China Conducted Nuclear Tests A Week After Galwan Clash In 2020: US

China conducted secret nuclear explosive tests using a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring, US Under Secretary of State Thomas G DiNanno said.

China conducted one such yield producing nuclear test on June 22, 2020, DiNanno said.

This would have been just a week after the Galwan face-off happened, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action while defending the nation. Over 30 Chinese soldiers were killed, according to intelligence reports.

"China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designated yields in the hundreds of tons... China has used decoupling - a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring - to hide its activities from the world. China conducted one such yield producing nuclear test on June 22, 2020," the US official said in a post on X.

The US official highlighted the need for a new architecture "that addresses the threats of today, not those of a bygone era."

DiNanno in posts on X explained the build-up to the nuclear explosive test by China, and how dangerous that is for the world.

"New START was signed in 2010 and its limits on warheads and launchers are no longer relevant in 2026 when one nuclear power is expanding its arsenal at a scale and pace not seen in over half a century and another continues to maintain and develop a vast range of nuclear systems unconstrained by New START's terms," the official said, referring to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, designed to significantly reduce deployed strategic nuclear warheads.

"... Almost all of the US deployed nuclear forces were subject to New START while only a fraction of Russia's much larger stockpile was... exactly zero Chinese nuclear weapons were covered by New START," the US official said.

China, no longer constrained by the political-military circumstances of 2010 and the treaty they yielded and in response to the destabilising behavior of these other countries, the United States can now finally take steps to strengthen deterrence on behalf of the American people and our allies, the Under Secretary of State said.

"This confluence of factors - serial Russian violations, growth of worldwide stockpiles, and flaws in New START's design and implementation - gives the United States a clear imperative to call for a new architecture that addresses the threats of today, not those of a bygone era," the official said.

New START was signed in 2010 and its limits on warheads and launchers are no longer relevant in 2026 when one nuclear power is expanding its arsenal at a scale and pace not seen in over half a century and another continues to maintain and develop a vast range of nuclear systems...

— Under Secretary of State Thomas G. DiNanno (@UnderSecT) February 6, 2026

Trump's Allegations

US President Donald Trump had already hinted at similar accusations late last year, but without providing the same level of detail. Trump said on October 31 that Washington would start testing nuclear weapons "on an equal basis" with Moscow and Beijing, but without elaborating or explaining what kind of nuclear testing he wanted to resume.

DiNanno's comments came as he was presenting a new US plan calling for three-way talks with Russia and China to set new limits on nuclear weapons, after the expiration of New START -- the last treaty between top nuclear powers Washington and Moscow, which expired on Thursday.

China has already rejected joining disarmament negotiations "at this stage".

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/MWToUl5

"Who Are You To Question Me": Gujarat Class 12 Student Slaps Teacher

A mild reprimand for arriving late for a Class 12 preliminary test triggered an outburst of anger in a student who allegedly slapped the woman invigilator, for "daring" to question his behaviour in Panchmahal district.

Later, the student returned to the premises of the school with his father and a group of people, and allegedly threatened to harm the teacher who lives alone, police said.

Amid an outrage after CCTV footage of the January 24 slapping incident went viral, police paraded the accused in public, an official said.

Police Inspector Ankur Chaudhary, however, said the police "reconstructed" the crime to understand the sequence of events, leading to the incident which occurred on January 24 at S.J. Dave High School in Shehra town, Panchmahal district. An FIR was registered on February 3. The 18-year-old was subsequently arrested and produced in a court, which released him on bail on Friday, said Chaudhary.

Police said the student, identified as Mohammed Khan Ansari, reported late for the second preliminary test for class 12 on January 24. When the female invigilator questioned the reason, he allegedly retorted, saying, "No one asks me anything at home, so who are you to question me? He slapped the teacher on her cheek, pushed her, and fled the classroom.

The incident was captured on a CCTV camera, police said, adding that the father of the accused apologised to the teacher and the in-charge principal, Vipul Pathak, on the same day.

However, on January 27, the student returned to the school premises along with his father and a group of 15 to 20 people. He allegedly told the teacher that she lived alone in the town and threatened to harm her, police said.

The accused claimed he had visited the school with his companions to apologise to the teacher and the school staff.

Further investigation is being conducted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/wZ1nJuC

Sub-Contractor Knew Delhi Biker Fell Into Ditch, Did Nothing To Help: Cops

A sub-contractor has been arrested after a biker fell to his death in a pool-sized pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in Janakpuri, officials said Saturday. 

A probe revealed that the sub-contractor, Rajesh Prajapati, was allegedly alerted about the accident hours before police received information about it, but he failed to take any action, officials said.

Twenty five-year-old Kamal Dhyani, a resident of Kailashpuri and an employee of a private bank, was returning home late Thursday night from his workplace in Rohini when he fell into the deep pit and died. His body, along with his motorcycle, was found inside the ditch the next morning.

A family passing through the area the previous night had noticed that the victim had fallen into the pit. They immediately alerted a security guard deployed at the site. 

The security guard informed a junior staff member the same night, stating that a person had fallen into the pit, police said.

The junior staff member then called Prajapati at around 12.22 am and asked him to reach the spot. Prajapati subsequently arrived at the site and saw a motorcycle and the man inside the pit but he didn't inform anyone and went back home, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said Prajapati knew that someone had fallen into the pit, hours before the matter came to the police's notice.

Call detail records showed that Prajapati was informed about the incident at around 12:22 am, following which he reached the spot within 15-20 minutes, the police said.

However, Prajapati neither informed the police nor any emergency authority at that time. Information about the incident reached police only the next morning around 8 am, Bhaskar said.

Kamal's twin brother, Karan Dhyani, said the family had visited several police stations, including Dabri, Vikas Puri and Sagarpur, while searching for him during the night but received no assistance.

"It has been more than 24 hours since my brother's death, and the police are still saying they are looking for cameras," Karan said, alleging negligence on the part of the DJB.

He further claimed that there were no warning boards, reflectors or barricades at the time the pit was dug.

A 20-foot-deep pit without proper barricading led to Kamal Dhyani's death, the lawyer representing the victim's family said on Saturday, alleging "complete carelessness" by the Delhi Jal Board and delays by police in collecting crucial evidence, including CCTV footage.

"The pit was not covered properly, nor was any barricading placed around it to warn commuters," the victim's lawyer said, adding that potholes were present across the Janakpuri area.

"The Delhi Jal Board showed complete carelessness," the lawyer added. 

On Friday, the Delhi government suspended three Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials -- an executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer. 

The same day, an FIR was registered at Janakpuri police station under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the contractor and concerned DJB officials.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/GQ9qPiW

In Wargame Simulation, Russia Invades A European Country. Then This Happens

European governments are stepping up military planning amid rising fears that Russia may move against NATO or European Union countries sooner than expected. Europe may not be fully prepared to respond to such a threat, a recent wargame has revealed.

The Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, are considered key risk areas. 

The wargame, held in December by Germany's Die Welt newspaper and the German Wargaming Center at Helmut Schmidt University, simulated a Russian incursion into Lithuania in October 2026.

It involved former senior German and NATO officials, lawmakers, and security experts. Wargames are designed to identify gaps, risks, and possible outcomes without real fighting.

In the simulation, Russia used a claimed humanitarian crisis in its Kaliningrad exclave to justify taking over the Lithuanian city of Marijampole, a transport hub near the borders of Poland and Belarus. The narrative created enough uncertainty for the United States to avoid invoking NATO's Article 5.

The article says - if one NATO member is attacked, it is considered an attack on all members. Each member must take action to help defend the attacked country.

Germany hesitated in the exercise. Poland mobilised its forces but did not cross into Lithuania. A German brigade already deployed in Lithuania failed to intervene after Russian drones laid mines on roads leading from its base.

Marijampole, a town of about 35,000 people, is at an important road crossroads. It links the Via Baltica highway to Poland with the road from Belarus to Russia's Kaliningrad region. Lithuania has to keep this road open for Russian traffic under a treaty, which makes the town strategically important.

European defence officials say the risk of a Russian move has increased due to tensions with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, Greenland, trade, and wider transatlantic issues.

Russia has also shifted to a war-driven economy. They have sharply increased weapons production, military recruitment and defence spending. Officials say this expansion goes well beyond the immediate needs of the war in Ukraine. They believe Russia is building the capacity to challenge NATO directly, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Earlier assessments in Berlin and other European capitals held that Russia would not be able to threaten NATO before 2029. That timeline is now under review. Many officials believe Russia could act much sooner, possibly before Europe completes its ongoing defence buildup.

“Our assessment is that Russia will be able to move large amounts of troops within one year,” the Netherlands Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in an interview. “We see that they are already increasing their strategic inventories, and are expanding their presence and assets along the NATO borders.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of restoring Russia's historic power. This raises concerns in countries that were once under Russian control. All three Baltic nations have been NATO and EU members for about two decades.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has also increased hybrid attacks across Europe. In Poland, authorities have investigated several infrastructure-related incidents. In Ukraine, Russian strikes have repeatedly damaged the power grid, forcing civilians to adapt, especially during winter months.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/N3y5P8Z