TikTok pledges USD 250 mn for COVID-19 relief
Washington: TikTok, the fast-growing mobile video app, pledged Thursday to contribute 250 million to coronavirus relief efforts around the world.
The Chinese-based firm, which US officials and lawmakers have assailed for potential security risks, said the funds would be for "front line medical workers, educators, and local communities deeply affected by the global crisis."
TikTok's move follows similar announcements from technology firms including Google, Facebook and Netflix as well as from leaders of Microsoft, Amazon and Twitter.
"We are committed to playing our part in that global outpouring of mutual support and giving," TikTok president Alex Zhu said in a statement.
"We want to magnify all we are seeing across our community and translate it into concrete relief for those most affected by this crisis."
TikTok said USD 150 million of the funds would be allocated for medical staffing, supplies, and hardship relief for health care workers through the US Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and agencies working to distribute supplies in hard-hit countries including India, Indonesia, Italy and South Korea.
Another USD 40 million will be donated to "organizations that serve groups representative of TikTok's diverse user communities, including musicians, artists, nurses, educators, and families that have come together on our platform," Zhu said.
TikTok said it would match USD 10 million in donations to its "community relief fund," with some of that going to artists, songwriters, and music professionals hurt by cancelled performances and gig work.
Another USD 50 million will be applied to a "creative learning fund" to support distance learning efforts worldwide.
TikTok, popular with teens for its short music videos, has become one of the most widely used social platforms in recent months and has seen interest surge during the pandemic.
The application, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, saw 65 million worldwide downloads in March, according to analytics site SensorTower.
But officials from the FBI, the Justice Department and Homeland Security have warned that the video-sharing app could become another tool exploited by Chinese intelligence services.
TikTok has denied any ties with the Chinese government.
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Gold worth Rs 4.35 cr seized at IGI Airport in two smuggling cases; three arrested
New Delhi (PTI): Customs officers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have busted two separate gold smuggling attempts, seizing a total of over 3.17 kilograms of gold worth about Rs 4.35 crore and arresting three foreign nationals, officials said on Monday.
In the first instance, Customs registered a case of smuggling on February 26 against a 39-year-old Chadian woman who arrived from Addis Ababa a day before, an official statement said.
Acting on specific profiling and surveillance, officers intercepted the passenger for a detailed examination.
During the search, gold articles of high purity weighing 1,843 grams were recovered from her baggage. The seized gold was assessed at a tariff value of Rs 2.37 crore, officials said.
The passenger admitted that the gold had been smuggled into India without payment of duty, officials said, adding that the recovery was made after she confessed the concealment was done "to evade Customs detection and payment of applicable duty".
The gold was seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the woman was placed under arrest under Section 104 of the Act for her alleged role in smuggling.
In a separate incident, Airport Customs Preventive officers booked two Myanmar nationals in a gold smuggling case on February 23. The duo had arrived from Yangon, another statement said.
The passengers were intercepted while crossing the green channel at the international arrival hall of Terminal-3.
On thorough personal search and baggage examination, the two men admitted that they had concealed gold bars inside their rectum.
"Further, four gold bars were ejected by each of the passengers," the Customs statement said, adding that eight rectangular gold bars were recovered.
The total net weight of the recovered gold was 1,329 grams, which was appraised at a tariff value of Rs 1.98 crore.
Both passengers were arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962 for their involvement in the offence of smuggling, officials added.
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