Main News of July 28

Roundup of what has happened over the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba

* Russia is not satisfied with the existing draft of the proposed Arms Trade Treaty and urges the international community to continue the work on the text of the document, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

* Tajikistan has closed all crossing points on the border with Afghanistan amid a controversial armed conflict in the east of the republic

RUSSIA

* Russia will not participate in the EU sanctions against Syria and will not allow the inspection of ships sailing under its flag, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said:

- Russia has no plans to provide a safe haven in exile for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

- Russia has no plans to build a military base in Cuba

- Russian state and government officials will continue visiting the disputed Kuril Islands

* The Kremlin said it has not yet received a letter from opposition blogger Alexei Navalny in which he accuses Russia’s chief investigator Alexander Bastrykin of fraud and being a “foreign agent.”

SPORTS

* Russian judoka Arsen Galstyan won his country's first Olympic gold medal in London, beating Japan's Hiroaki Hiraoka in the 60-kilogram final