SEOUL -- With Tuesday's restoration of severed communication lines, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accepted South Korean President Moon Jae-in's calls for re-engagement, returning to the table as his country struggles with a food shortage that is growing more severe.

On Tuesday, the 68th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, South Korea's military and unification ministry brought hotlines back into operation after more than a year. The move came after multiple exchanges of letters between Moon

PALO ALTO, U.S. -- Apple reported its highest-ever June quarter revenue on Tuesday, driven by robust sales of its first 5G iPhones, especially in China. The U.S. tech giant warned, however, that ongoing supply constraints are expected to worsen in the September quarter, particularly for the iPhone and iPad.

For the three months ended June 26, Apple's total revenue grew 36.4% on the year to reach $81.4 billion. Greater

SEOUL (Reuters) -- South Korea's LG Display on Wednesday swung to a profit in the second quarter versus a loss a year earlier, as pandemic-led demand for TVs and laptops drove up panel prices.

The display maker that supplies Apple reported an operating profit of 701 billion won ($607 million) in the April-June quarter, compared with an operating loss of 517 billion won in the same period last year.

The profit, the company's third consecutive

SINGAPORE -- The U.S. seeks no confrontation with China but "will not flinch" when its interests are threatened, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday in a wide-ranging speech in Singapore.

Speaking on the first stop of a Southeast Asian tour that will also take him to Vietnam and the Philippines this week, Austin presented a case for a greater American presence in the Indo-Pacific.

Noting how China has asserted itself in geopolitical contests, including in the South China Sea, Austin highlighted Beijing's

SINGAPORE -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin delivered an address to Singapore's International Institute for Strategic Studies on Tuesday, laying out the Joe Biden administration's vision for the Indo-Pacific region.

Austin is on the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour that will also take him to Vietnam and the Philippines.

The following is an unedited transcript of his speech, as posted on the Pentagon's website:

Good evening, everyone. It's great to be here in Singapore, and

TOKYO -- Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has applied to establish a brokerage in China, joining several other Japanese banks in tapping relaxed foreign ownership rules there.

The Japanese megabank and unit SMBC Nikko Securities submitted a joint application dated Tuesday to the China Securities Regulatory Commission. They will ramp up preparations to launch the new company based on the CSRC's decision.

China raised its foreign ownership cap for securities companies to 51% in 2018, and began allowing full foreign ownership in April 2020.

SYDNEY -- Fiame Naomi Mata'afa took office Tuesday as Samoa's first female prime minister, ending months of post-election wrangling with the country's first transition of power in 23 years.

The change is expected to bring a review of China-funded infrastructure development under departing Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi that has ballooned Samoa's debt. Fiame told Reuters in May that she plans to scrap a $100 million port development project backed by Beijing.

Fiame's Fa'atuatua

HONG KONG -- The first Olympic gold medal won by a Hong Kong athlete since the territory's handover to China in 1997 has stirred an unusual sense of unity in a society so divided over political issues in recent years.

Fencing champion Edgar Cheung Ka-long became the city's hero after his victory Monday night in the foil event. The Olympic gold medal earns him various economic bonuses including from the government, which looks to use the win to bring people together. But fundamental differences among the

TOKYO -- IBM has unveiled Japan's first quantum computer for commercial applications, its Japanese arm said Tuesday, as Washington and Tokyo join hands to push the field toward practical use with an eye on recent strides by China.

The IBM Quantum System One is up and running at the Kawasaki Business Incubation Center near Tokyo. The University of Tokyo will administer access to the machine, which will be used by the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium, whose members include Keio University and Toyota Motor.

The project marks a step forward for