TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok’s boss told employees on Thursday.

Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.

The deal is ​line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.

In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.

The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.

Pope Leo has named Bishop Aldon Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York.

Bishop Hicks, who – like the pope – is from the Chicago area and served in Latin America, will lead one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most populous and important postings in the United States.

The 58-year-old replaces the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75, who was seen as a conservative with close ties to President Donald Trump. Hicks said he accepted his appointment, which was announced on Thursday, with “an open heart” and Dolan called it “an early Christmas gift” for New Yorkers.

Last month, Hicks joined other bishops to condemn the Trump administration’s large scale immigration-related arrests as part of its mass deportation agenda.

Hicks’ early life and pastoral career closely mirror Pope Leo’s. He grew up in South Holland, a short distance from Leo’s Dolton neighbourhood in the suburb of Chicago.

While Pope Leo spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, Hicks worked at an orphanage in El Salvador from 2005 to 2010, according to a biography released by the New York archdiocese. Hicks was appointed bishop of Joliet by Pope Francis in 2020.

Like the pope, Hicks has been outspoken about his concerns for immigrants.

“Deeply rooted in our Gospel tradition of loving our neighbor, this letter affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters as it expresses our concerns, opposition, and hopes with clarity and conviction,” he said, in response to a joint-letter written by US bishops expressing concerns about the situation immigrants in the United States face.

“It is grounded in the Church’s enduring commitment to the Catholic social teaching of human dignity and a call for meaningful immigration reform,” he said

The Trump administration has carried out large scale immigration arrests in the Chicago area, leading to clashes between federal agents and residents protesting their presence.

The bishops’ letter comes as churches grapple with how to respond to immigration activity that affects their members.

The majority of people at risk of deportation are Christians, with 61% of the at-risk group being Catholics, according to a report by the US Catholic Bishops Conference.

Hicks will now leave his position as bishop of Joliet for the ornate sanctuary at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan where he will lead 2.5 million Catholics in the nation’s largest city.

His appointment comes a week after Cardinal Dolan, who has served in New York City for about 16 years, announced the archdiocese will set up a $300 million fund to settle claims of clergy sex abuse.

“As a church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children and to care for survivors,” the incoming archbishop said at a news conference. “While this work is challenging, it’s difficult, it’s painful, I hope it will continue to help in the areas of accountability, transparency and healing.”

A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people killed in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.

A spokesperson for the highway patrol said that people on the ground confirmed that racer Greg Biffle was among those who boarded the aircraft.

The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), officials investigating the incident told reporters.

“Heartbreaking news out of Statesville,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein posted on X. “Beyond his success as a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle lived a life of courage and compassion and stepped up for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.”

The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported.

Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.

“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”

Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.

The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.

It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.

Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.

Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.

The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.

It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.

Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year’s Nascar Winter Heat Series, according to his Nascar profile.

He made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.

He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.

He also co-founded the organisation’s Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.

“Racing is racing,” he told Nascar.com in 2021. “It’s that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition.”