New Delhi, Nov 10 : A well-known Russian fashion designer, Vyacheslav Zaitsev who showcased his traditional Russian dresses at the Indo-Russian cultural exchange program here, has expressed a desire to launch an Indian line of clothing soon.

Zaitsev, said the young generation is a source of inspiration for him.

"I hope that the collaboration that I am trying to work out with Indian designer will help us to start a new venture. We are negotiating. I think we will create a new range of line for the Indian audience. I think my dresses have an international look and are acceptable in many countries," said Zaitsev.

Moscow - Investigators said deadly freon gas killed 20 people on a Russian nuclear-powered submarine Sunday when the fire safety system accidentally kicked in during a sea trial in the Sea of Japan.

It was unclear what activated the fire-extinguishing system and the military has launched further investigations, a spokesman for Russia's top investigatory committee, Sergei Markin, was quoted by news agencies as saying.

The system is designed to discharge the Freon gas coolant, which kills instantly, as the most serious of three safety methods to fight fires aboard.

Moscow/Warsaw/Washington - The office of Barack Obama Saturday said the president-elect has no commitment to building a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe.

The statement from Denis McDonough, Obama's senior foreign policy adviser, came as Russia and Poland jockeyed for attention from the administration-in-waiting over the disputed defence system that Poland and Czech Republic have approved.

India may import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to satisfy growing demand of energy in the country. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora said on Friday that Indian oil and gas companies must involve in Russian oil and gas fields.

Mr. Deora recently visited Russia and discussed various issues with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 5. He asked the PM for two million tonnes of LNG per year from Russia's Sakhalin LNG project. He also raised the issue of stake in big-ticket Sakhalin-3 oil and gas field in the meeting with the Russian PM.

Moscow  - At least 20 sailors and civilians were killed on board a Russian nuclear submarine in an accident apparently caused by a defect in the fire suppression system, a military spokesman said early Sunday.

The accident occurred in a submarine belonging to Russia's Pacific fleet with 208 people on board, Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said, according to the Interfax agency.

The official said the submarine was not damaged in the accident and no radioactivity was released. There was also no measured rise in radioactivity.

President Dmitri Medvedev was informed about the accident.

At the time of the accident, there were 208 people including 81 sailors on board. The dead included sailors and shipyard workers.

Brussels - Lithuania and Poland should bow to the majority of European Union member states and approve the immediate relaunch of talks on a strategic deal with Russia, despite their own security concerns, top EU officials warned Friday.

The decision to restart talks "may not be 100 per cent what your feelings are, but it's better for you to be together with all the other (EU) states in expressing a view rather than having some countries making agreements with Russia and others not," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.