WORLD NEWS May 30: Russia says Mr. Putin has ‘no illness’; Israel: ‘Iran can no longer be left alone’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – Photo: REUTERS

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed rumors that President Vladimir Putin was sick while answering TV stations TF1 of France on May 29. According to Lavrov, there is no ordinary person to say that the Russian president is showing signs of illness and those who spread rumors should examine their conscience.

The Russian diplomat also confirmed that Mr. Putin appeared in public almost every day, showing that his health was still good.

* In a statement on May 29, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett implicitly confirmed that Israel was behind the assassination of a colonel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last week. In the statement, Mr. Bennett stressed that Iran will pay the price for sponsoring terrorism and inciting attacks retail targeting Jews worldwide. “The safe period for Iran is over,” Mr. Bennett said.

Last week, Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodai of Iran, who Israel accused of planning attacks on Jews around the world, was shot dead in his car by two unknown gunmen. Tehran authorities accused Tel Aviv of being behind the incident and vowed revenge.

* According to a World Health Organization (WHO) assessment published on May 29, monkeypox currently poses a “moderate risk” to general public health at the global level. Earlier, WHO said that there were many cases recorded in countries without endemic pathogens.

According to WHO, the risk to public health only increases when the disease spreads to high-risk groups such as children and immunosuppressed people. Monkeypox is mainly spread through close contact, so it can be prevented by keeping a distance and cleaning often, according to AFP.

* The number of new fever cases recorded in a day in North Korea has surpassed 100,000 after a few days below this threshold, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 30. Specifically, as of 6pm on May 29, the country recorded 100,710 cases of fever and 1 new death.

The number of new fever cases recorded daily in North Korea is currently on a downward trend with the highest recorded day being more than 392,000 cases on May 15.

Also on May 29, KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired a meeting of the North’s Politburo and assessed the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic under control across the country.

The KCNA report also hinted that there is a possibility that Pyongyang will relax epidemic prevention measures as the situation continues to improve, according to Yonhap News Agency.

North Korean medical staff take samples to test for COVID-19 – Yonhap screenshot

* European Union (EU) diplomats are racing against time to find a consensus regarding the Russian oil ban. According to Reuters news agency, the problem is that some Central European members oppose the ban and ask to be classified as an exception to continue buying oil from Russia.

A senior EU diplomat said “there are still too many details to work out” and was not optimistic that the EU would reach a consensus before the leaders of the bloc gathered in Brussels on the afternoon of 30. -5 for a 2-day summit.

* According to an announcement by the German Finance Ministry on May 29, a coalition of ruling parties and some opposition parties have reached an agreement on lifting restrictions on the use of a defense fund of more than 100 billion euros.

This amount will be divided equally over the coming years, helping German defense spending increased to more than 50 billion euros. This would help Germany achieve its NATO commitment of at least 2% of GDP on military spending. According to Reuters, the release of this fund is Berlin’s response to the regional security situation.

Palestinians clash with Israeli forces near Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa shrine on the West Bank on May 29 – Photo: REUTERS

* A series of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians occurred over the weekend as more than 25,000 Jews carried their flags through Jerusalem’s old town, which is home to many Muslim Palestinians.

The event takes place every year, but there are always potential risks of conflict and tension because of historical issues. At least 62 people were injured in the clashes, and about 50 were arrested after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued a police directive to “zero tolerance” for racist behavior, according to Israeli authorities.