<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-slaps-sanctions-on-iran-nuclear-researchers-warns-of-future-work-205171">Iran's stocks of key nuclear materials</a> have increased but are still within the limits set by a 2015 deal with world powers, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on the matter said Friday.

Despite an announcement from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-timeline-of-trumps-statements-on-the-iran-nuclear-deal-135463">Iran</a> earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by the agreed restrictions on stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water, stocks of both did not exceed the ceilings set in the 2015 agreement, the report said.

As of May 26, Iran had 125.2 metric tonnes of heavy water, an increase of 0.4 tonnes on February but stil under the 130-tonne limit.

As of 20 May, Iran had 174.1 kg of enriched uranium, up from 163.8kg in February but again well within the relevant of limit 300kg.

Earlier this month Iran announced it was suspending some of its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Watch: Iran Quadruples Uranium-Enrichment Capacity

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The move came a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal. His administration has also reinforced economic sanctions against the Islamic republic.&nbsp;

Iran's stocks of key nuclear materials have increased but are still within the limits set by a 2015 deal with world powers, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on the matter said Friday.

Iran's stocks of key nuclear materials have increased but are still within the limits set by a 2015 deal with world powers, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on the matter said Friday. Despite an announcement from Iran earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by the agreed restrictions on stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water, stocks of both did not exceed the ceilings set in the 2015 agreement, the report said. As of May 26, Iran had 125.2 metric tonnes of heavy water, an increase of 0.4 tonnes on February but stil under the 130-tonne limit. As of 20 May, Iran had 174.1 kg of enriched uranium, up from 163.8kg in February but again well within the relevant of limit 300kg. Earlier this month Iran announced it was suspending some of its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Watch: Iran Quadruples Uranium-Enrichment Capacity × The move came a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal. His administration has also reinforced economic sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Iran's stocks of nuclear materials still within limits: Report

Mike Pompeo has said the US is attempting to check reports that a senior North Korean official involved in Pyongyang’s nuclear negotiations with Washington had been executed.

North Korea executes nuclear envoy to US after failed Trump summit

Russia rebuffed as a baseless smear on Thursday a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-believes-russia-conducting-low-level-nuclear-tests-official-222787">US&nbsp;allegation that Moscow may be conducting low-level nuclear tests </a>in violation of a moratorium.&nbsp;

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russia was in full compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which Moscow ratified in 2000.&nbsp;

It called for the United States itself to ratify the treaty.&nbsp;

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said on Wednesday that Russia was probably not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in line with the "zero-yield" limit set by the CTBT.

"Such accusations are absolutely groundless and aimed at trying again to smear our country," the ministry statement said.

Negotiated in the 1990s, the CTBT enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states - among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States - to come into force.&nbsp;

"We again call on the United States to show a responsible approach and to ratify the CTBT, without which its entry into force is not possible," Russia`s statement said.&nbsp;

Russia rebuffed as a baseless smear on Thursday a US allegation that Moscow may be conducting low-level nuclear tests in violation of a moratorium. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russia was in full compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which Moscow ratified in 2000.

Russia rebuffed as a baseless smear on Thursday a US allegation that Moscow may be conducting low-level nuclear tests in violation of a moratorium. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russia was in full compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which Moscow ratified in 2000. It called for the United States itself to ratify the treaty. The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said on Wednesday that Russia was probably not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in line with the "zero-yield" limit set by the CTBT. "Such accusations are absolutely groundless and aimed at trying again to smear our country," the ministry statement said. Negotiated in the 1990s, the CTBT enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states - among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States - to come into force. "We again call on the United States to show a responsible approach and to ratify the CTBT, without which its entry into force is not possible," Russia`s statement said.

Russia calls US nuclear accusation 'smear'

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-putin-discuss-possible-new-nuclear-accord-white-house-215736">United States believes Russia </a>may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a US&nbsp;intelligence official said on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow.

Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states, among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States to come into force.

Russia ratified it in 2000.

However, the head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, "The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-russia-test-tense-ties-as-pompeo-visits-putin-218519">US, Russia test tense ties as Mike Pompeo visits Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>

At an arms control forum at the Hudson Institute, DIA head Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley said, "We believe they have the capability in the way they are set up" to conduct low-level nuclear tests that exceed the zero yield limit set in the CTBT.

There was no immediate response from the Russian government, but the head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Vladimir Shamanov, told the Interfax news agency that Ashley "could not have made a more irresponsible statement".

"Nuclear tests cannot be carried out secretly," it quoted him as saying.

"These kinds of statements reveal that the professionalism of the military is systemically falling in America," Shamanov said.

The head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Lassina Zerbo, said media reports appeared to "probably overstate" Ashley`s comments.

"It wasn`t about Russia conducting any low-yield tests but that Russia may have the capability for doing so," he told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Seoul on Thursday.

The organization`s global detection systems have not detected any tests, Zerbo said.

"We`re pretty confident that any militarily significant explosive test would not go undetected. So far we haven`t had any signal to that effect and we`re looking for further evidence."

US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus referred specific questions to the DIA, but said Russia "routinely" disregarded its international obligations and was in breach of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

"They have been in breach for several years and they have tested, produced, fielded an INF weapon ... We are certainly alarmed that they continue to disregard their international obligations as it relates to arms control."

Russia announced last month it was suspending the INF treaty after the United States said it would withdraw because of violations by Moscow. Russia denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself.

Watch: Russian President Putin open to meet US President at G20 in June

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Ashley`s comments underscore the need for countries like the United States to ratify the CTBT, Zerbo said.

"You’re not ready to ratify the CTBT but you’re asking for someone to comply with it, so you’re referring to a treaty that seems to be important," he said. 
"If the treaty is important, why don’t we lock it in?"

The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a US intelligence official said on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow.

The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a US intelligence official said on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow. Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states, among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States to come into force. Russia ratified it in 2000. However, the head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, "The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard." Also read: US, Russia test tense ties as Mike Pompeo visits Russian President Vladimir Putin At an arms control forum at the Hudson Institute, DIA head Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley said, "We believe they have the capability in the way they are set up" to conduct low-level nuclear tests that exceed the zero yield limit set in the CTBT. There was no immediate response from the Russian government, but the head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Vladimir Shamanov, told the Interfax news agency that Ashley "could not have made a more irresponsible statement". "Nuclear tests cannot be carried out secretly," it quoted him as saying. "These kinds of statements reveal that the professionalism of the military is systemically falling in America," Shamanov said. The head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Lassina Zerbo, said media reports appeared to "probably overstate" Ashley`s comments. "It wasn`t about Russia conducting any low-yield tests but that Russia may have the capability for doing so," he told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Seoul on Thursday. The organization`s global detection systems have not detected any tests, Zerbo said. "We`re pretty confident that any militarily significant explosive test would not go undetected. So far we haven`t had any signal to that effect and we`re looking for further evidence." US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus referred specific questions to the DIA, but said Russia "routinely" disregarded its international obligations and was in breach of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. "They have been in breach for several years and they have tested, produced, fielded an INF weapon ... We are certainly alarmed that they continue to disregard their international obligations as it relates to arms control." Russia announced last month it was suspending the INF treaty after the United States said it would withdraw because of violations by Moscow. Russia denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself. Watch: Russian President Putin open to meet US President at G20 in June × Ashley`s comments underscore the need for countries like the United States to ratify the CTBT, Zerbo said. "You’re not ready to ratify the CTBT but you’re asking for someone to comply with it, so you’re referring to a treaty that seems to be important," he said. "If the treaty is important, why don’t we lock it in?"

US believes Russia conducting low-level nuclear tests: Official

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-could-have-a-very-good-relationship-with-russia--putin-trump-128197">US President Donald Trump</a> spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour on Friday, discussing the possibility of a new nuclear accord, North Korean denuclearisation and the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/venezuela-standoff-top-diplomats-of-russia-us-likely-to-meet-on-may-6-215677">political situation in Venezuela</a>, the White House said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump and Putin talked about the possibility of a new multilateral nuclear accord between the United States, Russia and China, or an extension of the current US-Russia strategic nuclear treaty.

Sanders said the conversation lasted for more than an hour and briefly touched upon Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential campaign. She said that issue was discussed in the context that the investigation had ended.

"They discussed a nuclear agreement, both new and extended, and the possibility of having conversations with China on that as well," Sanders said.

"They discussed trade and the fact that it has increased between the two countries since the president has come into office. They also talked about North Korea. They also spoke about Ukraine and Venezuela - an overall positive conversation," she said.

US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour on Friday, discussing the possibility of a new nuclear accord, North Korean denuclearisation and the political situation in Venezuela, the White House said.

US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour on Friday, discussing the possibility of a new nuclear accord, North Korean denuclearisation and the political situation in Venezuela, the White House said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump and Putin talked about the possibility of a new multilateral nuclear accord between the United States, Russia and China, or an extension of the current US-Russia strategic nuclear treaty. Sanders said the conversation lasted for more than an hour and briefly touched upon Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential campaign. She said that issue was discussed in the context that the investigation had ended. "They discussed a nuclear agreement, both new and extended, and the possibility of having conversations with China on that as well," Sanders said. "They discussed trade and the fact that it has increased between the two countries since the president has come into office. They also talked about North Korea. They also spoke about Ukraine and Venezuela - an overall positive conversation," she said.

Trump, Putin discuss possible new nuclear accord: White House

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-signals-shift-in-nuclear-diplomacy-kims-right-hand-man-sidelined-213629">demotion of Kim Yong Chol</a>, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's point man for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-leader-says-peace-on-korean-peninsula-depends-on-us-attitude-state-media-213549">nuclear talks with the United States</a>, signals that long-time diplomats who had been sidelined from the process will return to centre-stage, diplomatic sources in Seoul and regional experts said.

The hawkish former general and spymaster was recently removed from a key party post, taking the fall for the failed Hanoi summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

Kim Yong Chol remains a formidable force in Pyongyang but there is no word whether he has been given a new role in the ultra-secretive North Korean power structure.&nbsp;

He did not accompany Kim Jong Un to Russia this week for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, the North Korean leader`s first international foray since his Hanoi meeting with Trump in February ended in disarray.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and his deputy, Choe Son Hui, flanked the North Korean leader at the meeting in Vladivostok, including riding in his car, a highly unusual display of proximity.&nbsp;

"The Hanoi summit damaged the North`s long-held principle that its leader never makes an error, so they have to shift the blame," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul, referring to Kim Yong Chol`s demotion.&nbsp;

"This may not mean an immediate shift in their US&nbsp;strategy, but the diplomats will likely take the initiative to contain the fallout from Hanoi and promote diplomacy with various countries."&nbsp;

Kim Yong Chol was beside Kim through the last 12 months, including for his three meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, two with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two Trump summits, in Singapore and Hanoi.

But for those who have known him as a hardline military general, Kim Yong Chol never seemed comfortable with the art of negotiating the roll back of his country`s nuclear programme in exchange for concessions from the United States.

Kim avoided getting into details at negotiating sessions, instead leaving it to diplomats to build strategy, two diplomatic sources in Seoul familiar with the North`s diplomatic engagements said.&nbsp;

Even then, he refused to yield control, one of the sources said.&nbsp;

"Whether or not he understood the issues, he kept a tight grip on the negotiations. It seemed like: `Over my dead body I`m going to let Ri Yong Ho take over,`" the source said, referring to the North`s foreign minister.

'REAL SPOKESWOMAN'

The collapse of the Hanoi summit was a major setback for Kim Jong Un, who, several sources said, was led to believe by hawkish aides like Kim Yong Chol that he was about to win sought-after sanctions relief in return for a promise to partially scrap nuclear facilities.

Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at South Korea`s Sejong Institute, said the demands Kim made of Trump in Hanoi had the hallmarks of the "best scenario" strategy advocated by hawks like Kim Yong Chol.&nbsp;

"But it turned out to be a scenario that the United States could never accept," Cheong said. "Kim Jong Un cutting his reliance on Kim Yong Chol is a positive sign for the negotiations."

While Ri has gradually been promoted under Kim, the influence of Vice Foreign Minister Choe has surged since the Hanoi summit, officials and North Korea experts said.

She was a junior player on the North`s US&nbsp;diplomacy team in the 1990s and became the first vice foreign minister and a member of the powerful State Affairs Commission this month.

She held several news conferences after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, playing the rare role of conveying Kim Jong Un`s thinking.

Thae Yong Ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador in London who defected to the South in 2016, said Choe has joined an inner circle of women close to Kim Jong Un, including his sister and his wife.&nbsp;

"Now she`s the real spokeswoman for Kim Jong Un," Thae told a forum hosted by the Asan Institute of Policy Studies on Wednesday in Seoul. "How can Choe read his mind? Because she has access."

A diplomatic source also said Choe appears to have built rapport with Kim Yo Jong, Kim`s sister who is also a senior party official, which contributed to her recent promotion.

"We have to remember that (Foreign Minister) Ri and Choe are not only North Korea`s best people for the job of dealing with the US," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the US-based Stimson Center.

"But they both have known the leader since he was a small boy so there is a dynamic of their wanting to see Kim Jong Un thrive and succeed."

The demotion of Kim Yong Chol, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's point man for nuclear talks with the United States, signals that long-time diplomats who had been sidelined from the process will return to centre-stage, diplomatic sources in Seoul and regional experts said.

The demotion of Kim Yong Chol, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's point man for nuclear talks with the United States, signals that long-time diplomats who had been sidelined from the process will return to centre-stage, diplomatic sources in Seoul and regional experts said. The hawkish former general and spymaster was recently removed from a key party post, taking the fall for the failed Hanoi summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump. Kim Yong Chol remains a formidable force in Pyongyang but there is no word whether he has been given a new role in the ultra-secretive North Korean power structure. He did not accompany Kim Jong Un to Russia this week for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, the North Korean leader`s first international foray since his Hanoi meeting with Trump in February ended in disarray. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and his deputy, Choe Son Hui, flanked the North Korean leader at the meeting in Vladivostok, including riding in his car, a highly unusual display of proximity. "The Hanoi summit damaged the North`s long-held principle that its leader never makes an error, so they have to shift the blame," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul, referring to Kim Yong Chol`s demotion. "This may not mean an immediate shift in their US strategy, but the diplomats will likely take the initiative to contain the fallout from Hanoi and promote diplomacy with various countries." Kim Yong Chol was beside Kim through the last 12 months, including for his three meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, two with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two Trump summits, in Singapore and Hanoi. But for those who have known him as a hardline military general, Kim Yong Chol never seemed comfortable with the art of negotiating the roll back of his country`s nuclear programme in exchange for concessions from the United States. Kim avoided getting into details at negotiating sessions, instead leaving it to diplomats to build strategy, two diplomatic sources in Seoul familiar with the North`s diplomatic engagements said. Even then, he refused to yield control, one of the sources said. "Whether or not he understood the issues, he kept a tight grip on the negotiations. It seemed like: `Over my dead body I`m going to let Ri Yong Ho take over,`" the source said, referring to the North`s foreign minister. 'REAL SPOKESWOMAN' The collapse of the Hanoi summit was a major setback for Kim Jong Un, who, several sources said, was led to believe by hawkish aides like Kim Yong Chol that he was about to win sought-after sanctions relief in return for a promise to partially scrap nuclear facilities. Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at South Korea`s Sejong Institute, said the demands Kim made of Trump in Hanoi had the hallmarks of the "best scenario" strategy advocated by hawks like Kim Yong Chol. "But it turned out to be a scenario that the United States could never accept," Cheong said. "Kim Jong Un cutting his reliance on Kim Yong Chol is a positive sign for the negotiations." While Ri has gradually been promoted under Kim, the influence of Vice Foreign Minister Choe has surged since the Hanoi summit, officials and North Korea experts said. She was a junior player on the North`s US diplomacy team in the 1990s and became the first vice foreign minister and a member of the powerful State Affairs Commission this month. She held several news conferences after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, playing the rare role of conveying Kim Jong Un`s thinking. Thae Yong Ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador in London who defected to the South in 2016, said Choe has joined an inner circle of women close to Kim Jong Un, including his sister and his wife. "Now she`s the real spokeswoman for Kim Jong Un," Thae told a forum hosted by the Asan Institute of Policy Studies on Wednesday in Seoul. "How can Choe read his mind? Because she has access." A diplomatic source also said Choe appears to have built rapport with Kim Yo Jong, Kim`s sister who is also a senior party official, which contributed to her recent promotion. "We have to remember that (Foreign Minister) Ri and Choe are not only North Korea`s best people for the job of dealing with the US," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the US-based Stimson Center. "But they both have known the leader since he was a small boy so there is a dynamic of their wanting to see Kim Jong Un thrive and succeed."

North Korea turns to diplomats after Kim sidelines point man in nuclear talks

India,Russia discusses membership for Nuclear Suppliers Group

North Korea is considering suspending nuclear talks with the United States, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Friday, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

North Korea has no intention to yield to US demands or engage in negotiations of this kind, Choe told a press conference in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, TASS reported.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un is set to make an official announcement soon on his position regarding talks with United States, TASS reported, citing Choe.

North Korea is considering suspending nuclear talks with the United States, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Friday, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

North Korea is considering suspending nuclear talks with the United States, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Friday, according to Russia's TASS news agency. North Korea has no intention to yield to US demands or engage in negotiations of this kind, Choe told a press conference in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, TASS reported. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un is set to make an official announcement soon on his position regarding talks with United States, TASS reported, citing Choe.

North Korea considering to suspend nuclear talks with US: Report

Donald Trump still open to talks with North Korea

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday cautioned that Pakistan would not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it was losing out against India in a conventional battle.

Refusing to comment on the casualty figure in the Indian Air Force strikes on a terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan, Singh, who is a former army Captain, said, "Whether it was one killed or 100, the message had gone out loud and clear? India will not let the killing of its innocent soldiers and citizens go unpunished."

He asserted that neither country could afford a full-scale war.

"Pakistan will not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it is losing out against India in a conventional war," Singh told the media in Amritsar.

Pointing out that both India and Pakistan were nuclear powers, he said it was not in either country's interest to use the weapons of destruction but Islamabad could "indulge in such a misadventure if faced with defeat in other battles".

The IAF strikes had proven India's resolve to deal with the problem in the wake of the Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, the CM said.

Noting that Pakistan was in a huge economic mess and had been "going around with a begging bowl and surviving on doles from other Islamic nations", Singh said they could "ill-afford a full-fledged war with India".

And though both were nuclear-powered countries, Pakistan could act out of desperation to use its nuclear weapons if they found themselves cornered, he warned.&nbsp;

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday cautioned that Pakistan would not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it was losing out against India in a conventional battle.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday cautioned that Pakistan would not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it was losing out against India in a conventional battle. Refusing to comment on the casualty figure in the Indian Air Force strikes on a terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan, Singh, who is a former army Captain, said, "Whether it was one killed or 100, the message had gone out loud and clear? India will not let the killing of its innocent soldiers and citizens go unpunished." He asserted that neither country could afford a full-scale war. "Pakistan will not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it is losing out against India in a conventional war," Singh told the media in Amritsar. Pointing out that both India and Pakistan were nuclear powers, he said it was not in either country's interest to use the weapons of destruction but Islamabad could "indulge in such a misadventure if faced with defeat in other battles". The IAF strikes had proven India's resolve to deal with the problem in the wake of the Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, the CM said. Noting that Pakistan was in a huge economic mess and had been "going around with a begging bowl and surviving on doles from other Islamic nations", Singh said they could "ill-afford a full-fledged war with India". And though both were nuclear-powered countries, Pakistan could act out of desperation to use its nuclear weapons if they found themselves cornered, he warned.

Pakistan won't hesitate to use nuke in face of defeat against India: Amarinder Singh

The Red Cross called Friday for a total ban on nuclear weapons, warning of the growing risk that such arms could again be used with devastating effect.&nbsp;

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising nuclear threat facing the world.

In a joint statement, they said some nuclear-armed states were straying from their "long-standing nuclear disarmament obligations" and were "upgrading their arsenals, developing new kinds of nuclear weapons and making them easier to use."

The notonukes.org campaign comes after the United States and Russia ripped up a key arms control treaty, with US President Donald Trump announcing last week that Washington was beginning a process to withdraw from the Cold War-era agreement in six months.&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly followed suit, saying Moscow was leaving the treaty and would begin work on new types of weapons not permitted under the 1987 deal.

"Seventy-four years after nuclear weapons obliterated the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the risk that nuclear weapons will again be used is growing," the Red Cross organisations warned.

The notonukes campaign was launched with a video depicting two friends on a beach discussing whether they would want to live of die if a nuclear bomb were to explode.

One said he would want to live, because life is full of so many beautiful things, like spending time with his family, feeling the sun on his face and falling in love. The other said he would prefer to die, because after the bomb, none of those things would be possible.

The video ends with a call to action: "Let's decide the future of nuclear weapons before they decide ours".&nbsp;

The Red Cross said the campaign aimed to shine a light on the "catastrophic humanitarian consequences of a nuclear war".

It also aims to encourage people to lobby their governments to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which has so far been signed by 70 nations and ratified by 21.

"Any risk of nuclear weapons use is unacceptable," ICRC President Peter Maurer said in the statement, stressing that the TPNW "represents a beacon of hope and an essential measure to reduce the risk of a nuclear catastrophe."

"At this moment of growing international tension, I call on everyone to act with urgency and determination to bring the era of nuclear weapons to an end," he said.

The Red Cross called Friday for a total ban on nuclear weapons, warning of the growing risk that such arms could again be used with devastating effect. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising nuclear threat facing the world.

The Red Cross called Friday for a total ban on nuclear weapons, warning of the growing risk that such arms could again be used with devastating effect. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising nuclear threat facing the world. In a joint statement, they said some nuclear-armed states were straying from their "long-standing nuclear disarmament obligations" and were "upgrading their arsenals, developing new kinds of nuclear weapons and making them easier to use." The notonukes.org campaign comes after the United States and Russia ripped up a key arms control treaty, with US President Donald Trump announcing last week that Washington was beginning a process to withdraw from the Cold War-era agreement in six months. Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly followed suit, saying Moscow was leaving the treaty and would begin work on new types of weapons not permitted under the 1987 deal. "Seventy-four years after nuclear weapons obliterated the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the risk that nuclear weapons will again be used is growing," the Red Cross organisations warned. The notonukes campaign was launched with a video depicting two friends on a beach discussing whether they would want to live of die if a nuclear bomb were to explode. One said he would want to live, because life is full of so many beautiful things, like spending time with his family, feeling the sun on his face and falling in love. The other said he would prefer to die, because after the bomb, none of those things would be possible. The video ends with a call to action: "Let's decide the future of nuclear weapons before they decide ours". The Red Cross said the campaign aimed to shine a light on the "catastrophic humanitarian consequences of a nuclear war". It also aims to encourage people to lobby their governments to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which has so far been signed by 70 nations and ratified by 21. "Any risk of nuclear weapons use is unacceptable," ICRC President Peter Maurer said in the statement, stressing that the TPNW "represents a beacon of hope and an essential measure to reduce the risk of a nuclear catastrophe." "At this moment of growing international tension, I call on everyone to act with urgency and determination to bring the era of nuclear weapons to an end," he said.

Red Cross warns of 'growing' risk of nuclear weapons, urges ban

Nuclear waste is piling up around the world even as countries struggle to dispose of spent fuel that will remain highly toxic for many thousands of years, Greenpeace detailed in a report Wednesday.

Analysis of waste storage facilities in seven countries with nuclear power revealed that several were near saturation, the anti-nuclear NGO said.

All these nations also confronted other problems that have yet to be fully contained: fire risk, venting of radioactive gases, environmental contamination, failure of containers, terrorist attacks and escalating costs.

"More than 65 years after the start of the civil use of nuclear power, not a single country can claim that it has the solution to manage the most dangerous radioactive wastes," Shaun Burnie, a nuclear expert at Greenpeace Germany and coordinator of the report said in a statement.

In particular, storing waste material from nuclear power reactors deep in the ground — the most researched long-term storage technology — "has shown major flaws which exclude it for now as a credible option," he said.

Currently, there is a global stockpile of around 250,000 tonnes of highly radioactive spent fuel distributed across some 14 countries.

Most of this fuel remains in so-called "cooling pools" at reactor sites that lack secondary containment and remain vulnerable to a loss of cooling. Some lack a source of back-up power.

The partial meltdown of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 made clear that the high-heat hazard of spent fuel pools is not hypothetical.

The 100-page report, compiled by a panel of experts, dissected shortcomings in the management of voluminous waste in France, which has the second largest nuclear reactor fleet (58) after the United States (about 100).

<img alt="nuclear waste" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="71229b60-0e43-4d61-9f9d-99a183607bc1" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/nuclear%20waste.jpg" />

"There is no credible solution for long-term safe disposal of nuclear waste in France," the report said.

French oversight bodies have already raised concerns about the capacity of massive cooling pools in Normandy at the La Hague site.

In response, energy giant Orana, which manages the site, said in a statement that "there is no risk of saturation of the pools in La Hague until 2030." In the United States, billions of dollars and decades of planning have failed to secure a geological disposal site, the report notes.

The Yucca Mountain underground facility — decades in construction — was finally cancelled in 2010 by the Obama administration.

Meanwhile, some 70 per cent of spent fuel in the United States remains in vulnerable cooling pools, often in densities several times the greater than originally intended.

Nuclear waste from uranium mining is also a major environmental concern.

The world's inventory of uranium mill tailings — sandy waste material that can seep into the local environment — was estimated at more than two billion tonnes as of 2011.

The other countries covered in the report are Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Finland and Britain.

Nuclear waste is piling up around the world even as countries struggle to dispose of spent fuel that will remain highly toxic for many thousands of years, Greenpeace detailed in a report Wednesday.

Nuclear waste is piling up around the world even as countries struggle to dispose of spent fuel that will remain highly toxic for many thousands of years, Greenpeace detailed in a report Wednesday. Analysis of waste storage facilities in seven countries with nuclear power revealed that several were near saturation, the anti-nuclear NGO said. All these nations also confronted other problems that have yet to be fully contained: fire risk, venting of radioactive gases, environmental contamination, failure of containers, terrorist attacks and escalating costs. "More than 65 years after the start of the civil use of nuclear power, not a single country can claim that it has the solution to manage the most dangerous radioactive wastes," Shaun Burnie, a nuclear expert at Greenpeace Germany and coordinator of the report said in a statement. In particular, storing waste material from nuclear power reactors deep in the ground — the most researched long-term storage technology — "has shown major flaws which exclude it for now as a credible option," he said. Currently, there is a global stockpile of around 250,000 tonnes of highly radioactive spent fuel distributed across some 14 countries. Most of this fuel remains in so-called "cooling pools" at reactor sites that lack secondary containment and remain vulnerable to a loss of cooling. Some lack a source of back-up power. The partial meltdown of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 made clear that the high-heat hazard of spent fuel pools is not hypothetical. The 100-page report, compiled by a panel of experts, dissected shortcomings in the management of voluminous waste in France, which has the second largest nuclear reactor fleet (58) after the United States (about 100). "There is no credible solution for long-term safe disposal of nuclear waste in France," the report said. French oversight bodies have already raised concerns about the capacity of massive cooling pools in Normandy at the La Hague site. In response, energy giant Orana, which manages the site, said in a statement that "there is no risk of saturation of the pools in La Hague until 2030." In the United States, billions of dollars and decades of planning have failed to secure a geological disposal site, the report notes. The Yucca Mountain underground facility — decades in construction — was finally cancelled in 2010 by the Obama administration. Meanwhile, some 70 per cent of spent fuel in the United States remains in vulnerable cooling pools, often in densities several times the greater than originally intended. Nuclear waste from uranium mining is also a major environmental concern. The world's inventory of uranium mill tailings — sandy waste material that can seep into the local environment — was estimated at more than two billion tonnes as of 2011. The other countries covered in the report are Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Finland and Britain.

Storage of nuclear waste a 'global crisis' as stockpile reaches 250,000 tons: Report

Vietnam's premier has said his country is willing to host a much-anticipated second summit between <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/if-trump-and-kim-can-meet-why-not-other-countries-nepal-on-stalled-saarc-summit-189572&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiO7uCmmPffAhXLK48KHa7fAwYQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1b50NO0aT8xriJ5tGTMLsX">US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.</a>

One of North Korea's top generals Kim Yong Chol is expected to meet with Trump at the White House on Friday to hash out details of a second meeting with Kim, including a potential venue.

The second round of talks follow a historic summit in Singapore last year and are aimed at denuclearisation and ending decades of enmity between the two nations.

Vietnam has cropped up in the swirl of rumours and conjecture over a possible site for the meeting, with the capital Hanoi or the coastal city of Danang seemingly the most likely bases for the summit.

On Thursday Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he would be open to hosting it.

"We don't know the final decision. However, if it happens here we will do our best to facilitate the meeting," he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.&nbsp;

"Vietnam has cooperated well with the US in developing economic and trade relations, as well as in other areas."

A Vietnamese government source who wished to remain anonymous told AFP "logistical preparations" were underway for a Trump-Kim summit although "no official decision" had been made.

"There is lots of work to be done, not only for Danang but some other locations for the event. The Vietnamese side is ready to host... but it is not up to us to decide."

Like several other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam maintains diplomatic ties with both communist-run Pyongyang and Washington and is keen to host major global events as it tries to project a more confident global profile.

Communist Vietnam hosted a major Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in the central city of Danang in 2017 attended by global leaders, including Trump.

Hanoi also welcomed North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in November for a visit reportedly aimed at sharing lessons from its economic success story.

Hosting a meeting of this calibre that will draw attention — and scrutiny — from around the world will be "very significant", said Nguyen Vinh Quang, an analyst at Vietnam's Center for Strategic Studies and International Development.

"It will show Vietnam's contribution to global peace. Secondly, Vietnam can affirm its role as a reliable partner for countries around the world," he told AFP.

Trump has said he is eager to meet with Kim again after their historic summit in June, the first-ever meeting between two sitting leaders from two countries that never formally ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The leaders agreed on a vaguely-worded statement in which Kim pledged to work toward "the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".

But progress has since stalled with the two sides sparring over what that means.&nbsp;

Kim is hoping for an easing of international sanctions but the United States insists on maintaining maximum pressure until Pyongyang moves forward on giving up its nuclear weapons.

Vietnam's premier has said his country is willing to host a much-anticipated second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Vietnam's premier has said his country is willing to host a much-anticipated second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. One of North Korea's top generals Kim Yong Chol is expected to meet with Trump at the White House on Friday to hash out details of a second meeting with Kim, including a potential venue. The second round of talks follow a historic summit in Singapore last year and are aimed at denuclearisation and ending decades of enmity between the two nations. Vietnam has cropped up in the swirl of rumours and conjecture over a possible site for the meeting, with the capital Hanoi or the coastal city of Danang seemingly the most likely bases for the summit. On Thursday Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he would be open to hosting it. "We don't know the final decision. However, if it happens here we will do our best to facilitate the meeting," he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "Vietnam has cooperated well with the US in developing economic and trade relations, as well as in other areas." A Vietnamese government source who wished to remain anonymous told AFP "logistical preparations" were underway for a Trump-Kim summit although "no official decision" had been made. "There is lots of work to be done, not only for Danang but some other locations for the event. The Vietnamese side is ready to host... but it is not up to us to decide." Like several other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam maintains diplomatic ties with both communist-run Pyongyang and Washington and is keen to host major global events as it tries to project a more confident global profile. Communist Vietnam hosted a major Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in the central city of Danang in 2017 attended by global leaders, including Trump. Hanoi also welcomed North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in November for a visit reportedly aimed at sharing lessons from its economic success story. Hosting a meeting of this calibre that will draw attention — and scrutiny — from around the world will be "very significant", said Nguyen Vinh Quang, an analyst at Vietnam's Center for Strategic Studies and International Development. "It will show Vietnam's contribution to global peace. Secondly, Vietnam can affirm its role as a reliable partner for countries around the world," he told AFP. Trump has said he is eager to meet with Kim again after their historic summit in June, the first-ever meeting between two sitting leaders from two countries that never formally ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The leaders agreed on a vaguely-worded statement in which Kim pledged to work toward "the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But progress has since stalled with the two sides sparring over what that means. Kim is hoping for an easing of international sanctions but the United States insists on maintaining maximum pressure until Pyongyang moves forward on giving up its nuclear weapons.

Vietnam 'willing' to host Trump-Kim summit: Report

The United States and North Korea plan to hold <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/what-latest-defection-tells-us-about-hopes-for-peace-on-korean-peninsula-189130">high-level talks in Washington</a> this week to discuss a second summit of their leaders, following a prolonged stalemate in nuclear talks, a South Korean newspaper said on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The meeting, led by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, would happen on Thursday or Friday, the Chosun Ilbo said, citing an unnamed diplomatic source familiar with the talks.

Both sides are expected to finalise the date and location of a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-koreas-kim-discusses-expected-summit-with-trump-in-talks-in-china-report-189075">second summit</a> between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the North`s envoy is likely to meet Trump, the paper said.&nbsp;

There was no immediate comment from the White House. Asked about the report, a State Department official said, "We don`t have any meetings to announce."

If confirmed, this week`s meeting could mean the two sides are nearing a compromise after a months-long standoff over how to move forward in ending North Korea`s nuclear and missile programmes.

Pompeo, who made several trips to Pyongyang last year, sought to meet his counterpart last November, but the talks were called off at the last minute.&nbsp;

Contact was resumed after Kim`s New Year`s speech, in which he said he was willing to meet Trump "at any time," South Korea`s ambassador to the United States, Cho Yoon-je, told reporters last week.&nbsp;

Interim measures

Washington and Seoul have been discussing potential US measures to reciprocate North Korea`s possible steps toward denuclearisation, such as dismantling the Yongbyon main nuclear complex or intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) aimed at the United States, South Korean officials told Reuters.&nbsp;

The United States is considering partially easing sanctions in exchange for the North`s discarding and sending abroad its ICBMs, in addition to a freeze in its nuclear programme, the Chosun Ilbo said, citing the source.&nbsp;

Potential US corresponding action also includes exemptions from sanctions for inter-Korean business and tour ventures and opening a liaison office as a prelude to a formal launch of diplomatic relations, Seoul officials said.&nbsp;

"Those ideas are being discussed as interim measures, not as an end state, in order to expedite the denuclearisation process because the North wouldn`t respond to any demand for a declaration of facilities and weapons," a senior South Korean official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.&nbsp;

"The end goal remains unchanged, whether it be complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, or final, fully verified denuclearisation."&nbsp;

The official said a second summit between Trump and Kim might happen in late February or early March, though "No one knows what Trump is thinking."

Kim renewed his resolve to meet Trump again during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week.

Trump also said this month he had received a "great" letter from Kim and would probably meet him again in the not-too-distant future.&nbsp;

"At the second summit, they`ll probably focus on reaching a possible interim deal rather than a comprehensive roadmap for denuclearisation," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at South Korea`s Sejong Institute.&nbsp;

"Whether Pyongyang is willing to abolish ICBMs, in addition to disabling the Yongbyon complex, would be key, and if so, the North will likely demand sanctions relief in return."

The United States and North Korea plan to hold high-level talks in Washington this week to discuss a second summit of their leaders, following a prolonged stalemate in nuclear talks, a South Korean newspaper said on Tuesday.

The United States and North Korea plan to hold high-level talks in Washington this week to discuss a second summit of their leaders, following a prolonged stalemate in nuclear talks, a South Korean newspaper said on Tuesday. The meeting, led by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, would happen on Thursday or Friday, the Chosun Ilbo said, citing an unnamed diplomatic source familiar with the talks. Both sides are expected to finalise the date and location of a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the North`s envoy is likely to meet Trump, the paper said. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Asked about the report, a State Department official said, "We don`t have any meetings to announce." If confirmed, this week`s meeting could mean the two sides are nearing a compromise after a months-long standoff over how to move forward in ending North Korea`s nuclear and missile programmes. Pompeo, who made several trips to Pyongyang last year, sought to meet his counterpart last November, but the talks were called off at the last minute. Contact was resumed after Kim`s New Year`s speech, in which he said he was willing to meet Trump "at any time," South Korea`s ambassador to the United States, Cho Yoon-je, told reporters last week. Interim measures Washington and Seoul have been discussing potential US measures to reciprocate North Korea`s possible steps toward denuclearisation, such as dismantling the Yongbyon main nuclear complex or intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) aimed at the United States, South Korean officials told Reuters. The United States is considering partially easing sanctions in exchange for the North`s discarding and sending abroad its ICBMs, in addition to a freeze in its nuclear programme, the Chosun Ilbo said, citing the source. Potential US corresponding action also includes exemptions from sanctions for inter-Korean business and tour ventures and opening a liaison office as a prelude to a formal launch of diplomatic relations, Seoul officials said. "Those ideas are being discussed as interim measures, not as an end state, in order to expedite the denuclearisation process because the North wouldn`t respond to any demand for a declaration of facilities and weapons," a senior South Korean official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "The end goal remains unchanged, whether it be complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, or final, fully verified denuclearisation." The official said a second summit between Trump and Kim might happen in late February or early March, though "No one knows what Trump is thinking." Kim renewed his resolve to meet Trump again during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week. Trump also said this month he had received a "great" letter from Kim and would probably meet him again in the not-too-distant future. "At the second summit, they`ll probably focus on reaching a possible interim deal rather than a comprehensive roadmap for denuclearisation," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at South Korea`s Sejong Institute. "Whether Pyongyang is willing to abolish ICBMs, in addition to disabling the Yongbyon complex, would be key, and if so, the North will likely demand sanctions relief in return."

US, North Korea to hold talks this week after nuclear standoff: Report

Pakistan on Thursday issued the revised lists of goods, technologies and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons that needed official permission for exports.

The list was issued under the Export Control Act of 2004, which enables the government to control export, re-export, trans-shipment and transit of goods, technologies, material and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"Pursuant to the export control on goods, technologies, material and equipment related to Nuclear and Biological Weapons and their Delivery systems Act 2004, the Government of Pakistan has notified revised control lists of goods, technologies, material and equipment that are subject to SECDIV license for export,"&nbsp;the statement said.

The FO also said that as part of regular review process, the Strategic Export Control Division (SECDIV) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revised and updated the control lists, in consultation with other relevant ministries and departments.

The lists were originally notified in 2005 and subsequently revised in 2011, 2015 and 2016.

The FO said the revised control lists were harmonised with the standards and lists of international export control regimes ie The Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regimes and the Australia Group.

It incorporates the latest changes and updates made by these export control regimes.

The notification signifies the continuing resolve and policy of Pakistan as a responsible nuclear state to advance the shared goals of non-proliferation and strictly adhere to its commitments, the FO said.&nbsp;

Pakistan on Thursday issued the revised lists of goods, technologies and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons that needed official permission for exports.

Pakistan on Thursday issued the revised lists of goods, technologies and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons that needed official permission for exports. The list was issued under the Export Control Act of 2004, which enables the government to control export, re-export, trans-shipment and transit of goods, technologies, material and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems, the Foreign Office said in a statement. "Pursuant to the export control on goods, technologies, material and equipment related to Nuclear and Biological Weapons and their Delivery systems Act 2004, the Government of Pakistan has notified revised control lists of goods, technologies, material and equipment that are subject to SECDIV license for export," the statement said. The FO also said that as part of regular review process, the Strategic Export Control Division (SECDIV) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revised and updated the control lists, in consultation with other relevant ministries and departments. The lists were originally notified in 2005 and subsequently revised in 2011, 2015 and 2016. The FO said the revised control lists were harmonised with the standards and lists of international export control regimes ie The Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regimes and the Australia Group. It incorporates the latest changes and updates made by these export control regimes. The notification signifies the continuing resolve and policy of Pakistan as a responsible nuclear state to advance the shared goals of non-proliferation and strictly adhere to its commitments, the FO said.

Pakistan issues export control list of goods, technologies related to nuclear, biological weapons

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/for-trump-supporters-elections-a-battle-to-protect-a-leader-under-siege-175721">US midterms: For Trump supporters, elections a battle to protect leader under siege</a>

For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s divisive persona, hard-line policies and pugnacious politics.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-blasphemy-lawyer-says-eu-un-made-him-leave-against-my-wishes-175720">Asia Bibi's lawyer says EU, UN made him leave Pakistan 'against my wishes'</a>

The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/want-to-go-slow-on-sanctions-on-irans-oil-keep-prices-down-trump-175735">Want to go slow on sanctions on Iran's oil, keep prices down: Trump</a>

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to impose sanctions on Iran's oil gradually, citing concerns about shocking energy markets and causing global price spikes.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-us-channels-drop-trump-campaign-ad-deemed-to-be-racist-175725">Facebook, US networks drop Trump campaign </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-us-channels-drop-trump-campaign-ad-deemed-to-be-racist-175725">ad judged</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-us-channels-drop-trump-campaign-ad-deemed-to-be-racist-175725"> to be racist</a>

Fox News, NBC and Facebook have pulled a Trump campaign ad branded racist, which equates a convicted Mexican murderer with Central American migrants en route to the US border.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-to-build-first-nuclear-research-reactor-175718">Saudi Arabia to build </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-to-build-first-nuclear-research-reactor-175718">first</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-to-build-first-nuclear-research-reactor-175718"> nuclear reactor</a>

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday laid the foundation stone for the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor, state media said, as the kingdom seeks to diversify its energy mix.

US midterms: For Trump supporters, elections a battle to protect leader under siege For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s divisive persona, hard-line policies and pugnacious politics.

US midterms: For Trump supporters, elections a battle to protect leader under siege For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s divisive persona, hard-line policies and pugnacious politics. Asia Bibi's lawyer says EU, UN made him leave Pakistan 'against my wishes' The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk. Want to go slow on sanctions on Iran's oil, keep prices down: Trump US President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to impose sanctions on Iran's oil gradually, citing concerns about shocking energy markets and causing global price spikes. Facebook, US networks drop Trump campaign ad judged to be racist Fox News, NBC and Facebook have pulled a Trump campaign ad branded racist, which equates a convicted Mexican murderer with Central American migrants en route to the US border. Saudi Arabia to build first nuclear reactor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday laid the foundation stone for the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor, state media said, as the kingdom seeks to diversify its energy mix.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The indigenous INS Arihant India’s first nuclear-powered submarine successfully completed its first deterrence patrol.&nbsp;

The INS Arihant completes India's nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land- and air-based delivery platforms. All the big five nuclear nations -- the US, Russia, France, China and the UK -- are already full-fledged nuclear triad powers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles.

Nuclear-triad simply means that the country now has the capability to launch nuclear strikes on the enemy from air, land and sea.&nbsp; &nbsp;

India is now capable of delivering nuclear weapons by aircraft, ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.

India's quest for its indigenous nuclear submarine began in the late 1990s under a top-secret project called Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). The plan was to build three such submarines.

In 2009, Arihant was launched into the water at the ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam. In 2013, the nuclear reactor of the submarine went critical. Since then, the submarine has gone numerous trials including missile firing trials as early as March this year.

The second nuclear submarine, INS Aridhaman is already under construction.

Arihant is integrated with "K" (named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam) series of missiles.

While the K-15 has a 750-km range, the K-4 can go up to 3,500-km. The K-5 has a much higher range. However, it is not confirmed whether the full integration of missiles have taken place or not.

The DRDO completed the development of the over 700km-range BO-5 missiles recently and they would be fired from the Arihant during its sea trials. The organization is also preparing to develop the longer-range K-4 underwater missile in near future and some of its trials have been completed successfully.

INS Arihant will be the lead ship of the Arihant-class of N-submarines. Nuclear ballistic missiles fired by it can travel up to a range of 3,500 kilometres.

The indigenous INS Arihant India’s first nuclear-powered submarine successfully completed its first deterrence patrol. The INS Arihant completes India's nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land- and air-based delivery platforms.

The indigenous INS Arihant India’s first nuclear-powered submarine successfully completed its first deterrence patrol. The INS Arihant completes India's nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land- and air-based delivery platforms. All the big five nuclear nations -- the US, Russia, France, China and the UK -- are already full-fledged nuclear triad powers. A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles. Nuclear-triad simply means that the country now has the capability to launch nuclear strikes on the enemy from air, land and sea. India is now capable of delivering nuclear weapons by aircraft, ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles. India's quest for its indigenous nuclear submarine began in the late 1990s under a top-secret project called Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). The plan was to build three such submarines. In 2009, Arihant was launched into the water at the ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam. In 2013, the nuclear reactor of the submarine went critical. Since then, the submarine has gone numerous trials including missile firing trials as early as March this year. The second nuclear submarine, INS Aridhaman is already under construction. Arihant is integrated with "K" (named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam) series of missiles. While the K-15 has a 750-km range, the K-4 can go up to 3,500-km. The K-5 has a much higher range. However, it is not confirmed whether the full integration of missiles have taken place or not. The DRDO completed the development of the over 700km-range BO-5 missiles recently and they would be fired from the Arihant during its sea trials. The organization is also preparing to develop the longer-range K-4 underwater missile in near future and some of its trials have been completed successfully. INS Arihant will be the lead ship of the Arihant-class of N-submarines. Nuclear ballistic missiles fired by it can travel up to a range of 3,500 kilometres.

INS Arihant: India’s nuclear triad explained

A decade after its signing, the Indo-French nuclear deal has yielded little success in the power sector, but the pact has given India a headway in other areas like research, former top officials said.

The Indo-French cooperation on ‘peaceful use of nuclear energy’ was signed on September 30, 2008, primarily for building the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP).

The 9,900 MW power plant that envisages to have six nuclear reactors of 1,650 MW each is slated to be the biggest nuclear power park in the country.

However, 10 years after signing the deal, the power project is still at negotiations. The deal was signed even before the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed, the officials said.

The multi-billion project had met with a fierce opposition from the locals. In April 2011, one person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station.

However, of the recent nuclear power sites earmarked for foreign reactors, except the Kudankulam nuclear power project, Jaitapur remains the only location that has seen completion of the land acquisition.

The plant also has necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), said Sekhar Basu, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of the Atomic Energy, who superannuated this month.

“However, it has taken a longer time than expected,” said R K Sinha, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE.

The negotiations first began with French company Areva, but last year French utility company EDF took over its nuclear reactor business after the former faced financial issues.

So, the negotiations were redone, said Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the AEC and DAE secretary at the time the Indo-French nuclear deal was signed.

After the EDF took over Areva, negotiations again restarted.

Basu said there have been several factors that were hindering the power plant, which includes the “reference plant”.

A reference plant is a functional power reactor and the Areva had then cited a power reactor at Flamanville.

“That will only happen by 2020,” Basu said.

Since Areva, and now EDF, was bringing in a new technology, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the country nuclear watchdog, asked for a reference plant.

“They have to give a techno-commercial offer that is feasible and tariffs have to be viable,” Basu added.

Tariff has been a key concern, Basu and Sinha said as it has to be within the acceptable limits before going ahead with the deal.

According to the DAE’s response to Parliament, France supplied 300 metric tonnes of natural uranium ore concentrate from 2008-2010, a much-needed fuel for domestic reactors operating under optimum level till then.

Kakodkar, one of the key negotiators of India’s nuclear deal with the US and French, said the Indo-French deal also had delved into several research aspects.

Because of the deal, India could become a member to be a part of the ITER, an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject, due to a backing of France, along with the US.

The deal also focussed on development and nuclear energy applications in fields like agronomy, biology, earth sciences.

More important has been France’s support at international fora. Kakodkar said when India was negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards for its nuclear reactors, France, along with the US and Russia helped create a “positive environment”.

France has been a staunch supporter to India’s bid in all four export control regimes — the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missiles Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

A decade after its signing, the Indo-French nuclear deal has yielded little success in the power sector, but the pact has given India a headway in other areas like research, former top officials said.

A decade after its signing, the Indo-French nuclear deal has yielded little success in the power sector, but the pact has given India a headway in other areas like research, former top officials said. The Indo-French cooperation on ‘peaceful use of nuclear energy’ was signed on September 30, 2008, primarily for building the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP). The 9,900 MW power plant that envisages to have six nuclear reactors of 1,650 MW each is slated to be the biggest nuclear power park in the country. However, 10 years after signing the deal, the power project is still at negotiations. The deal was signed even before the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed, the officials said. The multi-billion project had met with a fierce opposition from the locals. In April 2011, one person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station. However, of the recent nuclear power sites earmarked for foreign reactors, except the Kudankulam nuclear power project, Jaitapur remains the only location that has seen completion of the land acquisition. The plant also has necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), said Sekhar Basu, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of the Atomic Energy, who superannuated this month. “However, it has taken a longer time than expected,” said R K Sinha, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE. The negotiations first began with French company Areva, but last year French utility company EDF took over its nuclear reactor business after the former faced financial issues. So, the negotiations were redone, said Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the AEC and DAE secretary at the time the Indo-French nuclear deal was signed. After the EDF took over Areva, negotiations again restarted. Basu said there have been several factors that were hindering the power plant, which includes the “reference plant”. A reference plant is a functional power reactor and the Areva had then cited a power reactor at Flamanville. “That will only happen by 2020,” Basu said. Since Areva, and now EDF, was bringing in a new technology, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the country nuclear watchdog, asked for a reference plant. “They have to give a techno-commercial offer that is feasible and tariffs have to be viable,” Basu added. Tariff has been a key concern, Basu and Sinha said as it has to be within the acceptable limits before going ahead with the deal. According to the DAE’s response to Parliament, France supplied 300 metric tonnes of natural uranium ore concentrate from 2008-2010, a much-needed fuel for domestic reactors operating under optimum level till then. Kakodkar, one of the key negotiators of India’s nuclear deal with the US and French, said the Indo-French deal also had delved into several research aspects. Because of the deal, India could become a member to be a part of the ITER, an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject, due to a backing of France, along with the US. The deal also focussed on development and nuclear energy applications in fields like agronomy, biology, earth sciences. More important has been France’s support at international fora. Kakodkar said when India was negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards for its nuclear reactors, France, along with the US and Russia helped create a “positive environment”. France has been a staunch supporter to India’s bid in all four export control regimes — the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missiles Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Indo-French nuclear deal: 10 years after its signing, power project yield little success

The world is talking of this Summit as a historic moment with hopes that it will bring peace to Korean Peninsula. Reading between the lines, beyond the niceties and magnificent optics displayed, some realities do emerge, which will indicate that it is beginning of a great gamble by both sides. This issue had crossed the limit of being a bilateral one and it impacts other stakeholders as well, hence this may not be the last call on peace of Korean Peninsula. In real terms North Korea continues to be saddled with continued economic sanctions and US continues to be suspicious of implementation of the complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearisation, hence will lift sanctions only 'when nukes are no longer an issue'. Both leaders can pat their back as the US has made Kim sign the document on denuclearisation in a manner it suits them, and Kim has been able to get the offensive military exercises/war games off his mind at least for some time, having bought time for the next step.

A happy ending Summit: Was there any other option?

The US and North Korea have called the Summit a historic success, but it was also a compulsion in light of lack of alternatives. It was the only practical option because a failed summit was not suiting either side. At the face value all world leaders have expressed happiness over the Summit and have hoped for a peaceful Korean Peninsula, but it needs to be analysed whether their concerns have been met or otherwise.

-US will continue to be apprehensive till it is verified that N Korea is no more capable to nuke its mainland. The US may have taken off the continuation of military exercises, but it is yet to be clarified if it is going to take off THAAD, which was a concern of China and Russia also.

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-North Korea having signed the document, will be forced to think that with economic sanctions being in place, was it a big gamble to give away its only strategic leverage? As an analyst, it looks too good to be true. It, however, remains to be seen that will China allow Kim to be stripped of all nukes. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail. This will enhance his credibility in his country as well as in the global arena.

-China highlighting its influence did talk of its efforts in getting both leaders together, but in a subtle message has indirectly shown concern about reasonable security and safety of North Korea. Kim had consulted President

Xi Jinping twice before the Summit, but it is not sure that the document signed is as per the narrative of President Xi or a variation of the same. China will also be concerned about THAAD and continued sanctions, leaving an ambiguity to send their trade items and essentialities to North Korea or otherwise.

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-Japan will continue to be skeptical of North Korea, because even if North Korea does denuclearize, the missile threat will continue to loom over its territory, notwithstanding a remark by President Trump that Kim has agreed to destroy a missile site.

-South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward. They would genuinely look for peace, as Seoul is within reach of conventional weapons of North Korea.

-Russian may have to wait for clarifications on THAAD deployment, a concern they have been airing earlier.

-India will welcome a peaceful Korean Peninsula but would be keen on some control on North Korea on an alleged proliferation of missile technology to Pakistan.

It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit. It was a commendable diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility, but there is still no guarantee that North Korea would follow it up. Equally interesting were the two unpredictable leaders conducting themselves with grace and maturity in a well-choreographed event. It will also be interesting to see that in case of leakages in sanctions by any third country, how will the US respond after display of such niceties? The final test will be the response of North Korea to the international inspectors of nukes.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit

The world is talking of this Summit as a historic moment with hopes that it will bring peace to Korean Peninsula. Reading between the lines, beyond the niceties and magnificent optics displayed, some realities do emerge, which will indicate that it is beginning of a great gamble by both sides. This issue had crossed the limit of being a bilateral one and it impacts other stakeholders as well, hence this may not be the last call on peace of Korean Peninsula. In real terms North Korea continues to be saddled with continued economic sanctions and US continues to be suspicious of implementation of the complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearisation, hence will lift sanctions only 'when nukes are no longer an issue'. Both leaders can pat their back as the US has made Kim sign the document on denuclearisation in a manner it suits them, and Kim has been able to get the offensive military exercises/war games off his mind at least for some time, having bought time for the next step. A happy ending Summit: Was there any other option? The US and North Korea have called the Summit a historic success, but it was also a compulsion in light of lack of alternatives. It was the only practical option because a failed summit was not suiting either side. At the face value all world leaders have expressed happiness over the Summit and have hoped for a peaceful Korean Peninsula, but it needs to be analysed whether their concerns have been met or otherwise. -US will continue to be apprehensive till it is verified that N Korea is no more capable to nuke its mainland. The US may have taken off the continuation of military exercises, but it is yet to be clarified if it is going to take off THAAD, which was a concern of China and Russia also. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail × -North Korea having signed the document, will be forced to think that with economic sanctions being in place, was it a big gamble to give away its only strategic leverage? As an analyst, it looks too good to be true. It, however, remains to be seen that will China allow Kim to be stripped of all nukes. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail. This will enhance his credibility in his country as well as in the global arena. -China highlighting its influence did talk of its efforts in getting both leaders together, but in a subtle message has indirectly shown concern about reasonable security and safety of North Korea. Kim had consulted President Xi Jinping twice before the Summit, but it is not sure that the document signed is as per the narrative of President Xi or a variation of the same. China will also be concerned about THAAD and continued sanctions, leaving an ambiguity to send their trade items and essentialities to North Korea or otherwise. South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward × -Japan will continue to be skeptical of North Korea, because even if North Korea does denuclearize, the missile threat will continue to loom over its territory, notwithstanding a remark by President Trump that Kim has agreed to destroy a missile site. -South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward. They would genuinely look for peace, as Seoul is within reach of conventional weapons of North Korea. -Russian may have to wait for clarifications on THAAD deployment, a concern they have been airing earlier. -India will welcome a peaceful Korean Peninsula but would be keen on some control on North Korea on an alleged proliferation of missile technology to Pakistan. It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit. It was a commendable diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility, but there is still no guarantee that North Korea would follow it up. Equally interesting were the two unpredictable leaders conducting themselves with grace and maturity in a well-choreographed event. It will also be interesting to see that in case of leakages in sanctions by any third country, how will the US respond after display of such niceties? The final test will be the response of North Korea to the international inspectors of nukes. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Trump-Kim Summit was a gamble beyond optics

The nuclear-capable Agni-5 ballistic missile was successfully test-fired on Sunday. The surface-to-surface striker was launched from Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Abdul Kalam Island, at 9:48 am.

This is the sixth test-fire of the indigenously developed missile. It was lasted tested earlier this year on January 18. Agni-5, after its launch in 2012, was tested in 2013, 2015 and 2016 as well. The missile-test, analysts claim, is being keenly observed by neighbouring countries, as it has a range of striking as far as Beijing.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-V is the most advanced version of the Agni series, part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme that started in the 1960s.

It has a range of 5,000 km and can reach the northernmost parts of China.

With the top missile added to its arsenal, India has joined the elite list of US, Russia, the UK, France and China, all of which boast having ICBM capabilities.

The sixth test-fire in Odisha also comes days after the 20th anniversary of Pokhran-II tests, when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee defied all international warnings and went ahead with the nuclear test-fire.

It was lasted tested earlier this year on January 18. Agni-5, after its launch in 2012, was tested in 2013, 2015 and 2016 as well.

The nuclear-capable Agni-5 ballistic missile was successfully test-fired on Sunday. The surface-to-surface striker was launched from Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Abdul Kalam Island, at 9:48 am. This is the sixth test-fire of the indigenously developed missile. It was lasted tested earlier this year on January 18. Agni-5, after its launch in 2012, was tested in 2013, 2015 and 2016 as well. The missile-test, analysts claim, is being keenly observed by neighbouring countries, as it has a range of striking as far as Beijing. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Agni-V is the most advanced version of the Agni series, part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme that started in the 1960s. It has a range of 5,000 km and can reach the northernmost parts of China. With the top missile added to its arsenal, India has joined the elite list of US, Russia, the UK, France and China, all of which boast having ICBM capabilities. The sixth test-fire in Odisha also comes days after the 20th anniversary of Pokhran-II tests, when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee defied all international warnings and went ahead with the nuclear test-fire.

Nuclear-capable Agni-5 ballistic missile successfully test-fired off Odisha coast

The Trump administration plans to kill a project it says would have cost tens of billions of dollars to convert plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear bombs and burn it to generate electricity, according to a document it sent to Congress last week.

The Department of Energy submitted a document on May 10 to the Senate appropriations committee saying that the Mixed Oxide (MOX) project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina would cost about $48 billion more than $7.6 billion already spent on it. The United States has never built a MOX plant.

Instead of completing MOX, the administration, like the Obama administration before it, wants to blend the deadly plutonium with an inert substance and bury it underground in a New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Burying the plutonium would cost about $19.9 billion, according to the document, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

"We are currently processing plutonium in South Carolina for shipment (to WIPP) ... and intend to continue to do so," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a letter sent to committee leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX.

South Carolina politicians, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have defended the MOX plant, saying it is about 70 percent complete, would help keep plutonium out of the hands of militants, and provide up to 600 direct jobs.

South Carolina's Governor Henry McMaster complained to Perry in a letter earlier this month that the Energy Department's dilution plan is at best "conceptual." South Carolina, which has already sued the department over the MOX plant, will "use all legal recourses available" to continue the program, McMaster said.

The Energy Department has deemed the Savannah site could be used to manufacture new plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons, an idea McMaster said was an attempt to pacify South Carolina, but would not provide jobs for many years.

The Energy Department document estimated that diluting the plutonium would require 400 jobs at Savannah River through the late 2040s.

Edwin Lyman, a physicist at science advisory group the Union of Concerned Scientists concerned about plutonium getting into the wrong hands, said Perry had made a sensible decision. "MOX was a slow-motion train wreck, and throwing good money after bad simply wasn't an option."

Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX

The Trump administration plans to kill a project it says would have cost tens of billions of dollars to convert plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear bombs and burn it to generate electricity, according to a document it sent to Congress last week. The Department of Energy submitted a document on May 10 to the Senate appropriations committee saying that the Mixed Oxide (MOX) project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina would cost about $48 billion more than $7.6 billion already spent on it. The United States has never built a MOX plant. Instead of completing MOX, the administration, like the Obama administration before it, wants to blend the deadly plutonium with an inert substance and bury it underground in a New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Burying the plutonium would cost about $19.9 billion, according to the document, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. "We are currently processing plutonium in South Carolina for shipment (to WIPP) ... and intend to continue to do so," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a letter sent to committee leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate. Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX. South Carolina politicians, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have defended the MOX plant, saying it is about 70 percent complete, would help keep plutonium out of the hands of militants, and provide up to 600 direct jobs. South Carolina's Governor Henry McMaster complained to Perry in a letter earlier this month that the Energy Department's dilution plan is at best "conceptual." South Carolina, which has already sued the department over the MOX plant, will "use all legal recourses available" to continue the program, McMaster said. The Energy Department has deemed the Savannah site could be used to manufacture new plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons, an idea McMaster said was an attempt to pacify South Carolina, but would not provide jobs for many years. The Energy Department document estimated that diluting the plutonium would require 400 jobs at Savannah River through the late 2040s. Edwin Lyman, a physicist at science advisory group the Union of Concerned Scientists concerned about plutonium getting into the wrong hands, said Perry had made a sensible decision. "MOX was a slow-motion train wreck, and throwing good money after bad simply wasn't an option."

Trump administration axes project to generate power from plutonium

Underscoring the importance of diplomacy in resolving major global issues, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for a strong State Department to achieve America's foreign policy goals.

In his first major address at the State Department, Pompeo yesterday said that despite having "strong relationship" with many allies, the US still needed to address the issues of North Korea and Iran, among others.&nbsp

"..There's enormous diplomatic effort to continue to keep the pressure on North Korea and bring them to the negotiating table, to a place where we can successfully eliminate the threat from Kim Jong-un's nuclear arsenal," Pompeo said.&nbsp

Pompeo met Kim last month in Pyongyang, in the build-up to a summit between the North Korean leader and Trump, the date and location for which have been decided and "will be announced soon".&nbsp

Speaking about the US' allies in Europe, Pompeo said apart from the occasional and minor hiccups, these nations had interests similar to America's.&nbsp

"We're blessed to have so many allies with strong relationships. There are, of course, rough times and places that we disagree. But these countries share our values and our interests, and we all have a common effort in ensuring prosperity for our nations moving forward," he said. 
Pompeo called for "strong diplomatic efforts" in the Middle East, especially towards Iran to prevent its "destabilising behaviour".

"We need strong diplomatic efforts there as well to prevent Iran's destabilising behaviour in Syria, in Yemen, and across the region. We have to tackle the threat from jihadist terror and from places with really weak governance," said Pompeo.

"These are all great challenges, but I'm confident that our team can develop strategies and diplomatic footprints capable of resolving them," he said.

Trump is to take a decision on the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12. He has repeatedly criticised the seven-party agreement and long threatened to walk away from the landmark deal unless its European signatories and Congress reconcile his concerns.

America's foreign policy, Pompeo argued, got to be pragmatic while still remaining principled and agile enough to respond to changing circumstances yet anchored in the fundamental ideals and values that ground the nation's history.&nbsp

Following his remarks, Pompeo took part in a memorial ceremony to honour those who lost their lives in service to the country.&nbsp

Speaking about the US' allies in Europe, Pompeo said apart from the occasional and minor hiccups, these nations had interests similar to America's

Underscoring the importance of diplomacy in resolving major global issues, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for a strong State Department to achieve America's foreign policy goals. In his first major address at the State Department, Pompeo yesterday said that despite having "strong relationship" with many allies, the US still needed to address the issues of North Korea and Iran, among others. "..There's enormous diplomatic effort to continue to keep the pressure on North Korea and bring them to the negotiating table, to a place where we can successfully eliminate the threat from Kim Jong-un's nuclear arsenal," Pompeo said. Pompeo met Kim last month in Pyongyang, in the build-up to a summit between the North Korean leader and Trump, the date and location for which have been decided and "will be announced soon". Speaking about the US' allies in Europe, Pompeo said apart from the occasional and minor hiccups, these nations had interests similar to America's. "We're blessed to have so many allies with strong relationships. There are, of course, rough times and places that we disagree. But these countries share our values and our interests, and we all have a common effort in ensuring prosperity for our nations moving forward," he said. Pompeo called for "strong diplomatic efforts" in the Middle East, especially towards Iran to prevent its "destabilising behaviour". "We need strong diplomatic efforts there as well to prevent Iran's destabilising behaviour in Syria, in Yemen, and across the region. We have to tackle the threat from jihadist terror and from places with really weak governance," said Pompeo. "These are all great challenges, but I'm confident that our team can develop strategies and diplomatic footprints capable of resolving them," he said. Trump is to take a decision on the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12. He has repeatedly criticised the seven-party agreement and long threatened to walk away from the landmark deal unless its European signatories and Congress reconcile his concerns. America's foreign policy, Pompeo argued, got to be pragmatic while still remaining principled and agile enough to respond to changing circumstances yet anchored in the fundamental ideals and values that ground the nation's history. Following his remarks, Pompeo took part in a memorial ceremony to honour those who lost their lives in service to the country.

Pompeo pushes for strong diplomatic effort to prevent Iran's 'destabilising' behaviour

Drumming up international support for his call to "fix" or "nix" the Iran nuclear deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached out to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to update him on the recent developments.

A statement from Netanyahu's media advisor yesterday said the Israeli Prime Minister spoke to three key international leaders, including Modi, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and British Prime Minister Theresa May.&nbsp;

He discussed regional issues with the world leaders and also updated them on the important material that he revealed regarding the Iranian nuclear archive, the press release stated.

Netanyahu had earlier told the media that he would share the archive of more than 100,000 documents said to have been obtained by Israel's espionage agency Mossad from a Tehran warehouse, which allegedly proves Iran's past clandestine efforts to assemble nuclear weapons.&nbsp;

"The leaders of the E3, Britain, France, and Germany&nbsp;said they want to see the material. They're very interested in seeing what we discovered," Netanyahu told journalists in his Jerusalem office.&nbsp;

Intelligence professionals from London, Paris and Berlin are coming to Jerusalem later this week to examine the material Israel presented, he said.

The Israeli Premier spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to update them about the Mossad's findings on Monday.

"I told Putin that he's welcome, too, to see the material. I also invited the leader of China and [Yukiya] Amano (the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency)," Netanyahu said.

In a sensational presentation on Monday evening, Netanyahu showcased an enormous trove of Iranian documents that he said proved the existence of Iran's nuclear Project, Amad, which Tehran claimed to have frozen in 2003.

In a daring operation, Mossad agents are said to have managed to obtain and smuggle into Israel 55,000 paper documents and 183 CDs with another 55,000 documents from what looked like a "dilapidated warehouse" in Tehran earlier this year.

Israel has expressed hope that the "irrefutable findings" would help shore up international community's longstanding suspicion that the Islamic Republic was investing great efforts in building a nuclear weapon.

There has been speculation in the Israeli media that close ally United States will pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12 and impose sanctions against the Islamic Republic "based on the reactions coming from Washington on the proof gathered by Mossad".

Commenting on the expectations, Netanyahu gave a guarded response saying, "The decision is President Trump's decision alone. He's a leader who knows to take decisions, and he takes them".

Trump, a fervent critic of the seven-party agreement, has long threatened to walk away from the landmark deal unless its European signatories and Congress reconcile his concerns.

The US President is said to be unhappy about key aspects of the "insane" pact. He has complained that the deal fails to restrict Iran's nuclear activities for long enough and to stop the country's development of ballistic missiles.

A dramatic uptick in oil prices in recent weeks has partly been driven by mounting expectations that Trump will soon pull out of the 2015 accord.&nbsp;

The Iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers - P5+1 (meaning the five permanent members of the UNSC and Germany) and the European Union.&nbsp;

Some critics have downplayed the claims by Israel and termed Netanyahu's press conference "theatrical" arguing that the existence of Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons programme was already known and detailed in an IAEA report from 2011.&nbsp;

Israeli officials have refuted such critics saying that the world now has much more detailed knowledge of what went on there with "evidence of a whole different level".&nbsp;

A statement from Netanyahu's media advisor yesterday said the Israeli Prime Minister spoke to three key international leaders including Modi

Drumming up international support for his call to "fix" or "nix" the Iran nuclear deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached out to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to update him on the recent developments. A statement from Netanyahu's media advisor yesterday said the Israeli Prime Minister spoke to three key international leaders, including Modi, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and British Prime Minister Theresa May. He discussed regional issues with the world leaders and also updated them on the important material that he revealed regarding the Iranian nuclear archive, the press release stated. Netanyahu had earlier told the media that he would share the archive of more than 100,000 documents said to have been obtained by Israel's espionage agency Mossad from a Tehran warehouse, which allegedly proves Iran's past clandestine efforts to assemble nuclear weapons. "The leaders of the E3, Britain, France, and Germany said they want to see the material. They're very interested in seeing what we discovered," Netanyahu told journalists in his Jerusalem office. Intelligence professionals from London, Paris and Berlin are coming to Jerusalem later this week to examine the material Israel presented, he said. The Israeli Premier spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to update them about the Mossad's findings on Monday. "I told Putin that he's welcome, too, to see the material. I also invited the leader of China and [Yukiya] Amano (the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency)," Netanyahu said. In a sensational presentation on Monday evening, Netanyahu showcased an enormous trove of Iranian documents that he said proved the existence of Iran's nuclear Project, Amad, which Tehran claimed to have frozen in 2003. In a daring operation, Mossad agents are said to have managed to obtain and smuggle into Israel 55,000 paper documents and 183 CDs with another 55,000 documents from what looked like a "dilapidated warehouse" in Tehran earlier this year. Israel has expressed hope that the "irrefutable findings" would help shore up international community's longstanding suspicion that the Islamic Republic was investing great efforts in building a nuclear weapon. There has been speculation in the Israeli media that close ally United States will pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12 and impose sanctions against the Islamic Republic "based on the reactions coming from Washington on the proof gathered by Mossad". Commenting on the expectations, Netanyahu gave a guarded response saying, "The decision is President Trump's decision alone. He's a leader who knows to take decisions, and he takes them". Trump, a fervent critic of the seven-party agreement, has long threatened to walk away from the landmark deal unless its European signatories and Congress reconcile his concerns. The US President is said to be unhappy about key aspects of the "insane" pact. He has complained that the deal fails to restrict Iran's nuclear activities for long enough and to stop the country's development of ballistic missiles. A dramatic uptick in oil prices in recent weeks has partly been driven by mounting expectations that Trump will soon pull out of the 2015 accord. The Iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers - P5+1 (meaning the five permanent members of the UNSC and Germany) and the European Union. Some critics have downplayed the claims by Israel and termed Netanyahu's press conference "theatrical" arguing that the existence of Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons programme was already known and detailed in an IAEA report from 2011. Israeli officials have refuted such critics saying that the world now has much more detailed knowledge of what went on there with "evidence of a whole different level".

Israeli PM Netanyahu briefs PM Modi on Iran's 'nuclear breaches'

In the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mann-ki-baat-during-43rd-edition-pm-modi-hails-cwg-winners-urges-indian-to-stay-fit-and-conserve-water--133545">43rd edition of his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat</a>, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered teachings of Lord Buddha and shared the fact that the Pokhran-II nuclear tests were carried out 20 years ago on Lord Buddha's birth anniversary.

Identifying Pokhran as the accelerating factor in India's nuclear prowess in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the tests "demonstrated India's might in the field of science and technology".

"On May 11, 1998, at India's western end a nuclear test was conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan. It has been 20 years since Pokhran and this test was done on Buddha Purnima with the blessings of Lord Buddha. India's test was not only successful but in a way, India had demonstrated its might in the field of science and technology. We can also say the date has been engraved in the history of India as a demonstration of its military power," Modi said in his monthly radio address "Mann Ki Baat".

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We remember the historic Pokhran Tests in May 1998. We salute the efforts of our scientists and recall the leadership of Atal Ji. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/EUHhfVOz5a">pic.twitter.com/EUHhfVOz5a</a>
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/990475872233775104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Prime Minister pointed out that Lord Buddha had said that inner strength was necessary to live in peace and India, too, acquired nuclear strength to live in peace.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his 43rd edition of Mann ki Baat radio programme by congratulating Indian athletes and winners at the Commonwealth Games 2018.

He lauded the athletes for their "fantastic" performance and shared that women athletes at the CWG brought pride and laurels to the country.&nbsp;

In his address, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of water conservation, clean environment and physical fitness.&nbsp;

The Prime Minister pointed out that Pokhran tests were successfully carried out two decades ago on the day of Buddha Purnima

In the 43rd edition of his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered teachings of Lord Buddha and shared the fact that the Pokhran-II nuclear tests were carried out 20 years ago on Lord Buddha's birth anniversary. Identifying Pokhran as the accelerating factor in India's nuclear prowess in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the tests "demonstrated India's might in the field of science and technology". "On May 11, 1998, at India's western end a nuclear test was conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan. It has been 20 years since Pokhran and this test was done on Buddha Purnima with the blessings of Lord Buddha. India's test was not only successful but in a way, India had demonstrated its might in the field of science and technology. We can also say the date has been engraved in the history of India as a demonstration of its military power," Modi said in his monthly radio address "Mann Ki Baat". We remember the historic Pokhran Tests in May 1998. We salute the efforts of our scientists and recall the leadership of Atal Ji. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/EUHhfVOz5a — PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 29, 2018 × The Prime Minister pointed out that Lord Buddha had said that inner strength was necessary to live in peace and India, too, acquired nuclear strength to live in peace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his 43rd edition of Mann ki Baat radio programme by congratulating Indian athletes and winners at the Commonwealth Games 2018. He lauded the athletes for their "fantastic" performance and shared that women athletes at the CWG brought pride and laurels to the country. In his address, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of water conservation, clean environment and physical fitness.

Pokhran demonstrated India's nuclear prowess to the world: PM Modi on Mann ki Baat

French President Macron <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-will-face-severe-consequences-if-nuclear-deal-not-accepted-iran-president-132538">and President Trump today </a>discussed the Iran nuclear deal at the Oval office in the White House with both leaders keen to hammer out a "new deal".

Trump had earlier termed the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the previous Obama administration as a "terrible deal",&nbsp"insane" and "ridiculous".

Iran has threatened to hit back at the US if Trump decides to do away with the deal, a decision which must be reached by May 12th.

"I can say that we have had very frank discussions on that, just the two of us," Macron said at the press conference with Trump, adding, "we, therefore, wish from now on to work on a new deal with Iran."

"I think we will have a great shot at doing a much bigger, maybe, deal," Trump said.

"This is a deal with decayed foundations. It's a bad deal, it's a bad structure. It's falling down," Trump added.&nbsp

"We're going to see what happens on the 12th," the US president added.

Trump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal.&nbsp

"We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we're fairly close to understanding each other," the US president said.

Macron had earlier supported the Iran deal asserting that it allowed the countries monitoring it a realistic chance to keep Tehran's nuclear ambition under control.

He had told Trump the Iran accord is part of a "broader picture" of security in the region which included the volatile situation in Syria.

On Syria, Trump said: "We want to come home. We'll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint, and that was a very big part of our discussion."

The US president also said that a new NAFTA trade deal could be completed quickly.

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Trump had earlier termed the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the previous Obama administration as a "terrible deal", "insane" and "ridiculous".

French President Macron and President Trump today discussed the Iran nuclear deal at the Oval office in the White House with both leaders keen to hammer out a "new deal". Trump had earlier termed the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the previous Obama administration as a "terrible deal", "insane" and "ridiculous". Iran has threatened to hit back at the US if Trump decides to do away with the deal, a decision which must be reached by May 12th. "I can say that we have had very frank discussions on that, just the two of us," Macron said at the press conference with Trump, adding, "we, therefore, wish from now on to work on a new deal with Iran." "I think we will have a great shot at doing a much bigger, maybe, deal," Trump said. "This is a deal with decayed foundations. It's a bad deal, it's a bad structure. It's falling down," Trump added. "We're going to see what happens on the 12th," the US president added. Trump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. "We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we're fairly close to understanding each other," the US president said. Macron had earlier supported the Iran deal asserting that it allowed the countries monitoring it a realistic chance to keep Tehran's nuclear ambition under control. He had told Trump the Iran accord is part of a "broader picture" of security in the region which included the volatile situation in Syria. On Syria, Trump said: "We want to come home. We'll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint, and that was a very big part of our discussion." The US president also said that a new NAFTA trade deal could be completed quickly.

'Wish to work on new nuclear deal with Iran,' says Macron after meeting Trump

US&nbspPresident Donald Trump said the North Korean nuclear crisis is far from conclusion on Sunday, striking a cautious note a day after the North`s pledge to end its nuclear tests raised hopes before planned summits with South Korea and the United States.&nbsp

North Korea said on Saturday it was suspending nuclear and missile tests and scrapping its nuclear test site, and instead pursuing economic growth and peace ahead of planned summits with South Korea and the United States.

"We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won’t - only time will tell....But the work I am doing now should have been done a long time ago!" Trump said on Twitter.

World leaders welcomed the announcement about the end to nuclear tests including Trump, who in an earlier tweet Sunday called North Korea's statement a pledge to denuclearize: "Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, and no more testing!"

However, Kim's announcement did not include a commitment to scrap existing nuclear weapons and missiles, and there are doubts he would ever give up the nuclear arsenal his country has been developing for decades.

Some have expressed doubts about the North's intentions and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be under intense international scrutiny when he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.

"North Korea has a long history of raising the issue of denuclearisation and has committed to freeze its nuclear weapons programmes in the past. We all remember how those pledges and commitments went down over past decades," said Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul.&nbsp

"Although the North's announcement is quite dramatic, it's natural for the world to be extra sensitive to every word spoken by Kim."

Kim said North Korea no longer needed to test nuclear bombs or intercontinental ballistic missiles now that his country had the weapons, and he would gear all efforts toward economic development.

Moon, who welcomed Kim's announcement as a "major" step toward denuclearisation, is making the summit his sole focus this week, staying in the presidential Blue House to prepare with no outside engagements, a Blue House official said on Sunday.

South Korea's presidential security service met officials from the military as well as the UN&nbspCommand on Saturday to discuss security at the border truce village of Panmunjom, where the inter-Korean summit will take place, the official said.

For the past few weeks, South Korea has been renovating Peace House, on its side of Panmunjom, to prepare for the summit with Kim, who will be the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

On Monday, the two Koreas will hold another round of working-level talks at the Tongil Pavilion on the North Korean side of Panmunjom to discuss protocol, security and media coverage of the summit.

'Big progress'

Moon now has a direct phone link with Kim on his office desk, instead of having to communicate through a hotline at the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, which had been the main channel between the two sides over the Winter Olympics in February.&nbsp

The two leaders are expected to talk over the newly installed phone for the first time this week, before the summit, South Korea said on Friday.&nbsp

A senior US&nbspdiplomat for East Asia, Susan Thornton, called North Korea's latest announcement "a very positive step" as she started a three-day visit to Seoul on Sunday, which will include meetings with South Korea's foreign minister as well as its top nuclear negotiator.

"We are going to be doing a lot of close coordination with South Korea, allies and partners this week," the Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.&nbsp

Earlier, Trump called North Korea's offer to freeze testing and close its only known nuclear testing site "very good news" and "big progress", while South Korea said it signified "meaningful" progress that would create good conditions for successful summits with it and later with the United States.

Kim is expected to meet Trump in late May or early June, the first meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.

US&nbspofficials say North Korea had in the past repeatedly reneged on denuclearisation agreements, the latest in 2012 when the North launched a long-range rocket after agreeing to a moratorium on missile testing.

Cheong Seong-chang, senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute think-tank, said a firm commitment to denuclearise could not be expected before negotiations with the United States began.

"Kim cannot give up everything at once. What is clear is that he is showing his earnest willingness to pave the way for smooth negotiations," Cheong said.

North Korea said on Saturday it was suspending nuclear and missile tests and scrapping its nuclear test site

US&nbspPresident Donald Trump said the North Korean nuclear crisis is far from conclusion on Sunday, striking a cautious note a day after the North`s pledge to end its nuclear tests raised hopes before planned summits with South Korea and the United States. North Korea said on Saturday it was suspending nuclear and missile tests and scrapping its nuclear test site, and instead pursuing economic growth and peace ahead of planned summits with South Korea and the United States. "We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won’t - only time will tell....But the work I am doing now should have been done a long time ago!" Trump said on Twitter. World leaders welcomed the announcement about the end to nuclear tests including Trump, who in an earlier tweet Sunday called North Korea's statement a pledge to denuclearize: "Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, and no more testing!" However, Kim's announcement did not include a commitment to scrap existing nuclear weapons and missiles, and there are doubts he would ever give up the nuclear arsenal his country has been developing for decades. Some have expressed doubts about the North's intentions and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be under intense international scrutiny when he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday. "North Korea has a long history of raising the issue of denuclearisation and has committed to freeze its nuclear weapons programmes in the past. We all remember how those pledges and commitments went down over past decades," said Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul. "Although the North's announcement is quite dramatic, it's natural for the world to be extra sensitive to every word spoken by Kim." Kim said North Korea no longer needed to test nuclear bombs or intercontinental ballistic missiles now that his country had the weapons, and he would gear all efforts toward economic development. Moon, who welcomed Kim's announcement as a "major" step toward denuclearisation, is making the summit his sole focus this week, staying in the presidential Blue House to prepare with no outside engagements, a Blue House official said on Sunday. South Korea's presidential security service met officials from the military as well as the UN&nbspCommand on Saturday to discuss security at the border truce village of Panmunjom, where the inter-Korean summit will take place, the official said. For the past few weeks, South Korea has been renovating Peace House, on its side of Panmunjom, to prepare for the summit with Kim, who will be the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-1953 Korean War. On Monday, the two Koreas will hold another round of working-level talks at the Tongil Pavilion on the North Korean side of Panmunjom to discuss protocol, security and media coverage of the summit. 'Big progress' Moon now has a direct phone link with Kim on his office desk, instead of having to communicate through a hotline at the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, which had been the main channel between the two sides over the Winter Olympics in February. The two leaders are expected to talk over the newly installed phone for the first time this week, before the summit, South Korea said on Friday. A senior US&nbspdiplomat for East Asia, Susan Thornton, called North Korea's latest announcement "a very positive step" as she started a three-day visit to Seoul on Sunday, which will include meetings with South Korea's foreign minister as well as its top nuclear negotiator. "We are going to be doing a lot of close coordination with South Korea, allies and partners this week," the Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying. Earlier, Trump called North Korea's offer to freeze testing and close its only known nuclear testing site "very good news" and "big progress", while South Korea said it signified "meaningful" progress that would create good conditions for successful summits with it and later with the United States. Kim is expected to meet Trump in late May or early June, the first meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries. US&nbspofficials say North Korea had in the past repeatedly reneged on denuclearisation agreements, the latest in 2012 when the North launched a long-range rocket after agreeing to a moratorium on missile testing. Cheong Seong-chang, senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute think-tank, said a firm commitment to denuclearise could not be expected before negotiations with the United States began. "Kim cannot give up everything at once. What is clear is that he is showing his earnest willingness to pave the way for smooth negotiations," Cheong said.

Trump says 'long way' to go on North Korea crisis

North Korea's announcement of a halt in its nuclear and missile tests was met with scepticism by many South Koreans on Saturday, highlighting political risk for the South's president as he embarks on the latest push for peace on the peninsula.

North Korea will immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap its nuclear test site, instead pursuing economic growth and peace, the North's state media said.

But in South Korea, which is still technically in a state of war with its unpredictable, isolated neighbour, many ordinary people expressed scepticism about the sincerity of the announcement and stressed the need for caution.

"A declaration is just a declaration," student Kim Han-nuri, 23, told Reuters in downtown Seoul on a sunny spring morning.

"Unless there's a change in its dictatorial system, I don't think we can completely trust anything North Korea says as it isn't a normal country ... I don't believe we can build normal diplomatic relations and our safety can't be guaranteed."

South Koreans have lived for decades under the threat of war with their hostile and now nuclear-armed neighbour.

They've also seen several earlier pushes for reconciliation that raised hopes of peace only to end in a return to acrimony.

Polls suggest South Koreans have become increasingly indifferent to the threat of war, with bigger concerns being more mundane issues like jobs and the pressures that have accompanied South Korea’s rapid development since the 1950s.

Liberal politician Moon Jae-in won a presidential election last year, promising a moderate approach to North Korea with the aim of reviving a "sunshine policy" of engagement.

But no one anticipated the speed with which relations have improved since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a conciliatory New Year's address at the end of last year, following months of sharply rising tension over his weapons.

Back to square one?

Moon, who is preparing for a summit with Kim this month, remains popular but voters are suspicious of North Korea's intentions and some would certainly judge him harshly if he was seen to be rushing blindly into North Korea's embrace.

Yeo Young-ju, 44, said North Korea had developed nuclear bombs despite decades of efforts to engage it, and this time it should get no economic benefits until its promises were proven to be true.

"This will be the third inter-Korean summit. North Korea looked as if it would denuclearize during the two previous summits and then we were back to square one," Yeo said.

"We need to verify if they indeed get rid of their nuclear material," Yeo said.

Lee Jeong-hyoo, 72, said South Korea should learn from a history of broken promises.

"We must not be deceived," Lee said. "We have to watch this really carefully."

In Japan, which until recent months North Korea regularly threatened to destroy in a sea of fire, people were also doubtful.

"I can’t believe what the North has just announced," said IT worker Sayuri Nakata, 27, referring to North Korea's promise to give up its nuclear weapons tests.

"They’ll just probably just do them anyway."

South Koreans have lived for decades under the threat of war with their hostile and now nuclear-armed neighbour

North Korea's announcement of a halt in its nuclear and missile tests was met with scepticism by many South Koreans on Saturday, highlighting political risk for the South's president as he embarks on the latest push for peace on the peninsula. North Korea will immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap its nuclear test site, instead pursuing economic growth and peace, the North's state media said. But in South Korea, which is still technically in a state of war with its unpredictable, isolated neighbour, many ordinary people expressed scepticism about the sincerity of the announcement and stressed the need for caution. "A declaration is just a declaration," student Kim Han-nuri, 23, told Reuters in downtown Seoul on a sunny spring morning. "Unless there's a change in its dictatorial system, I don't think we can completely trust anything North Korea says as it isn't a normal country ... I don't believe we can build normal diplomatic relations and our safety can't be guaranteed." South Koreans have lived for decades under the threat of war with their hostile and now nuclear-armed neighbour. They've also seen several earlier pushes for reconciliation that raised hopes of peace only to end in a return to acrimony. Polls suggest South Koreans have become increasingly indifferent to the threat of war, with bigger concerns being more mundane issues like jobs and the pressures that have accompanied South Korea’s rapid development since the 1950s. Liberal politician Moon Jae-in won a presidential election last year, promising a moderate approach to North Korea with the aim of reviving a "sunshine policy" of engagement. But no one anticipated the speed with which relations have improved since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a conciliatory New Year's address at the end of last year, following months of sharply rising tension over his weapons. Back to square one? Moon, who is preparing for a summit with Kim this month, remains popular but voters are suspicious of North Korea's intentions and some would certainly judge him harshly if he was seen to be rushing blindly into North Korea's embrace. Yeo Young-ju, 44, said North Korea had developed nuclear bombs despite decades of efforts to engage it, and this time it should get no economic benefits until its promises were proven to be true. "This will be the third inter-Korean summit. North Korea looked as if it would denuclearize during the two previous summits and then we were back to square one," Yeo said. "We need to verify if they indeed get rid of their nuclear material," Yeo said. Lee Jeong-hyoo, 72, said South Korea should learn from a history of broken promises. "We must not be deceived," Lee said. "We have to watch this really carefully." In Japan, which until recent months North Korea regularly threatened to destroy in a sea of fire, people were also doubtful. "I can’t believe what the North has just announced," said IT worker Sayuri Nakata, 27, referring to North Korea's promise to give up its nuclear weapons tests. "They’ll just probably just do them anyway."

South Korean is sceptical of North Korea's 'nuclear' promises

Britain has welcomed North Korea's decision to cease nuclear tests calling it a positive step. The British government hoped that the move will translate into a sign of good faith.&nbsp;

"A long-term commitment from Kim Jung Un to halt all nuclear tests and ICBM launches would be a positive step. We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith," the British government said in a statement. &nbsp; &nbsp;

"We remain committed to working with our international partners to bring about our goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and to do so through peaceful means," the statement read.&nbsp;

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests because it has completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

“To guarantee suspension of nuclear tests in a transparent manner, the republic’s northern nuclear test site will be abolished," the KCNA said after Kim convened this year`s first plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker`s Party on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government also welcomed its ally's move and hoped that the decision will ease tensions in the Korean peninsula.&nbsp;

"We hope that the DPRK will continue to achieve results in its economic development and improvement of people's living standards," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

(With inputs from Reuters)

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests

Britain has welcomed North Korea's decision to cease nuclear tests calling it a positive step. The British government hoped that the move will translate into a sign of good faith. "A long-term commitment from Kim Jung Un to halt all nuclear tests and ICBM launches would be a positive step. We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith," the British government said in a statement. "We remain committed to working with our international partners to bring about our goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and to do so through peaceful means," the statement read. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests because it has completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. “To guarantee suspension of nuclear tests in a transparent manner, the republic’s northern nuclear test site will be abolished," the KCNA said after Kim convened this year`s first plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker`s Party on Friday. Meanwhile, the Chinese government also welcomed its ally's move and hoped that the decision will ease tensions in the Korean peninsula. "We hope that the DPRK will continue to achieve results in its economic development and improvement of people's living standards," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. (With inputs from Reuters)

We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith: Britain on North Korea's nuclear move

China today welcomed its close ally North Korea's decision to discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, saying it could ease tensions in the Korean peninsula.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un announced the decision at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) yesterday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The announcement came ahead of the North Korean leader's planned summit meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement that it would help ease the situation and promote the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula as well as a political settlement of the peninsula issue.

A nuclear-free peninsula and lasting peace in the region are in line with the common interests of the people on the peninsula and in the region, he said, adding that these are also the common expectation of the international community.

"We hope that the DPRK will continue to achieve results in its economic development and improvement of people's living standards," Lu said.

China supports the DPRK and the parties concerned to resolve their respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, so as to improve their relations, he said.

It is hoped that all parties concerned will meet each other halfway, take concrete actions and make due efforts to achieve lasting peace and common development in the region, Lu said.

"China will continue to play an active role in this regard," Lu said.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea's official name) will discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic rocket test-fire from April 21, the North Korean news agency said.

The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of nuclear tests, it said.

The news agency quoted Kim as saying that the mission to build a nuclear force has been completed and now the strategic route for the WPK is to concentrate on economic construction.&nbsp;

The announcement came ahead of the North Korean leader's planned summit meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump

China today welcomed its close ally North Korea's decision to discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, saying it could ease tensions in the Korean peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un announced the decision at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) yesterday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The announcement came ahead of the North Korean leader's planned summit meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement that it would help ease the situation and promote the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula as well as a political settlement of the peninsula issue. A nuclear-free peninsula and lasting peace in the region are in line with the common interests of the people on the peninsula and in the region, he said, adding that these are also the common expectation of the international community. "We hope that the DPRK will continue to achieve results in its economic development and improvement of people's living standards," Lu said. China supports the DPRK and the parties concerned to resolve their respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, so as to improve their relations, he said. It is hoped that all parties concerned will meet each other halfway, take concrete actions and make due efforts to achieve lasting peace and common development in the region, Lu said. "China will continue to play an active role in this regard," Lu said. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea's official name) will discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic rocket test-fire from April 21, the North Korean news agency said. The northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK will be dismantled to transparently guarantee the discontinuance of nuclear tests, it said. The news agency quoted Kim as saying that the mission to build a nuclear force has been completed and now the strategic route for the WPK is to concentrate on economic construction.

China welcomes N Korea's decision to discontinue nuclear, missile tests 

In a sprawling plant near Amarillo, Texas, rows of workers perform by hand one of the most dangerous jobs in American industry. Contract workers at the US&nbsp;Department of Energy’s Pantex facility gingerly remove the plutonium cores from retired nuclear warheads.

Although many safety rules are in place, a slip of the hand could mean disaster.

In Energy Department facilities around the country, there are 54 metric tons of surplus plutonium. Pantex, the plant near Amarillo, holds so much plutonium that it has exceeded the 20,000 cores, called “pits,” regulations allow it to hold in its temporary storage facility. There are enough cores there to cause thousands of megatons of nuclear explosions. More are added each day.

The delicate, potentially deadly dismantling of nuclear warheads at Pantex, while little noticed, has grown increasingly urgent to keep the United States from exceeding a limit of 1,550 warheads permitted under a 2010 treaty with Russia. The United States wants to dismantle older warheads so that it can substitute some of them with newer, more lethal weapons. Russia, too, is building new, dangerous weapons.&nbsp;

The United States has a vast amount of deadly plutonium, which terrorists would love to get their hands on. Under another agreement, Washington and Moscow each are required to render unusable for weapons 34 metric tons of plutonium.

The purpose is twofold: keep the material out of the hands of bad guys, and eliminate the possibility of the two countries themselves using it again for weapons. An Energy Department website says the two countries combined have 68 metric tons designated for destruction - enough to make 17,000 nuclear weapons. But the United States has no permanent plan for what to do with its share.

Plutonium must be made permanently inaccessible because it has a radioactive half-life of 24,000 years.

A much more dangerous situation

Edwin Lyman, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science advocacy group based in Washington, says solving the problem of plutonium storage is urgent. In an increasingly unstable world, with terrorism, heightened international tensions and non-nuclear countries coveting the bomb, he says, the risk is that this metal of mass annihilation will be used again. William Potter, director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told Reuters: “We are in a much more dangerous situation today than we were in the Cold War.”&nbsp;

Washington has not even begun to take the steps needed to acquire additional space for burying plutonium more than 2,000 feet below ground - the depth considered safe.

Much of America’s plutonium currently is stored in a building at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina - like Pantex, an Energy Department site. Savannah River used to house a reactor.

Local opponents of the storage, such as Tom Clements, director of SRS Watch, contend the facility was never built for holding plutonium and say there is a risk of leakage and accidents in which large amounts of radioactivity are released.

The Energy Department has a small experimental storage site underground in New Mexico. The department controls the radioactive materials - plutonium, uranium and tritium - used in America’s nuclear weapons and in the reactors of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.

In a Senate hearing in June 2017, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said the Energy Department has been in talks with New Mexico officials to enlarge the site. Environmental groups there have strongly opposed expansion.

Under an agreement with Russia, the United States was to convert 34 metric tons of plutonium into fuel for civilian reactors that generate electricity. The fuel is known as MOX, for “mixed oxide fuel.” Plutonium and uranium are converted into chemical compounds called oxides, and mixed together in fuel rods for civilian nuclear power plants.

The two metals are converted into oxides because these can’t cause nuclear explosions. But the US&nbsp;effort has run into severe delays and cost overruns.

The alternative method is known as dilute-and-dispose. It involves blending plutonium with an inert material and storing it in casks. The casks, however, are projected to last only 50 years before beginning to leak, and so would need to be buried permanently deep underground.&nbsp;

The MOX mess

President Donald Trump has sided with the Energy Department in wanting to kill the MOX project because of the extreme cost overruns and delays. The Energy Department, beginning in the Obama administration, favoured closing down the MOX project for the same reason, but Congress overruled it.

The federal budget adopted in February, however, specifies a means for ending the project, if a study shows that dilute-and-dispose would be at least 50 percent cheaper than making MOX.&nbsp;

The National Nuclear Security Administration, the part of the Energy Department that oversees the nuclear sites and materials, favours switching to the dilute-and-dispose method. In recent testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the new NNSA administrator, said that method would “cost billions less” than completing the MOX plant.

Plutonium is a versatile nuclear bomb material. Terrorists would need only 11 kilograms or less to make a bomb, Lyman says.&nbsp;

Its ordinarily limited radioactivity makes plutonium safe for terrorists or other thieves to transport with little risk of radiation injury. It goes undetected by most sensors. It radiates alpha particles, relatively large on an atomic scale, which means the thin glass of a test tube, the leather of a briefcase, or even air or skin stop them. The danger from handling small amounts is inhaling plutonium dust. In that case, the dust spreads from the lungs throughout the body, causing multiple kinds of cancer.&nbsp;

The federal government now has no solution in sight to dispose of the plutonium permanently. Its one effort to make it unusable for bombs has turned into what the White House and Energy Department say is a costly failure.

The MOX project, at the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, has been kept on life support by Congress thanks to the influence of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and other lawmakers. The MOX plant employs about 2,000 people in Graham’s state.

Graham and other Congressional backers say MOX is the best way to keep plutonium out of the hands of terrorists. They note too that the pact with Russia requires the United States to use MOX as the method for disposal.

A spokeswoman for Graham declined to comment on his behalf but sent a link to a YouTube video of a Senate hearing in March. In the hearing, Graham, referring to steps already taken to limit work on the MOX plant, said: “What I think we’ve done is ended the biggest non-proliferation program in the world, and I’m going to try and fix that.”

Today’s plutonium glut mainly is a legacy of the Cold War. The quantities now seem surreal. By 1967 the U.S. nuclear arsenal reached its apex, with 37,000 warheads. The Soviet Union’s peak came in the 1970s, with approximately 45,000. These were enough to destroy life on Earth thousands of times over.

A radioactive peace dividend

Amid the terror and aggressiveness then of government and military leaders on both sides, little or no thought was given what to do with the warheads should the risk of mass annihilation ebb.&nbsp;

Daniel Ellsberg, best known for leaking in 1971 the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam war, in the early 1960s was an adviser to the Air Force and White House on nuclear policy. He recently published a book detailing and criticizing the nuclear policy debates and decisions of that era. In a phone interview, he said disposal of weapons was never considered at the time.

“I don’t think one person gave one moment of thought to that,” Ellsberg said. “No one thought that the Cold War would end.”

Treaties that dramatically reduced US&nbsp;and Russian nuclear arsenals were signed soon after the Soviet Union fell. It was then that the magnitude of the problem – disposing of the surplus plutonium – dawned on the two countries. Scientists proffered ideas, nearly all involving making the plutonium forbiddingly dangerous for malefactors to transport and burying it deep underground.

Instead, under a 2000 treaty, the United States agreed to transform the 34 metric tons of plutonium into MOX, unusable for bombs. Russia agreed to destroy the same quantity using a special type of reactor. But the United States had never before built a MOX plant. No US&nbsp;civilian reactor had ever used MOX as fuel.

This misplaced optimism led to one of the costliest snafus ever in US&nbsp;government construction. Work began in 2007 to build a MOX plant that was to be operational by November 2016. The Energy Department now estimates that, if allowed to proceed, it will not be finished until 2048. In 2007 the Energy Department said the total cost would be $4.8 billion. Now it estimates the cost at more than $17 billion.

Building of the plant began when detailed designs were between 20 percent and 40 percent complete. But once initial construction finished, the contractor, under instructions from the Energy Department, breezed ahead without architectural plans.

Reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists said rooms were built for laboratories and offices where none were needed. Ventilation ducts and electrical wiring were in the wrong places. Plumbing was a maze of misplaced pipes. The contractor later had to rip out much of its work and start over.&nbsp;

The contractor is a consortium of companies, CB&I Areva MOX Services. It includes CB&I (formerly Chicago Bridge and Iron), based in the Netherlands, and Areva, which specializes in nuclear-related and alternative power projects, majority owned by the French government.

Giving it away

In an e-mailed statement to Reuters, the consortium said it expects to finish the facility. It said “the project is over 70 percent physically complete.”

But Gordon-Hagerty, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new chief, testified in March before a House Appropriations Subcommittee that it is “nowhere near” 50% complete. Government Accountability Office reports criticized the Energy Department for awarding a “cost plus” contract, which guarantees a profit regardless of how much work is done.

In an emailed response to questions for this article, Lindsey Geisler, a spokesperson for the NNSA, said that in 2011, after the contract had been awarded, “NNSA recognised the need to institute project management reforms.” She said the NNSA established a new office to better oversee contracting and acquisition, and that practices have improved significantly.

Echoing other critics, Frank von Hippel, a Princeton University professor who researches nuclear arms control and policymaking, said weak oversight continues. “The problem at DOE is that the quality of managers, with some exceptions, is quite low,” he said. “Contractors just milk them for money.”

An Energy Department panel reported in 2016 that there is no US market for MOX. To use MOX fuel rods, civilian power plants would have to modify their reactors, requiring lengthy relicensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The report said the best the Energy Department could hope for was to give the stuff away.&nbsp;

In Energy Department facilities around the country, there are 54 metric tons of surplus plutonium. The United States has a vast amount of deadly plutonium, which terrorists would love to get their hands on

In a sprawling plant near Amarillo, Texas, rows of workers perform by hand one of the most dangerous jobs in American industry. Contract workers at the US Department of Energy’s Pantex facility gingerly remove the plutonium cores from retired nuclear warheads. Although many safety rules are in place, a slip of the hand could mean disaster. In Energy Department facilities around the country, there are 54 metric tons of surplus plutonium. Pantex, the plant near Amarillo, holds so much plutonium that it has exceeded the 20,000 cores, called “pits,” regulations allow it to hold in its temporary storage facility. There are enough cores there to cause thousands of megatons of nuclear explosions. More are added each day. The delicate, potentially deadly dismantling of nuclear warheads at Pantex, while little noticed, has grown increasingly urgent to keep the United States from exceeding a limit of 1,550 warheads permitted under a 2010 treaty with Russia. The United States wants to dismantle older warheads so that it can substitute some of them with newer, more lethal weapons. Russia, too, is building new, dangerous weapons. The United States has a vast amount of deadly plutonium, which terrorists would love to get their hands on. Under another agreement, Washington and Moscow each are required to render unusable for weapons 34 metric tons of plutonium. The purpose is twofold: keep the material out of the hands of bad guys, and eliminate the possibility of the two countries themselves using it again for weapons. An Energy Department website says the two countries combined have 68 metric tons designated for destruction - enough to make 17,000 nuclear weapons. But the United States has no permanent plan for what to do with its share. Plutonium must be made permanently inaccessible because it has a radioactive half-life of 24,000 years. A much more dangerous situation Edwin Lyman, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science advocacy group based in Washington, says solving the problem of plutonium storage is urgent. In an increasingly unstable world, with terrorism, heightened international tensions and non-nuclear countries coveting the bomb, he says, the risk is that this metal of mass annihilation will be used again. William Potter, director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told Reuters: “We are in a much more dangerous situation today than we were in the Cold War.” Washington has not even begun to take the steps needed to acquire additional space for burying plutonium more than 2,000 feet below ground - the depth considered safe. Much of America’s plutonium currently is stored in a building at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina - like Pantex, an Energy Department site. Savannah River used to house a reactor. Local opponents of the storage, such as Tom Clements, director of SRS Watch, contend the facility was never built for holding plutonium and say there is a risk of leakage and accidents in which large amounts of radioactivity are released. The Energy Department has a small experimental storage site underground in New Mexico. The department controls the radioactive materials - plutonium, uranium and tritium - used in America’s nuclear weapons and in the reactors of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. In a Senate hearing in June 2017, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said the Energy Department has been in talks with New Mexico officials to enlarge the site. Environmental groups there have strongly opposed expansion. Under an agreement with Russia, the United States was to convert 34 metric tons of plutonium into fuel for civilian reactors that generate electricity. The fuel is known as MOX, for “mixed oxide fuel.” Plutonium and uranium are converted into chemical compounds called oxides, and mixed together in fuel rods for civilian nuclear power plants. The two metals are converted into oxides because these can’t cause nuclear explosions. But the US effort has run into severe delays and cost overruns. The alternative method is known as dilute-and-dispose. It involves blending plutonium with an inert material and storing it in casks. The casks, however, are projected to last only 50 years before beginning to leak, and so would need to be buried permanently deep underground. The MOX mess President Donald Trump has sided with the Energy Department in wanting to kill the MOX project because of the extreme cost overruns and delays. The Energy Department, beginning in the Obama administration, favoured closing down the MOX project for the same reason, but Congress overruled it. The federal budget adopted in February, however, specifies a means for ending the project, if a study shows that dilute-and-dispose would be at least 50 percent cheaper than making MOX. The National Nuclear Security Administration, the part of the Energy Department that oversees the nuclear sites and materials, favours switching to the dilute-and-dispose method. In recent testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the new NNSA administrator, said that method would “cost billions less” than completing the MOX plant. Plutonium is a versatile nuclear bomb material. Terrorists would need only 11 kilograms or less to make a bomb, Lyman says. Its ordinarily limited radioactivity makes plutonium safe for terrorists or other thieves to transport with little risk of radiation injury. It goes undetected by most sensors. It radiates alpha particles, relatively large on an atomic scale, which means the thin glass of a test tube, the leather of a briefcase, or even air or skin stop them. The danger from handling small amounts is inhaling plutonium dust. In that case, the dust spreads from the lungs throughout the body, causing multiple kinds of cancer. The federal government now has no solution in sight to dispose of the plutonium permanently. Its one effort to make it unusable for bombs has turned into what the White House and Energy Department say is a costly failure. The MOX project, at the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, has been kept on life support by Congress thanks to the influence of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and other lawmakers. The MOX plant employs about 2,000 people in Graham’s state. Graham and other Congressional backers say MOX is the best way to keep plutonium out of the hands of terrorists. They note too that the pact with Russia requires the United States to use MOX as the method for disposal. A spokeswoman for Graham declined to comment on his behalf but sent a link to a YouTube video of a Senate hearing in March. In the hearing, Graham, referring to steps already taken to limit work on the MOX plant, said: “What I think we’ve done is ended the biggest non-proliferation program in the world, and I’m going to try and fix that.” Today’s plutonium glut mainly is a legacy of the Cold War. The quantities now seem surreal. By 1967 the U.S. nuclear arsenal reached its apex, with 37,000 warheads. The Soviet Union’s peak came in the 1970s, with approximately 45,000. These were enough to destroy life on Earth thousands of times over. A radioactive peace dividend Amid the terror and aggressiveness then of government and military leaders on both sides, little or no thought was given what to do with the warheads should the risk of mass annihilation ebb. Daniel Ellsberg, best known for leaking in 1971 the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam war, in the early 1960s was an adviser to the Air Force and White House on nuclear policy. He recently published a book detailing and criticizing the nuclear policy debates and decisions of that era. In a phone interview, he said disposal of weapons was never considered at the time. “I don’t think one person gave one moment of thought to that,” Ellsberg said. “No one thought that the Cold War would end.” Treaties that dramatically reduced US and Russian nuclear arsenals were signed soon after the Soviet Union fell. It was then that the magnitude of the problem – disposing of the surplus plutonium – dawned on the two countries. Scientists proffered ideas, nearly all involving making the plutonium forbiddingly dangerous for malefactors to transport and burying it deep underground. Instead, under a 2000 treaty, the United States agreed to transform the 34 metric tons of plutonium into MOX, unusable for bombs. Russia agreed to destroy the same quantity using a special type of reactor. But the United States had never before built a MOX plant. No US civilian reactor had ever used MOX as fuel. This misplaced optimism led to one of the costliest snafus ever in US government construction. Work began in 2007 to build a MOX plant that was to be operational by November 2016. The Energy Department now estimates that, if allowed to proceed, it will not be finished until 2048. In 2007 the Energy Department said the total cost would be $4.8 billion. Now it estimates the cost at more than $17 billion. Building of the plant began when detailed designs were between 20 percent and 40 percent complete. But once initial construction finished, the contractor, under instructions from the Energy Department, breezed ahead without architectural plans. Reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists said rooms were built for laboratories and offices where none were needed. Ventilation ducts and electrical wiring were in the wrong places. Plumbing was a maze of misplaced pipes. The contractor later had to rip out much of its work and start over. The contractor is a consortium of companies, CB&I Areva MOX Services. It includes CB&I (formerly Chicago Bridge and Iron), based in the Netherlands, and Areva, which specializes in nuclear-related and alternative power projects, majority owned by the French government. Giving it away In an e-mailed statement to Reuters, the consortium said it expects to finish the facility. It said “the project is over 70 percent physically complete.” But Gordon-Hagerty, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new chief, testified in March before a House Appropriations Subcommittee that it is “nowhere near” 50% complete. Government Accountability Office reports criticized the Energy Department for awarding a “cost plus” contract, which guarantees a profit regardless of how much work is done. In an emailed response to questions for this article, Lindsey Geisler, a spokesperson for the NNSA, said that in 2011, after the contract had been awarded, “NNSA recognised the need to institute project management reforms.” She said the NNSA established a new office to better oversee contracting and acquisition, and that practices have improved significantly. Echoing other critics, Frank von Hippel, a Princeton University professor who researches nuclear arms control and policymaking, said weak oversight continues. “The problem at DOE is that the quality of managers, with some exceptions, is quite low,” he said. “Contractors just milk them for money.” An Energy Department panel reported in 2016 that there is no US market for MOX. To use MOX fuel rods, civilian power plants would have to modify their reactors, requiring lengthy relicensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The report said the best the Energy Department could hope for was to give the stuff away.

America's nuclear headache: Old 'deadly' plutonium with nowhere to go

North Korea is open to denuclearisation if the safety of Kim Jong Un&rsquo;s regime is guaranteed, a South Korean official said Tuesday.

South Korea&rsquo;s special envoy Chung Eui-Yong told reporters of the regime&rsquo;s new stance after returning to Seoul from Pyongyang.

The comments came hours after a South Korean delegation led by Mr Chung returned from a visit to the North, where they met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea and South Korea will hold a summit at the end of April along the border, Chung said.&nbsp;

The envoy also said Kim was willing to hold frank denuclearisation talks with the US.

The envoy said Kim was willing to hold frank denuclearization talks with the US.

North Korea is open to denuclearisation if the safety of Kim Jong Un’s regime is guaranteed, a South Korean official said Tuesday. South Korea’s special envoy Chung Eui-Yong told reporters of the regime’s new stance after returning to Seoul from Pyongyang. The comments came hours after a South Korean delegation led by Mr Chung returned from a visit to the North, where they met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea and South Korea will hold a summit at the end of April along the border, Chung said. The envoy also said Kim was willing to hold frank denuclearisation talks with the US.

No need for nuclear weapons if we have security guarantee: North Korea

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