TikTok has returned to Apple and Google app stores in the US, weeks after it was removed, following a reprieve from President Donald Trump that delayed a ban on the video platform.
With more than 170 million users in the world’s largest economy, the app was available for download in both app stores on Thursday evening.
TikTok briefly went offline in America on January 18, due to a law that was to ban it from the next day in response to national security concerns about how its Chinese owner ByteDance handles data from US users.
Mr Trump signed an executive order postponing the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the US temporarily.
Apple and Google also removed TikTok from their app stores on January 18, but people who had already downloaded the app were able to use it.
The companies have now taken the decision to restore TikTok after assurances in a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi that a ban wouldn’t immediately be enforced, Bloomberg reported.
Although the app is back, there is still uncertainty about the future of TikTok in the US and it is not clear what will happen after the grace period provided by the Trump administration ends.
The law introduced by the Biden administration to ban TikTok was passed with broad congressional support from politicians who said the app poses a threat to US national security.
TikTok and its supporters have argued the law breaches the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech.
TikTok launched several legal challenges to stop US from imposing the ban, however, the Supreme Court upheld the law.
Last month President Trump said the US wants to have a 50 per cent ownership of TikTok in a “joint venture”, and it would be “good for China” if it is approved and it would be considered “somewhat of a hostile act” if they do not approve it.
“I think the US should be entitled to get half of TikTok and, congratulations, TikTok has a good partner,” he told reporters at the time. “If the President doesn't sign, it's worthless. If the President does sign, it's worth a trillion dollars.”
Earlier this month, Mr Trump signed an executive order to create a sovereign wealth fund and said it could buy TikTok.
ByteDance, however, has maintained that TikTok will remain in its ownership and it is not for sale.
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20with%2048V%20mild%20hybrid%20system%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E544hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%20at%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh700%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Elate%20November%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
The years Ramadan fell in May
