Nuclear fuel will be loaded at Sendai 1 tomorrow, marking a significant step on its road to becoming the first Japanese reactor to restart, later this year.

Germany's coalition government parties have agreed on measures to enable the country to meet its 2020 carbon emission targets while transitioning to renewable energy sources. As part of the deal, some coal-fuelled power plants will be shut down with others kept in reserve in case of energy shortages.

Ukraine is preparing the legal document required to cancel its contract with Russia concerning the completion of two units at the Khmelnitski nuclear power plant. The move was announced yesterday by Svetlana Kulchitskaya, deputy head of the atomic energy and nuclear industry department of the Ministry of Energy and Coal.

South Korea's oldest operating reactor unit will close in 2017 without a licence extension, said operator Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).

Climate concerns demand trillions of dollars of new sustainable energy infrastructure, said the World Energy Council, adding that it will not happen without a clear climate framework and a global emissions target.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Illinois State Capitol yesterday to call for the passage of low carbon energy legislation underpinned by the continued operation of the state's nuclear capacity.

Uniper will be the name of the non-renewable company to spin off from EOn. The name means 'Unique Performance' and the company will own stakes in 17 operating reactors across Germany and Sweden.

US and European Union-imposed economic sanctions on Russia have had no direct impact on Rosatom, but the state nuclear corporation "regularly faces pressure" from Western governments and negative publicity in the media, its director general has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to sign an agreement today, during a state visit to Moscow by Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, that paves the way for Rosatom to build a sixth nuclear reactor in the South American country.

South Korea may one day be able to enrich uranium to produce non-weapons grade nuclear fuel under a deal reached with the USA yesterday. The agreement also ensures that the USA will provide South Korea with a stable supply of fuel for its nuclear reactors.

Barack Obama has issued a presidential determination, published in the Federal Register yesterday, on a proposed agreement for cooperation between the USA and China concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

A new Department of Energy initiative on radioactive waste disposal could "finally bring some progress the nation's long-neglected nuclear waste management policy," said Marv Fertel, the head of US trade body the Nuclear Energy Institute.