Ukraine exported just over 2 million metric tons of grain in December, of which about 1.6 million metric tons (63 million bushels) was corn, according to U.S. Grains Council sources. The leading corn importers were Egypt, 252,000 tons; Spain, 350,000 tons; and Iran, 160,000 tons. Egypt, Tunisia and Spain took most of Ukraine's wheat shipments.

• January 27, 2012

Pakistan and India said to have on Wednesday they were now closer to an agreement on pipeline to import gas from Turkmenistan, warming of economic ties between two countries.

• January 26, 2012

KAZINFORM Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov said Wednesday that seeking a new expanded partnership agreement with the European Union is a priority for Kazakhstan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

• January 26, 2012

India and Pakistan say they are moving closer to an agreement on a pipeline to import Turkmen gas through Afghanistan.
Indian Oil Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, speaking after meeting in New Delhi with his Pakistani counterpart, said there had been “considerable progress in our talks."

• January 26, 2012

Belarus, Kazakhstan and Mongolia all added to their gold reserves in the final month of 2011, with purchases by the trio totaling more than 320,000 troy ounces of bullion, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund.

• January 25, 2012

Tightening sanctions and Iran’s reactions have become a race against time. Every day brings a new event as the competition between the US and Iran plays out on a global level.

• January 25, 2012

Countries without natural borders are like amoebas. Over centuries, they expand and contract, expand and contract.As the Western world wonders why Russia has such a nuanced policy toward Iran’s nuclear program, it is important to skip back over four centuries of history.

• January 24, 2012

The decision by European Union foreign ministers to stop taking deliveries of crude oil from Iran might well represent a momentous change and a blow to Tehran.

• January 23, 2012