In Brief: Russia, China natural gas sale not yet complete

SHANGHAI – President Vladimir Putin met Tuesday with China’s president in a diplomatic boost for the isolated Russian leader, but the two sides had yet to agree on a widely anticipated multibillion-dollar natural gas sale.

Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of a two-day meeting on Asian security with leaders from Iran and Central Asia. The Russian leader is hoping to extend his country’s dealings with Asia and diversify markets for its gas, which now goes mostly to Europe.

Russia has been negotiating for more than a decade on a proposed 30-year deal to supply gas to China. Officials said they hoped to complete work in time to sign a contract while Putin is in Shanghai. But Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Tuesday it wasn’t finalized.

“Significant progress has been reached on gas, but there are issues that need to be finalized regarding the price,” Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. He said a contract could be signed “at any moment.”

Six officers killed in Taliban attack

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan official said a Taliban attack on several police checkpoints in the country’s northeast has killed six officers.

Gen. Fazeluddin Ayar, the police chief in Badakhshan province, said today that a large group of Taliban fighters attacked in Yamgan district.

He said the fighting started late Tuesday and was still going on. The police have sent reinforcement to the site. Ayar said that along with the six officers, five insurgents have also been killed in the gunbattle.