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"The leaders of almost 50 countries have pledged to secure all vulnerable nuclear material within four years. US President Barack Obama said the joint action plan agreed at a summit in Washington would make a real contribution to a safer world. The plan calls for every nation to safeguard nuclear stocks and keep material out of terrorists' hands. Earlier, Russia and the US signed an agreement to dispose of 68 tonnes of surplus weapons-grade plutonium. "

* Areva signs deal to help build at least 4 EPR plants * Signs co-operation agreement with Techint Group French nuclear power group Areva signed a deal with Ansaldo Energia on Friday to work on an Enel-EDF project to build at least four EPR reactors to help revive Italy's nuclear power industry. The Italian government, which pulled out of nuclear energy after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, now aims to get 25 percent of its electricity from nuclear power."

"New nuclear power plants will be built in the U.K. if utilities pay for them, said Chris Huhne, who was named yesterday as climate change secretary in a coalition government divided on the merits of atomic reactors. Companies including E.ON AG, Electricite de France SA and Centrica Plc want to replace aging reactors in the U.K. as pressure grows to reduce emissions from fossil fuels. Huhne's Liberal Democrats opposed atomic power while the Conservatives, their coalition partner, supported it. The parties yesterday said the Liberals will abstain on nuclear votes. "If they come up with a plan which genuinely involves no public subsidy, and that's the agreement of the coalition, then they'll put it through the new national planning process, and the proposal will go forward," Huhne said in an interview on British Broadcasting Corp. radio's "Today" program. "We're committed in the Liberal Democrats to not vote against it." "

"The Ministry of Defence is struggling to deal with hundreds of safety blunders, pollution leaks and environmental lapses at nuclear weapons bases on the Firth of Clyde. Official reports obtained by the Sunday Herald reveal that Faslane and Coulport have been plagued by nuclear accidents, radioactive contamination and fires over the last two years. Worryingly, there have been unspecified "shortfalls" in the safe management of nuclear bombs. And rules meant to protect people against asbestos and even Legionnaires' disease have been frequently broken."

"Agreement may halt UN sanctions against Tehran, although move will do little to slow Iran's nuclear progress A deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil, in which Iran will ship out over a tonne of enriched uranium in return for fuel rods for a nuclear research reactor, could stop new UN sanctions on Tehran, diplomats said yesterday. News of the deal left western capitals scrambling for a coherent and concerted response. It is similar to an agreement they have pushed for during the past six months, yet most observers said it would do little to slow Iran's nuclear progress."

"SCOTS are more in favour of using wind farms than nuclear power stations to produce electricity, a poll commissioned by EDF Energy has shown. * 69% of people polled were in favour of onshore turbines. Picture: Getty When asked in a YouGov survey about their support for different types of power plants, more than eight out of ten Scots backed offshore wind farms and 69 per cent were in favour of onshore turbines. However, fewer than half - 47 per cent - said they supported the idea of replacing existing nuclear plants when they closed in the poll, commissioned by the French nuclear power giant. Similarly, when questioned about their opinion of different energy sources for producing electricity, 74 per cent said their impression of wind farms was favourable, compared to just 43 per cent for nuclear."

"Teams of American special forces have been authorised to conduct spying missions intended to pave the way for a military strike on Iran in case President Obama orders one, US government sources have confirmed. The military units would penetrate Iranian territory to reconnoitre potential nuclear targets and make contact with friendly dissident groups, according to a secret directive written by General David Petraeus. The document's existence was disclosed for the first time yesterday. It authorises an expansion in the use of US special forces throughout the Middle East, US officials said. However, it is the possibility of American troops operating covertly inside Iran that has the greatest potential to destabilise regional security. "

"SIX people have been contaminated by a leak of radioactive cobalt in a foundry, French nuclear safety authorities said yesterday. The six were taken to a hospital unit at a nuclear plant near the foundry in Feurs in eastern France. Tests are being carried out to determine the severity of the contamination. The incident was ranked at Level 2 on a scale of 1-7. "

California 'monitoring situation closely' amid dramatic escalation of disaster Japan's nuclear crisis now appears worse than the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979 - but not yet as bad as Chernobyl in 1986 Japan PM tells people within 19 miles of plant to stay indoors as radiation reaches levels that could impact human heath Radioactive wind could reach Tokyo within hours - and radiation levels are already rising in city Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits it is 'quite possible' radiation could reach the U.S. 'Worst-case scenario' could see 30,000ft winds sending nuclear cloud across Pacific - possibly hitting by Tuesday night

Six workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been exposed to radiation levels beyond the usual legal limit while carrying out emergency operations to make the complex safe. The news came amid reports that radiation from the stricken plant had found its way into the food supply, raising anxiety in a country already struggling to deal with the aftermath of the worst crisis in its postwar history. Meanwhile Switzerland has announced it will move its embassy in Japan to Osaka because of fears radiation levels in Tokyo could increase.

Prime minister urges vigilance after safety officials said break in nuclear reactor may have caused big radiation leak A suspected break in the core of a nuclear reactor could have been responsible for a leak of large amounts of radioactive contamination at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, Japanese nuclear safety officials said on Friday, in another setback to efforts to avert disaster at the stricken facility. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, described the situation at the plant as "very serious", while media reports said that two men who were injured while working on the plant's No.3 reactor on Thursday may have suffered internal exposure to radiation.

17,000 British nationals could be evacuated as last ditch efforts are made to stop nuclear catastrophe Rich scramble to book private jets out the country as fleeing passengers pack Tokyo airport French say Japanese have 'visibly lost essential control' as they urge their citizens to get out Plans are being drawn up to evacuate every British national in Japan amid mounting fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Thousands of Britons were last night warned to leave Tokyo and all other areas under threat of radiation poisoning. The Foreign Office is even chartering additional planes to ensure that all British citizens can leave the country as thousands of terrified passengers cram into Tokyo airport attempting to flee. It comes as the Japanese authorities resorted to dumping water on over-heating reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant from helicopters in a desperate last-ditch attempt to stop a catastrophic meltdown.

Close-up pictures of the devastated No 4 reactor building show the gaping hole through which radiation is escaping into the atmosphere as the rods break down. Last night, the UN's nuclear safety body said it was "too early to say" whether desperate attempts to cool them by spraying water into the building had been a success. The Foreign Office issued an urgent statement advising any Britons within 50 miles of the plant to leave the area immediately, and arranged charter flights to get British citizens out of the country.

Close-up pictures of the devastated No 4 reactor building show the gaping hole through which radiation is escaping into the atmosphere as the rods break down. Last night, the UN's nuclear safety body said it was "too early to say" whether desperate attempts to cool them by spraying water into the building had been a success. The Foreign Office issued an urgent statement advising any Britons within 50 miles of the plant to leave the area immediately, and arranged charter flights to get British citizens out of the country.

Fourteen elderly hospital patients died north of Tokyo after they were evacuated from the radiation risk zone as Japan's humanitarian mission struggles to cope with the scale of the disaster.

"Polyester tents will be placed over Japan's stricken nuclear reactors in a bid to try and contain the escape of radioactive substances into the atmosphere. Next month Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) will start work on installing the first cover at the No.1 reactor in Fukishima, which has been the focus of recent stabilization efforts. The Japanese government plans to erect a steel framework and place a giant polyester tent-like cover around the reactor building - similar covers will be placed around units 3 and 4. "

"France was yesterday quick to play down the significance of an explosion in a nuclear waste recycling plant in the south of the country which killed one man and injured four others. Ministers said the blast, close to the Marcoule nuclear power station, near Avignon, was an "industrial accident" and not an explosion in, or near, anuclear reactor. There had been no radioactive leak and no need to evacuate workers or local people. "

"Nothing stirs in the empty heart of Tomioka, a community of 16,000 now reduced to the eerie status of a ghost town after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. The shops of the main street are deserted, motorbikes and cars are abandoned, weeds push through gaps in the concrete. Vending machines selling drinks and snacks - always popular in Japan - stand unlit and silent. Tomioka lies just inside the 20km exclusion zone that was hurriedly enforced last March when a radioactive cloud escaped from the stricken power plant. In the rush to flee, doors were left wide open. Windows and roofs shattered by the earthquake and tsunami are still not repaired. A bicycle leans against a lamp-post."

This online supplement is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the content. Published: 12:54PM BST 05 Oct 2009 It seems the crisis has had little impact on Russia's nuclear plans. "The government's support for the atomic industry allows us to maintain our current nuclear power plant construction projects as planned," Kirill Komarov, executive director of Atomenergoprom, said at the 34th meeting of the World Nuclear Association "We continue to work to create a new technology basis for our atomic industry, relying on fast neutron reactors, which will raise the industry to a new level," Komorov added.

This online supplement is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the content. Published: 12:54PM BST 05 Oct 2009 It seems the crisis has had little impact on Russia's nuclear plans. "The government's support for the atomic industry allows us to maintain our current nuclear power plant construction projects as planned," Kirill Komarov, executive director of Atomenergoprom, said at the 34th meeting of the World Nuclear Association "We continue to work to create a new technology basis for our atomic industry, relying on fast neutron reactors, which will raise the industry to a new level," Komorov added.

This online supplement is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the content. Published: 12:54PM BST 05 Oct 2009 It seems the crisis has had little impact on Russia's nuclear plans. "The government's support for the atomic industry allows us to maintain our current nuclear power plant construction projects as planned," Kirill Komarov, executive director of Atomenergoprom, said at the 34th meeting of the World Nuclear Association "We continue to work to create a new technology basis for our atomic industry, relying on fast neutron reactors, which will raise the industry to a new level," Komorov added.

EDF, the French firm which owns eight of Britain's nuclear power stations has shipped hundreds of tons of used radioactive material to Russia. More than 1,500 tons of spent fuel produced by the power company EDF was discovered in metal containers near a Siberian town. The company claims that it recycles almost all of its fuel. Environmental experts have claimed that 13 per cent of the spent fuel from the company's French power plants is on the site and described it as "really dirty stuff".

EDF, the French firm which owns eight of Britain's nuclear power stations has shipped hundreds of tons of used radioactive material to Russia. More than 1,500 tons of spent fuel produced by the power company EDF was discovered in metal containers near a Siberian town. The company claims that it recycles almost all of its fuel. Environmental experts have claimed that 13 per cent of the spent fuel from the company's French power plants is on the site and described it as "really dirty stuff".