NORTH KOREAChina says outlook ‘is not optimistic’China expressed pessimism about bringing the North Korean standoff to a peaceful resolution, even as Kim Jong Un’s regime touted new U.N. support for “regular” talks. Undersecretary-General Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations’ top official for political affairs, visited North Korea to help facilitate talks between Kim’s regime and President Trump. Merkel allies reject ‘United States of Europe’ concept: Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party have rejected the vision for a United States of Europe put forward by the Social Democrats (SPD), with whom they are hoping to form a governing coalition. SPD leader Martin Schulz has called for a “United States of Europe” by 2025. Merkel’s conservatives want the SPD to agree to a last-ditch alliance after a tie-up with two smaller parties collapsed.

Source: Washington Post December 09, 2017 23:02 UTC