BAKU, Azerbaijan (AFP) — Russian gas giant Gazprom clinched a deal Monday to buy natural gas from ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, as Moscow seeks to extend its grip on potential European energy supplies in the resource-rich Caspian Sea.

The agreement was signed by Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller and Azerbaijani national energy company chief Rovnag Abdullayev in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

"I think that we will be able to take this work further, in view of greater opportunities and greater volumes, which will be increased," Medvedev told journalists in Baku.

So it begins....

Iraqi oil for China if they support sanctions on N Korea

But only one contract was agreed to on Tuesday. That went to a pairing of BP and the China National Petroleum Corporation for the largest field on offer: Rumaila, near the southern city of Basra, which has proven reserves of 17 billion barrels. Once the bid is accepted by the oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, Parliament must issue final approval.

WASHINGTON (AFP) — China has given its word to the United States that it is "deeply committed" to implementing tough new nuclear sanctions against North Korea, a senior US official said Friday.

The official also said that as part of the effort to put a straitjacket on Pyongyang after its latest nuclear test and missile launches, Washington had set up an inter-agency team to coordinate the sanctions with other nations.

"They are certainly saying quite strenuously that they are deeply committed to full implementation of the provisions that are in the resolution," the senior administration official said, referring to China.

China says North Korea a "serious concern"

BEIJING (Reuters) - China shares the region's "serious concerns" about a nuclear North Korea and urged all parties to keep negotiating, a senior Chinese military officer said Wednesday after talks with Pentagon officials.

Lieutenant-General Ma Xiaotian did not announce any new measures against Pyongyang, but said Beijing was concerned about North Korea, which staged a second nuclear test on May 25, prompting new U.N. sanctions.

"For the regional security of northeast Asia, the North Korean nuclear issue is not only a serious concern for the United States and neighboring South Korea a

Lieutenant-General Ma Xiaotian did not announce any new measures against Pyongyang, but said Beijing was concerned about North Korea, which staged a second nuclear test on May 25, prompting new U.N. sanctions.

US provides missiles to South Korea

The United States will supply South Korea with 40 surface-to-air missiles to enhance its military might against threats originating from the North amid growing tensions in the region.

Quoting military sources, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday that the Defense Ministry would obtain the missiles for an Aegis destroyer in July.

Meanwhile, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-Hee claimed Tuesday in a parliamentary hearing that Pyongyang was secretly enriching uranium to advance its nuclear program.