The News Journal

Russia has blocked the adoption of a joint declaration by a United Nations conference on nuclear disarmament. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is reviewed by its 191 signatories every five years, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Russia objected to a draft text citing "grave concern" over military activities around Ukraine's nuclear plants, in particular Zaporizhzhia. Participants in the last review in 2015 also failed to reach an agreement . The 2022 meeting, which had been due in 2020, was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The failure to agree a joint declaration followed a four-week conference in New York. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was "deeply disappointed" at the lack of agreement. "Russia obstructed progress by refusing to compromise on proposed text accepted by all other states," she said. The US representative, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, said the US "deeply regrets this outcome, and ev...

Japan should consider building new nuclear power plants, prime minister Fumio Kushida said on Wednesday. This could be a controversial policy shift after the nation suspended many of its nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. But Mr Kishida said the Ukraine war and soaring energy costs highlighted the need for diversifying energy sources. He added that nuclear power may be needed to meet Japan's target of going carbon neutral by 2050. Aside from considering building next-generation nuclear reactors, the government will also look to restart existing plants that are currently offline and extend their lifespans, Mr Kishida said at an energy policy meeting. Japan had a nuclear emergency in 2011 when a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami, flooding the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the country's east coast. Read More : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62659007