China and Saudi Arabia have signed a cooperation agreement for a joint study on the feasibility of constructing high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) in the Middle Eastern country.

Queen Elizabeth II has given Royal Assent to the Brexit bill, clearing the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to start talks to leave the European Union. 

The Coega Development Corporation has agreed to cooperate with utility Eskom in supporting the South African government's plans to build local capacity for its nuclear new build program through supplier development and localisation.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Advanced Reactor Concepts have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development and licensing of a small modular reactor. Each company has so far been developing its own sodium-cooled fast reactor models.

Three Japanese utilities - Chubu, Hokuriku and Tokyo Electric Power Company - have agreed to collaborate on improving their nuclear safety through technical cooperation.

The UK's nuclear industry will need more than two years of Brexit negotiations to prepare for a departure from the European Atomic Energy Community, experts told members of parliament last week. The country's numerous arrangements with European Union member states would each need to be replicated and this could take a decade, they said.

China General Nuclear and Ultra Electronics of the UK have agreed to enhance their cooperation in the development of high-integrity instrumentation and control systems and sensors for nuclear power plants worldwide.

Russia and Tajikistan yesterday signed an agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Central Asian country. Tajikistan is mineral-rich and has some uranium deposits, but most of its electricity is hydroelectric, with a small part sourced from natural gas.

France's Areva and China National Nuclear Corporation have signed a framework agreement for industrial and commercial cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle.

The European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed to strengthen their cooperation in a range of nuclear activities, including nuclear science applications, during a meeting in Brussels this week.

An Australian parliamentary committee today recommended ratification of a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement that will permit the export of Australian uranium to Ukraine, subject to the development of a contingency plan for loss of regulatory control of the material.

The UK government has outlined its position regarding the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in the white paper on Brexit it published yesterday. In the UK, a white paper is a report giving information or proposals on an issue.