North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

North Korea is balking at US demands that it demolish a cooling tower at its main nuclear complex and get rid of unused fuel, the AP reports. Officials insist they want the benefits from the next stage of the disarmament deal first. The US warns that North Korea could restart its reactor in just three months if it doesn't get rid of the tower and fuel.

North Korea had agreed to disable nuclear facilities in a deal struck earlier this year, but the cooling tower and fuel weren't specifically mentioned in the agreement. The US agreed to drop sanctions against North Korea and drop it from terrorism blacklists in return for the disablement measures, but the country now looks certain to miss the year-end deadline. (More North Korea stories.)