Nuclear Energy

The United States and the United Arab Emirates have hammered out a nuclear cooperation deal that would bring U.S. atomic technology and know-how to a site less than a hundred miles from Iran's shores, an envoy from the Persian Gulf monarchy confirmed Monday to state media. The deal, if implemented, would be the first of its kind involving the U.S. and an Arab country, experts said.

When President-elect Barack Obama introduced James L. Jones Jr. as his national security advisor Monday, he emphasized the retired Marine general's understanding of "the connection between energy and national security." Obama sees that as a plus, but some environmental groups and global warming activists view Jones' environmental record with suspicion. Jones will not be responsible for environmental policy, but he has said energy is a vital national security issue.

The House voted overwhelmingly to approve a landmark pact that would allow the U.S. to provide nuclear materials to India. The deal still faces obstacles in the Senate, making prospects uncertain for passage before President Bush leaves office in January. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a supporter, promised a Senate vote on the accord this week, possibly Monday. The House approved the measure 298-117 without debate in an unusual Saturday session, held as lawmakers deal with the financial crisis and wrap up the year's business.

An Iranian trade delegation announced an agreement Thursday for Iran to share peaceful nuclear technology with Nigeria to help bolster its woeful capacity to generate electricity. Officials of both countries emphasized that the agreement involved only peaceful uses of atomic energy. Iran is under sanctions for refusing to comply with U.N. Security Council demands to halt uranium enrichment until it allays Western suspicions that its nuclear program is intended to develop atomic weapons.

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., reprimanded a scientist who has been accused of falsifying claims that he produced nuclear fusion in tabletop experiments. Rusi Taleyarkhan published a paper in the journal Science in 2002 claiming that he had produced nuclear fusion, long sought as an energy source, by making tiny bubbles collapse in a liquid. A university panel did not investigate the Science paper, which was published when Taleyarkhan was a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, but said he misled the scientific community by claiming his findings had been independently replicated.

As steam billowed out of two giant hourglass towers in the distance, John McCain visibly stepped up his support Tuesday for nuclear power, an embattled industry that he argues must be part of America's energy future. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee toured the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant, a 1,100-megawatt boiling water reactor on the shores of Lake Erie. The site seemed an odd choice for a campaign event intended to promote the safety of nuclear power.

Despite the launch of its third special inspection in a year at Southern California Edison Co.'s San Onofre nuclear plant, federal regulators Thursday night assured the public that the coastal power plant is safe. About 100 residents and officials from nearby communities came to hear the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual report on the plant, located near San Clemente.

The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard said the government might shut down vital oil lanes through the Persian Gulf if the country were attacked by the United States or Israel, according to a newspaper report Saturday. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that if there were any confrontation over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran would try to damage Western economies by targeting oil.

Parrying Sen. Barack Obama's attacks on Sen. John McCain's energy proposals in recent days, the McCain campaign has begun to invoke a little cinematic history, labeling Obama the "Dr. No" of energy. Dr. No, for those not up on their James Bond villains, was 007's antagonist in the 1962 film of the same name, the first in the Bond series. But he may be an odd choice if the McCain camp wants to portray Obama as a naysayer on energy innovation. In his own way, Dr.