The app named Bars will allow users to post and share videos of them rapping over beats that are provided by the app itself. Bars has been developed by Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) R&D team.

The app is currently available for beta testers. The BARS app provides tools to rappers to create music and they do not require any special skills to record rap video.

Facebook in its blog said that BARS will make it easier for budding rappers to produce rap music without spending a lot of money on the equipment and production. It is a known fact that audio production tools are quite expensive and creating music can be quite tedious but BARS already has pre-loaded beats.

“With BARS, you can select one of our professionally-created beats, write lyrics and record yourself dropping bars. BARS auto-suggests rhymes as you’re writing to keep your flow going. You can also jump into Challenge mode and freestyle with auto-suggested word cues. Choose from a variety of audio and visual filters to take your creations to the next level.No formal rap experience required — you can create something great whether you’ve just thought of a dope couplet or have been freestyling for years,” Facebook said in the blog.

After creating Rap videos, you can also save the videos to your camera roll and share them on other social media platforms. For now, only a small number of iOS users can download the app in the United States. Interested users can also sign up for the waitlist in the app.

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The move came after India decided to retain its ban on TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps following responses from the companies on issues such as compliance and privacy. The ban dates from last year when political tension between the neighbours rose over their disputed border.

“We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived…we find that has not been the case,” ByteDance wrote in the memo to staff in India, seen by Reuters. “We simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while our apps remain un-operational…we don’t know when we will make a comeback in India.”

In a statement, Tiktok said it was disappointing that despite its efforts it had not received a clear direction on how and when its apps could be re-instated. “It is deeply regretful that after supporting our 2,000-plus employees in India for more than half a year, we have no choice but to scale back the size of our workforce,” it said, but gave no further specifics.

At the time of last year’s ban, the Indian government described the apps as “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India”. The move followed a skirmish with Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border site that killed 20 Indian troops.

TikTok had committed to spending $1 billion in the region. Before the ban, it had become one of the fastest-growing social media apps in India, once its largest market in terms of users.

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US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed the offer and said the Oracle will be handled by government panel that reviews foreign transactions for national security concerns.

The US Treasury said to the media that the government needs to be sure about the security of the app and will be having discussions with Oracle over the next few days with the government’s technical team.

Meanwhile, Oracle confirmed that the company “is part of the proposal by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle will serve as the trusted technology provider,” the report added.

US President Donald Trump had ordered the sale of TikTok’s US operations by 20 September, after which the app would shut down.

Donald Trump had on 14 August asked TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest the US operation of the app within 90 days, citing national security reasons. Trump had claimed that TikTok is a national security threat and has close ties to the Chinese government.

TikTok sued the United States government on August 24, accusing it of depriving the platform of due process when President Trump issued an executive order to block it from operating in the country.

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The UAE’s first digital academy, New Media Academy, has partnered with social media giant TikTok to help empower current and upcoming content creators in the region.

The Academy’s course curriculum includes learning how to effectively use the Chinese social media app, which has more than one billion users globally.

It was launched in June, and offers graduates an internationally recognised certificate on completion of the programme leading to a profession in content creation.

A team from TikTok has delivered the first virtual workshop for government departments in the country regarding creating and disseminating content on social media. The TikTok partnership will open a powerful new marketing channel for government entities, and “enable them to deliver impactful and scalable campaigns,” said Rashid Al Awadhi, chief executive of the academy.

“As the world’s leading short-form video platform, TikTok represents a unique and exciting channel to communicate with local audiences with creativity and authenticity. By partnering with the New Media Academy to deliver a region-first webinar, we are excited about introducing the power of TikTok to government teams and showcasing best practice on how to engage with the public effectively on the platform,” said Rami Zeidan, Head of Video and Creative at TikTok.

More than 50 government and semi-government bodies took part in the webinar, including the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Police, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Abu Dhabi Media Company and the Ras Al Khaimah Government Media Office.

The academy plans to work with more social networks, brands, apps, agencies, and government and private organisations to help social media users deliver engaging and effective content. It will also try to increase the quantity and quality of Arabic content.

In the past few years there has been a strong focus on developing and regulating the nation’s social media and digital industry. A Dubai freelance visa allows content creators to set up base in the emirate.

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Amid tensions in the Indo-China border, the Central government has banned 118 Chinese apps including the most popular smartphone game PUBG. The decision to ban these smartphone apps has been taken by Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology. According to Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology, these apps are “engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

A statement issued by the Ministry revealed that they have received several complaints from various sources regarding the operation of these smartphone applications. The Ministry also alleged that these apps are apparently misusing the data of the users, and are taking all these information to servers outside India.

“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures,” the statement said.

The decision to ban PUBG is expected to receive negative responses from the youth in the country, as there are millions of young people in the nation who spend hours playing this shooting game. However, several psychology experts have previously warned that games like PUBG will increase violent traits among its users.

It was around a few months back that the Indian government banned the much popular short video app, TikTok. The decision literally shocked TikTok lovers, and they urged the government to lift the ban, as it has nothing to do with data loss or national security. However, the government did not lift the ban, and within a couple of months, they have banned another popular Chinese app used by millions.

In the meantime, Donald Trump administration is also planning to ban TikTok in the United States, citing data loss concerns.

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On August 19, a 19-year-old girl in Kerala committed suicide upset about the constant ridiculing over her dark skin. One can call her a victim of domestic racism or the so-called supremacy of white-skinned people over dark-skinned or dusky people in India. Complexion and body shaming are part of a teen’s growing up pains as are the pressure from schools to perform well academically and from parents not just to perform but often to out-perform their peers!

The social media – in the case of teens it is mainly Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok – adds to the insecurities in the coming-of-age years. The increased exposure to Indian and international media, their models and celebrities, have gotten into young girls in particular triggering eating disorders, inferiority complex and suicidal thoughts. When did high cheekbones, a more defined jaw line and visible collarbones become the Indian idea of beauty replacing plumper voluptuous figures?

The pressure to study, learning difficulties and verbal abuse are some of the factors that prompt youngsters to take the extreme step. A parent of a high-schooler told this columnist some time back how teachers in a reputed school in India asked the girls to get married if they scored low marks and not to waste time in school.
Anne Mathews, a lawyer who works as a school counsellor in Kochi, feels that it is not one factor that drives a child towards suicide but a combination of factors. The media and society may notice only one or two factors immediately preceding the incident but in fact there would be issues that had accumulated over the years and culminated in the fatal decision. Parental pressure is one aspect definitely, not just in academics but extracurricular activities too.

Also, Anne notes, with nuclear families and single children being the norm, youngsters are used to parents pampering every need of theirs. So when they hear a ‘no’ at some point, say in a love affair, they are unable to take it. Moreover, parents often brush off the problems of children as unimportant which make the latter turn to a peer for advice. The excess reporting in media inadvertently tends to glorify suicides. Domestic violence as well as substance and alcohol abuse are also contributory factors, Anne said.

A counsellor-cum-special educator at a school opines that upbringing and the strength to accept life as it comes play a big role in a student’s life. The upbringing is not conditioned by parents alone but the extended family, school and community. Lack of acceptance in these circles result in inability to face challenges and social pressures, which in turn makes a person act the way they do. Parents could help by adopting the right attitude and outlook themselves, which will help the kids to assume such attitudes and not be affected by certain social norms and perspectives, she pointed out.

While online games like Blue Whale have been known to lead its teen players to suicide, even books have been known to cause depression and worthlessness. A bestseller like an ‘An Unquiet Mind’ by Kay Jamison with passages like the following can trigger suicidal tendencies: “I think I hit the point of life where I’m just done. I cried, I fought, I tried, but everything is crashing down. My demons are screaming louder, trying to eat away the rest of me and this time we’re not going to fight back.”

Sheena, a school nurse, believes that it takes a certain courage to take such extreme steps, something a teen 10-20 years ago wouldn’t have dared despite verbal or corporal punishments at home or school. “Why can’t the same courage be used to take life head on?” she wonders.

Like everything else, for the new-gen teen courage is instant too. Sadly, it doesn’t always give them an opportunity to look back and “undo” the action.

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The order will likely mean the viral video service could no longer receive advertising from American companies and the app could be removed from Apple and Google’s app stores. This move puts pressure on the Chinese- owned app to sell its US assets to an American company.

The ban marks a significant escalation by Trump in his confrontation with Beijing as the US seeks to curb China’s power in global technology. With the US election less than 90 days away, Trump is making his challenge of China a central theme of his campaign, where he faces Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump, who has locked horns with China on a range of issues including trade and coronavirus pandemic, has set a deadline of mid-september for Tik Tok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the United States.

Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing video app.

Whether Microsoft will come to the rescue of the sinking Tik Tok, one has to wait and see.

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Amid mounting pressure and crisis, ByteDance, owner of TikTok has now decided to relocate from Beijing to London. The new move from TikTok will surely upset Donald Trump, as he is very much keen to ban the application from the US soon.

According to a report published in the Sun, ByteDance has finalized this decision, and they have even received a green signal from the British government, headed by Boris Johnson.

This recent move of TikTok is to assure everyone that they are no longer under the thumb of the Chinese state, and if they succeed in relocating to London, countries like India will be compelled to lift the ban of the application.

In the meantime, Microsoft had revealed that they are continuing talks with ByteDance to acquire TikTok. Even though there are no updates regarding the progress of these negotiations, it has been learned that Microsoft is apparently planning to conclude the talks by September 15.

Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok had several times revealed that they are not a part of any political agenda. He has also made it clear that the ultimate aim of his company is to create a vibrant and dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy.

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The decision to ban TikTok has been confirmed by President Donald Trump, and he made it clear he would take action in this regard, as soon as Saturday using emergency economic power or executive order.

The decision from Donald Trump comes just a few days after several lawmakers in the country blamed TikTok for leaking users’ private data to the Chinese government. However, ByteDance who owns TikTok had ruled out all these allegations and revealed that they have no links to the communist regime.

“We are not political, we do not accept political advertising and have no agenda — our only objective is to remain a vibrant, dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy. TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy,” said Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok.

The popularity of TikTok surged drastically among the general public in 2017, when ByteDance acquired US-based app Musical.ly, and merged it with its own video service. As India has banned TikTok, and the US is planning to ban it, the platform will lose a fair share of its users, and it will negatively impact its business in the coming months.

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“This morning’s email to some of our employees was sent in error. There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok,” Amazon said in an emailed statement.

On the other hand, TikTok said that Amazon did not notify them about the same. Adding further the company said it welcomes Amazon to have a dialogue with them to address their issues anytime.

Meanwhile, the Indian government had banned TikTok along with other Chinese apps last week due to the escalating tensions between India and China.

Amazon is the second-largest U.S. private employer after Walmart, with more than 840,000 employees worldwide.

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India bans 59 Chinese mobile apps including TikTok and Shareit

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According to the police , the four were Thrissur native and approached the actor in the pretense of a marriage proposal.They told the actor that proposal is from a Tik Tok star who is a Kasaragod native.They had visited her house and later threatened to misuse her photos.The police further questioned them for more details.

Shamna told the media that she proceeded with the complaint to save others from such fraudulent activities.

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