Red Cross warns of 'growing' risk of nuclear weapons, urges ban

The Red Cross called Friday for a total ban on nuclear weapons, warning of the growing risk that such arms could again be used with devastating effect.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising nuclear threat facing the world.

In a joint statement, they said some nuclear-armed states were straying from their "long-standing nuclear disarmament obligations" and were "upgrading their arsenals, developing new kinds of nuclear weapons and making them easier to use."

The notonukes.org campaign comes after the United States and Russia ripped up a key arms control treaty, with US President Donald Trump announcing last week that Washington was beginning a process to withdraw from the Cold War-era agreement in six months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly followed suit, saying Moscow was leaving the treaty and would begin work on new ...