S P O T L I G H T

100 feared killed in China blast
BEIJING, Sept 9 (AFP) — A “catastrophic explosion” occurred this evening in suburban Urumgi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region to the west of China, with casualties of about 100 persons, the state press reported. The Xinhua news agency said the China’s Ministry of Security which announced the explosion, did not give the number of people killed. A vehicle carrying explosives which were planned to be destroyed suddenly blew up, the report said.

Russia to slash troop strengths
MOSCOW, Sept 8 (AFP) — Russia said today that it would slash troop strengths by 30 per cent over three years as part of a radical shake-up of its creaking military ordered by President Vladimir Putin. Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev said Russia would axe 3,50,000 men from its 1.2 million-strong armed forces by 2003, reducing the heir to the Red Army to a fraction of the 4 million men under arms at the height of the Cold War. “Decisions to that effect have been made and proposals are being prepared for the President on how to proceed,” Sergeyev told the Interfax.