The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a controversial law on nuclear imports, paving the way for the imports of thousands of tonnes of spent fuel to Russia.

The nuclear waste legislation won parliamentary backing last month.

Proponents of the law argue that Russia could earn billions of dollars importing the spent nuclear fuel for storage and re-processing.

Critics say Russia's patchy nuclear safety record and rampant corruption cast doubt on its ability to handle spent fuel safely.

At the same time, Mr Putin sent a draft law to parliament, proposing that such imports be subject to approval by a special new commission to be chaired by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Zhores Alferov.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service