US Senate panel approves nuclear treaty with Russia

A treaty between Russia and the United States which would cut by a third the number of nuclear warheads each country can hold has been passed by an influential committee of the US Senate.

The Senate foreign relations committee adopted the treaty by a vote of 14-4.

US President Barack Obama has made ratification of the Start treaty one of his foreign policy priorities.

The treaty is likely to face stiff opposition from Republicans when it goes to a vote in the full Senate.

President Obama appealed to both Democrats and Republicans to support the Strategic Arms Reduction (Start) treaty.

BBC News