North Korea has completed a major step by placing a dome on a light water reactor that could support its nuclear programme. Allison Puccioni of Jane's Defence Weekly said the Satellite images from 6 August show the dome atop the reactor building at the Yongbyon site. But it may take several more years before the site is fully operational. Pyongyang first revealed that it was building a light water reactor in 2010 when it showed US scientists a uranium enrichment plant reportedly producing fuel for the new facility. It says the reactor is to meet energy needs. But experts said the reactor could be used to produce plutonium and the plant could be converted to produce highly enriched uranium for weapons.

South Korea says it will try to restore dialogue channels with North Korea for reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The Unification Ministry today said the government will seek a fundamental solution for the separated families on both sides of the border by helping them regularly meet and exchange letters. The new three-year plan also includes an increase in financial support for privately-arranged reunions held in third countries and a project to help the families record video messages for their relatives. Government-arranged reunion events for some 82,000 South Koreans looking for their long-separated relatives in the North were held more than a dozen times since 2000. The two Koreas have not held a single reunion since 2010 after two deadly border incidents led to the suspension of humanitarian exchanges.

North Korea's scientist in charge of nuclear and missile development programmes has been arrested for spying and sent to a prison camp. South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper is reporting Kim So-in was arrested in May on charges of giving top-secret nuclear documents to a foreign agency. Kim is believed to have been in charge of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programmes. The arrests are believed to be part of a crackdown ordered by new leader Kim Jong-un.

South Korea, Japan and the United States today began a joint naval exercise denounced by North Korea as a reckless provocation. Seoul's defence ministry said the two-day drill involving destroyers, supply ships and helicopters would practise humanitarian operations such as search and rescue missions. A defence ministry spokesman said the exercise is being held in international waters south of South Korea's Jeju island. North Korea has said the three-nation exercise threatened to bring a new cloud of war to Northeast Asia.

he remains of 12 South Korean soldiers killed in the North during the Korean War 60 years ago have been repatriated. According to officials, it is the first time bodies recovered in the North have been sent home since the 1953 armistice. The remains which arrived from the United States, were among about 200 bodies found by an American excavation team which worked in the North between 2000 and 2004.

The soldiers were killed during a key battle for a reservoir early in the Korean War, when they were outnumbered one by Chinese troops. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 South Korean soldiers are still buried in the North.

Chinese state media says authorities have begun a crackdown against illegal immigration in a northeast border region with a large population of defectors from North Korea. The China Daily today said the five-month campaign began last week in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, where North Koreans have long fled to escape political persecution and famine. 
The paper quoted a local police official as saying the campaign will target foreigners who live and work illegally, saying they are hidden troubles, and they might pose potential threats to social stability. The crackdown in Yanbian comes days after a similar campaign against illegal immigration got underway in the capital, Beijing.

North Korea says it is no longer bound by a moratorium on missile and nuclear tests agreed with the US in February in return for food aid. The statement came after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea's failed rocket launch, seen by many as a test of missile technology. North Korea dismissed the UN criticism.

Last month, North Korea invited inspectors of UN nuclear watch dog to visit the country as part of the food aid agreement with the US. But the deal fell apart shortly afterwards over Pyongyang's rocket launch plans, with the US putting food aid talks on hold.

The U.N. Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea for its attempted launch of a long-range rocket last week and agreed to impose new sanctions on the increasingly isolated nation. The Council unanimously adopted what is known as a Presidential statement, which called Friday's launch a serious violation of existing Security Council resolutions aimed at halting Pyongyang's use of ballistic missile technology.

Meanwhile, Japanese media reports quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Pyongyang has rescinded an invitation for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities. The reports said the action was taken in retaliation for a U.S. decision to withhold food aid because of Friday's attempted satellite launch. The failed launch lasted only a few minutes and ended in embarrassment for Pyongyang when the rocket broke apart and fell into the Yellow Sea.

A report today said that North Korea appears to be preparing for a third nuclear weapons test. South Korea's semi-official Yonhap news agency report today quoted an unidentified intelligence source as saying that satellite images show workers at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast digging a new tunnel. 

The source told Yonhap that it appears the mining work is in its final stage. The North conducted two previous nuclear tests at the site, first in October of 2006 and again in May of 2009. North Korea agreed in February to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches in return for food aid. But that agreement unraveled when Pyongyang announced in March that it plans to launch a satellite into space this month. Pyongyang insists the launch is a peaceful space project, but countries including the United States, Japan and South Korea view it as a disguised missile test, in breach of UN resolutions.

South Korea is reportedly searching for four North Korean submarines that disappeared after leaving their bases on the tense peninsula.

A military source quoted in a South Korean newspaper says up to four North Korean submarines slipped out of port in recent days and have so far avoided detection. 

The source was also quoted as saying that Pyongyang has stepped up submarine infiltration drills as the weather has warmed.Seoul is now on alert for a possible strike against a South Korean naval ship.

North Korean rocket launch, developments in Myanmar and disputes over the South China Sea are expected to dominate Southeast Asia's annual diplomatic summit, ASEAN that begins tomorrow at Phnom Penh in Cambodia. 

The stated focus of the two day Summit is on turning the 10 nations and their combined population of 600 million into a European Union-like community by 2015.

 North Korea is not a member of the group, but some leaders are expected to voice alarm over Pyongyang's plan to fire a long-range rocket this month.

Territorial conflicts in the resource-rich South China Sea will almost certainly be raised.China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all make various claims on the sea, which China claims in its entirety. 

The Philippines and Vietnam in particular have been at odds with Beijing over the region in recent months, with diplomatic clashes erupting over oil and gas exploration and fishing rights.

European Union leadersvoiced grave concern at North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programmes and called on it to scrap a long-range rocket launch scheduled for next month. European Council Presidenthe was deeply worried by the North's plan to launch a satellite. Van Rompuy urged the impoverished but nuclear-armed state to divert more resources to feed its people instead of developing costly weapons programmes.

  Numerous leaders including US President Barack Obama called on the North to scrap the launch, intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung.
Pyongyang on Tuesday said it would go ahead with the test, reiterating its position that the launch is a peaceful scientific project.

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The US President, Barack Obama, has told his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, that both their countries have an interest in addressing the nuclear programme in Iran and North Korea.  President Obama urged Beijing to do more to restrain his Communist ally.

Mr Obama said that America would not allow more and more regimes to possess the world's most deadly weapons. He also said that the United States would work with Russia to pursue further reductions in their nuclear arsenals.

Global challenges to tackle international terrorism, climate change, food and energy security, developmental issues and the international financial crisis will dominate the agenda of the fourth BRICS Summit taking place in New Delhi next week. Presidents of the BRICS countries including Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jin Tao, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa are expected to participate in the summit. 

India will assume the Chairmanship of the BRICS Grouping at the Summit on the 29th of this month. the summit envisages to increase trade and investment between the members of the grouping and also reflect on global peace, security, stability among other issues. He said, two Frame work Agreements including one on Interbank Cooperation Agreement are also to be signed by the member nations. An Action plan and a Delhi Declaration will be issued at the end of the Summit. 

 He said, the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff will also be extending her stay after the Summit on a State Visit to India.