North Korea Reports Progress on New Reactor: What We're Reading Now
Dec 01, 2011

IRAN
As Britain Closes Embassies, Iran’s Isolation Could Complicate Nuclear Issue
John F. Burns, The New York Times -- December 1, 2011
ith Britain’s decision to close its vandalized embassy in Tehran and expel all Iranian diplomats from London, Iran appears to have moved a major step closer to international pariah status. That isolation could complicate efforts by Western governments to halt what they have identified as Iran’s covert efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, according to diplomats and others who monitor Iranian affairs.

Iran Clings to Oil Lifeline as U.S. Pushes for Tighter Financial Sanctions
Indira Lakshmanan, Bloomberg -- December 1, 2011
Just after 3 p.m. on Nov. 29, about 200 demonstrators ransacked the British Embassy in Tehran, chanting “Death to England,” setting fire to the Union Jack, carting off a portrait of Queen Elizabeth, and detaining staff as Iranian security officers stood by. It bore all the marks of a state-orchestrated provocation.

NORTH KOREA
On Burma (Myanmar) visit, Hillary Clinton highlights North Korea determination
Donald Kirk, Christian Science Monitor -- December 1, 2011
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Burma (Myanmar) to laud democratic reforms there, Burma’s ally, North Korea, proudly claims rapid progress on its nuclear program.

North Korea Reports Progress on New Reactor
Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times -- November 30, 2011
North Korea reported brisk progress in building a new nuclear reactor and producing enriched uranium on Wednesday. Although the statement appeared to invite international inspectors to verify that the facilities are for peaceful purposes, it was the latest sign that North Korea is pressing ahead with its nuclear program.

Blix: NK Not a Topic at Seoul Nuclear Summit: What We're Reading Now
Nov 30, 2011

IRAN
UK to expel all Iranian diplomats over embassy attack
BBC News -- November 30, 2011
The UK is to expel all Iranian diplomats following the storming of its embassy in Tehran, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

European Refiners Wary of Potential Iran Oil Ban
Benoit Faucon, Konstantin Rozhnov and Summer Said, Wall Street Journal -- November 30, 2011
European refiners will struggle to find enough crude oil to replace lost Iranian barrels should a meeting Thursday lead to a European Union ban on oil imports from Iran, a move that will likely also result in higher costs and hit the sector's already shaky competitiveness in the global market.

Iran nuke threat close to crisis point
Joschka Fischer, The Australian -- November 30, 2011
WHILE Europe remains preoccupied with its own slow-motion crisis and other global powers continue to be mesmerised by the bizarre spectacle of European officials' efforts to rescue the euro (and thus the global financial system), clouds of war are massing over Iran once more.

NORTH KOREA
North Korea Reports Progress on New Reactor
Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times -- November 30, 2011
North Korea reported brisk progress in building a new nuclear reactor and producing enriched uranium on Wednesday. Although the statement appeared to invite international inspectors to verify that the facilities are for peaceful purposes, it was the latest sign that North Korea is pressing ahead with its nuclear program.

Blix: NK Not a Topic at Seoul Nuclear Summit
Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal -- November 29, 2011
Hans Blix, the Swedish lawyer and nuclear specialist who led the International Atomic Energy Agency in the 1990s and the U.N. nuclear verification commission a decade ago, was in Seoul Tuesday to meet President Lee Myung-bak and help define the agenda for the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted in Seoul in March.