WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Nov 20

MERKEL WEIGHS NEW VOTE AFTER COLLAPSE OF COALITION TALKS

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday was weighing the prospect of new elections after the collapse of talks to form a new government posed a threat to her leadership and raised doubts about the political stability of the European Union's most powerful country.

U.S. TO LABEL NORTH KOREA AS 'STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM'

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would reinstate its designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a week after Mr. Trump finished a trip across Asia in which he pressed for more action to stifle Pyongyang's weapons development.

RUSSIA CHARTS COURSE FOR SYRIA'S FUTURE

Russia is preparing to host the leaders of Turkey and Iran this week for a summit on the future of Syria, further cementing President Vladimir Putin's position as a Middle East power broker.

ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT'S PARTY PLANS IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS

Zimbabwe's ruling party started preparations to impeach President Robert Mugabe after the world's oldest head of state missed a midday deadline to step down.

VENEZUELA TURNS TO BILLIONAIRE DEBT INVESTOR TO HELP WITH BOND CRISIS

Billionaire distressed debt investor David Martínez urged Venezuela's struggling government to default on its bonds days before the country's surprise announcement to restructure its obligations.

ARGENTINE SUBMARINE REPORTED MALFUNCTION BEFORE COMMUNICATIONS ENDED

An Argentine submarine missing for five days reported a malfunction before its communications with the mainland broke off, naval officials said as hopes began to wane that the ship and its 44 crew members would be rescued.

U.S. TREASURY SANCTIONS 'LARGE-SCALE' IRAN COUNTERFEITING RING

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on what the Treasury Department describes as a "large-scale" Iranian counterfeiting ring that it says is run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

EU CHOOSES NEW HOMES FOR MEDICINES AGENCY AND BANKING AUTHORITY

European Union governments voted to move the bloc's equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Amsterdam and its London-based banking regulator to Paris.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 20, 2017 17:22 ET (22:22 GMT)