Nuclear Materials

U.N. inspectors find traces of uranium at second Syrian site

U.N. inspectors probing allegations of a clandestine nuclear program in Syria have discovered traces of uranium at a second location, fueling concerns among nuclear experts that the country was secretly planning to build nuclear weapons.

June 6, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
Confidential U.S. nuclear info posted online

The U.S. Government Printing Office inadvertently published a highly sensitive but unclassified draft declaration to the International Atomic Energy Agency, disclosing addresses and specifications of U.S.

June 2, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
U.S. government ignites controversy over NIF laser fusion

The U.S. Department of Energy celebrated the completion of the world's largest laser at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), housed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

May 31, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
What do changes in Pakistan's nuclear program mean?

A recent Washington Post article reported Pakistan’s construction of a facility to produce plutonium, rather than uranium, for its nuclear arsenal. The Ploughshares-funded

May 28, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
US nuclear accord with a Persian Gulf state raises concerns about proliferation

May 26, 2009 - By Ploughshares Fund
Nuclear cleanup awards questioned

The Energy Department is releasing more than $6 billion in stimulus money for contractors, including many that have been cited for serious safety violations and costly mistakes, to clean up nuclear sites. The cleanup program, long plagued by cost overruns and

May 18, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
Obama's word breaks ice in Geneva arms talks

President Obama's use of the word “verifiable” in his April 5 Prague speech injected new hope into disarmament talks, putting the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament on a pos

May 16, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
Japan, Russia nuclear energy deal not welcomed by all

Japan and Russia’s recent nuclear energy pact raises environmental and proliferation concerns.

May 14, 2009 - By Sarah Brown
Nuclear Experts Offer Draft Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty

A panel of nuclear experts yesterday presented a proposed version of a long-awaited international treaty to ban the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons. President Barack Obama said last month that establishing a cutoff treaty would be one of the "concrete steps toward a world wit

May 12, 2009 - By Deborah Bain
Pakistan Expanding its Nuclear Capability

Pakistan is building two of the developing world’s largest plutonium production reactors, which experts say could lead to improvements in the quantity and quality of the country’s nuclear arsenal, now estimated at 60 to 80 weapons. David Albright

May 12, 2009 - By Deborah Bain