Russia and the United States have not been able to agree on a common approach to fighting Islamic State, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, after his second meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in recent days.

• August 5, 2015

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday Greece is close to concluding a deal with lenders on a multi billion euro bailout, which he said would end doubts over the country's presence in the euro zone.

• August 5, 2015

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that Beijing had halted land reclamation in the South China Sea, and called on countries in the region to speed up talks on how claimant states should conduct themselves in the disputed waters.

• August 5, 2015

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
By Dr Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas and Lecturer in Energy Politics at the European University of St Petersburg

• Gazprom and the EU: Stockholm Arbitration Institute completes oral hearing in Gazprom-Lithuania case; Polish state-owned PGNiG gains controlling stake in EuroPolGaz, operator of the Yamal-Europe pipeline in Poland, leaving Gazprom with minority stake; Greek Energy minister announces €2bn pipe dream project with Russia
• Nord Stream: Gazprom courts BASF and ENGIE (formerly GDF Suez) for Nord Stream II
• Turkish Stream: the Turkish government grants permission for Gazprom to conduct engineering surveys in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, but Gazprom and Botaş yet to reach agreement on gas price discount; Russia and Greece sign Memorandum on extension to Turkish Stream in Greece
• Ukraine: Naftogaz maintains suspension of gas imports from Russia; Gazprom softens its tone on gas transit via Ukraine after 2019; Gazprom remains locked in transit contracts with Slovakia and Bulgaria, regardless of its transit contract with Naftogaz
• Belarus: Gazprom to invest $2-2.5bn in Belarusian gas infrastructure by 2020; Gas transit via Belarus reached 11.1 bcm in Q1 2015 – exactly the same as in Q1 2014
• Asia: Gazprom turns to South Korean expertise for floating LNG terminal in Kaliningrad, and continues to promote its planned Baltic LNG terminal as a source of small-scale deliveries to Kaliningrad
• Other: Turkmenistan Oil and Gas Ministry criticises Gazprom for accruing debts for Turkmen gas in 2015; Gazprom’s gas production in H1 2015 falls 13 percent year-on-year

• August 5, 2015

Russia said on Tuesday it has resubmitted a claim to the United Nations for some 1.2 million square km of the Arctic shelf, a drive to secure more of the mineral-rich region where other countries have rival territorial interests.

• August 4, 2015

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with officials from allies Iran and Russia that are expected to focus on efforts to end the civil war in his country.

• August 4, 2015

lobal crude prices advanced from multi-month lows on Tuesday, helped by a stock market rally in No. 2 oil consumer China, but abundant supply and a weak demand outlook make crude's rebound unlikely to hold, traders and analysts said.

• August 4, 2015

Few parts of the world will remain unscathed by the plunging stock markets and economic slowdown rocking China, but the companies of Europe's soft underbelly may weather it best.

• August 3, 2015