IRAN
Iran Stays Away From Nuclear Talks
Alan Cowell, New York Times — November 21, 2011
Iran stayed away on Monday from a meeting of the United Nations’ nuclear supervisory body, news reports said, in a continuing display of displeasure at being rebuked by the organization over its suspected efforts to build a nuclear weapon. Tehran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.
Iran nuclear sanctions hurt the middle class, not Guards
Oren Dorell, USA Today — November 21, 2011
International sanctions aimed at Iran’s nuclear program have hurt the country’s middle class and caused factories to shut down while low-quality goods flood the country, say foreign policy analysts.
NORTH KOREA
S.Korea, China set for talks on N.Korea
Associated Foreign Press — November 20, 2011
South Korea’s pointman on Pyongyang left for China on Monday for talks that will focus on North Korea, amid diplomatic efforts to revive stalled multinational disarmament negotiations.
Secretive N. Korea opens up to cellphones
Jeremy Laurence, Reuters — November 21, 2011
Secretive North Korea is expected to register the 1 millionth cellphone user on its new 3G network by the end of the year, barely four years after people were thrown into prison camps, or possibly even executed, for owning one.
UNITED STATES
‘Super-committee’ on brink of US deficit failure
BBC News — November 21, 2011
Talks in Washington aimed at cutting the US government’s borrowing are on the verge of failure.
Aides: ‘Super Committee’ likely to announce failure to reach debt deal
Lisa Desjardins and Kate Bolduan, CNN — November 21, 2011
A weekend of talks among members of the congressional committee charged with coming up with $1.2 trillion in budget cuts appeared to produce no last-minute compromise ahead of Monday’s practical deadline.
EGYPT
New clashes in key Cairo square after bloody weekend
BBC News — November 21, 2011
Clashes have again erupted in the Egyptian capital as security forces continue their efforts to clear Cairo’s Tahrir Square of protesters.
Chaos, deja vu in Tahrir Square
Ben Wedeman, Ian Lee, and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, CNN — November 21, 2011
Chaos reigned Monday in Cairo’s Tahrir Square as demonstrators battled security forces, marking three days of bloody violence in Egypt’s capital.
