hit, and I am working on that,” said the Kanpur man.

Post surgery, Kuldeep changed his run-up from diagonal to a much straighter one and also increased the pace on his delivery with more drift and prodigious turn in his break-backs.

“The difficult part was before I got that knee injury (surgery for ACL), I wasn't bowling well. It is very important that there is someone in your life who supports you.” It was at that time he went back to the drawing board and worked with his early coach Pandey.

“It could be your coach or your parents, and my coach supported me and reminded me that you shouldn't back-track.

“It is because you can be out of sight. During injury time, I was relaxed. I was thinking how can I get better? There were apprehensions about how things can go astray when one tries to add new things into his armoury.

“If I introduce new things in my bowling, there is fear of it affecting the turn and drift. Those aspects can get reduced while bringing a new facet.

“I did try it earlier but perhaps didn't try in the correct manner. I tried increasing the pace in my deliveries but it didn't work.

“Then my NCA physio gave me some tips and in a practice game, I tried to bowl with increased pace and did long sessions with Pandey sir,” he said.

Kuldeep also thanked head coach Ricky Ponting and former DC assistant coach Shane Watson for helping him when his rhythm was a bit off.

Recently, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep's former KKR skipper in a podcast with Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about his “tough conversations with the bowler” which he felt that the chinaman bowler might not have appreciated.

Kuldeep seemed non-fussed about it.

“Obviously, it's an old thing. If you have six quality spinners, you can be confused while choosing and Varun Chakravarthy was bowling well and I wasn't. The skipper (Karthik) had a difficult job and did as per what he felt,” the 29-year-old said.

But he gave an interesting theory as to why Karthik, perhaps, placed confidence in him.

“I did well under DK bhai. In 2019, I didn't play a lot. I feel DK bhai plays spinners really well. I might be wrong but I feel he thinks some others also play spin as well as him,” said a smiling Kuldeep.

He also thanked Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who didn't want Kuldeep to once again prove his mettle at domestic level before summoning him for national duty.

“I am grateful that he got me in the team post injury and told me that I would only be played gradually since I was coming back from injury.

“Now Rohit bhai doesn't talk about my bowling as I deliver what he wants. Now, he is after me to improve my batting,” he laughs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Ayushmann Reveals He Broke Up With Tahira After Winning Roadies

Ayushmann Khurrana in a recent interview with Mashable India opened up about the time when he had broken up with his then girlfriend Tahira Kashyap after winner reality show Roadies. Ayushmann Khurrana said, "It is very difficult to deal with fame when you are 16-17. I remember I broke up with my girlfriend then. I was getting a lot of attention for the first time apart from my girlfriend. I lost my mind. I went through that journey when you are in your teens, and you have a gawky image, you are blooming and flowering and becoming a man."

"I was the most popular guy in Chandigarh at that time. So, I broke up with Tahira saying, 'See I am getting a lot of attention, I have to live life now.' But I got back to her in six months and told her 'I can't do this, I can't be a 'f*****'," Ayushmann added.

For the unversed, Ayushmann emerged as the winner of the second season of the adventure reality series Roadies.

Ayushmann Khurrana is known for his roles in hit films like Badhaai Ho, the Dream Girl series, Bala, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Bareilly Ki Barfi, among others. He has also featured in critically-acclaimed films like Article 15, Gulabo Sitabo, Doctor G, Anek and An Action Hero. The actor received a National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 2018 film AndhaDhun. He stepped into the Indian entertainment industry with the reality show Roadies and in 2012, he made his Bollywood debut with Vicky Donor.

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Mohan Yadav On Why His Children Don't Stay At Chief Minister Residence

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is focused on his priorities. So much so, that his three children do not stay with him in the official Chief Minister's bungalow as he says the focus on family might come in the way of his responsibilities and may "dilute it".

Mr Yadav, 49, a first-time Chief Minister, is father to a daughter and two sons.  

"My child is studying in Bhopal. He has completed his MBBS course and is now doing his MS. Now you tell me, if he is in this environment won't he be disturbed. So if he has to study properly, he should focus on that," the Chief Minister told NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview.

"Earlier, my daughter was doing her MBBS course here in Bhopal.  Even then I told her that you have to study in a hostel. The children are also okay with this. I have the satisfaction that there is a positive approach towards this in my family," he underlined.

Asked if he is not being too tough on the family, Mr Yadav said, "We will have to toughen up. When we will understand, the message will percolate down. Our responsibilities might be diluted if we focus only on family. So we have got to save ourselves from that sentiment. The more one grows, the more one should be careful." 

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"One Rule For All": Top Tihar Official Amid Arvind Kejriwal Insulin Row

Delhi's Tihar jail is like a city but it does not work in a vaccum, Sanjay Beniwal, the jail's Director General, said today in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation that he is not being administered insulin. His party has alleged a conspiracy to murder him. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Mr Beniwal said Tihar has around 1,000 diabetics and they are given food and medication according to the advice of senior doctors, including those from AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

"We usually face such pressure, we have a habit of tolerating it, it is part of life," he told NDTV. 

Mr Kejriwal has gone to court alleging that he is being deprived of insulin since his arrest on March 21 in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. His request for a video call with a private practitioner has been denied by the special court in Delhi that is hearing the case. 

His Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, has held protests outside the Tihar jail.

Calling the allegations "baseless", Mr Beniwal said they will follow the instructions of the court.

"Whatever allegations AAP is making, we have answered them very well in court," Mr Beniwal said. "Whatever questions the court has asked us, we have also answered them very well. We all accept what the court says. Why are they making all these allegations? Only he should answer," he said.  

"Do you think slow poison can be given in jail? Do you yourself think this is possible?" Mr Beniwal added.

"Around 900 to 1000 prisoners in our jail are suffering from diabetes. Some are given medicines, some insulin, some need something else... our government-appointed senior doctors do all this," he said.

Explaining the existing practice under the jail manual, he said when someone's illness is serious, "we take the advice from the referral hospital, which is outside the jail".

"Our referral hospitals include AIIMS, RML and other hospitals. This is a normal process for all prisoners. There is no A B C D category for any particular prisoner," he added.

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Aligarh Muslim University Gets 1st Woman Vice-Chancellor In Over 100 Years

Naima Khatoon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), making her the first woman to hold the top post in over 100 years, sources said on Monday.

Naima Khatoon was appointed after receiving approval from President Droupadi Murmu, who is a Visitor to the University, they said.

Permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI) was also sought in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in place, they said.

"Naima Khatoon, Principal, Women's College, has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of AMU for a period of five years. The ECI has stated that the commission has no objection from the MCC angle to the proposal related to the appointment of the AMU VC subject to the condition that no political mileage be derived from it," a source said.

Naima Khatoon, who completed her PhD in psychology from AMU, was appointed as a lecturer in the same department in 1988 before being elevated to professor in 2006. She continued there before being appointed the principal of the Women's College in 2014.

Founded in 1875, Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became AMU in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.

In September 2020, AMU completed 100 years as a university, becoming one of the oldest universities in India. The university has had no woman vice chancellor so far.

In 1920, Begum Sultan Jahan was appointed as the AMU chancellor. She continues to be the only woman to have held the post.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Aishwarya Celebrated Her 17th Wedding Anniversary With Abhishek-Aaradhya

Actors Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, who celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary on Saturday, shared an adorable post with daughter Aaradhya.

The two on Saturday took to their Instagram accounts to share a cute family picture.

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A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb)

In the picture, Aishwarya can be seen wearing bright lipstick and smiling happily, while Abhishek poses sweetly in a beige shirt for the selfie. Aaradhya looks joyful, snuggling up to her mom and making the family photo complete.

The actors posted the pictures with a red heart emoji.

Abhishek and Aishwarya acted together in 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke' in 2000 and later in 'Umrao Jaan' in 2006, where they became good friends. However, Abhishek revealed on the Oprah Winfrey show that while filming in New York, he used to stand on his hotel balcony, wishing he could marry Aishwarya. Years later, during the premiere of their 2007 film "Guru" at the same hotel, he saw it as a sign and proposed to her. They got married that year and welcomed Aaradhya in 2011..

Meanwhile, on the work front, Abhishek was last seen in R Balki's 2023 film "Ghoomer," playing the role of a disgraced cricketer who transitions into a coach. He is now gearing up for his next project with Shoojit Sircar, along with starring in 'Be Happy' on Amazon Prime Video.

Aishwarya, on the other hand was last seen in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan: I and II. She potrayed Nandini in the film, a queen who's beautiful and cunning in her quest for power.

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