MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday that it wanted the United States to clarify recent remarks by US President Donald Trump about the possible resumption of nuclear testing, given that such a step would trigger serious responses from other countries.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the comments at a news briefing in Moscow.
Trump last week ordered the US military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after a halt of 33 years. But it was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to nuclear-explosive testing, which would be carried out by the National Nuclear Security Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles.
Given the lack of clarity around US plans, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed top officials to prepare proposals for Russia to carry out its own potential nuclear test in response to any US test.
Moscow has not carried out a nuclear test since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia and the US possess the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.
Russia says it wants the US to clarify its nuclear testing intentions after Trump remarks
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Russia says it wants the US to clarify its nuclear testing intentions after Trump remarks
- Trump last week ordered the US military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after a halt of 33 years
Fire kills 12 in south China residential building: state media
BEIJING: A fire that broke out in a residential building in southern China killed 12 people, state media reported Wednesday.
The blaze at the four-story building in Shantou, Guangdong province, erupted around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, and was extinguished just after 10:00 pm, the local fire department said in a statement.
It comes after a huge blaze last month engulfed several high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong, neighboring Guangdong, killing 160 people.
“The building on fire was a four-story self-built reinforced concrete structure,” the Chaonan District Fire and Rescue Team said, adding that the blaze had affected an area of 150 square meters (1,600 square feet).
“Investigations into the cause of the fire and aftermath handling work are being conducted in an orderly manner,” it said.
Initial reports on Wednesday morning had said eight were killed, with four injured taken to hospital.
State media outlet Xinhua later said a total of 12 people had been killed.
The deaths come after China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings following the Hong Kong blaze last month.
