The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said the decision to suspend some licences was taken after considering the impact of the damage in the exclusion zone resulting from the Russian military occupation of the area.

Six countries have entered into a partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency to increase education and professional development opportunities for students and aspiring professionals in international and national nuclear law. IAEA-supported programmes on nuclear law will be held at universities in Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Jamaica, South Africa and the UAE.

The meeting came as the International Atomic Energy Agency continues efforts to get its inspectors access to the Zaporozhe nuclear power plant. In other developments, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has suspended some licences at Chernobyl, as a result of the recent occupation.

The largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine - and Europe - has switched to producing electricity for its own use after damage to external power lines, Ukrainian power company Energoatom said. It comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency continues efforts to get access for its inspectors.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told the Associated Press, his organisation needs access to Europe's largest nuclear power plant for safety inspections and to help carry out necessary repairs.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team led by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is at Chernobyl to deliver equipment requested by Ukraine, check radiation levels and restore safeguards and monitoring systems at the site. The visit comes 36 years after the 1986 accident.

A mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency will arrive at the Chernobyl site this week to assist Ukrainian managers returning it to routine operation after a month of occupation by Russian forces.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the re-establishment of direct phone communication between the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine and Chernobyl was an "important step in the process of resuming Ukraine's regulatory control of the site".

Slovenia is continuously working to further strengthen its mature nuclear and radiation safety framework, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission team recommended the government should consider allotting sufficient funding and human resources to the country's nuclear regulators to guarantee their sustained independence and performance.

The first staff rotation at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant in three weeks and only the second since late February when Russian forces seized the site has been carried out. The workers were transported by boat as the plant remains inaccessible by road.