The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, today halted the flow of Russian gas across his territory to Europe and lambasted Moscow for suggesting that he had tried to pay his country's gas bill using "pies, butter and cheese".

• June 23, 2010

Ukraine can transport more Russian natural gas bound for European costumers if a gas row with Belarus causes supply disruptions, the state energy company said.

• June 23, 2010

A German citizen arrested near a militant stronghold in Pakistan appears to be affiliated to terrorism. A Taliban spokesman called him "our comrade", and local security officials say he was linked to al Qaeda.

• June 23, 2010

RIA Novosti reported that Russia gas monopoly Gazprom is likely to replace Bulgaria with Romania in the South Stream pipeline network since Bulgaria halted the other two joint energy projects with Russia.

• June 22, 2010

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the state-controlled gas monopoly Monday to cut gas supplies to ex-Soviet neighbor Belarus over its debt for Russian natural gas supplies.

• June 22, 2010

Israel asks the UN to suspend plans for an international inquiry into an Israeli raid on a ship trying to break the Gaza blockade.

• June 22, 2010

At the end of the last EU–Russia Summit in Rostov-on-Don, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy uttered an ambitious statement. Announcing Europe’s readiness to be a partner in Russia’s modernization, he noted “With Russia we don’t need a reset. We want a fast-forward.”

• June 21, 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has vowed to crush Kurdish rebels after attacks killed 11 Turkish soldiers. Clashes between the two sides have escalated sharply.

• June 21, 2010