By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW Whether restarting work on a nuclear reactor or (allegedly) kidnapping Chinese fishermen, trying to launch a satellite or to import banned tap-dancing shoes from Italy, North Korea continues to draw international attention a month after Kim Jong-un was declared its new leader. China is North Korea’s closest ally. Yet for many Chinese, exasperated tolerance seems to be turning to anger ...

SYRIA: Opposition leader stepping down The main opposition council is crumbling under the weight of infighting over issues that cut to the heart of the revolution, including accusations that the movement is becoming as autocratic as the regime it wants to drive out. The slow disintegration of the Syrian National Council could complicate Western efforts to bolster the opposition, just as President Bashar Ass ...

The US has plans in place to attack Iran if other measures fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel says. Dan Shapiro said the US hoped diplomacy and sanctions would persuade Iran to alter its nuclear programme, but a military option was "ready". US President Obama has previously said military action has not been ruled out. The US and its allies say Iran is developing a nucle ...

By Anne Gearan Mapping the way out of an unpopular war, the United States and NATO are trying to build an Afghan army that can defend the country after 130,000 international troops pull out. The alliance's plans for arm's-length support for Afghanistan will be a central focus of the summit President Barack Obama is hosting Sunday and Monday in Chicago. Raise your voiceRaise Your Voice Click to write to your ...

By Lina Saigol in London An oil tanker belonging to Iran’s state-owned shipping line has been switching flags and using multiple companies to transport crude from Syria to Iran, illustrating how Tehran is helping to sidestep international efforts to choke the finances of Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president. Documents obtained by the Financial Times show the vessel, operated by the Islamic Republic Internation ...

Iran on Tuesday hanged a man convicted of killing a nuclear scientist in 2010 and for spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, state media reported. Majid Jamali Fashi was executed at Tehran's Evin Prison, the IRNA news agency reported. The Iranian state prosecutor says he confessed to assassinating Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. Ali- Mohammadi was killed by an explosion outside his Tehran home in January 20 ...

By Kevin Sieff and Sayed Salahuddin KABUL — A former Taliban leader turned peace negotiator was assassinated Sunday by three unidentified gunmen in a brazen attack in the Afghan capital, hours before leaders here announced the next phase in the country’s security transition. Arsala Rahmani, 70, was fatally shot while traveling through central Kabul. He was a key member of the High Peace Council, a group res ...

By David Ignatius Let’s assume the signals from the White House and Tehran are reliable, and that Iran is serious about an agreement to remove its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium from the country and stop producing more. What happens then? This question of “next steps” in the Iran nuclear talks is important, because neither side is likely to commit to the first set of “confidence-building measures” ...