Iraq has signed a tentative deal with Iran to import natural gas to ease its electricity woes, an official said Monday, in a step that deepens economic ties with Tehran as U.S. troops prepare to leave at the end of the year.

• May 23, 2011

Kazakhstan is ready to invest in the Central Asian countries together with the EBRD, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said

• May 21, 2011

Ukrtransnafta has launched pumping Azeri Light oil through the Odessa-Brody pipeline in the designed averse direction for the refineries in the West Ukraine, UNIAN reported with reference to the Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Ministry.

• May 21, 2011

The fourth China-Japan-ROK (Republic of Korea) Leaders Meeting is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Tokyo. The event is expected to lay a foundation for deepening trilateral cooperation after the March 11 Japanese quake and improving China-Japan relations.

• May 21, 2011

Prime Minister Karim Masimov said Thursday he intends to nominate Kazakhstan National Bank Chairman Grigory Marchenko to lead the International Monetary Fund

• May 20, 2011

Russia said Thursday its cash-strapped neighbour Belarus will have to wait at least until next month before it receives a bailout loan to help fill its cash-starved state coffers.

• May 20, 2011

The president of Tepco, which operates Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, has resigned as the firm reported a loss of 1.25tn yen ($15.3bn; £9.4bn) for the past financial year.

• May 20, 2011

The United States insisted Wednesday that plans to stage missile defences in Europe does not pose a threat to Russia, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to quit a key nuclear arms reduction agreement.

• May 19, 2011