Kazakhstan halts Russian missile tests

Kazakhstan said on Friday it had suspended rocket and missile tests by Russia at military testing sites rented by Moscow on Kazakh territory after a Russian rocket crashed near a village. A meteorological rocket of the MN-300 type was launched from the Kapustin Yar testing site in Russia early on Thursday, Kazakhstan's Defence Ministry said, but exploded near the village of Shungai in the West Kazakhstan Region. No casualties or serious damage were reported, the ministry said. It quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as blaming the incident on a failure of the rocket's engine system which prevented it reaching a targeted testing ground in Kazakhstan, according to Reuters.