Main News of May 31

WORLD

* Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambayev declared a state of emergency in a district in the north of the country after protests at the nation’s biggest gold mine turned into violent riots, with dozens injured

* President Bashar Assad has said that Syria “will respond in kind” to any future Israeli airstrike on its territory and expressed confidence in the victory over the foes of the Syrian state

* Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev urged Ukraine to take further steps toward joining the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

RUSSIA

* Russian President Vladimir Putin described as “satisfactory” the results of this week’s snap check of the Aerospace Defense Forces, after hearing that nine out of 11 missiles were intercepted during the drills

*The Syrian authorities want to revive a contract to purchase MiG-29M/M2 fighter jets from Russia in light of the upcoming expiration of an EU embargo on arms sales to Syria, representatives of aircraft maker MiG said

* Police detained 14 people, including radical opposition leader Eduard Limonov, during an unsanctioned rally at a traditional Strategy-31 protest rally in Moscow’s Triumfalnaya Square

* The meteorite that blew up over Russia’s Urals in mid-February, leaving 1,500 injured, came as a striking reminder of how vulnerable we are on our small, blue planet. It was suddenly palpably clear that we have no way of preventing celestial bodies from slamming into Earth. The way out just might be to hit dangerous asteroids with other asteroids, Russian scientists say.