Main news of August 28

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

 

* Iran is withdrawing its assets from Europe as a precaution against a possible EU decision to freeze them, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran said

* Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said there will not be another gas crisis or disruption of gas supplies to EU

* Taliban fighters launched an attack on a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan, the regional police chief said

* The Czech government decided to close the embassies in Congo, Venezuela, Kenya, Yemen and Costa Rica as part of the Foreign Ministry's budget saving plan, the CTK news agency reported

* Washington and Moscow should resolve between themselves the case of suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Thai prime minister said

 

RUSSIA

 

* Russia stands by its international obligations and has no plans to stop an arms deal with Syria, a Kremlin aide said

* All Russian manned space fights will be launched from the Vostochny Space Center in the country’s Far East from 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said

* Four Moscow police officers were detained in the west of the capital on suspicion of kidnapping, a police spokesperson said

 

BUSINESS

 

* Poland's Kulczyk Holdings has signed a deal with Belarusian energy company Bielenergo for the construction of a coal power plant, worth 1.5 billion euros, the Polish Radio External Service reported

* Ukraine plans to increase coal production to 90 million tons a year by 2015, President Viktor Yanukovych said

* Ukrainian-Russian trade turnover increased 70% over the past six months, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said

* The National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC) and a Chinese consortium are about to finalize a deal whereby China will invest some $1 billion in petrochemical projects in Iran, the Mehr news agency reported