News Headlines - 17 April 2018
▽North Korea, China 'discussing Xi Jinping visit to Pyongyang' - The Straits Times
China and North Korea have been holding talks about a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang, a Japanese newspaper reported on Monday (April 16) as regional leaders step up diplomatic dialogue.
The North is using its Beijing embassy to arrange Xi's itinerary with the international department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, quoting Chinese and North Korean sources.
▽Two Koreas Discuss Official End to 68-Year War, Report Says - Bloomberg
South and North Korea are discussing plans to announce an official end to the military conflict between the two countries that are still technically at war, the Munhwa Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified South Korean official.
At next week’s summit between South Korea President Moon Jae-in and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, the two neighbors may release a joint statement saying they will seek to ease military tension and to end confrontation, according to the report.
▽Mike Pompeo, C.I.A. Director, Met With Kim Jong-un in North Korea - The New York Times
President Trump dispatched the C.I.A. director Mike Pompeo to North Korea to meet with its leader, Kim Jong-un, in recent weeks to lay the groundwork for a summit meeting between Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump, two people briefed on the secret trip said on Tuesday.
Starbucks will close more than 8,000 U.S. stores for an afternoon next month to train employees as the company responds to criticism after two black men were arrested while waiting at one of the coffee chain’s Philadelphia stores last week.
The “racial-bias education” training is scheduled for May 29 for nearly 175,000 employees, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
▽Turkey seeks to extend state of emergency for 7th time - The Washington Post
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is seeking an extension of the state of emergency it declared following a failed coup in 2016.
The government submitted to parliament a motion to prolong it three more months following a National Security Council meeting on Tuesday. A vote is expected Wednesday. It would be its seventh extension.
