Main News of January 15

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* A possible deal between Russia and Iran securing an oil-for-goods swap could generate sanctions against parties involved in such an agreement, a White House spokesman said

* The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has no plans to replace NATO as a guarantor of security in Afghanistan following the planned withdrawal of the military alliance’s contingent from the war-torn country this year, Russia’s envoy to the SCO said

* Kyrgyzstan has recalled its ambassador to Tajikistan following a border skirmish on Saturday, Kyrgyz media reported

* Ukrainian prosecutors said they have launched a new criminal case against the lawyer of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko over claims he unlawfully imprisoned his ex-wife

RUSSIA

* Foreign investors deliberately bankrupted defense firms in the 1990s and Russia must act to prevent a recurrence, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee said

* The United States has infiltrated Russian military networks under a program that uses radio frequencies to spy on computers not connected to the Internet, The New York Times reported

* An International Olympic Committee member who alleged massive theft at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in Russia should be taken to court over the comments, a leading Russian official said

* Police have arrested a Moscow businessman accused of helping to embezzle over 55 million rubles ($1.65 million) during the renovation of Russia’s most famous museum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Interior Ministry said

BUSINESS

* The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it had cut investment in new projects in Russia in 2013 due to the country’s declining attractiveness to private foreign and domestic investors

* Russia is suffering from stagflation, a combination of stagnant economic growth and a high rate of inflation, the first deputy chairwoman of Russia’s Central Bank said

* Azerbaijan has cut off gas supplies to Russia for technical reasons, Russia’s state-run gas monopoly Gazprom said, and it is unknown when deliveries will resume