Sri Lankan cabinet approves civil nuclear deal with US

The cabinet has given its approval to form a team to study a proposal seeking technical assistance from the United States in handling nuclear and other radioactive material that are used in civilian applications, according to a report.The US Department of Energy (DOE) under its global threat reduction initiative programme has initiated a collaborative project with the Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) to provide Sri Lanka with the necessary technical assistance to facilitate physical protection instruments where high radioactivity sources are used, the report quoted the government as saying in an announcement.According to an earlier report, Sri Lanka was planning to set up a nuclear regulatory body to monitor radiation in case of an emergency due its close proximity to the atomic reactors in India’s southern states.