The U.S. government plans to probe TikTok over national security concerns, sources tell CNBC.
Why it matters: The viral video-sharing app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance has cause concern for U.S. policymakers in recent months. As its reach grows within the U.S. — particularly among children — there's anxiety as to whether the app collects and shares data from American users with the Chinese state.
North Korea deemed its latest round of super-large multiple rocket launcher tests on Thursday afternoon a success, per state news agency KCNA, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The same weapon was tested both in August and September, as talks between the U.S. and North Korea over nuclear weapon development remain up in the air.
The latest Brexit extension takes the prospect of an economically calamitous "no deal" Brexit off the table until Jan. 31, but businesses remain in a state of very expensive limbo.
Why it matters: "It is hugely costly, in terms of money but also in terms of effort and energy. So much has been put into this process and into emergency 'no deal' planning that could have been used in other areas," says Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation.
President Trump has nominated U.S. envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun for the deputy secretary of state post, AP reports.
The big picture: Biegun, who would replace John Sullivan if confirmed by the Senate, aided negotiations for Trump's historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, per AP, and has led ongoing negotiations to denuclearize the country. No president in recent history has started his tenure with as many extended Cabinet vacancies as Trump.
President Trump encouraged Nigel Farage, the U.K.'s pro-Brexit provocateur, to "get together" with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver a Brexiteer victory in the upcoming general election, during a conversation Thursday on Farage's radio program on LBC.
Why it matters: Farage and Johnson are perhaps the two men most closely associated with Brexit, but they're leading competing parties into the Dec. 12 election. Johnson's Conservatives fear Farage's Brexit Party could play a spoiler role, denying them a parliamentary majority. Trump praised both Johnson and Farage effusively while claiming opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn would be "so bad for your country."
A hacker group linked to Chinese espionage is illicitly installing software at telecommunications companies to steal text messages from specific users and regarding specific topics, according to cybersecurity firm FireEye.
The big picture: While Chinese espionage is often linked to intellectual property theft, the targets in this case appear to be more linked to traditional espionage, including senior political and military figures and topics that could be of interest to Chinese policymakers.
A 36-year-old Nepali climber named Nirmal Purja has reached the summit of the world's 14 highest mountains (all at least 26,350 feet tall) in just over six months.
Why it matters: The fastest previous ascent of all 14 peaks — which are all in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges that stretch across China, India, Nepal and Pakistan — took nearly eight years. He smashed the record to smithereens. Purja credits his endurance to his natural physiology and his intense military training. Prior to attempting this feat, he spent 10 years in the British special forces.
