Main News of August 15

WORLD

* The U.S. State Department has once again blamed Russia for hindering the situation in Syria

* The Ukrainian authorities offered to release opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko for a $7-billion “ransom,” Oleh Rybachuk, former presidential chief of staff, was quoted by the Kommentarii news portal as saying

* Ukraine is to extradite a second suspect to Russia on suspiction of involvement in an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin, the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's office said

* Moscow slammed EU pressure on Belarus, reiterating its support for the former Soviet republic

* About 130 convicts held on treason charges have been released in Iran on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Fars News Agency reported

RUSSIA

* Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the country’s Olympic gold medalists with state honors at the Kremlin and defended Russia’s performance in London

* The fourth regiment armed with S-400 Triumf air defense systems will be officially put on combat duty in Russia’s Far East on Thursday, a spokesman for the Eastern Military District said 

* Russians are being invited to have their fingerprints taken voluntarily, following a new decree issued by the Interior Ministry, the state-run Rossiskaya Gazeta newspaper reported

BUSINESS

* A consortium led by U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil has won a tender to develop a huge gas field off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, gazeta.ru reported citing Environment and Natural Resources Minister Eduard Stavitsky

* O1 Properties investment company has bought the Silver City Class-A multi-purpose business center in downtown Moscow from Evans Randall for $333 million, the firm said

* Interpol has issued a red notice for former Bank of Moscow chief Andrei Borodin and his deputy Dmitry Akulinin, according to the organization’s Web site