diplomacy

(Newser) - North Korea will close down its main nuclear reactor as early as next month, Reuters reports, citing Russia's Interfax news agency. UN  nuclear inspectors have been invited into the country; now a diplomatic source tell Interfax that inspectors will be present as the Yongbyon reactor, which produces weapons-grade plutonium, begins...

(Newser) - London and Tehran and ratcheted up the rhetoric over the 15 British soldiers being held captive in Iran yesterday, the LA Times reports: Britain got the UN Security Council to issue a statement of "grave concern," while Tehran released more video of sailors professing guilt and issued charts...

(Newser) - Iran promised to release by Friday the female sailor captured along with 15 men in a British patrol boat last week. England stepped up pressure to free  the soldiers by cutting off "bilateral business" and publicizing secret documents which mark its boat nearly two miles from Iranian waters at...

(Newser) - Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sat down together yesterday and agreed  to a power sharing deal for Northern Ireland that would include their rival parties. A British deadline to disband the national assembly if a pact wasn't forthcoming jump-started the negotiations, after four years of stalled talks.  The coalition...