World Nuclear News: G8 energy ministers endorse nuclear power
Energy ministers of leading industrialized countries met in Rome, Italy, at the weekend. In a statement, they announced that they would increasingly emphasize nuclear energy and the creation of a common low-carbon technology platform as solutions to climate change and supply insecurity. The meeting of the energy ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the USA) was held primarily to define joint strategies to respond to global climate change. The meeting also aimed to promote investment in energy security and sustainable development, as well as reducing energy poverty.

World Nuclear News: Cooperation deals for Jordan and Italy
Russia and Jordan have signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy. The agreement between Russia and Jordan was signed on 22 May by Rosatom director general Sergei Kiriyenko and Khalid Toukan, chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC). Meanwhile, Japan and Italy have signed a memorandum to cooperate in nuclear power development, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) has announced. On the sidelines of the G8 ministerial meeting in Rome at the weekend, Toshihiro Nikai, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry, and Claudio Scajola, Italy's economic development minister, signed the memorandum. Under the memorandum, which will remain in effect for three years and can be renewed, Japan will cooperate with Italy through the training of nuclear professionals and the exchange of information.

AP: Candidates to head nuclear agency make their case
Five candidates bidding for the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency laid out their visions of what the U.N. organization's role should be Tuesday at a meeting overshadowed by the North Korea's announcement that it had exploded its second nuclear bomb. North Korea's bomb test - the second in less than three years - was an indirect reminder of the agency's limits in trying to enforce its nonproliferation mandate. Pyongyang kicked out IAEA inspectors more than six years ago and went on to develop its nuclear weapons program, which it now wields as a huge bargaining chip with the rest of the world as it seeks political and economic concessions. Yet all candidates for the post of IAEA director general - three from Europe, one Japanese and a South African - avoided direct mention of North Korea in their comments to the closed meeting. They also did not name Iran and Syria, two other nations of possible proliferation concern.

Malaysian Insider: Dr Mahathir Mohamad : Rethink risky nuclear energy plants
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged the authorities to rethink the idea of using nuclear plants to generate cheap energy by 2020. On Monday, it was reported that the head of Tenaga Nasional's nuclear unit, Mohamad Zamzam Jaafar, said that the national utility intended to hire Korea Electric Power Corporation to help it prepare a preliminary feasibility study for what would become Malaysia's first nuclear plant. He said an agreement was likely to be signed next month. "Korea has about 20 plants," Zamzam reportedly said. "They should be a good teacher for us." Even so, the Cabinet has not officially agreed to allow nuclear energy but Tenaga believes it is not only feasible but desirable by 2025 because much of Malaysia's gas reserves would have been exhausted by then.

KDBC 4: Tribes press government to clean up nuclear waste
Two American Indian tribes are pressing the federal government to clean up an area where they say medical, uranium and other radioactive waste was dumped and has been contaminating the land and groundwater. The Navajo and Hopi tribes say their pleas to have the waste materials from two sites near Tuba City, Ariz., taken off tribal land have been ignored. The Hopi Tribe filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government last week over the cleanup.

Taiwan News: Chalk River shutdown worse than before: ex-nuclear safety head
Canada's former nuclear safety watchdog says the latest Chalk River reactor shutdown is far worse than the one she was fired over. This time around, no one knows how long the aging Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. reactor will be down, Linda Keen said Tuesday. "This time, it's worse because they're indefinite about the corrosion, they're indefinite about the leaks, and it's very unclear as to how they're going to get it back on," she said in an interview. "This isn't a regulatory problem. This is a problem of an old reactor."

Forbes: Niger's president dissolves parliament
Niger's president dissolved parliament on Tuesday hours after the constitutional court in the uranium-mining country blocked moves designed to allow him a third term in office. The court ruled against President Mamadou Tandja's plan to hold a referendum on a law permitting him a third term, saying the move was illegal. Tandja's bid to change the constitution has already sparked demonstrations as well as splits in his coalition government, and analysts say it risks creating deeper instability. Tandja is due to complete his second five-year term in power later this year but the desert state's government, which is due to increase its uranium revenues significantly, wants a vote on constitutional changes to allow him to run in November polls.

Reuters: Factsheet - Uranium mining in Niger
Niger's President Mamadou Tandja dissolved parliament on Tuesday after the constitutional court ruled his plan to hold a referendum on a law allowing him to stand for a third term in office was illegal. Niger, a desert country of 15 million people in northwest Africa, is attracting increasing investor interest in its uranium deposits. It produces around 7.5 percent of the world's uranium, according to the World Nuclear Association. Below are details of companies with uranium mining and exploration projects in Niger.