While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 4
China’s ByteDance to consider international headquarters for TikTok, outside US
Chinese tech company ByteDance said on Monday it was considering moving the headquarters of its TikTok video sharing platform overseas, following a British media report that the unit could relocate to London.
TikTok is under heavy fire from US President Donald Trump and other American politicians over concerns that it poses a national security risk, and Microsoft has emerged as a possible buyer of TikTok’s US operations.
Britain’s Sun newspaper reported on Monday that ByteDance’s founders would soon announce their intention to set up shop for TikTok in London, where other tech majors such as Google and Facebook have a strong presence.
Asked about the report, a spokesperson for ByteDance said an international move for TikTok was under consideration.
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US teachers protest reopening schools while coronavirus lurks
Teachers and support staff at more than 35 school districts across the United States on Monday staged protests over plans to resume in-class instruction while Covid-19 is surging in many parts of the country.
The protesters, who formed car caravans and attached signs and painted messages on their vehicles, demand schools hold off until scientific data supports such a move.
They want districts to wait until safety protocols such as lower class sizes and virus testing are established, and schools are staffed with an adequate number of counselors and nurses, according to a website set up for the demonstrations.
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Spain’s former king Juan Carlos flees country under weight of corruption scandal
Juan Carlos I led Spain to democracy and foiled a military coup, but he heads into exile under a cloud of royal corruption that has ruined his legacy.
He was popular for decades, however, on Monday the former head state admitted to his son King Felipe VI it was better he left the country.
Facing investigation at home and abroad for corruption, he had become an embarrassment to the throne and the government.
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India imposes curfew in Kashmir ahead of clampdown anniversary
A curfew has been imposed across Indian Kashmir just two days before the first anniversary of New Delhi’s abolition of the restive region’s semi-autonomy, officials said late Monday, citing intelligence reports of looming protests.
The Himalayan region is already subject to restrictions to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus amid a jump in infections, with most economic activities limited and public movement curtailed.
The order said the separate virus lockdown would be extended until August 8.
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Painstaking organ repair starts at Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral
Workers began a painstaking four-year process Monday to restore the great organ of the Paris Notre-Dame cathedral, ravaged by fire in April last year.
The fabled instrument was not badly damaged in the devastating blaze, but there was limited relief for admirers as it was covered in lead dust and has also suffered from temperature fluctuations in the cathedral since the fire.
A 30-metre scaffolding has been erected around the organ to allow it to be safely dismantled piece by precious piece and lowered to the ground.
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