Nuclear

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France will increase its number of nuclear warheads from the current level of below 300, but did not give a figure for the increase. It will be the first time France increases its nuclear arsenal since at least 1992. "I have decided to increase the numbers of warheads of our arsenal," Macron said at a military base at L'Ile Longue in northwestern France that hosts the country's ballistic missile submarines. Macron's speech was aimed at spelling out how French nuclear weapons fit into Europe's security amid concerns raised on the continent by recurring tensions with US President Donald Trump.

Iran's nuclear programme has been among the reasons Israel and the US have given for the attacks, alleging Iran was getting too close to being able to eventually make an atom bomb

Trump said on February 19 that Iran must make a deal in 10 to 15 days, warning that "really bad things" would otherwise happen

Iran and the US prepared to meet Thursday in Geneva for nuclear negotiations, talks viewed as a last chance for diplomacy as America has gathered a fleet of aircraft and warships to the Middle East to pressure Tehran into a deal. US President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran's nuclear programme, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests last month. Iran meanwhile has maintained it wants to continue to enrich uranium even as its program sits in ruins following Trump ordering an attack in June on three of the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. If an American attack happens, Iran has said all US military bases in the Mideast would be considered legitimate targets, putting at risk tens of thousands of American service members. Iran has also threatened to attack Israel following a bruising 12-day war last year, meaning a regional war again could erupt across the Middle East. "There would be no victory

This comes amidst Beijing's stating that it has scrupulously observed an international accord banning all nuclear detonations

Satellite imagery of secretive nuclear facilities reveals Beijing's efforts to expand its arsenal, just as the last global guardrails on nuclear weapons vanish

Merz warned the US could not go it alone but also said Europe must beef up its own defences and mentioned confidential talks with France on nuclear deterrence

For Washington, carrying out enrichment - a possible pathway to nuclear bombs - inside Iran is a red line. Tehran has long denied any intent to weaponise nuclear fuel production

The US has suggested that China, the world's third largest nuclear power by number of warheads, should join arms control talks. Beijing has indicated no willingness to join

The IIT Kharagpur has signed an MoU with the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) to launch MSc programmes in nuclear medicine and medical physics. This collaboration aims to strengthen national capacity for skilled human resources in nuclear medicine and medical physics, which are critical to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and advanced clinical research, an IIT KGP spokesperson said Saturday. The programmes will be jointly conducted by IIT Kharagpur, CNCI, and VECC, with student admissions through the Joint Admission Test for Master's (JAM). The MSc programmes will be offered by the School of Medical Science and Technology (SMST) at IIT Kharagpur, starting with the academic session 2026-27. The MoU was signed by IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty, CNCI Director Dr Jayanta Chakrabarti, and VECC Director Sumit Som on Friday, marking the beginning of a significant academic collaboration among three 'Institutes of National

The incident is the latest in a series of missteps that threatens to sour public trust in nuclear oversight at a time when Japan is pushing to restart its fleet of idled reactors

NTPC is exploring multiple international collaborations in the area of technology and fuel to push its nuclear ambitions to diversify energy generation. NTPC is looking to set up around 30 GW of company-owned nuclear projects across various locations in the country in line with the government's ambition of having 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047. Sources said the company is eyeing 2 GW of nuclear capacity as early as 2032. For technology, NTPC has entered into non-disclosure agreements with global energy players Rosatom and EDF to explore collaboration on deploying large pressurised water reactor projects in India, they said. Besides, NTPC and Holtec International are exploring the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in future nuclear projects. SMRs offer potential advantages in terms of modular construction, enhanced safety features, and suitability for phased deployment. The company is also evaluating a minority equity investment in US-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CC

The governor of Niigata on Tuesday formally gave local consent to put two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the north-central prefecture back online, clearing a last hurdle toward restarting the plant idled for more than a decade following the 2011 meltdowns at another plant managed by the same utility. Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi, in his meeting with Economy and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, conveyed the prefecture's endorsement to restart the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, accepting the government's pledge to ensure safety, emergency response and understanding of the residents. Restart preparations for No. 6 reactor have moved ahead, and utility company TEPCO is expected to apply for a final safety inspection by the Nuclear Safety Authority later this week, ahead of a possible resumption in January. Work at the other reactor is expected to take a few more years. The move comes one day after the Niigata prefectural assembly adopted a

The SHANTI Bill could be challenged on the ground of violating Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, alleged Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan in a press conference in Delhi

India is on the brink of a major shift in its energy policy. The SHANTI Bill, cleared by the Union Cabinet and tabled in Parliament, could fundamentally change how nuclear power is built

Revision in insurance policies, fuel-buying plans, and lack of skilled manpower among issues flagged for the industry

A plutonium-packed generator disappeared on one of the world's highest mountains in a hush-hush mission the US still won't talk about

India and the US held Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi to review their strategic partnership and discuss trade, defence, technology, energy and Indo-Pacific cooperation, the MEA said

The agency noted that the New Safe Confinement (NSC) was "severely damaged" during a February attack and has "lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability