Russian FM Lavrov hospitalised after arrival in Bali for G20 Summit; country denies reports
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a health condition, authorities said on Monday. According to Indonesian officials, Lavrov was taken to hospital after he arrived in Bali for the Group of 20 Summit.
Three Indonesian government and medical officials said the Russian diplomat was being treated on the resort island for a heart condition.
They said he was taken to Sanglah Hospital in the provincial capital, Denpasar.
However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday denied the media reports of taking Lavrov to hospital and called it the "height of fakery".
"This, of course, is the height of fakery," he said.
Zakharova also posted a video of Lavrov sitting outdoors on a patio, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and reading documents.
G20 summit casts spotlight on Bali’s tourism revival
Dozens of world leaders and other dignitaries are traveling to the Indonesian island for the G-20 Summit, drawing a welcome spotlight on the revival of the tropical destination’s vital tourism sector.
Tourism is the main source of income on this idyllic “island of the gods,” which is renowned for its tropical beaches, terraced rice paddies, mystical temples and colorful spiritual offerings.
The pandemic hit Bali harder than most places in Indonesia.
Before the pandemic, 6.2 million foreigners arrived in Bali each year.
Its lively tourism scene — fueled by hard-partying clubgoers, chilled surfers and spiritual bliss-seekers alike — faded after the first case of COVID-19 was found in Indonesia in March 2020.
Restaurants and resorts shut and many workers returned to their villages to try to get by.
The island is home to more than 4 million people, who are mainly Hindu in the mostly Muslim archipelago nation.
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