Bedugul Coffee: Friday Morning Briefing: At the DMZ, a step towards peace

inter-korean summit

Not since the 1950-53 Korean War had a North Korean leader set foot on southern soil. Today, the golden doors on the stately North Korean building swung open and leader Kim Jong Un, in a black Mao suit and surrounded by a gaggle of officials, descended steps towards the border.

Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in embraced after pledging to work for the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” punctuating a day of smiles and handshakes at the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade. Here are the major points of a joint statement they issued.

Gerry Doyle

@mgerrydoyle

it's remarkable how thoroughly the west has been removed from arguably the biggest (theoretical) movements toward peace on the korean peninsula, but maybe that's how it was always supposed to be.

10:24 AM - Apr 26, 2018

In pictures: Leaders of two Koreas meet at historic summit

united states

To win the battle for the House of Representatives, Democrats will likely have to take some Republican-leaning districts, and doing so will require winning over Trump voters. Interviews with about 20 lawmakers, candidates, strategists and campaign volunteers found that a growing number of Democrats are trying to do just that. But calls to woo Trump supporters are not sitting well with some party loyalists.

U.S. companies are on track to buy back a record amount of their own stock this year, but a decades-old markets rule aimed at preventing manipulation makes these trades easy to game and has probably cost companies billions in recent years.

World

When President Santos and FARC leaders shook hands to end Colombia’s half-century war, people in towns like Tumaco were supposed to be relieved. Nineteen months later, they are anything but. Reuters reporters traveled to seven sites in Colombia to understand the advance of violent rivals rushing into void left by the FARC.

Myanmar civil groups signed an open letter to the country’s president yesterday, urging him to immediately release two Reuters reporters accused of possessing secret government papers and police officers involved in what it called an “obviously an unreasonable case”. Read more on the case as Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo enter their 137th day of imprisonment.

Tech

Exclusive: U.S. considers tightening grip on China ties to Corporate America

The U.S. government may start scrutinizing informal partnerships between American and Chinese companies in the field of artificial intelligence, threatening practices that have long been considered garden variety development work for technology companies, sources familiar with the discussions said.

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Bitcoin frenzy settles down as big players muscle into market

After bouncing up, falling down and keeping investors on the edges of their seats, bitcoin may be maturing into a period of relatively boring stability, experts say.

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