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(Reuters) &#8211; India has sent technical equipment and a team of specialists to Mauritius to help local authorities deal with an environmental crisis after an oil spill from a Japanese ship, a government official said on Sunday.



A Japanese bulk carrier struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nation on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and triggering a state of “environmental emergency”.



The carrier split on Saturday, and the oil spill spread over a vast area of endangered corals, fish and other marine life in what some scientists called the country’s worst ecological disaster.



On Sunday, Mauritian authorities said the stern section of the vessel had been completely detached, with the remainder of the ship slowly being towed by two tugs towards high seas.



The country’s National Crisis Committee said that rough weather conditions had made the removal of the remaining oil on the ship risky.



“There is still approximately 30 cubic meter of mixed type of oil in the engine room,” it said in the statement. “In view of the rough sea condition, the salvage company&#8230;has informed that it cannot carry on with the pumping of the remaining oil.”



Authorities said that they have cordoned-off Blue Bay Marine Park, with three layers of booms.



“Deflection booms have been placed to further protect Ile aux Aigrettes from any oil spill. Furthermore, 2 kms of booms have been placed along the shoreline of Pointe d’Esny. Additional booms are being placed this afternoon,” the Crisis Committee said.



Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades. Removing the ship is likely to take months.



Following a government request for assistance, India dispatched over 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material by aircraft to supplement the country’s salvage operations, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement said.



Mauritius said that some of these materials are being deployed at Riviere La Chaux, Riviere des Creoles, Riviere Ferney and Grand River South East.



A 10-member team of Indian coast guard personnel trained in oil spill containment measures has also been deployed to Mauritius to provide technical and operational assistance, it said.

Op-Ed: Tourism sector in Mauritius devastated by COVID-19

India sends team to Mauritius to tackle oil spill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he is considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor &#8211; now living in Russia &#8211; whose spectacular leaks shook the U.S. intelligence community in 2013.



The Republican president&#8217;s comments followed an interview&nbsp;<a href="https://nypost.com/2020/08/13/trump-a-lot-of-people-think-edward-snowden-not-being-treated-fairly">here</a>&nbsp;Trump gave to the New York Post this week in which he said of Snowden that &#8220;there are a lot of people that think that he is not being treated fairly&#8221; by U.S. law enforcement.



“I’m going to start looking at it,” Trump told reporters about a possible pardon, speaking at a news conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.



U.S. authorities for years have wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges brought in 2013.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="438" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352573" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-570x420.jpg 570w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after he leaked a trove of secret files in 2013 to news organizations that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA.



Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told RIA news agency the United States should not simply pardon him, but should drop all possible prosecutions against Snowden as he had not commited any crimes.



“He was acting not only in the interest of the American citizens, but in the interest of all the humankind,” Kucherena said.



Trump’s softening stance toward Snowden represents a sharp reversal. Shortly after the leaks, Trump expressed hostility toward Snowden, calling him “a spy who should be executed.”



Trump said on Saturday he thinks Americans on both the political left and the right are divided on Snowden.



“It seems to be a split decision,” Trump told reporters. “Many people think he should be somehow treated differently. And other people think he did very bad things.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">DOMESTIC SPYING</h3>



Some civil libertarians have praised Snowden for revealing the extraordinary scope of America’s digital espionage operations including domestic spying programs that senior U.S. officials had publicly insisted did not exist.



But such a move would horrify many in the U.S. intelligence community, some of whose most important secrets were exposed. Trump has harshly criticized past leaders of the U.S. intelligence community and FBI, and on Thursday took aim at the bureau’s current director Christopher Wray, his own appointee.



The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit last September against Snowden, arguing that the memoir he published last year, “Permanent Record,” violated non-disclosure agreements.



The Justice Department said Snowden published the book without submitting it to intelligence agencies for review, adding that speeches given by Snowden also violated nondisclosure agreements.



Trump’s use of his executive clemency powers including pardons has often benefited allies and well-connected political figures.



Last month he commuted the sentence of his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone, sparing him from prison after he was convicted of lying under oath to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump’s candidacy.

gettyimages-642093036-594×594-2

Trump  considers pardon for leaker Edward Snowden

(Reuters) &#8211; A Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef in Mauritius last month threatening a marine ecological disaster around the Indian Ocean island has broken apart, authorities said on Saturday.



The condition of the MV Wakashio was worsening early on Saturday and it split by the afternoon, the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said.



“At around 4.30pm, a major detachment of the vessel’s forward section was observed,” it said in a statement. “On the basis of the experts’ advice, the towing plan is being implemented.”



The vessel struck a coral reef on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and endangering corals, fish and other marine life in what some scientists have called the country’s worst ecological disaster.



On Friday, some residual oil from the ship leaked into the ocean, Mauritius Marine Conservation Society President Jacqueline Sauzier told Reuters on Saturday morning.



Authorities deployed booms on Saturday to help with oil absorption around the vessel.



The Crisis Committee said special attention was being given to sensitive sites such as the Blue Bay Marine Park, Ile aux Aigrettes and the Pointe D’Esny National Ramsar Site.



The weather is expected to deteriorate over the next few days with waves of up to 4.5 metres (15 feet), authorities said.



Most of the oil from the vessels have been pumped out, the Mauritian government said on Thursday, but there was still 166 tonnes of fuel oil inside and authorities were working to remove it.



Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Saturday Tokyo planned to send a team of officials from the ministry and other specialists to assess the damage. The MV Wakashio is owned by Japan’s Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines.



Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades.



Removing the ship is likely to take months. Former colonial power France has said it will assist with the cleanup.

Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

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WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) &#8211; Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials are expected to recommit to a Phase 1 trade deal during a review on Saturday, even though China’s promised purchases of U.S. exports are far behind schedule.FILE PHOTO: U.S. and Chinese flags are seen before Defense Secretary James Mattis welcomes Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas



Current and former U.S. government officials and trade experts in both countries say the Phase 1 deal, signed in January after nearly two years of tit-for-tat tariffs and angry rhetoric, is the one area where the world’s two largest economies are still cooperating.



The Trump administration has sanctioned companies and individuals linked to a security crackdown in Hong Kong and human rights, banned a Chinese owned video app, penalized Chinese academics and closed Beijing’s consulate in Houston in recent months.



Beijing has responded by closing the U.S. consulate in Chengdu and sanctioning some members of Congress.



Despite the escalating conflict, the Phase 1 trade deal won’t be dismantled, U.S. officials say.



“They have said they intend to implement the plan and we are engaged with them,” White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Thursday. “We have big differences with China on other matters, but regarding the Phase 1 trade deal, we are engaging.”



Chinese trade advisors say the slowing of both economies because of coronavirus-related lockdowns has made it difficult to meet purchase targets, but they don’t expect the White House to walk away.



“Being able to sit down and communicate with each other is a good thing,” said a Chinese state think tank economist who has advised Beijing on the trade deal, while cautioning there was little optimism about further trade breakthroughs.



“It’s hard for things to get even worse, while a best case scenario is hard to achieve,” said the economist, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “How can flowers grow in such a bad environment?”



China is falling far short of a promised additional $77 billion in purchases of U.S. farm and manufactured products, energy and services, although it has ramped up purchases of U.S. farm goods including soybeans and corn in recent weeks.



Imports of farm goods have been lower than 2017 levels, far behind the 50% increase needed to meet the 2020 target of $36.5 billion.



Beijing has bought only 5% of the energy products needed to meet the Phase 1 first year goal of $25.3 billion.



How to close or explain away this gap will be the biggest challenge for U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He during Saturday’s video call.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">BEST OF A BAD SITUATION</h3>



Trade experts said there is little political upside for U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon the deal at this stage, which would admit one of his biggest trade initiatives &#8211; already being hammered by Democratic rival Joe Biden &#8211; had failed.



And even some Trump administration officials have been wary of reigniting a tariff war that would roil markets and likely knock down the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX">.SPX</a>, which traded close to record highs this week.



“At the moment, the agreement serves the interests of the Trump administration and Chinese leaders,” said former acting USTR Miriam Sapiro, now a managing director at communications firm Sard Verbinnen, adding the requirements set in the deal were “never realistic.”



Trump, who has said the trade deal no longer means as much to him because of China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, has expressed support for the deal this week, saying it should continue and purchases should surge in 2021..



Stephen Vaughn, former USTR general counsel and a legal architect of punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, said compliance with the deal also benefits China by keeping its U.S. relationship from deteriorating further. Now that its economy is recovering strongly from the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing has little excuse not to ramp up its purchases, he added.



“I don’t see what China would gain from a failure to comply.&nbsp;My guess is that will not happen,” said Vaughn, a trade partner with the King and Spalding law firm in Washington.



Claire Reade, a former USTR official and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the agreement does offer some incremental progress for U.S. firms seeking access to the lucrative Chinese market.



“If the administration lets the Phase 1 deal die, it becomes difficult to justify the pain caused by the lengthy trade war,” she wrote in an essay this week.



Nearly 90% of firms surveyed by the U.S.-China Business Council have a positive view of the trade deal, but only 7% say its benefits outweigh the costs of tariffs incurred along the way.

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NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; Peter Njeru used to live in central Nairobi’s rundown Michuki Memorial Park because he had nowhere else to go. Now the 28-year-old is restoring and guarding the green space, one of about 200 jobless former park residents hired to help with the work.



“This park was my home with other street families, though people were dumping here illegally,” he said, noting that he used to collect and sell plastic bottles and metal scraps to buy food.



But after being evicted in 2017, he was hired for a few months to help clear trash in the park &#8211; and began guarding it in his spare time.



Now he has a full-time job keeping clean the once trash-choked Nairobi River that runs through the green space, earning enough to rent a house for himself and his family.



Kenya’s capital city is one of the fastest-growing in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the United Nations, and more people, trash and homelessness have taken a toll, along with new challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.



But a government effort to better protect and restore parks in the city &#8211; particularly along the Nairobi River &#8211; is now having a significant payoff, not just in jobs but in green spaces to beat the heat and cope with virus restrictions, backers say.



The effort is part of a broader push to expand green infrastructure in Kenya’s capital, including ensuring widened road corridors have good sidewalks and drainage to prevent flooding, as well as more trees.



Maurice Kavai, an environmental compliance officer with Nairobi City County government, said such changes, including better water service and waste management, will help residents cope not just with the coronavirus crisis but with worsening climate change impacts and future pandemics.



Already it’s improving air quality and making the city a more pleasant place to work, said Loyd Ngere, a carpenter who sells wood furniture near expanded sidewalks along the road to Ngong.



The roadside is much less dusty, he said, and “my wares are visible to customers who often pass by because many people prefer walking due to good and safe pedestrian sidewalks”.



The effort to improve Michuki Memorial Park began in March, when the government allocated 30 million Kenyan shillings ($278,000) to rapidly rehabilitate the park to create more green space for social distancing, said Julius Wanjau, who runs Nairobi’s central business district.



“Early this year, the place was a criminal hideout, a (space for) illegal charcoal dealing, a dumping site, a home to many street families in Nairobi,” he said, with evicted families continuing to move back into the park.



But since the park was again cleared, 1,200 tons of garbage removed, and other improvements made, “now the place is clean with cool air and you can even find fish in the Nairobi River, which were never there before”, Wanjau said.



By asking former residents of the park what they wanted to see change, and giving them priority doing casual work to improve it, the project has also created what Wanjau calls “ambassadors” for the green space, committed to protecting it.



“They understand this place,” he said.



The timing of the work also has, coincidentally, helped cushion many of the city’s most vulnerable families economically through the city’s pandemic lockdown, providing work as other jobs dried up.



Phillip Dinga, who works for the C40 alliance of cities pushing for climate action and advises Nairobi officials, said the kind of changes Nairobi is making are crucial across Africa, both to cater for swelling urban populations and cut disaster risks.



Carrying out such work is a good way to use government spending to spur economies trying to recover from the COVID-19 economic slowdown as well, he said.



“We want to transition Nairobi to a world-class resilient city,” he said, including with air quality that meets World Health Organization standards.



Nairobi is moving towards that both by installing air quality monitors and working to make non-motorised transport &#8211; such as walking and cycling &#8211; easier and more pleasant, Dinga said.



Clement Ngoriareng, of the Kenya Forest Service, said his agency and others also are trying to identify more open spaces in the city that could be managed as urban forests to provide cooling, fresh air and recreation spaces.



Chris Kiptoo, principal secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forest, said green, environmentally smart policy was key to both making cities more liveable and recovering effectively from the virus slowdown.



“The solutions lie with us,” he said during an online event, particularly in terms of finding “a deal that balances nature and people”.

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NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; Tourist operators in Mauritius fear that an oil spill from a Japanese ship will further damage their businesses, already reeling from the coronavirus epidemic, and could cost jobs if their pristine beaches are spoiled.



Tourism generated 63 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) for the economy last year. In May, the central bank said that in the past two months alone, the nation had lost 12 billion rupees in foreign exchange due to the fall in tourism.



Willow River-Tonkin, who owns a kite-surfing business, said local guides would be some of the hardest hit.



“It is really going to affect the communities down there, especially for the fisherman, the local guys that live there, you know that’s how they make money from tourists,” said



“Taking them out to go diving to go snorkelling, to go wake boarding, to go see dolphins and all that sort of thing you know and all of that is going to affect it, if we don’t get it under control very soon.”



The MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a reef and went aground off the Indian Ocean island’s southeast coast on July 25. It began leaking oil last Thursday.



Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of emergency last Friday.Slideshow&nbsp;(5 Images)



Romina Tello, the 30-year-old founder of sustainable tourism agency Mauritius Conscious, said that border closures due the coronavirus had already battered tourism. Mauritius shut its borders on March 19 and has had only 344 cases of COVID-19, of which 332 have recovered and 10 have died.



It is still closed to international air travel.



The southeast coast where the oil spill happened is famous for snorkelling, kite surfing and people visiting the sea flora and the fauna of Mauritius, Tello said, as well as sailing, as boats tend to travel to the islands nearby.



“We are trying to activate domestic tourism. But now, it is impossible for me to recommend for people to travel to the southeast coast due to the smell and they can’t swim because of the spill,” she told Reuters.

Mauritius tourism, reeling from COVID, now hit by oil spill

NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; Mauritius’ Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said on Wednesday nearly all remaining oil had been removed from a damaged Japanese ship, which leaked about 1,000 tonnes in a threat to tourism already hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.



“At the time I’m talking to you, almost all the oil has been removed from the ship,” Jugnauth told reporters, according to remarks shared by his office.



All fuel had been removed from tanks, but there was some residue in parts of the ship, his office added.



Tourist operators fear the spill will further damage businesses already reeling from the epidemic and could cost jobs if pristine beaches are spoiled.



Tourism generated 63 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) for the economy last year. In May, the central bank said that in the past two months alone, the nation had lost 12 billion rupees in foreign exchange due to the fall in tourism.



“It is really going to affect the communities down there, especially for the fisherman, the local guys that live there, you know that’s how they make money from tourists,” said Willow River-Tonkin, who owns a kite-surfing business.



“Taking them out to go diving, to go snorkelling, to go wakeboarding, to go see dolphins and all that sort of thing you know, and all of that is going to affect it, if we don’t get it under control very soon.”



The MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a reef and went aground off the Indian Ocean island’s southeast coast on July 25.



It began leaking oil last Thursday.



Romina Tello, the 30-year-old founder of sustainable tourism agency Mauritius Conscious, said border closures due to the coronavirus had already battered tourism.Slideshow&nbsp;(5 Images)



Mauritius shut its borders on March 19 and has had only 344 cases of COVID-19, with 10 deaths.



The southeast coast where the oil spill happened is famous for snorkelling, kite surfing, sailing, sea flora and fauna, Tello said. “We are trying to activate domestic tourism. But now, it is impossible for me to recommend for people to travel to the southeast coast due to the smell and they can’t swim because of the spill,” she told Reuters.

Mauritius says almost all oil removed from damaged Japanese ship

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TOKYO (Reuters) &#8211; Most of oil remaining on a Japanese bulk carrier that struck a coral reef off Mauritius late last month and leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil has been collected, a representative of the ship owner, Nagashiki Shipping, said on Wednesday.



The ship, MV Wakashio, is owned by Nagashiki and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd.



Activists told Reuters that dead eels were floating in the water and dead starfish were marked by the sticky black liquid. Crabs and seabirds are also dying.



“We don’t know what may happen further with the boat, it may crack more,” said clean up volunteer Yvan Luckhun.



The MV Wakashio is still holding some 2,000 tonnes of oil and it is expected to eventually break up, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said late on Monday, warning that the country must brace for the worst.



Tourism is a leading part of the Mauritius economy. The government, which declared an emergency on Friday due to the spill, is working with former colonial ruler France to try to remove the oil.



The spill has set back two decades worth of restoring the natural wildlife and plants in the lagoon, which started after the government banned sand harvesting in the area back in 2000, said Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.



The fragmentation of the oil in the sea is expected to damage corals when the heavier particles in the oil settle on them, he said, adding that the steps taken by the government to prevent the disaster are also being scrutinised.



“There is some anger and some criticism from the civil society that the government may have taken too much time to respond,” Tatayah said. The ship was grounded for nearly two weeks before it started leaking oil.



There was no immediate comment from Mauritian government officials.Slideshow&nbsp;(5 Images)



The Wakashio passed an annual inspection in March without any problems, Japan’s ClassNK inspection body said.



Mitsui OSK Lines said in statement: “We will do our utmost towards resolving the situation quickly.” It did not provide any details. The company said it has sent six employees to the site and was considering sending more, along with transport supplies.



The International Maritime Organization said it had joined efforts to tackle the spill by providing technical advice and coordinating the response. U.N. agencies and other international groups were also mobilising environmental and oil spill experts.

Most of oil on damaged ship in Mauritius collected: representative for ship owner

(Reuters) &#8211; Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his new running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, will make their first appearance as a ticket on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, as the campaign for the White House enters a more frenetic phase.



The two are scheduled to deliver remarks just days before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination during the party’s national convention, which will take place largely as a virtual event next week due to the coronavirus pandemic.



The Republican convention, where President Donald Trump will be nominated for a second four-year term, follows a week later and kicks off a 10-week sprint to the Nov. 3 election.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">RELATED COVERAGE</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-biden-harris-analysis/why-kamala-harris-may-prove-an-elusive-target-for-trump-idUSKCN25818T">Why Kamala Harris may prove an elusive target for Trump</a></li></ul>



Harris, 55, the first Black woman and the first Asian American to appear on a major-party presidential ticket, was announced as Biden’s choice on Tuesday after a selection process that drew extra scrutiny thanks to Biden’s age.



The 77-year-old would be the oldest president ever if he wins, raising speculation that he would not seek re-election in 2024.



Wednesday’s event in Biden’s hometown will take place on the third anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where violent clashes erupted as white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the town.



Biden has said Trump’s comment after the clashes that there were “very fine people on both sides”, which drew widespread criticism, convinced him to run for president.



In choosing Harris, Biden selected a former rival for the nomination whose most memorable campaign moment was when she criticized his past position on using busing to integrate schools during a televised debate.



But Harris was regarded as a relatively safe choice. She is a more dynamic campaigner than Biden and will be relied upon to help energize Black voters, who represent a crucial constituency for Biden in key swing states.



In recent months, as unrest has convulsed U.S. cities following the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Harris has become a prominent voice calling for change. She has marched alongside protesters and pushed legislation to reform policing practices.



Biden, who had vowed to pick a female running mate, had come under increasing pressure to select a Black woman.



As a former prosecutor and attorney general, Harris has shown herself to be a sharp questioner in Senate hearings and appears to be well suited to the traditional “attack dog” role that vice presidential candidates are often asked to assume.



The Trump campaign wasted little time on Tuesday attacking Harris as a “radical” who would drag Biden to the left. But it remains unclear whether the broadsides will be effective.

540px-Senator_Harris_official_senate_portrait-1

Democrat Biden and new running mate Harris to make first campaign appearance

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; President Donald Trump’s executive order banning China’s TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.



Trump signed an order last week prohibiting transactions with TikTok if its parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it in 45 days. It did not specify the scope of the ban, stating only that the U.S. Department of Commerce would define which transactions would be barred at the end of the 45-day period.



The White House document, sent out to supporters last week, provides insight into the Trump administration’s thinking. It shows the U.S. government is considering disrupting key aspects of TikTok’s operations and funding, amid concerns over the safety of personal data that the app handles.



“Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores &#8230; purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device,” the document states.



A source familiar with the White House document verified its authenticity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



Some technology industry experts said eliminating TikTok’s ability to be offered on Apple Inc (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/AAPL.O">AAPL.O</a>) and Google owner Alphabet Inc’s (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/GOOGL.O">GOOGL.O</a>) app stores, which in turn allow it to be downloaded on iPhone and Android smartphones, could cripple the app’s growth.“That kills TikTok in the U.S,” said James Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “If they want to grow, these rules are a huge obstacle.”



He added, though, that the U.S. government may not be able to prevent Americans from downloading TikTok from foreign websites.



Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



Following Trump’s executive order last week, TikTok told advertisers it would continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it cannot fulfill, and work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of a ban. Some advertisers told Reuters they were drafting contingency plans and considering other apps for their marketing.



It is not clear whether Trump’s order will be implemented. Microsoft Corp (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/MSFT.O">MSFT.O</a>) has been leading negotiations to acquire the North America, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok under the supervision of the Trump administration. A successful deal would make banning transactions with TikTok moot.



The White House document seen by Reuters is not clear on whether the United States would implement a similar crackdown on WeChat, the social media app owned by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/0700.HK">0700.HK</a>) that Trump also sought to ban in an executive order on last week.



TikTok, which has said is exploring legal challenges to Trump’s order, has 100 million active users in the United States, and is especially popular with teenagers. It has said U.S. user data is safely stored in the United States and Singapore, and that it would not hand over such information to the Chinese government.

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TOKYO (Reuters) &#8211; Oil prices moved higher on Wednesday after an industry report showed that U.S. inventories of crude fell more than analysts expected, bolstering hopes that fuel demand in the world’s biggest economy can weather the coronavirus pandemic.



Brent crude LCOc1 was up 52 cents, or 1.2%, at $45.02 a barrel by 0648 GMT, after falling around 1% on Tuesday.



West Texas Intermediate CLc1 oil was up 49 cents, or 1.2%, at $42.10 a barrel, having dropped 0.8% in the previous session.



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The American Petroleum Institute [API] said on Tuesday that crude stocks fell by 4 million barrels last week, more than analysts’ expectations of draw of 2.9 million barrels. Official government data is due later on Wednesday. [EIA/S] [API/S]



The “fall in U.S. API crude inventories &#8230; the third sizeable weekly fall in a row, has supported prices today,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.



Still, growing uncertainty over a stalemate in Washington in talks for a stimulus package to support recovery from the deepest impact of the pandemic may weigh on prices looking ahead.



In India, demand for fuel in July dropped 10.8% from a year earlier, the fifth month of year-on-year declines, government data showed on Tuesday as a rise in coronavirus cases and floods in many parts of the country restricted economic activity.

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