Trump and Xi advance TikTok talks, plan South Korea summit

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping said they made progress toward a TikTok deal during their first phone call in three months, and agreed to meet face-to-face on October 31 in Gyeongju, South Korea, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Trump told reporters Xi had “approved the TikTok deal,” though China’s official statement stopped short, saying only that it respected company negotiations “based on market rules.” A final agreement remains elusive, with disputes over ownership, algorithm control, and congressional approval still unresolved.

Under pressure from Congress, ByteDance must divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by January 2025 or face a nationwide ban. Trump has delayed enforcement, citing concerns about angering TikTok’s 170 million American users and disrupting political communications. He hinted the U.S. may even take a multibillion-dollar broker’s fee for helping facilitate the deal.

The call also touched on trade, fentanyl exports, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump said Xi indicated he wanted the conflict “ended,” though no specifics emerged. Meanwhile, Trump’s sweeping tariff hikes against China remain in place, with rates at historic highs despite limited deals earlier this year that paused tit-for-tat escalation.

For Beijing, analysts say the dynamic is favorable: China projects patience while Washington seeks quick wins on TikTok and summit optics. Critics in the U.S. warn that leaving ByteDance’s algorithm under Chinese control could still allow Beijing to influence or surveil Americans. China dismisses those concerns as unfounded.

Both sides confirmed additional leader visits in 2025: Trump to Beijing early next year, and Xi to the U.S. later. But thorny issues — from tariffs to Taiwan and the South China Sea — remain unsettled, ensuring the rivalry continues beneath the cautious diplomatic thaw.

Optus admits process failure caused fatal emergency call outage

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Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecom operator, said on Sunday that a failure to follow established procedures during a firewall upgrade triggered the 13-hour outage of emergency call services last week, an incident now linked to the deaths of four people.

The outage, which ran from 12:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, potentially affected 600 customers across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Optus CEO Stephen Rue acknowledged the company’s initial investigation found staff departed from standard processes during the upgrade.

Five customers contacted Optus’ call centre during the outage, but their concerns were never escalated. “That is clearly not good enough,” Rue said, adding: “I want to reiterate how sorry I am about the very sad loss of the lives of four people, who could not reach emergency services in their time of need.”

The fatalities include an eight-week-old boy, a 68-year-old woman, and two men aged 74 and 49, police confirmed.

The Australian government has already launched an investigation, calling the failure “unacceptable.” Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel), said it would cooperate fully and publish the results of its internal review.

The outage is the latest in a series of crises for Optus. In 2022, it suffered a cyberattack that exposed data from 9.5 million Australians. In 2023, it was fined A$12 million ($7.9 million) for failing to provide emergency call services during another nationwide outage. The repeated failures led to the resignation of then-CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, with Rue taking over in late 2024.

The incident has intensified pressure on Optus and regulators to strengthen oversight of critical telecom infrastructure, as public confidence in the carrier continues to erode.

iPhone 17 hits Moscow stores as Russian pre-orders surge despite economic strain

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Russian resellers unveiled the iPhone 17 on Saturday, with major retailer Restore: reporting a 66% jump in pre-orders compared to last year, highlighting strong demand for Apple devices despite Russia’s economic downturn.

Russia is grappling with 20-year-high interest rates and a budget deficit exceeding 4 trillion roubles, yet enthusiasm for Apple’s latest smartphones remains resilient. Apple itself halted direct sales and suspended Apple Pay in 2022 due to Western sanctions, but resellers continue to import devices through parallel channels, pushing prices far above U.S. and European levels.

At Afimall City in Moscow’s business district, Restore: displayed the new models for browsing, with deliveries promised in coming days. The base 256GB iPhone 17 is priced at 119,990 roubles ($1,437)—about 57% higher than in the U.S.

“There is a huge fan base that will never exchange iPhone for anything else,” said Lyudmila Semushina, PR director of Restore:. Customer interest is especially high for the redesigned iPhone Air and the upgraded Pro models with improved cameras.

Tech blogger Sergei Yepikhin noted that while Android remains more practical in Russia, the new iPhones’ features are luring users to switch. Restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram calls have also boosted demand for FaceTime, further embedding iPhones into Russian digital life.

To bypass Apple Pay’s absence, Russian banks such as Sber and T-Bank recently rolled out local contactless payment services. Despite higher logistics costs from imports, Restore: said its supply chain remains “quite stable,” though short-term shortages of new iPhones are expected.

Apple was Russia’s top smartphone brand by revenue in 2024, while Xiaomi led in unit sales, underscoring the iPhone’s enduring premium appeal even in a strained economy.