Hungary has made commendable progress in implementing recommendations from an International Physical Protection Advisory Service mission conducted in 2013, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said. A follow-up IPPAS mission was completed today.

The two companies responsible for the clean-up of the UK's nuclear legacy are willing to share lessons learned with the global decommissioning industry, Martyn Jenkins, managing director of Enkom Consulting, told a recent conference. Both Sellafield Ltd and Magnox Ltd have "moved from operational to project delivery" and have identified five main challenges, Jenkins said.

International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Yukiya Amano yesterday updated the agency's board of governors on recent developments including the IAEA's storage facility for low-enriched uranium - known as the LEU Bank - which will be inaugurated on 29 August and should receive its first uranium in 2018.

International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards inspectors have verified the correctness and completeness of the United Arab Emirates' initial inventory of nuclear material. The strategic document was prepared by the country's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.

Russia has started unloading used fuel from nuclear submarines in Andreeva Bay, the former base of the Northern Fleet, a unit of the Russian Navy responsible for the defence of the north-western part of the country. The work is organised by RosRAO - a Moscow-based Rosatom subsidiary that provides commercial back-end radioactive waste and decommissioning services.

Kazakhstan has opened a new facility to provide security training to its nuclear facility personnel. The Nuclear Security Training Centre has been developed with the support of the US National Nuclear Security Administration.

The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority has moved a step closer to the restart of its TR-2 research reactor, which was shut down in 2009 and converted to use low-enriched uranium fuel. A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency carried out an Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors follow-up mission between 25 and 28 April, which concluded that several safety improvements to TR-2 have been implemented.

The Swedish framework for physical protection and computer security at nuclear power plants, other nuclear facilities and for nuclear material in transport continues to show good progress, an International Atomic Energy Agency report concludes following a mission there last year.

A plate-type uranium-molybdenum fuel for research reactors has completed performance tests in the USA. The fuel could be used to replace highly-enriched uranium fuel, which can pose a proliferation risk.

The International Atomic Energy Agency this month launched a project to enhance regulatory frameworks for nuclear security in African countries.

China and Iran have signed the first commercial contract for the reconstruction of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor. The core of the reactor was removed as part of an international agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The nuclear governance system is facing an "unprecedented challenge" as traditional nuclear suppliers that have "built the backbone" of the safety, security, and non-proliferation regime face new competition to provide technology to emerging nations, according to a policy report by the Global Nexus Initiative. The GNI, which is co-sponsored by the Partnership for Global Security and the Nuclear Energy Institute, plans to publish the report, Evolving Nuclear Governance for a New Era, on 2 May.