ANOTHER LITTLE FRENCH EXPLOSION

Thumbing its nose at near-unanimous international condemnation, France set off a third nuclear blast beneath the Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia about 6 p.m. ET. "This test was necessary to guarantee in the future the security and reliability of our arms," the French Defense Ministry said in a statement. French President Jacques Chirac has promised to sign a global test ban treaty, but only after all eight planned tests have occurred.