Bedugul Coffee: Wednesday Morning Briefing: Kim Jong Un's art of the deal

Highlights

One Russian businessman’s relationship with a North Korean official offers unusual insights into the negotiating techniques of Pyongyang officials, and the ways North Korea has gone about commerce in the face of international economic sanctions – from trading in spare parts or wine and cigarettes, to offering labor for hire.

California Democrats overcame quirks in the state’s electoral system and managed to mount challenges to Republicans in most key Congressional races, as voters in eight U.S. states chose candidates for November’s midterm elections.

Polls indicate the 2018 midterms are shaping up very well for the Democratic Party. But Tuesday’s primary in California is a potent reminder of how misguided reforms to the electoral system can frustrate the will of the voters. Read the latest from Reuters Commentary.

europe

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrives in Brussels today seeking to mollify European allies, officials and experts said, finding himself in the familiar position of mending relationships frayed by Trump’s policies.

The European Union should start applying additional import duties on selected U.S. imports from July in response to U.S. tariffs imposed on EU steel and aluminum, the European Commission said today.

world

A growing river of molten rock flowing from a fissure at the foot of Kilauea Volcano is believed to have demolished scores of additional homes and filled in a small bay at the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island.

Documents Myanmar police say they found on the mobile phones of two Reuters reporters accused of possessing state secrets were not confidential, defense lawyers said yesterday, because the information was publicly available before they were arrested. Read more on the case.

Sponsored by Barclays: Automation’s delayed economic impact Workplace automation is increasing, yet key economic indicators seem unaffected. Why aren’t unemployment, wages and productivity responding? Find out.