Main News of July 24

Roundup of what has happened over the past 24 hours

WORLD

*At least 30 militants were killed and 40 were arrested on Tuesday during a special operation in eastern Tajikistan against a mafia-style group believed to be linked to the murder of a top Tajik security official, Tajik’s Interior Ministry and the National Security Committee said in a statement

*Moscow expects Syrian authorities to strictly comply with its obligations under the ban on chemical weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

*Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi has appointed Hesham Qandil, a former water resources minister, as Prime Minister and tasked him with forming a new government

RUSSIA

*A group of Russian senators presented on Tuesday a report to the Federation Council on reforming the law on weapons, and suggested legalizing possession of short-stemmed arms for self-defense and other lawful purposes

*Russia is preparing for a possible economic meltdown in the wake of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and the slowing of global economic growth, and is drafting several crisis budget scenarios to cater for low oil prices, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Lavrov said

*The Russian arms ship at the center of a diplomatic row between Russia and the West is loading up with a new unknown cargo at the St. Petersburg port

*The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning on Tuesday advising Russian nationals to refrain from traveling to Syria

SPORTS

*CSKA Moscow is looking for a replacement for Andrei Kirilenko after the former Utah Jazz forward declared his intention to return to the NBA, CSKA president Andrei Vatutin told R-Sport

*The transfer window for Russian football’s top flight will close four days earlier than expected, Russian Premier League sports director Igor Meshchanchuk said

*Russia's weightlifters will end their eight-year wait for an Olympic gold medal in London, 2011 European champion Vladislav Lukanin told R-Sport