Briefly

RUSSIA

Putin vows action on states' nuclear tests

Moscow would be forced to take action in response to nuclear tests conducted by other countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "Back in my 2023 address to both houses of parliament, I noted that if the United States or other state parties to the relevant treaty carried out such tests, Russia would accordingly have to take proportionate responsive measures," Putin said. He instructed Russia's foreign and defense ministries and other relevant departments to submit proposals on the possibility of preparing for nuclear weapons tests.

UNITED STATES

'Black boxes' found at UPS plane crash site

The US federal safety investigators have located the "black box "recorders from the wreckage of the UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff from the airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 12 people, officials said on Wednesday. Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, also confirmed that a large "plume of fire "erupted around the plane's left wing and that one of its three engines detached from that wing as the wide-body jet was rolling down the runway. The 34-year-old MD-11 freighter was bound for Honolulu with three crew members aboard when it crashed.

ECUADOR

60-day emergency declared in 7 regions

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a new 60-day state of emergency in five coastal provinces and three municipalities in the central provinces of Cotopaxi and Bolivar, to quell "grave internal unrest" sparked by extreme violence from organized crime. The decree, signed Tuesday and effective Wednesday, allows security forces to enter and search homes without a warrant and suspends the right to private communication and correspondence in the provinces of Manabi, Guayas, Santa Elena, Los Rios and El Oro, all located in the coastal region.

Agencies - Xinhua