Netanyahu eyes hostage breakthrough as Gaza families mourn victims

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s recent war with Iran had created “opportunities” for freeing hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza, where witnesses and rescuers reported more than 30 people killed Sunday.His comments lifted hope for a new ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the Palestinian territory, after US President Donald Trump said he hoped a truce could be sealed within days.Israel is bombarding Gaza in a bid to destroy the militant group Hamas after its deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.Netanyahu said that after his country’s recent “victory” over Iran in their 12-day war, “many opportunities have opened up… first of all, to rescue the hostages.””Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both goals,” he said.Following the war between Israel and Iran that ended with a ceasefire on June 24, domestic and diplomatic pressure has risen on Netanyahu to also secure a halt to the fighting in Gaza.Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump weighed in, writing: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”The US president had said on Friday that he was hoping for a new ceasefire there “within the next week”.- Gaza strikes -Devastating bombardments continued in Gaza on Sunday, witnesses and rescuers said.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that the day’s toll had risen to 34 people killed in various locations around the Gaza Strip, including at least four children.The Israeli military told AFP it was not able to comment on the reported strikes but said it was fighting “to dismantle Hamas military capabilities”.Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City’s Zeitun district in the early morning.A family member, Abdel Rahman Azzam, 45, told AFP he was at home when he “heard a huge explosion at my relative’s house”.”I rushed out in panic and saw the house destroyed and on fire,” he added.”We evacuated more than 20 injured people, including two martyrs — two children from the family. The screams of children and women were non-stop,” Azzam said.”They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up.”Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the full tolls and details provided by rescuers.Elsewhere, Bassal said a drone strike on a tent camp housing displaced people near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed five people, including two children.An AFP journalist filmed people carrying victims from that strike into the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and families mourning over five bodies.”We were sleeping and I woke up as if I was electrocuted and my children started screaming,” said one of the bereaved relatives at the hospital, Iman Abu Marouf, 35.She said two of her children, aged 10 and 13, were killed in the strike.- Israeli soldier killed -The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that a 20-year-old soldier was killed “during combat in the northern Gaza Strip”.The military had issued an evacuation order earlier in the day for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory’s north.The military “will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand… to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations”, military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X.He told residents to “evacuate immediately” to the Al-Mawasi area on the southern coast.An AFP journalist filmed residents transporting their belongings on carts as they fled from the eastern Al-Tuffah and Al-Daraj districts of Gaza City after the order.AFP video footage filmed from southern Israel showed large plumes of smoke rising from northern Gaza.Criticism has grown over mounting civilian deaths at US- and Israeli-backed food distribution centres in the territory.Bassal said four people were killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Sunday.Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,500 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Iran voices ‘serious doubts’ over Israel commitment to ceasefire

Iran warned Sunday that it had little faith in Israel’s commitment to a fragile ceasefire that ended the most intense and destructive confrontation between the two foes to date.The 12-day war erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that killed top military commanders and scientists linked to its nuclear programme. Tehran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities.Israel said its aim was to keep the Islamic republic from developing an atomic weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.The fighting derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, which later joined its ally Israel’s campaign with strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.”We did not start the war, but we have responded to the aggressor with all our power,” Iranian armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was quoted as saying by state television, referring to Israel.”We have serious doubts over the enemy’s compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with force” if attacked again, he added, six days into the ceasefire.- IAEA dispute -The conflict rattled the already shaky relationship between Iran and the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency.Iran has rejected the IAEA’s request to inspect its bombed nuclear sites, accusing its chief Rafael Grossi of “betraying his duties” by failing to condemn the Israeli and US attacks.Iranian lawmakers voted this week to suspend cooperation with the agency.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Grossi’s request to visit the targeted facilities “meaningless” and “possibly malign in intent”.Tehran also cited a June 12 IAEA resolution criticising Iran’s lack of nuclear transparency as a pretext used by Israel to justify launching its offensive the following day.The backlash drew a sharp rebuke from Germany and Argentina, Grossi’s home country.”I commend Director General Rafael Grossi and his team for their unrelenting professionalism. Threats against them from within Iran are deeply troubling and must stop,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote on X.Argentina’s foreign ministry said it “categorically condemns the threats against him coming from Iran”.Neither specified which threats they were referring to, but Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently claimed documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.Speaking to US broadcaster CBS on Sunday, Iranian ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani denied there was any threat to nuclear inspectors in Iran, insisting they were “in safe conditions” but their work was suspended.- Damage questioned -The United States carried out strikes on three key facilities used for Iran’s atomic programme.In the days after, Trump said the United States would bomb Iran again “without question” if intelligence indicated it was able to enrich uranium to military grade.Speaking to CBS on Saturday, Grossi said Iran could “in a matter of months” return to enriching uranium.Questions remain as to how much damage the US strikes did to Iran’s nuclear programme, with Trump and his officials insisting it had been “obliterated”.On Sunday, however, The Washington Post reported that the United States had intercepted calls between Iranian officials who said the damage was less than expected.That followed an early “low confidence” US military intelligence report that said the nuclear programme had been set back months, not years.Israel has said Iran’s programme was delayed by years, while Tehran has downplayed the damage.The IAEA said Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent, far above the levels needed for civilian nuclear power, although Grossi previously noted there had been no indication before the strikes that Iran was working to build an atomic weapon.Israel has maintained ambiguity about its own nuclear arsenal, neither officially confirming nor denying it exists, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has estimated it has 90 nuclear warheads.- ‘A new road’-Iran’s health ministry says at least 627 civilians were killed and 4,900 injured during the war with Israel.Retaliatory missile attacks by Iran on Israel killed 28 people, Israeli authorities say.During the war, Iran arrested dozens of people it accused of spying for Israel.Iran’s parliament on Sunday voted to ban the unauthorised use of communications equipment, including tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, said the official news agency IRNA.On Sunday, Washington’s envoy to Turkey said the Iran-Israel war could pave the way for a new Middle East.”What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: ‘Time out. Let’s create a new road’,” Ambassador Tom Barrack, who is also the US special envoy to Syria, told the Anadolu state news agency.”The Middle East is ready to have a new dialogue, people are tired of the same old story,” he added.

Chennai clinch inaugural Sevens title as rugby touches down in India

Ireland Sevens international Terry Kennedy helped Chennai Bulls clinch India’s inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL) title on Sunday as the sport took its first fledgling steps in a country obsessed by cricket. Kennedy scored two of Chennai’s seven tries as they concluded the six-team rugby sevens franchise league with a 41-0 thrashing of Delhi Redz in Mumbai.India’s Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra was among the many stars who graced the finale although the crowds were understandably no match for the hordes that turned up to watch Virat Kohli’s Bengaluru win the T20 Indian Premier League earlier this month. However, the RPL’s coverage on satellite television has given organisers hope that rugby could emerge as a major sport in India. “No matter how big a sport may be, there is always space if you work hard enough if you create a product that’s good enough,” Rugby India president Rahul Bose told AFP.”In that respect we are very happy and very secure in the knowledge that there is space for this game and it doesn’t have to come by eating away at anybody else’s space.”Just as the IPL focused on the shortest form of cricket, so the RPL has chosen to go for the shortest form of rugby, with the seven-a-side format in this tournament lasting 16 minutes — four quarters of four minutes each — and dispensing with the hard grunt of the 15-man game to showcase slick handling and blistering pace. Kennedy is not the only top Sevens player to have been drafted in to the RPL. His teammate Joseva Talacolo, who also scored a try in Sunday’s final, won silver with Fiji at last year’s Olympics in Paris while Scott Curry, whose Bengaluru Bravehearts finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Hyderabad Heroes, played 321 times for New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens team. The American Perry Baker, now 39 and a two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, came out of retirement to play for Kalinga Black Tigers. According to Bose, this first iteration of the tournament has gone down well with the public.”What we have heard is that the game is easy to follow, very fast, very exciting and has got tremendous amount of likeability,” said Bose who is also a successful Bollywood actor. “Along with that, the athletic prowess of these men has come in for a lot of attention. We are happy with the connect we have made.”- ‘Bigger and better’ -The RPL is seen as a way for India to bolster their dreams of hosting the Olympics in 2036 – and given the continental qualifying system for the Olympics, India even has an eye on fielding a men’s or women’s team prior to that. But it is more than an ideal. The RPL, which blends Indian players with international stars, is run by GMR Sports which, as owner of the IPL team Delhi Capitals, knows a thing or two about franchise competitions in India.”The first season has gone very well for us,” Satyam Trivedi, chief executive officer of GMR, told AFP.”The sponsors are happy with what they see on the ground and on TV. “However this is just the beginning for us. We are looking at the first season as a showcase event and take a lot of learnings from here. “In every season this league will get bigger and better.”

Brad Pitt’s ‘F1’ cruises to top of N.America box office

“F1: The Movie,” starring Brad Pitt as a washed up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, sped to the top of the North American box office in its debut weekend with $55.6 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.”This is an outstanding opening for an original action sports drama,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, noting that both critics and audiences have loved the racing film from Apple and Warner Bros.”How to Train Your Dragon,” Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action reboot of the popular 2010 film, slipped to second place with $19.4 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.The family-friendly film tells the story of a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who strikes up a friendship with Toothless the dragon.In third place was Disney/Pixar Animation’s latest original film “Elio,” at $10.7 million in the United States and Canada.”Elio” tells the story of a young boy who is mistaken by aliens as an intergalactic ambassador for Earth. The voice cast includes Oscar winner Zoe Saldana.”M3GAN 2.0,” the sequel to Universal’s 2022 film about a murderous doll, opened in a disappointing fourth place with $10.2 million. “The idea of a child-sized humanoid robot doll powered by AI generated a lot of interest the first time, but that interest has fallen apart,” Gross said.In fifth place was Columbia Pictures’ zombie sequel “28 Years Later,” which took in $9.7 million.Critics’ reviews and audience ratings have been strong for the Danny Boyle-directed threequel, which picks up — as the title suggests — more than a generation after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus.Rounding out the top 10 were:”Lilo & Stitch” ($6.9 million)”Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” ($4.2 million)”Materialists” ($3 million)”Ballerina” ($2.1 million)”Karate Kid: Legends” ($1 million)

Mondial des clubs: le PSG donne le tournis au Miami de Messi

Un Paris SG fringuant et sans pitié a terrassé l’Inter Miami de Lionel Messi (4-0) dans des retrouvailles à sens unique entre la mégastar et son ancien club, dimanche à Atlanta en huitième de finale du Mondial des clubs.Il n’y a jamais eu de suspense ni de réelle confrontation tant le PSG a fait respecter son statut de champion d’Europe, et tant le club de David Beckham a cette fois payé le prix fort pour toutes les lacunes observées depuis le début de la compétition.Plus en jambes que lors de ses deux derniers matches, en partie sans doute grâce à la climatisation du stade couvert Mercedes-Benz, le PSG a tout de suite mis la tête de Messi et des siens sous l’eau.Et ce devant leurs fans, puisque le stade (par une affluence de 65.000 spectateurs) était orné en grande majorité de maillots roses. Mais aussi devant le père de Kylian Mbappé, Wilfrid, venu de Miami observer le possible futur adversaire du Real Madrid en demi-finale.Dès la 4e minute, Bradley Barcola, titularisé à la place d’Ousmane Dembélé que Luis Enrique a souhaité encore préserver après sa blessure, a sollicité le gardien Oscar Ustari, après une percée de Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.Pour son 100e match sous les couleurs parisiennes, Barcola a raté certaines choses, mais a aussi été un détonateur, tout comme Kvaratskhelia.Le premier but est venu sur un coup franc obtenu par Désiré Doué et tiré par Vitinha au second poteau. Joao Neves l’a repris de la tête, dans une réalisation qui a immédiatement rappelé son but contre Manchester City.- Messi a fait son âge -Le petit milieu portugais, l’une des révélations de la saison, s’est payé le luxe d’un doublé, reprenant un centre de Fabian Ruiz lancé en profondeur par Bradley Barcola (39e).Barcola a terminé sa bonne mi-temps par une passe décisive pour Achraf Hakimi, qui s’y est pris en deux temps pour faire trembler les filets (45+3). Entre temps, Doué avait, par un centre puissant, forcé un but contre son camp de Tomas Aviles (44e).La messe était dite dès la mi-temps. Un scénario idéal pour Luis Enrique qui a pu faire tourner dès le retour des vestiaires, avec Marquinhos et Fabian Ruiz sortis au bénéfice de Lucas Beraldo et Warren Zaïre-Emery. Le PSG a tranquillement géré cette avance confortable, se créant encore des occasions, mais avec plus d’imprécisions, et donnant du temps de jeu à Ousmane Dembélé, visiblement rouillé.Les quatre fantastiques de l’Inter Miami, anciens Barcelonais, ont semblé tout aussi dépassés que leur équipe par le pressing tout terrain, les redoublements de passes et de dribbles du PSG.A 38 ans, Messi a fait son âge, voyant plusieurs de ses dribbles et frappes anticipés par la défense parisienne (41). Du reste, l’Argentin, qui est parti du PSG fâché en 2023, avait les mains sur les hanches dès la 16e minute, consterné par la différence de niveau. Et il a frôlé la correctionnelle sur un mauvais geste pas vu par l’arbitre, sur Vitinha qui protégeait son ballon.- Mur -Le public a poussé pour qu’il fasse parler sa vista en seconde période, et il a davantage tenté. Alors que la foule, sans doute un peu sonnée par la tournure des événements, avait décidé de créer son propre événement avec une ola, Messi a placé des accélérations dont il a le secret, sans réel débouché (50, 63), et une tête dangereuse (79e) bien sortie par Gianluigi Donnarumma. Le public a cru pouvoir exulter lorsque Messi a pu tirer un coup franc très bien placé (88e). Mais l’Argentin n’a trouvé que le mur parisien, avant de se replier vers son camp en marchant, tête baissée alors qu’une contre-attaque avait lieu.Globalement, le club floridien a eu quelques opportunités avec le relâchement relatif du PSG, comme cette tête de Tadeo Allende (74e).Luis Suarez, nerveux, a aussi fait ses 38 ans lorsqu’il manqua son contrôle alors qu’il avait hérité de la balle aux six mètres (49e). Les quelques ultras de l’Inter Miami, à quelques mètres, en ont oublié leurs chants pendant plusieurs secondes. C’est aussi Sergio Busquets, si dominant au temps de sa splendeur, qui a perdu le ballon sur le deuxième but parisien.Qu’importe au PSG, qui s’est tranquillement vengé des déclarations acides de Messi à son encontre, et affrontera samedi à Atlanta soit le Bayern Munich, soit Flamengo.

Mondial des clubs: le PSG donne le tournis au Miami de Messi

Un Paris SG fringuant et sans pitié a terrassé l’Inter Miami de Lionel Messi (4-0) dans des retrouvailles à sens unique entre la mégastar et son ancien club, dimanche à Atlanta en huitième de finale du Mondial des clubs.Il n’y a jamais eu de suspense ni de réelle confrontation tant le PSG a fait respecter son statut de champion d’Europe, et tant le club de David Beckham a cette fois payé le prix fort pour toutes les lacunes observées depuis le début de la compétition.Plus en jambes que lors de ses deux derniers matches, en partie sans doute grâce à la climatisation du stade couvert Mercedes-Benz, le PSG a tout de suite mis la tête de Messi et des siens sous l’eau.Et ce devant leurs fans, puisque le stade (par une affluence de 65.000 spectateurs) était orné en grande majorité de maillots roses. Mais aussi devant le père de Kylian Mbappé, Wilfrid, venu de Miami observer le possible futur adversaire du Real Madrid en demi-finale.Dès la 4e minute, Bradley Barcola, titularisé à la place d’Ousmane Dembélé que Luis Enrique a souhaité encore préserver après sa blessure, a sollicité le gardien Oscar Ustari, après une percée de Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.Pour son 100e match sous les couleurs parisiennes, Barcola a raté certaines choses, mais a aussi été un détonateur, tout comme Kvaratskhelia.Le premier but est venu sur un coup franc obtenu par Désiré Doué et tiré par Vitinha au second poteau. Joao Neves l’a repris de la tête, dans une réalisation qui a immédiatement rappelé son but contre Manchester City.- Messi a fait son âge -Le petit milieu portugais, l’une des révélations de la saison, s’est payé le luxe d’un doublé, reprenant un centre de Fabian Ruiz lancé en profondeur par Bradley Barcola (39e).Barcola a terminé sa bonne mi-temps par une passe décisive pour Achraf Hakimi, qui s’y est pris en deux temps pour faire trembler les filets (45+3). Entre temps, Doué avait, par un centre puissant, forcé un but contre son camp de Tomas Aviles (44e).La messe était dite dès la mi-temps. Un scénario idéal pour Luis Enrique qui a pu faire tourner dès le retour des vestiaires, avec Marquinhos et Fabian Ruiz sortis au bénéfice de Lucas Beraldo et Warren Zaïre-Emery. Le PSG a tranquillement géré cette avance confortable, se créant encore des occasions, mais avec plus d’imprécisions, et donnant du temps de jeu à Ousmane Dembélé, visiblement rouillé.Les quatre fantastiques de l’Inter Miami, anciens Barcelonais, ont semblé tout aussi dépassés que leur équipe par le pressing tout terrain, les redoublements de passes et de dribbles du PSG.A 38 ans, Messi a fait son âge, voyant plusieurs de ses dribbles et frappes anticipés par la défense parisienne (41). Du reste, l’Argentin, qui est parti du PSG fâché en 2023, avait les mains sur les hanches dès la 16e minute, consterné par la différence de niveau. Et il a frôlé la correctionnelle sur un mauvais geste pas vu par l’arbitre, sur Vitinha qui protégeait son ballon.- Mur -Le public a poussé pour qu’il fasse parler sa vista en seconde période, et il a davantage tenté. Alors que la foule, sans doute un peu sonnée par la tournure des événements, avait décidé de créer son propre événement avec une ola, Messi a placé des accélérations dont il a le secret, sans réel débouché (50, 63), et une tête dangereuse (79e) bien sortie par Gianluigi Donnarumma. Le public a cru pouvoir exulter lorsque Messi a pu tirer un coup franc très bien placé (88e). Mais l’Argentin n’a trouvé que le mur parisien, avant de se replier vers son camp en marchant, tête baissée alors qu’une contre-attaque avait lieu.Globalement, le club floridien a eu quelques opportunités avec le relâchement relatif du PSG, comme cette tête de Tadeo Allende (74e).Luis Suarez, nerveux, a aussi fait ses 38 ans lorsqu’il manqua son contrôle alors qu’il avait hérité de la balle aux six mètres (49e). Les quelques ultras de l’Inter Miami, à quelques mètres, en ont oublié leurs chants pendant plusieurs secondes. C’est aussi Sergio Busquets, si dominant au temps de sa splendeur, qui a perdu le ballon sur le deuxième but parisien.Qu’importe au PSG, qui s’est tranquillement vengé des déclarations acides de Messi à son encontre, et affrontera samedi à Atlanta soit le Bayern Munich, soit Flamengo.

Trump says ‘very wealthy’ group to buy TikTok

President Donald Trump said Sunday a group of buyers had been found for TikTok, which faces a looming ban in the United States due to its China ties, adding he could name the purchasers in two weeks.”We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,” Trump said in an interview on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. “Very wealthy people. It’s a group of wealthy people,” the president said, without revealing more except to say he would make their identities known “in about two weeks.”The president also said he would likely need “China approval” for the sale, “and I think President Xi (Jinping) will probably do it.”TikTok is owned by China-based internet company ByteDance.A federal law requiring TikTok’s sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. But the Republican, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause. In mid-June Trump extended a deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States.Tech experts quickly described the TikTok kerfuffle as a symbol of the heated US-China tech rivalry. While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform — which boasts almost two billion global users — after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election.”I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump told NBC News in early May. “If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension.”Now after two extensions pushed the deadline to June 19, Trump has extended it for a third time.He said in May that a group of purchasers was ready to pay ByteDance “a lot of money” for TikTok’s US operations.The previous month he said China would have agreed to a deal on the sale of TikTok if it were not for a dispute over Trump’s tariffs on Beijing.ByteDance has confirmed talks with the US government, saying key matters needed to be resolved and that any deal would be “subject to approval under Chinese law.”

Trump says ‘very wealthy’ group to buy TikTok

President Donald Trump said Sunday a group of buyers had been found for TikTok, which faces a looming ban in the United States due to its China ties, adding he could name the purchasers in two weeks.”We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,” Trump said in an interview on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. “Very wealthy people. It’s a group of wealthy people,” the president said, without revealing more except to say he would make their identities known “in about two weeks.”The president also said he would likely need “China approval” for the sale, “and I think President Xi (Jinping) will probably do it.”TikTok is owned by China-based internet company ByteDance.A federal law requiring TikTok’s sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. But the Republican, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause. In mid-June Trump extended a deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States.Tech experts quickly described the TikTok kerfuffle as a symbol of the heated US-China tech rivalry. While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform — which boasts almost two billion global users — after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election.”I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump told NBC News in early May. “If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension.”Now after two extensions pushed the deadline to June 19, Trump has extended it for a third time.He said in May that a group of purchasers was ready to pay ByteDance “a lot of money” for TikTok’s US operations.The previous month he said China would have agreed to a deal on the sale of TikTok if it were not for a dispute over Trump’s tariffs on Beijing.ByteDance has confirmed talks with the US government, saying key matters needed to be resolved and that any deal would be “subject to approval under Chinese law.”