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Thursday, February 18, 2010 WASHINGTON: The US would maintain a minimum nuclear deterrent while working towards the goal of achieving a nuke-free world, a top Obama administration official on nuclear disarmament has said. "This administration will work toward a world without nuclear weapons and we will continue to maintain a safe, secure, and effective deterrent as we proceed toward that goal," Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, said. Addressing to the Second Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Virginia, Tauscher said there is nothing contradictory about decreasing the size and role of nuclear weapons and increasing their confidence in the deterrent. "Our growing knowledge of the reliability of our stockpile, through our stewardship efforts, enables us to safely continue reducing the number of weapons that are the legacy of the Cold War," she said. "Too many weapons of that era remain even though the Soviet Union no

Thursday, February 18, 2010 SINGAPORE: An earthquake of magnitude6.7 hit near the China-Russia border on Thursday, but its epicentre was extremely deep and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake, which occurred at 0113 GMT, was centered midway between the Russian city of Vladivostok and Chongjin, North Korea's third largest city. It struck at a depth of 563 km (350miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put the coordinates at42.7 north and 130.9 east. It said there was no danger of a tsunami.

Thursday, February 18, 2010 BAGHDAD: A suicide car bomb exploded Thursday outside the gate the main government compound in the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, killing at least 12 people, including four police, a security official said. The attacker blew up his explosive-packed car outside the gate of a compound housing the governor's office, police headquarters and courts, the security official said.The blast also wounded at least 20 people.

Thursday, February 18, 2010 BIHAR: At least 11 villagers were killed and a dozen abducted by Maoist insurgents in eastern India's Bihar state on Thursday. Police said the raid by the Maoists in south Bihar's Jamui district, about 175 km (110 miles) south of state capital Patna, took the locals and police by surprise. "So far we have recovered 11 bodies," Uday Shankar Dutta, a senior police officer, told foreign news agency. At least 20 villagers were wounded. The rebels also set fire to 35 houses and some villagers could have burned alive, Dutta said. "We are looking for more bodies."