Main news of June 30

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

RUSSIA

* Russia's refusal to deliver S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran means Tehran could turn to China as its main arms supplier, depriving Moscow of a serious source of revenue, a Russian daily suggested

* Russia has exported $5.3 billion worth of weapons-related production in the first six months of 2010, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his hopes for the development of cooperation between government, business and non-commercial organizations for charity purposes

* A suicide bomber blew himself up in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, injuring five police officers and two women, Chechen investigators said

* Russia is technologically prepared to introduce a visa-free regime with European Union, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said

* Russia continues to send Britain extradition requests for Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev, regardless of constant refusals from London, the head of Interpol's office in Russia said

* The United Nations cultural watchdog plans to request the Russian government to protect Lake Baikal from pollution, a UNESCO official said

* The lower house of the Russian parliament passed in the second reading a bill to ban drink-driving outright

* A Russian man has admitted being guilty of distributing leaflets calling for the return of Russia's northern borderlands to Finland, prosecutors said

WORLD

* Russia backs the initiative of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to launch an international probe into the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Russia to use its contacts with the Palestinian Hamas movement to secure the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, The Jelrusalem Post and Ha'aretz reported

* The international community has left open the possibility for Iran to resume diplomatic talks on its nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

* Belarus's parliament ratified the customs code for the country's Customs Union with Russia and Kazakhstan, two sources in the parliament said

* Russia and Ukraine do not have any fundamental contradictions anymore, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said

* Leaders of Kyrgyz political parties called for parliamentary elections in October during a meeting with Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Omurbek Tekebayev

* The Moldovan parliament did not approve a proposal by the country's Communist Party to dismiss the parliament speaker over his controversial decree on creating Soviet Occupation Day

BUSINESS

* Russian state-run gas monopoly Gazprom has acknowledged its $32 million gas transit debt to Minsk, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said

* Russian aircraft manufacturing companies are capable of penetrating global markets despite tough competition, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said

* The improvement of Russian-Ukrainian relations will cause a flow of Russian investment to Ukraine's economy, Russia's Sberbank chairman German Gref said

* Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, plans to develop its network in Ukraine and become the market leader there, bank Chairman German Gref said

* German engineering giant Siemens AG is planning a major expansion of its cooperation with Russian Railways (RZD) in the nearest future, Siemens' chief executive officer said