Jakarta - At least four people were killed, nearly 60 others wounded and more than 1,500 buildings were damaged after a powerful undersea earthquake struck off the Indonesia's North Sulawesi early Monday, officials said.

The 7.7-magnitude quake struck at 1:02 am (1702 GMT Sunday) with its epicenter in the sea about 138 kilometres north-west of Gorontalo on North Sulawesi, about 1,950 kilometres north-east of Jakarta. It occurred about 10 kilometres beneath the seabed.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Indonesia's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) briefly issued a tsunami warning, but the alert was canceled after no tidal waves materialized, an official said.

London, Nov 17 : British Science Minister Lord Drayson claims that he has a power "like a sixth sense”, which enables him to foretell some events even before they occur.

The multi-millionaire businessman and Labour donor also said that he believed in God, and thought that faith and science were compatible.

"In my life there have been some things I have known, and I don''t know why. I think there is a lot we don''t understand about human capability," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Amsterdam - Dutch electronics company Philips confirmed Monday it had stopped production of electric razors for six weeks, the Dutch ANP news agency reported.

A spokesman for the Eindhoven-based manufacturer of electronic equipment emphasized it was a "regular measure" always taken in the last months of the year to minimize Philips' remaining stock and resulting storage expenses.

However, the company also confirmed the stop had begun earlier than in other years. But it refused to say whether this was due to reduced demand.

Athens - Age seems to have become a problem for Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero, whose impressive form was not enough to grant him a spot in Marcello Lippi's squad as the world champions Wednesday visit Greece for a friendly in Athens.

Lippi decided to leave home the 34-year-old striker despite the three memorable goals he scored as Juve beat giants Real Madrid in two Champions League games.

For Del Piero's millions of fans worldwide, however, it may be hard to criticize Lippi for preferring other players to an icon who will be almost 36 in 2010, when the Azzurri are set to defend their World Cup title in South Africa.

Colombo  – Government troops captured key rebel-held areas in northern Sri Lanka on Monday as security forces intensified ground and airstrikes after taking control of a strategic coastal town in the region, military officials said.

Troops controlled of a strategic junction on a main highway to the northern part of the country Monday and a coastal village in the north- eastern side of the country, the army said.

Brussels - The European Commission and China agreed Monday to beef up controls on potentially dangerous Chinese products and foods exported to the European Union.

The deal follows a major scandal involving contaminated milk powder that left at least four infants dead and 53,000 others hospitalized in China.

China will now be obliged to inform the European Union about what it is doing to track down dangerous goods.

In return, Chinese officials will be given access to the EU's Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food (RASFF), where controlling authorities can exchange information about what measures are being taken to ensure food safety.