jointly
explore and develop oil and gas reserves under the sea in the Arctic. More from our economics correspondent Andrew Walker.
The two companies are planning to put a total of over $3bn into exploration of the Arctic Ocean and the Black Sea. Rosneft gets access to Exxon Mobil's expertise and capital; the US company extends its position in Russia, which is widely seen as a key location for future oil and gas production. The Arctic elements in the agreement replaced the deal between Rosneft and BP that failed earlier this year over a dispute with the British company's other Russian partner.
The authorities in Sudan have denied allegations by international human rights groups that they are continuing aerial bombardments of civilians in the province of South Kordofan. Human rights researchers said they saw Sudanese planes bombing what appeared to be civilian areas. James Copnall reports from South Sudan.
A spokesman for President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress Party has categorically denied the Sudanese armed forces are breaking their own ceasefire in Southern Kordofan. Ibrahim Ghandour accused the rebels of continuing the fighting, saying the government troops were acting in self-defence. He rejected reports that the Sudanese armed forces were
indiscriminately
bombing civilians or stopping the flow of humanitarian aid to people in need. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say they have documented air attacks that killed at least 26 civilians in Southern Kordofan before the ceasefire.