Talks between Iran and six world powers on its disputed nuclear program failed to produce a breakthrough on Thursday, in an apparent diplomatic setback for both sides.

The six wanted a freeze on Iranian production of uranium enriched to 20 percent purity, which is considered a short step from bomb grade. The Iranians wanted an easing of the onerous economic sanctions imposed by the West and recognition of what they call their right to enrich.

New species of native succulent plants appear to have been discovered at the site of a planned uranium mine in Western Australia, the state's independent environment watchdog says.

Environmental Protection Authority chairman Paul Vogel said it appeared new species of tecticornia were present at Toro Energy's Wiluna uranium project in the Mid-West region.

Toro Energy won a recommendation from a state agency on Monday to build what would be Western Australia's first uranium mine.

The West Australian Environmental Protection Authority said the environmental impact of Toro's proposal had been meticulously examined.

Toro, 39 percent owned by OZ Minerals, has been looking to make a final decision on its Wiluna project by the end of 2012, and aiming to make its first uranium sales in 2014, assuming it can line up funding for the project.

North Korea has resumed construction of a nuclear reactor that can be used to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program, an American-based institute said Thursday, citing the latest satellite imagery of the building site.

In November, North Korea reported brisk progress in the building of a small light water reactor in its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, its capital. If completed and operational, the plant would give North Korea a new source of spent nuclear fuel from which plutonium, a fuel for nuclear weapons, can be extracted.

Australia’s uranium supply to India will be demand based once the approvals for the yellow cake exports to New Delhi are finalised, the Energy Minister Mr Martin Ferguson has said.

“It (uranium supply) will be demand based. The supply once approved for exports will be of a commercial nature between the Australian uranium and mining industry and potential customers in India,” Mr Ferguson told PTI.

Asked when the uranium exports will begin, Mr Ferguson said “We don’t put a timeframe. This is about a negotiation of a product between Australia and India.”

Extends exemption from basic customs duty & CVD indefinitely, to give relief to hard-pressed industry

The Finance Bill passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday, to give effect to the Union Budget proposals, has removed the 2014 time bar it had earlier proposed on the duty exemption for thermal coal. In its earlier Budget proposals, the finance ministry sought to exempt thermal coal (also called steam coal, and used in thermal power generation) from the basic customs duty of five per cent and the concessional countervailing duty of one per cent till March 31, 2014.

No timeframe or deadline could be set for Australia to start uranium exports to India. But Australia's decision to export to India is firmly in place, despite opposition in some quarters, and both nations are discussing the issue to seal a deal, Australia's Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said on Monday.

“There are some groups, including the Green Party, which are opposed to the sale of uranium to India. The [ruling] Labor Party and the present government have decided to allow uranium exports to India only for peaceful use and generation of clean energy.

A team of nearly 2,000 Indian and Russian engineers are working round-the-clock to commission the Koodankulam nuclear project’s first 1,000 MWe reactor unit in a tightly compressed time schedule of slightly over a month. The final inspection of the equipment at the first unit is in advanced stages and the process of obtaining clearances from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India (AERB) for fuel loading is underway.

The first unit of the Kundankulam nuclear power project is expected to start generating electricity in the next 40 days, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr V. Narayanasamy, said today.

He said the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) officials were at the Kudankulam project site and inspecting the plant.

“The first reactor of 1,000 MW will be operational within 40 days from today,” Mr Narayanasamy told reporters here.