The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea seeking a stay on the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
The Nuclear Power Corporation has said it would revisit safety standards at all atomic power plants in the country in the wake of the nuclear crisis in tsunami-struck Japan."We will sincerely revisit (all the nuclear power plants) and decide whether there was any need for augmentation," NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain told reporters. Indian reactors have 'successfully' withstood the Bhuj earthquake and the tsunami in south India, he said.
Hours after a US study warned of a "very real possibility" that deadly warheads could be stolen by extremists singling out Pakistan as a likely source, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that his country's "nuclear weapons are safe and well-guarded".
The statements raised eyebrows in the Obama administration and is seen as "irresponsible" behaviour by top Pakistani leadership.
''A story in the New York Times gave a distorted and exaggerated picture of our efforts to learn from best practices of other countries with regard to their nuclear safety and export controls,'' foreign ministry spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said
Making a statement in Parliament on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Dr Singh said Indian nuclear plants have in the past met the safety standards during the major natural calamities like January 26, 2002 Gujarat earthquake and the December 2004 Tsunami.
Dhanteras, the prime minister said, has become even more special.
He said Pakistan was working with the international community to ensure the security of its nuclear installations, which were always in safe hands.
He was speaking at the 101st anniversary event of Lokmanya Seva Sangh, a Mumbai-based organisation set up to build a 'socially vigilant, disciplined, cultured and progressive society'.
Activists, experts and scientists across the country have come together to challenge Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's dream project to double the nuclear energy-based power generation in the country, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Clearing the decks for early commissioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Madras high court on Friday held that its two units did not suffer from any infirmity for want of approvals and rejected safety fears as 'unfounded'.
Strongly favouring nuclear power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said there would be no compromise on safety of atomic plants and it would be harmful to close the additional source of energy.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea seeking a stay on commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant till all safety measures are put in place.
Meanwhile, South Korea will convene an emergency meeting of top officials after the North Korean threat, news agencies reported.
"The recent developments have resulted in an atmosphere which is not conducive for a happy friendly tie between the two teams which have immense respect for each other," AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee wrote to the ITF in an email seen by Reuters.
"Obviously, these are two nuclear powers. Whenever you are dealing with terrorism in countries that are nuclear powers, it is always -- it creates a heightened concern. Obviously, the Pakistani government has enormous challenges -- financially, politically, from terrorists," US Defence Department Spokesman Geoff Morrell said. "We see no reason at this point to have any concern with regards to the security of either country's arsenal," he added.
The rising prices of fossil fuels and the unreliability of alternative sources like solar and wind power means that the charms of nuclear power may still returns, thanks to improvements in safety and technology, says Dr K S Parthasarathy.
"India, with long-standing experience in operating nuclear plants and building human and knowledge resources, can be a guiding force for new entrants seeking to harness atomic technology for producing power."
"Public safety is of prime importance. There are poor people living in the vicinity of the plant and they should know that there life would be protected," a bench of justices KS Radhakrishanan and Deepak Misra said while posting the matter for hearing on September 20
The strategy, President Donald Trump said, is tailored and flexible to address the wide array of threats in the 21st century.
Japan's nuclear reactor crisis has forced the postponement of a world championship triathlon race in Yokohama next month because of radiation fears, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) said on Tuesday.
Concerns over more serious contamination mounted in Japan on Friday after authorities warned that the core of one of the six reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant may have been damaged, a day after three workers were exposed to high radiation while trying to stabilise the crippled unit.
'Even before the wave hits the shore, the reactors were shut down,' says nuclear expert L V Krishnan.
Scientists are puzzled by what caused the mysterious nuclear leak at the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant in Gujarat last year, reveals Pallava Bagla.
Amidst growing Congressional concern over the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, US Senator Thomas R Carperas said that "preventing Pakistan's nuclear weapons and technology from falling into the wrong hands should remain top priority." Carperas chairs the Senate Subcommittee on International Security -- an appendage of the larger Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
President Pratibha Patil nominated Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan as the doyen of governors to discharge responsibilities and conduct the three-day conference of governors starting October 29 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The ordinance, issued late in the night, gives a more structured character to the NCA, which was originally set up in February 2000 to address concerns about the safety of the nuclear arsenal. Under the original set-up, the chief of the NCA was the head of the government or the Prime Minister. The ordinance, issued by Musharraf, names the President as the chairman of the NCA and the prime minister as the deputy chairman.
China tacitly acknowledged on Thursday that it will build two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan in a deal that could re-ignite persistent concerns about proliferation and safety of atomic materials in the restive South Asian nation.
The Central Information Commission on Tuesday directed the Atomic Energy Department to make public the cabinet note relating to proposals for new bills on web sites within seven days of tabling in the Parliament.
They have agreed to include two major aspects of licence renewal and risk-informed regulation in the ambit of the ties.
Kerry said Obama has called the relationship with India 'a defining relationship of this century'.
Renowned United States investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has clarified that his article in The New Yorker never claimed that there was any agreement between Pakistan and the US over nuclear weapons, adding that an 'informal understanding' existed between the Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen and Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, over the safety of Pakistan's nuclear installations.Hersh's article created a huge furore in Pakistan
Asserting that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant belonged to the "highest safety category" of plants currently in operation in the world, the Centre on Tuesday sought dismissal of petitions in the Madras high court against the Rs 14,000 crore Indo-Russian project.
Abbasi was also assertive of Pakistan's nuclear arsenals being safe and secure.
Although the pact would focus mainly on the Pacific and the South China Sea region, any action designed to deter China with or without New Delhi's active participation is a welcome move, notes Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Amid concerns over the Koodankulam nuclear power project, the National Disaster Management Authority has said safety measures at all atomic plants in the country were in place but admitted earthquakes at these sites cannot be completely ruled out.
Amid worldwide alarm over a radiation scare in Japan following the tsunami, India and other nations from the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa group on Thursday pressed for strict adherence to safety norms with regard to nuclear facilities and a proposal was floated for mutual assistance in similar incidents.
Pakistan military has appointed Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat as the new chief of the Strategic Plans Division, which manages and secures the country's nuclear arsenal.
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