Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said Friday that any further nuclear test conducted by North Korea will further the country`s isolation in the international community

After two months of intense negotiations, the U.N. Security Council has voted 15-0 on the imposition of sanctions regarding the enrichment of nuclear material and the research and development of the necessary technology.

The American Company, Westinghouse has won the tender to construct a number of nuclear plants in China, after a two year battle with major international opponents, including France`s Areva and Russia`s Atomstroiexport.

During a 4-day state visit to India, Chinese President Hu Jintao is close to agreeing on a civilian nuclear agreement that will enable cooperation between the two Asian powers

As the United Nations Security Council mulls possible punitive steps against Teheran for failing to meet an August deadline to halt its nuclear enrichment program, diplomats have revealed that Iran is expanding its program to a second enrichment facility.

In the wake of the passage of harsh sanctions on the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-Il following last Monday`s alleged nuclear test, the State of Israel has called for the attention of the U.N. Security Council over the Islamic Republic of Iran`s nuclear ambitions. Jerusalem has long expressed fears about Tehran`s nuclear programs, particularly following comments by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.

A letter being circulated in the Iranian press this week, dating from the late 1980s, which noted that in order to win the Iran-Iraq War the Islamic Republic of Iran would have to employ ?lasers and nuclear weapons?, has caused a firestorm of controversy as European powers possibly begin to get the impression that nothing short of U.N. Security Council action will persuade Teheran to give up its pursuit of nuclear technology and uranium enrichment.

It is believed that with extensions, the Taepodong 2 could hit the western United States. While there are doubts to the existence of an actual North Korean nuclear arsenal, even if one exists and the Stalinists there are not bluffing, it is not thought that North Korea has perfected its technology enough to equip the Taepodong 2 with a nuclear warhead.

While the Russian state-owned company Atomstroiexport says that no concrete agreements have been reached and Turkey and Russia have often been at odds in the past over rights to access to the Black Sea, a thaw in relations coupled with Russian ambitions had led to past barriers being broken down in favor of energy cooperation.

Tehran will not halt plans to produce its own supply of nuclear fuel. Iranian Parliament has requested the construction of 20 nuclear power plants. Russia has offered to lend its assistance to build more nuclear plants in Iran.

The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution Saturday saying that Iran violated its nuclear treaty obligations by secretly developing a nuclear program.

South Korea`s Foreign Ministry has announced that talks aimed at bringing about the end of North Korea`s nuclear arsenal and weapons programs will resume at the end of July in Beijing, China.