CHINA

Even as nuclear powers the world over observed a moratorium on nuclear tests, China tested its first mobile intercontinental ballistic missile -- capable of hitting targets in Asia, Russia and even parts of the US -- in a bid to fortify its missile programme.

The solid-fuel 3-stage missile, known as Dongfeng-31, has an estimated range of 8,000 km. It can carry a single nuclear warhead 20 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan. Tested in China's Xinjiang region, the missile can be launched from converted lorries and trains. It is expected to be operational in another 2 years' time.