Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant hit in drone attack: IAEA

"It was reported that the unit was operating at the time, but its operating mode did not change and there was no fire," said the IAEA in a social media post on Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated on Friday that it had been informed that the cooling tower of a reactor unit of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the Russian Federation was hit by a drone early on Thursday.

"It was reported that the unit was operating at the time, but its operating mode did not change and there was no fire," said the IAEA in a social media post on Friday.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted that "all attacks on nuclear facilities are unacceptable", while calling for "maximum military restraint to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident." Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Friday that a Ukrainian drone crashed and exploded on the cooling tower of Unit 1 of Phase II of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, causing "minor damage." The unit is continuing to operate at 100 percent power.

The safe operation of the nuclear power plant is guaranteed, and radiation levels around the plant remain within the normal range, said Rosatom.

China's foreign trade in yuan-denominated terms expanded 18.8 percent year on year in the first three quarters of this year, official data showed on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Wang Jun, deputy head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said China's trade in goods imports and exports totaled 39.94 trillion yuan (about 6 trillion U.S.

"According to customs statistics, in the first three quarters of this year, China's trade in goods imports and exports totaled 39.94 trillion yuan, up 18.8 percent year on year.

Among them, exports rose 16.4 percent to 23.2 trillion yuan over the period, while imports climbed 22.3 percent to 16.74 trillion yuan.

On a monthly basis, growth remained in double digits for six consecutive months.

In September alone, goods trade climbed 27.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.16 trillion yuan, exceeding 5 trillion yuan for the first time," said Wang.

"In the first three quarters, China's equipment manufacturing sector played a prominent leading role, contributing nearly 90 percent of the growth in exports.

Intermediary goods accounted for more than half of total export value, effectively serving as an anchor for global industrial and supply chains.

Exports moved toward greater intelligence and green development, with integrated circuit exports growing 99.1 percent, while green products such as electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind turbine generator sets and their parts grew 72.3 percent, 36.4 percent, and 22.4 percent, respectively," he said.

On the import side, growth has exceeded 20 percent for seven consecutive months since March, a run that culminated in September with monthly imports topping 2 trillion yuan for the first time.

Imports grew 5.9 percentage points faster than exports in the first nine months, outpacing exports in trade with more than 110 countries and regions, promoting more balanced trade development, according to the customs data.

"In the first three quarters, the growth rate of foreign trade was the fastest for the same period in nearly five years, with both quarterly and monthly growth rates generally showing an accelerating trend.

The driving forces and vitality of China's foreign trade development have continued to accumulate and strengthen, demonstrating notable resilience, and there is a solid foundation and support for continued import and export growth in the fourth quarter," Wang said.