Sweden’s PM tells the BBC the EU must take the lead on climate change, as his country takes over the union’s presidency.

AFP – US envoy George Mitchell and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a “constructive” meeting on the ailing Middle Peace process, the pair said afterwards in a joint statement.

AP – Israel is considering what it can do to enable a full-fledged Mideast peace process and Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to take off, including instituting a temporary freeze on settlements, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday.

McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Tuesday slapped financial sanctions on two North Korean firms, including one based in Iran, as part of a crackdown on North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs following a May nuclear test blast and a series of provocative missile launches.

Reuters – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday after talks with the U.S. Middle East envoy that it was too soon to say whether Israel would freeze West Bank settlements as demanded by President Barack Obama.