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Financial sanctions delay North Korea's atom bomb work: UN

United Nations: A combination of increasingly tough financial sanctions, an arms embargo and other international restrictions on trade with North Korea have not stopped Pyongyang's illicit nuclear arms program but appear to have significantly delayed it, according to a confidential report by a UN panel of experts seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

"While the imposition of sanctions has not halted the development of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, it has in all likelihood considerably delayed (North Korea's) timetable and, through the imposition of financial sanctions and the bans on the trade in weapons, has choked off significant funding which would have been channeled into its prohibited activities," said the 52-page report said.

In the report to the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee, the panel also recommended sanctioning three North Korean entities and 12 individuals.

The individuals listed were nine North Korean nationals, a man from Kazakhstan and two men from Ukraine, all due to their links to arms-smuggling deals, the report said....more    

Intel revamps Atom chips in bid to find mobile footing

California: Intel Corp on Monday unveiled the most extensive overhaul of its Atom mobile processors, with improved performance that the PC chipmaker expects will help it challenge Qualcomm in smartphones and tablets. The new microarchitecture, code-named Silvermont, will be a key building block in upcoming Intel chips for mobile gadgets, microservers and car entertainment systems, Chief Product Officer Dadi Perlmutter told reporters at an event on Monday. "We have not...  

A Boy and His Atom: The tiniest stop-motion movie ever

New York: Scientists have taken the idea of a film short down to new levels. Molecular levels. IBM says it has made the tiniest stop-motion movie ever - a one-minute video of individual carbon monoxide molecules repeatedly rearranged to show a boy dancing, throwing a ball and bouncing on a trampoline. Each frame measures 45 by 25 nanometers - there are 25 million nanometers in an inch - but hugely...  

Kudankulam to begin power production in April

New Delhi: Power production by the first unit of the Kudankulam atomic plant will start in April 2013, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy said on Wednesday. He said that the second unit would start production by October 2013. Narayanasamy told reporters in New Delhi that Indian and Russian scientists had checked the parameters of the plant and the system was working well. "All parameters are...  

Kudankulam I will be operational in April: Manmohan Singh

The controversial Kudankulam Unit I of the atomic power reactor in Tamil Nadu will become operational by April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said. He gave this assurance to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two met here on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. ...  

'IAEA review of Indian nuclear regulator after recast'

Seeking to instill confidence in burgeoning atomic power sector, India is planning to ask the IAEA to conduct a peer review of its nuclear regulatory system after it is recast. The Atomic Energy Commission is preparing to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) to examine its regulatory system, which will get statutory status after the passage of the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill...  

Universe ages 80 million years, Big Bang gets clearer

New results from looking at the split-second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is 80 million years older than previously thought and provide ancient evidence supporting core concepts about the cosmos - how it began, what it's made of and where it's going. ...  

IAEA, Iran end nuclear talks in Tehran, outcome awaited

The UN nuclear watchdog and Iran ended a day of talks in Tehran on February 13, Iranian media reported, and Press TV state television said results were expected to be announced soon. ...  

'Kudankulam could be commissioned in few days'

The first 1,000 MW unit of the much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project (KNPP) could be commissioned in the next few days and every step is being taken to ensure safety, a senior official said. ...  

Haryana set to get its first atomic power plant

Haryana's first atomic power plant will be set up in an area of 1,503 acres in Fatehabad district. The work for erecting a barbed wire fencing around the project site at Gorakhpur started on Monday, an official spokesman said. ...  

Dearth of skilled researchers in crucial fields: President

Observing that there is a dearth of skilled researchers in crucial areas like space, energy, medicine and defence in the country, President Pranab Mukherjee on January 19 said technology should be developed for the benefit of the people. "Quite often, I have observed that there is a deficiency of research manpower in strategic areas like space technology, atomic energy, defence, as well as in basic engineering research in medical technology,...  

Pak developing smaller nuclear warheads: report

Expanding its nuclear arsenal at a rapid pace, Pakistan is now aiming to develop smaller and lighter atomic warheads more suitable for use on missiles, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist has said. Pakistan is expected to surpass Britain's nuclear stockpiles in a decade, the journal said, referring to the rapid development of nuclear warheads by Islamabad. ...  

Kudankulam unit-1 to be commissioned in 2 weeks: AEC

The much-delayed Kudankulam project is set to be commissioned within the next two weeks as nuclear scientists have entered the final lap of a series of tests on its safety and efficacy. "Within this month 100 per cent. It will take about two weeks," Ratan Kumar Sinha, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission said here on the sidelines of the 100th Indian Science Congress when asked about the commissioning of...  

Iran defiant on enrichment ahead of possible nuclear talks

Iran will not stop higher-grade uranium enrichment in response to external demands; its top nuclear energy official was quoted as saying on Tuesday, signalling a tough bargaining stance ahead of planned new talks with world powers. ...  

Katherine Heigl, Jon Favreau fight over a bill

Actress Katherine Heigl and 'Iron Man' director Jon Favreau knocked off a glass while fighting over a bill. ...  

Kagawa, Schwarzer nominated for new AFC award

Singapore: Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa and his Japanese team mate Yuto Nagatomo have been nominated for the AFC's first Asian International Player of the Year award. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the three-man shortlist for the new honour on Sunday along with the nominees for their Asian Player of the Year award, open to candidates who play for clubs in the continent. South Korean...  

IAEA completes safety review of Rajasthan nuclear plant

Mumbai: A team of global nuclear experts led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday completed a 16-day review of the safety practices at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station-units 3 and 4 in Rawatbhata. The team, comprising experts from IAEA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia and Slovenia, "noted a series of good practices and made recommendations and suggestions to reinforce safety practices", an IAEA statement issued...  

TN: Work begins on metallic fuel reactor at Kalpakkam

Chennai: Initial steps for the construction of another fast-breeder test reactor powered by metallic fuel at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) complex at Kalpakkam has begun, a senior official said on Monday. "The government had initially sanctioned Rs 25 crore for the 120 MW metallic fuel test reactor (MFTR). Around Rs.6 crore is expected to be spent by the end of this fiscal on geo-technical investigations for the...  

Chennai: Protests against IAEA team's visit

Chennai: Anti-nuclear activists in Chennai on Monday morning laid siege to the state secretariat, demonstrating against the India visit by a team from the international watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Activists showed black flags and banners to decry the atomic inspectors' visit. The inspectors have been invited by the Centre to inspect safety practices adopted by the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station in Rawatbhata near Kota. The team will submit...