Israel strikes Tehran amid Iran conflict as Trump denies ceasefire deal
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, explosive claims, deadly strikes, and surprising tech ventures dominate the headlines. As Iran and Israel exchange fire for a fifth straight day, Donald Trump denies negotiating a ceasefire, saying he's 'looking at better than a ceasefire' while issuing a chilling message about Iran on Truth Social. Leigh-Ann speaks to Ali Vaez from the International Crisis Group about how this could unfold. Meanwhile, Russia unleashes its deadliest assault on Kyiv in months, killing at least 15. We also ask whether Trump's $499 gold smartphone can really be made in the US, and why social media is now America's top news source. And finally, Legoland takes to the skies with a themed flight—while the word 'gents' gets grounded as outdated and exclusive.
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Trump to extend TikTok sale deadline for third time, White House says
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will extend a June 19 deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of short video app TikTok for 90 days despite a law that mandated a sale or shutdown absent significant progress, the White House said on Tuesday. Trump had already twice granted a reprieve from enforcement of a congressionally mandated ban on TikTok that was supposed to take effect in January. 'President Trump will sign an additional executive order this week to keep TikTok up and running,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. That would extend the deadline to mid-September. 'President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,' she added, saying the administration will spend the next three months making sure the sale closes so that Americans can keep using TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure. Trump said in May he would extend the June 19 deadline after the app helped him with young voters in the 2024 election. Earlier on Tuesday, he had told reporters on Air Force One he expected to again extend the deadline. 'Probably, yeah,' Trump said when asked about extending the deadline. 'Probably have to get China approval but I think we'll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.' The law required TikTok to stop operating by January 19 unless ByteDance had completed divesting the app's US assets or demonstrated significant progress toward a sale. Trump began his second term as president on January 20 and opted not to enforce it. He first extended the deadline to early April, and then again last month to June 19. In March, Trump said he would be willing to reduce tariffs on China to get a deal done with TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the short video app used by 170 million Americans. A deal had been in the works this spring that would spin off TikTok's US operations into a new US-based firm and majority-owned and operated by US investors, but it was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump's announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Democratic senators argue that Trump has no legal authority to extend the deadline, and suggest that the deal under consideration would not meet legal requirements.
Arab News
an hour ago
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Iran celebrates state TV presenter after Israeli attack
TEHRAN: Facing the camera with a defiant gaze, her index finger raised in the air, Iranian TV presenter Sahar Emami became an icon in her country after an Israeli attack on the state broadcaster. 'What you can see is the flagrant aggression of the Zionist regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian broadcaster,' she said on air Monday as several explosions were heard in the background. 'What you just heard was the sound of an aggressor against the motherland, the sound of an aggressor against truth,' added Emami, who is known for her impactful interviews with government officials. 'This dust you see in the studio...' she began, her finger raised, before being interrupted by the sound of yet another blast. The journalist, clad in a black chador, rushed out of her seat and disappeared from view. The destruction in the studio, which quickly filled with smoke and dust, was broadcast live before the transmission was cut. Emami, who Iranian media say is in her 40s, is a familiar face to viewers in the Islamic republic after some 15 years on air with state television. She resumed the broadcast just a few minutes after the attack, as if nothing unusual had happened. The broadcaster's headquarters in the capital Tehran with its recognizable glass exterior was badly damaged in the fire that broke out as a result of the Israeli attack. Official media shared images of charred offices and studios no longer usable. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday denounced Israel's 'cowardice' in striking the state television building, in an attack that the broadcaster said killed three people. 'The attack against the Iranian broadcaster demonstrates the Israelis' desperation,' Araghchi said. Conservative newspaper Farhikhtegan said on its front page on Tuesday: 'Female journalist's resistance until the last moment sends a clear message.' Ultraconservative publication Kayhan said: 'The courage of the lioness presenter surprised friends and foes.' The government put up a banner in Tehran's central Vali-Asr Square honoring Emami, showing her image paired with a verse from the Persian poet Ferdowsi that celebrated the courage of women 'on the battlefield.' The state broadcaster has aired the clip of Emami during Monday's attacks multiple times since then, celebrating its presenter. State TV meanwhile mocked a reporter for the London-based Iran International TV, which is critical of the Iranian government. In footage from a live broadcast, the reporter in Israel is seen rushing to a bomb shelter after warnings of incoming missiles from Iran.
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Iran asks its people to delete WhatsApp from their devices
Iranian state television on Tuesday afternoon urged the country's public to remove the messaging platform WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging the app — without offering specific evidence — gathered user information to send to Israel. In a statement, WhatsApp said it was 'concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.' WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can't read a message. 'We do not track your precise location, we don't keep logs of who everyone is messaging and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another,' it added. 'We do not provide bulk information to any government.' End-to-end encryption means that messages are scrambled so that only the sender and recipient can see them. If anyone else intercepts the message, all they will see is a garble that can't be unscrambled without the key. Gregory Falco, an assistant professor of engineering at Cornell University and cybersecurity expert, said it's been demonstrated that it's possible to understand metadata about WhatsApp that does not get encrypted. 'So you can understand things about how people are using the app and that's been a consistent issue where people have not been interested in engaging with WhatsApp for that (reason),' he said. Another issue is data sovereignty, Falco added, where data centers hosting WhatsApp data from a certain country are not necessarily located in that country. It's more than feasible, for instance, that WhatsApp's data from Iran is not hosted in Iran. 'Countries need to house their data in-country and process the data in-country with their own algorithms. Because it's really hard increasingly to trust the global network of data infrastructure,' he said. WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Iran has blocked access to various social media platforms over the years but many people in the country use proxies and virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access them. It banned WhatsApp and Google Play in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country's morality police. That ban was lifted late last year. WhatsApp had been one of Iran's most popular messaging apps besides Instagram and Telegram.
