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Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok

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US President Donald Trump has said that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a “bidding war” over the sale of the social media app.

When asked by reporters whether the US tech giant was preparing a bid, Trump replied: “I would say yes” – before adding that there was “great interest in TikTok” from several companies.

Both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have been trying for years to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations on national security grounds.

It comes as Trump signed an executive order last week to reverse a Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for its 170m users in the United States.

Despite granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve from the ban, Trump had been the first president to start pressuring ByteDance to sell its app.

In August 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a possible buyer – something which the US company’s chief executive later described as “the strangest thing”.

Later, TikTok chose rival Oracle as a potential partner – although that deal also never happened.

Trump has previously said that he was in discussions with several parties about purchasing TikTok and expects to make a decision on the app’s future within the next 30 days.

A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company had “nothing to share at this time”. The BBC has also reached out to TikTok for comment.

Earlier on Monday, the US president had addressed a gathering of Republican politicians in Florida and spoke about the proposed sale of TikTok.

“We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it,” he said.

“If we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens,” he added.

Previous names linked with buying TikTok include billionaire Frank McCourt and the Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary – a celebrity investor on Shark Tank, the US version of Dragon’s Den.

The biggest YouTuber in the world Jimmy Donaldson – AKA MrBeast – has also claimed he is in the running after a number of investors contacted him following an earlier tweet signalling his interest.

(BBC News)

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Mrs. World 2024 first runner-up Ishadi Amanda returns to SL

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Mrs. World 2024 first runner-up – Ishadi Amanda returned to Sri Lanka today (04).

She was warmly received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake and later honored at a special reception by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

Amanda secured the 1st runner-up title at the 40th Mrs. World pageant in Las Vegas on Jan. 31, where South Africa’s Tshego Gaelae won the crown.

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India’s international theatre festival ‘Bharat Rang Mahotsav’ in Colombo

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Marking its Silver Jubilee, Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM), the International Theatre Festival of India, will be organised in Colombo from Feb. 06 – 09, 2025 by the National School of Drama, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 

It will be hosted by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo in collaboration with the Visual and Performing Arts University, Sri Lanka at Tower Hall Theatre and Panibharatha Theatre in Colombo.

Fondly called ‘Bharangam’, BRM is the world’s largest theatre festival. It began on 28 January and will be continued until 16 February 2025 across 13 cities in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Through this pioneering effort, NSD is expanding the festival’s reach with enhanced international engagement. BRM 2025 theme “One Expression, Supreme Creation” resonates with the spirit of unity in creative expression. 

BRM 2025 features more than 200 unique productions from Russia, Italy, Germany, Norway, Czech Republic, Nepal, Taiwan, Spain and Sri Lanka. These will be showcased across 13 locations in India and abroad.

In Colombo, the Festival features ‘Tajmahal Ka Tender’ and ‘Babuji’ in Hindi on 6th and 7th February at Tower Hall Theatre, followed by ‘Romeo And Juliet’ and ‘Sindu Kirilli- 2 (Veronica Returns)’ in Sinhala on 8th and 9th February at Panibharatha Theatre. The inauguration of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav in Colombo will be held at 6pm on 6 February, 2025 at Tower Hall Theatre, Maradana.

For more information, please visit the official NSD/BRM websites: https://nsd.gov.in/www.brm.nsd.gov.in. For those interested in attending the performances in Colombo, please write to  [email protected].

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Beyoncé finally wins best album at Grammy Awards

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Correcting what was widely seen as an historic wrong, Beyoncé won best album at the 67th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

The star was recognised for her eighth album, Cowboy Carter, which celebrates and contextualises the black roots of country music. She had previously been passed over for the ceremony’s main prize on four separate occasions.

As her name was read out, Beyoncé hugged her daughter Blue Ivy, then her husband Jay-Z, before walking to the stage in a gold paisley dress to accept the trophy.

“I just feel very full and very honoured,” she said. “It’s been many, many years.”

The singer dedicated her award to Linda Martell, one of the pioneers for black musicians in country music and the first black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry (Ms Martell features on several of Cowboy Carter’s songs).

“I hope we just keep pushing forward [and] opening doors,” Beyoncé continued. “God bless y’all. Thank you so much.”

The star’s victory comes 25 years after her first Grammy nomination, as part of the R&B group Destiny’s Child.

She went on to become the most-awarded artist in Grammys history, with a haul of 35 trophies – but the main prize eluded her until Sunday night.

In the end, it took a switch of genre to earn the Texas-born musician a win.

Focusing on country and Americana, Cowboy Carter is the second part of a trilogy of albums that interrogates American musical traditions and uncovers the often unheralded contributions made by black artists.

Notably, it makes Beyoncé the first black woman to win album of the year since 1999, when Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill took the title.

Earlier in the evening, Cowboy Carter also won the Grammy for best country album – to Beyoncé’s evident surprise.

(BBC News)

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