The EU signed a major political deal yesterday to import Azeri natural gas and help curb Europe's reliance on Russia, its traditional main supplier.

• January 17, 2011

On a visit to Azerbaijan yesterday (13 January), European Commission President José Manuel Barroso signed a deal expected to bring ten billion cubic metres of gas each year to Europe, promising in return "visa facilitation" for Azeri nationals.

• January 17, 2011

A Joint Declaration on Southern Gas Corridor signed by the European Commission and Azerbaijan provides a firm political basis for gas supply from Azerbaijan, the official statement of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International says.

• January 17, 2011

• January 17, 2011

Recent reports in the Russian news media have detailed plans by the U.S. to provide the Mikheil Saakashvili government in Georgia with tens of millions of dollars worth of anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons.

• January 15, 2011

By quietly building up its stash of high-tech weaponry, China is threatening US military supremacy in the Pacific, worrying its neighbours and contributing to a renewed arms race in Asia, analysts say.

• January 15, 2011

At a meeting with the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Ashgabat, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov described the construction of a pipeline under the Caspian Sea as the "most attractive" way to deliver Turkmen gas to Europe.

• January 15, 2011

South Korea and Japan have held their first talks on creating unprecedented agreements to share military intelligence and equipment. It is something the United States has encouraged because of recent attacks blamed on North Korea and Pyongyang’s continuing nuclear threat. But both Seoul and Tokyo may find it necessary to move cautiously because of historical legacies and concern about how Beijing will react.

• January 14, 2011