A Madrid court has agreed to hold a behind-closed-doors trial of a former Spanish intelligence officer accused of selling classified information to Russia, a Spanish newspaper said.
On Christmas Eve, the oil arm of Russian energy giant, Gazprom Neft, initialed a contract with the Iraqi government to develop the Badra oilfield in the south of the country. On December 29, Russia"s second-largest crude producer by output, LUKoil, will sign a framework agreement with the Iraqi Oil Ministry on the development of Iraq"s largest oilfield, West Qurna 2.
Moscow and Washington could resume talks on a new U.S.-Russian strategic arms reduction treaty by the end of January, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday.