North Korea says work on uranium enrichment moves briskly

2011-11-29T20:00:10Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it was moving briskly ahead with the construction of an experimental light-water reactor and uranium enrichment, and that it was willing to prove the peaceful nature of its program through the U...

IAEA seeks Iran mission to address nuclear concerns

2011-11-17T02:30:11Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday he had proposed sending a special mission to Iran to address concerns about possible military dimensions to the country's atomic work.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il flanked by his son reviewed a military parade of goose-stepping North Korean soldiers in Pongyang's central square on Friday, underlining a planned third generation of dynastic rule is on track.

Kim and his son Reuters) - The United Nations nuclear watchdog is "increasingly concerned" about possible work in Iran to develop a nuclear payload for a missile, it said in a report obtained by Reuters on Friday.

In addition to addressing the issue of alleged military dimensions to Iran'...

Iran says installing new nuclear enrichment machines

2011-07-19T01:30:08Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is installing new uranium enrichment machines aimed at speeding up progress in its nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, a development that may add to Western concern about Tehran's aims.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will end a lengthy trip to Asia by meeting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Shenzhen,

Gates concerned by House cuts in nuclear funds

2011-06-15T14:00:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he was very concerned about plans in the House of Representatives to cut $1 billion from funding to upgrade nuclear weapons infrastructure.

Gates told...

IAEA says gets info on possible Iran military work

2011-05-24T09:00:16Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog has received more information regarding allegations of possible military aspects to Iran's disputed nuclear program, the agency said in a report.

The confidential report by the

2011-03-09T07:30:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not believe Iran will soon achieve a nuclear "breakout" capability, Robert Einhorn, the State Department's senior adviser for non-proliferation ...

North Korea nears completion of second missile site: reports

2011-02-16T17:30:11Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears close to finishing a second launch site for long-range missiles, media reports said on Thursday, underscoring U.S. concerns that Pyongyang's ballistic missile programme is fast becoming a di...

South Korea to soon propose nuclear talks with North

2011-01-24T05:30:30Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will soon propose holding talks with the North that could pave the way for a resumption of six-party negotiations aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions in return for aid, an official said on Monday.

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U.S. envoy on North Korea travels to Asia this week

2011-01-02T16:00:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy responsible for policy toward North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, will visit South Korea, Reuters) - A test of the sole U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Wednesday, the second failure in a row involving the system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said.

"The Missile Def...

Russia prods North Korea on nuclear programme, attack

2010-12-13T11:30:14Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister told his North Korean counterpart on Monday that Moscow was deeply concerned over Pyongyang's uranium enrichment efforts and condemned an attack on a South Korean island, the ministry said.

Meeting ...

Iran temporarily halted enrichment in mid-November:IAEA

2010-11-23T09:00:29Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran temporarily halted lower-level uranium enrichment work earlier this month, according to a U.N. nuclear watchdog report.

Western diplomats had said the Islamic Republic's nuclear program was suffering technical problems.

The confidential report, obtain...

Iran temporarily halted enrichment in mid-November-IAEA

2010-11-23T09:00:27Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran temporarily halted lower-level uranium enrichment work earlier this month, according to a U.N. nuclear watchdog report.

Western diplomats had said the Islamic Republic's nuclear program was suffering technical problems.

The confidential report, obtain...

Michael Moseley Resigns

2010-11-30T13:53:57Z

...

Nuclear information safe with us, IAEA tells Iran

2010-11-12T13:31:47Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it protects the confidentiality of information gathered during inspections, indirectly rejecting an Iranian accusation it would feed sensitive information to Washington.

Relations between Iran an...

Iran says won't discuss nuclear issue with big six

2010-11-10T01:30:16Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday the Islamic state would not discuss the nuclear issue in proposed talks with major powers, state television reported.

His comments will likely further deepen Western skepticism about the chanc...

EU's Ashton reinvites Iran to hold nuclear talks

2010-10-22T18:00:29Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton reissued an invitation to Iran on Friday to hold talks on its nuclear program in Vienna<...

Israel warns vs targeting it at U.N. nuclear body

2010-09-24T04:45:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Israel warned the U.N. nuclear watchdog Friday that an Arab-led push to target the Jewish state in a resolution could deal a "fatal blow" to future cooperation on boosting Middle East security.

An Israeli...

Iran expert to become top U.N. nuclear investigator

2010-09-13T04:45:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog has selected an Iran expert and IAEA insider to head all of its inspections worldwide, diplomats said on Monday.

Belgian Herman Nackaerts, 59, is expected to head the Reuters) - Iran's total production of low-enriched uranium has risen by around 15 percent since May to reach 2.8 tonnes, a U.N. nuclear watchdog report said, showing Tehran is pushing ahead with disputed work despite tough...

EU tells Iran talks must focus on nuclear issue

2010-07-14T09:17:19Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has welcomed a declaration by Iran that it is willing to resume dialogue but says talks must focus on Tehran's nuclear programme, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter by EU fo...

Top U.N. nuclear watchdog inspector resigns

2010-07-01T01:30:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday its top investigator Olli Heinonen, head of probes into Iran and Syria, will leave his position for personal reasons after nearly 30 years at the Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Tuesday voiced "strong support" for international efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, which the West says masks a secret drive to develop the capability for an atomic bomb, the

Iran bars 2 IAEA inspectors: report

2010-06-20T23:15:13Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will not allow two inspectors who authored the U.N. nuclear watchdog's last report about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program to enter the country, a senior official said on Monday in a report carried by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

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Iran to unveil nuclear fuel advance: top official

2010-06-12T00:15:11Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will unveil a new advance in its nuclear program in the coming months, the head of its Atomic Energy Organization was quoted as saying on Saturday, in comments that showed defiance in the face of new Reuters) - The official in charge of managing the U.S. response to the oil leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday downplayed the possibility of using a nuclear or other explosive device to try to seal off the well.

"I think that's really on the peripheral of things we ought to be ...

France says world must adopt new Iran sanctions

2010-06-12T16:35:45Z

PARIS (Reuters) - A report by U.N. watchdog saying Iran is stepping up uranium enrichment measures leaves world powers no alternative but to push for sanctions, France's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"In light of the...

Iran expands atom work, bomb fear remains: IAEA

2010-05-31T08:45:24Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has been preparing extra equipment for higher-level uranium enrichment but has allowed U.N. inspectors better oversight at the site, according to a confidential U.N. nuclear watchdog report obtained by Reuters.

Iran has told the

2010-05-27T09:30:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will pursue "multiple means" to isolate Iran and North Korea ifthey ignore their international obligations over their nuclear programs, according to President Barack Obama's nat...

Geithner says sees global economy improving

2010-10-22T13:21:09Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - The global economy has been strengthening faster than expected, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday during talks with China in Beijing.

Earlier in the day, Geithner also said the ...

Iran hands nuclear fuel swap letter to IAEA: report

2010-05-23T08:30:07Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency a letter outlining a deal agreed last week with Brazil and Turkey on sendi...

U.S. sees Iran needing 3 to 5 years to build atom bomb

2010-04-14T10:30:34Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a single nuclear bomb in as little as one year but would probably need 3-to-5 years to complete building a deliverable weapon, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

"Experience says it is going to take you three to five years" once enough highly enriched uranium is produced, SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has executed a ruling party official blamed for a botched currency reform, in a desperate attempt to quell public unrest and stem negative impact on Pyongyang's power succession, a news report said on Thursday.

The execution by firing squad in ...

North Korea has 1,000 missiles, South says

2010-06-12T13:55:53Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has increased its missile arsenal by 25 percent in the past two years to about 1,000, expanding the threat the state poses to the region, the South's defense chief said Wednesday.

Pyongyang's arsenal includes intermediate-range missiles that ca...

Obama seeks to reduce role of U.S. nuclear weapons

2010-03-05T13:30:23Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday a forthcoming review of the U.S. nuclear posture would reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons in Washington's national security strategy.

"In addition, we will seek to ratify t...

Russia denies new Iran fuel swap proposals: report

2010-04-16T07:06:32Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Monday denied a report that world powers had given Iran new proposals to send its uranium abroad for reprocessing, MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's top general said on Tuesday that differences with the United States over plans for a missile defense shield were holding up a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the two Cold War foes, SEOUL (Reuters) - A senior Chinese Communist Party official will visit Pyongyang next week in what appears to be a move to press North Korea to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks, a South Kor...

U.S., Russian negotiators in final push for START pact

2010-04-16T07:14:35Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - American and Russian nuclear arms control negotiators resumed talks on Monday in a final push to conclude an overdue treaty on cutting strategic weapons, a U.S. spokesman said.

"We hope that the remaining negotiations can be concluded quickly but will not make any predictions about when we will finish," said Michael Parmly, spokesman at th...

U.S., Russia close to nuclear deal: report

2010-06-25T18:44:20Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev agreed in a telephone call on Wednesday that both countries were close to a new nuclear arms reduction treaty, the White House said.

"The presidents a...

North Korea accuses South of declaring war

2010-06-12T13:54:06Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday accused the South of declaring war by warning earlier this month that it would launch a preemptive strike if it thought its impoverished neighbor was preparing a nuclear attack.

The angry retort from Pyongyang is the latest in what ha...

Atom fuel swap offer to Iran still on table: IAEA

2010-04-16T07:29:34Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - A proposal for Iran to send most of its enriched uranium abroad to allay fears it will be used to make atom bombs remains on the table, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday, despite Tehran's rejection of key terms.

"The proposal made by the IAEA in O...

Scientists push "Doomsday Clock" back a minute

2010-06-25T18:55:59Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Scientists pushed back the hands on the symbolic Doomsday Clock by one minute citing hopeful developments in nuclear weapons and climate change.

The symbolic clock that shows how close mankind is to self-annihilation was moved back to six minutes before midnight from five minutes on Thursday.

The B...

U.S. uses CT scans to check out nuclear stockpile

2010-04-16T07:39:54Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The same type of scanner used to peer into the body to detect cancers will be put to an even more delicate use -- checking on the viability of the nation's aging nuclear stockpile, the National Nuclear Security Administration said on Wednesday.

...

U.S. and Russia close to agreeing arms deal: Obama

2010-04-16T08:17:44Z

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The United States and Russia are "quite close" to agreeing a new START nuclear arms reduction pact, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday.

Obama met Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday there were no plans for President Barack Obama to sign a new nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia during his brief visit to Denmark for SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's Foreign Ministry called Monday for direct talks with the United States and said the communist state was ready to return to stalled six-country nuclear disarmament negotiations.

(Reporting by

China and Russia sign missile notification pact

2010-04-16T09:51:14Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia signed a pact to notify each other of ballistic missile launch plans during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit this week to Beijing, Chinese media said on Wednesday.

The accord, al...

U.N. chief, Gorbachev call for end to nuclear arms

2010-10-13T14:18:28Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Monday for world leaders to display political will to work toward genuine reductions and an eventual ban of nuclear weapons.

Addressing the same forum at the U.N.'s European headquarters, former president of the old Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Thursday it had no proof that Iran has or once had a covert atomic bomb program, dismissing a news report that it had concluded Iran was on its way to producing nuclear weapons.

In a statement, the BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Friday that he was seeking an urgent meeting with the Iranian chief nuclear negotiator after consulting six major powers over proposals submitted by TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - A 77-year-old piano that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and has become a symbol for peace is heading to New York next year as the city marks the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

When the Reuters) - China shares U.S. concerns about Iran's suspected ambitions to develop nuclear weapons and the destabilizing effect it would have on the Middle East, S...

North Korea leader Kim has pancreatic cancer: report

2010-06-25T16:42:25Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has pancreatic cancer and the illness is life-threatening, South Korean broadcaster YTN said on Monday based on information gathered by Chinese and South Korean intelligence sources.

Kim's health is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the reclusive communist state. <...

Iran arrests 104 "devil worshippers": report

2010-07-21T13:47:18Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian security forces have arrested 104 "devil worshippers" and seized drugs and alcohol during a party in a southern city, a semi-official news agency reported Monday.

"Cutting (their own) skin and sucking up the blood was among the indecent behavior of the group," Mehr News Agency quoted ...

North Korea says successfully conducted nuclear test

2010-06-25T17:04:32Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said it had successfully conducted a nuclear test on Monday, raising the explosive power and level of control of its nuclear device to a new level, its state media said.

"We have successfully conducted another nuclear test on May 25 as part of the republic's measures to strengthen its nuclear ...

Wikileaks Berkeley

2010-12-14T22:31:11Z

Beverly Dove holds a sign as she speaks during a city council meeting in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The council in this famously liberal city is considering a resolution Tuesday night bestowing hero status on Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier at the center of the

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