TOPIC

International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): A prominent Vienna, Austria-based intergovernmental organisation within the United Nations system, the IAEA is dedicated to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and preventing its diversion for military purposes. Its main areas of focus include implementing safeguards, fostering nuclear safety and security standards, and providing technical cooperation for peaceful applications in areas like medicine, agriculture, and energy. Recognised for its crucial role in global non-proliferation efforts, the IAEA was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US billboard in Tehran, Iran. Photo: EPA

US-Iran tensions

Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva for second round of talks with US

Talks will centre on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, as the US deploys a second aircraft carrier to the region.

16 Feb 2026 - 2:42PM

Middle East

Iran’s revolution anniversary marred by protests, nuclear tensions

11 Feb 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

Vietnam

Opinion | Vietnam’s renewed nuclear power push faces formidable hurdles

8 Feb 2026 - 11:30AM

Middle East

US ‘armada’ heading towards Iran as tensions remain high

USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships move from the Asia-Pacific even as Iran protests seem to dwindle.

23 Jan 2026 - 6:00PM

The USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships transit the Strait of Hormuz in 2019. Photo: US Navy via AFP

Ukraine war

Inside Chernobyl: Ukraine races to repair radiation shield as war drags on

While engineers scramble to patch drone damage at Chernobyl, Ukraine’s president holds ‘substantive’ talks with US envoys.

26 Dec 2025 - 2:32PM

Ukraine war

Chernobyl safety shield damaged, UN confirms. Ukraine blames Russian drones

Despite the loss of ‘confinement capability’ at the notorious nuclear plant, IAEA officials report no radiation leaks.

6 Dec 2025 - 10:45AMvideocam

China-France relations

China and France agree to work together on nuclear issues as Macron visit ends

The two sides express support for non-proliferation and efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

5 Dec 2025 - 10:06PM

French leader Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pictured during their trip to Dujiangyan in Sichuan. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

Ukraine faces blackout crisis after Russian missile barrage on power grids

State utility firm Centrenergo said the attacks brought the country’s capacity to generate power to ‘zero’.

9 Nov 2025 - 5:29PMvideocam

Singapore

Atomic ambitions: Singapore eyes the nuclear option for a net-zero future

The city state has released a paper on nuclear energy covering new reactor technology and high-profile accidents.

1 Nov 2025 - 12:39PMvideocam

South Korea

Doubts surface over Trump’s South Korea nuclear submarine plan

Construction of the US-built submarines is likely to run into cost and feasibility issues and nuclear proliferation worries, experts say.

30 Oct 2025 - 4:50PMvideocam

The first of South Korea’s Changbogo-III Batch-II class submersibles is unveiled at the Hanwha Ocean dockyard in Geoje, South Korea, on October 22. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

Middle East

Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on nuclear programme as deal ends

The 2015 deal signed with world powers began to fall apart years ago after the US unilaterally withdrew and reinstated sanctions.

18 Oct 2025 - 5:15PMvideocam

An Iranian Kheibar-Shekan medium-range ballistic missile is placed next to a large banner depicting Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (centre) in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on September 27. Photo: EPA

Middle East

Iran puts nuclear talks on hold as European sanctions bite

Tehran is refusing talks ‘at this stage’ as it examines the implications of the reimposed sanctions via the UN snapback mechanism.

6 Oct 2025 - 7:43PM

Indonesia

Indonesia races to contain fallout from radiation scare over food exports

Measures including health checks and tightened port inspections have been rolled out to reassure buyers Indonesian exports remain safe.

2 Oct 2025 - 5:23PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine warns of critical situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

President Zelensky says Russian shelling is preventing the restoration of power needed to cool the reactors and prevent a meltdown.

1 Oct 2025 - 4:00PM

A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in June 2023. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Iran braced for UN ‘snapback’ sanctions amid food pressures, war concerns

Iranians struggling with economic hardship say the country has never faced such a challenging time.

27 Sep 2025 - 8:08PMvideocam

Iranian women speak with a shop owner at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on Saturday. Iran’s government put overall annual inflation at 34.5 per cent in June. Photo: AFP

Middle East

UN Security Council rejects China and Russia’s bid to delay Iran sanctions

European leaders have triggered a ‘snapback’ mechanism after failing to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme following weeks of talks.

27 Sep 2025 - 4:55AMvideocam

United Nations

Calls grow for first female UN chief in 80 years: ‘let’s make history’

All nine people to hold the top job have been men, including Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whose second term ends next year.

27 Sep 2025 - 2:40AM

Israel-Iran conflict

Iran faces ‘no-win situation’ as sanctions, threat of Israeli strikes loom

Any reactivation of UN sanctions could prompt Iran to scrap inspections of its nuclear facilities and monitoring of its uranium stockpile.

24 Sep 2025 - 8:36AMvideocam

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks before departing for New York, at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, on Tuesday. Photo: Handout via Reuters

United States

Iran withdraws resolution banning attacks on nuclear sites amid US threat

Washington raised the possibility of reducing funding to the UN nuclear watchdog if the proposal was adopted.

19 Sep 2025 - 10:23AMvideocam

Middle East

Iran and UN nuclear watchdog pave way for resuming cooperation

Relations between Tehran and the IAEA had soured after the US and Israel conducted air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

10 Sep 2025 - 3:49AMvideocam

Middle East

Satellite photos raise questions about Israel’s secretive nuclear programme

Satellite images reveal intensified construction at an Israeli nuclear facility near Dimona, with experts positing about its purpose.

3 Sep 2025 - 3:14PM

A satellite photo shows the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centre near the city of Dimona, Israel, on July 5, 2025. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AP

Hong Kong society

Japan once again urges Hong Kong, Macau to lift 10-prefecture seafood ban

Japanese consulate in city says ban lacks scientific evidence as test results show no abnormalities.

30 Aug 2025 - 6:50PM

Hong Kong has banned aquatic products from Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama prefectures since August 24, 2023. Photo: Sam Tsang

Middle East

European nations trigger Iran sanctions ‘snapback’, as nuclear tensions rise

Tehran will not bow to pressure despite the launch of the 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions, a senior official responded.

29 Aug 2025 - 3:10AMvideocam

Iran

‘Snapback’ sanctions on Iran loom as IAEA chief’s concerns remain

E3 states threaten sanctions on Tehran, as IAEA chief Grossi says Iran’s cooperation with inspectors is a ‘work in progress’.

28 Aug 2025 - 4:04PM

Middle East

UN inspectors back in Iran amid nuclear programme talks, no inspection deal yet

The return, amid ongoing tensions and stalled negotiations, marks a critical step in restoring oversight after Israel’s attacks.

27 Aug 2025 - 8:28PMvideocam

A worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. Photo: AP

Japan

Contaminated Fukushima soil sent to Japanese PM’s office to ease radiation fears

The government is desperate to set people’s minds at ease about recycling the decontaminated soil that has been stored near the Fukushima plant.

19 Jul 2025 - 6:18PM

Bags of decontaminated but slightly radioactive soil, are delivered to the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Saturday. Photo: AP

Middle East

Iran open to US nuclear talks, but demands ‘assurance’ against further attacks

This demand follows last month’s Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and a US strike, complicating negotiations and reaffirming Iran’s uranium enrichment plans.

12 Jul 2025 - 11:35PMvideocam

Iran

Did the US really ‘obliterate’ Iran’s nuclear ambitions, or just UN oversight?

The whereabouts of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is now a mystery. The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it has ‘nothing’ to go on.

5 Jul 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

International Atomic Energy Agency

Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva for second round of talks with US

Talks will centre on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, as the US deploys a second aircraft carrier to the region.

Iran’s revolution anniversary marred by protests, nuclear tensions

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Vietnam’s renewed nuclear power push faces formidable hurdles

US ‘armada’ heading towards Iran as tensions remain high

USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships move from the Asia-Pacific even as Iran protests seem to dwindle.

Inside Chernobyl: Ukraine races to repair radiation shield as war drags on

While engineers scramble to patch drone damage at Chernobyl, Ukraine’s president holds ‘substantive’ talks with US envoys.

Chernobyl safety shield damaged, UN confirms. Ukraine blames Russian drones

Despite the loss of ‘confinement capability’ at the notorious nuclear plant, IAEA officials report no radiation leaks.

China and France agree to work together on nuclear issues as Macron visit ends

The two sides express support for non-proliferation and efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

Ukraine faces blackout crisis after Russian missile barrage on power grids

State utility firm Centrenergo said the attacks brought the country’s capacity to generate power to ‘zero’.

Atomic ambitions: Singapore eyes the nuclear option for a net-zero future

The city state has released a paper on nuclear energy covering new reactor technology and high-profile accidents.

Doubts surface over Trump’s South Korea nuclear submarine plan

Construction of the US-built submarines is likely to run into cost and feasibility issues and nuclear proliferation worries, experts say.

Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on nuclear programme as deal ends

The 2015 deal signed with world powers began to fall apart years ago after the US unilaterally withdrew and reinstated sanctions.

Iran puts nuclear talks on hold as European sanctions bite

Tehran is refusing talks ‘at this stage’ as it examines the implications of the reimposed sanctions via the UN snapback mechanism.

Indonesia races to contain fallout from radiation scare over food exports

Measures including health checks and tightened port inspections have been rolled out to reassure buyers Indonesian exports remain safe.

Ukraine warns of critical situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

President Zelensky says Russian shelling is preventing the restoration of power needed to cool the reactors and prevent a meltdown.

Iran braced for UN ‘snapback’ sanctions amid food pressures, war concerns

Iranians struggling with economic hardship say the country has never faced such a challenging time.

UN Security Council rejects China and Russia’s bid to delay Iran sanctions

European leaders have triggered a ‘snapback’ mechanism after failing to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme following weeks of talks.

Calls grow for first female UN chief in 80 years: ‘let’s make history’

All nine people to hold the top job have been men, including Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whose second term ends next year.

Iran faces ‘no-win situation’ as sanctions, threat of Israeli strikes loom

Any reactivation of UN sanctions could prompt Iran to scrap inspections of its nuclear facilities and monitoring of its uranium stockpile.

Iran withdraws resolution banning attacks on nuclear sites amid US threat

Washington raised the possibility of reducing funding to the UN nuclear watchdog if the proposal was adopted.

Iran and UN nuclear watchdog pave way for resuming cooperation

Relations between Tehran and the IAEA had soured after the US and Israel conducted air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Satellite photos raise questions about Israel’s secretive nuclear programme

Satellite images reveal intensified construction at an Israeli nuclear facility near Dimona, with experts positing about its purpose.

Japan once again urges Hong Kong, Macau to lift 10-prefecture seafood ban

Japanese consulate in city says ban lacks scientific evidence as test results show no abnormalities.

European nations trigger Iran sanctions ‘snapback’, as nuclear tensions rise

Tehran will not bow to pressure despite the launch of the 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions, a senior official responded.

‘Snapback’ sanctions on Iran loom as IAEA chief’s concerns remain

E3 states threaten sanctions on Tehran, as IAEA chief Grossi says Iran’s cooperation with inspectors is a ‘work in progress’.

UN inspectors back in Iran amid nuclear programme talks, no inspection deal yet

The return, amid ongoing tensions and stalled negotiations, marks a critical step in restoring oversight after Israel’s attacks.

Contaminated Fukushima soil sent to Japanese PM’s office to ease radiation fears

The government is desperate to set people’s minds at ease about recycling the decontaminated soil that has been stored near the Fukushima plant.

Iran open to US nuclear talks, but demands ‘assurance’ against further attacks

This demand follows last month’s Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and a US strike, complicating negotiations and reaffirming Iran’s uranium enrichment plans.

Did the US really ‘obliterate’ Iran’s nuclear ambitions, or just UN oversight?

The whereabouts of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is now a mystery. The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it has ‘nothing’ to go on.

Opinion | Vietnam’s renewed nuclear power push faces formidable hurdles