Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Slovak PM Robert Fico fights for life after assassination attempt
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 16 - 05 - 2024

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot in a small town northeast of Bratislava.
On Wednesday evening Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said Fico had been in surgery for over three hours and that the situation was "bad".
Slovak politicians including the president have called the shooting an "attack on democracy".
The alleged assailant was detained at the scene but has not yet been formally identified by the authorities.
The attack happened at about 14:30 (12:30 GMT) in Handlova, about 180km (112 miles) from the capital Bratislava, as Fico greeted people in front of a cultural community center where a government meeting had been held.
Footage showed a man raising a gun and firing five times at the prime minister before being subdued by bodyguards while other members of Fico's security detail took the prime minister into his car.
He was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital before being flown to another hospital in Banska Bystrica, east of Handlova.
Later on Wednesday Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC's Newshour programme he believed Fico's procedure in hospital had gone well.
"I guess in the end he will survive," Taraba said, adding: "He's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment."
At a press conference on Wednesday, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Fico had been shot in the stomach.
"Initial information clearly points to political motivation," he added.
Unconfirmed local media reports said the suspect was a 71-year-old writer and political activist.
A video being widely circulated on Slovak media purports to feature the suspect.
In the footage, the man says he disagrees with government policy and its stance towards state media. The BBC does not know if the person in the video is the perpetrator who was detained at the scene nor the circumstances under which it was filmed.
Slovakia's outgoing president Zuzana Caputova said something "so serious had happened that we can't even realize it yet".
"The hateful rhetoric we witness in society leads to hateful acts," she added.
Kalinak and Estok blamed the spread of hate speech on social media for the shooting and urged citizens not to "respond to hate with hate".
Estok accused the media of contributing to the climate that led to Fico's shooting, telling a press conference: "Many of you were those who were sowing this hatred."
He added that protection would be provided to constitutional officials as well as other groups who could be subject to similar attacks, including journalists and public figures.
Fico, 59, returned to power in Slovakia after elections last September, at the head of a populist-nationalist coalition.
His first few months as prime minister have proved highly contentious politically. In January he halted military aid to Ukraine and last month pushed through plans to abolish public broadcaster RTVS.
Thousands of Slovaks have protested against the proposed reform of the public broadcaster in recent weeks. However, a planned opposition-led demonstration was called off on Wednesday as news of the shooting emerged.
Parliament was sitting at the time of the attack and Slovak media reported that a party colleague of Fico's shouted at opposition MPs, accusing them of stoking the attack.
President-elect Peter Pellegrini, who is a political ally of Fico's, said he was horrified to hear of the attack and also blamed the shooting on recent political divisions.
Describing the attack as an "unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy" he said people did not have to agree on everything, but there were ways to express disagreement democratically and legally.
World leaders have also condemned the attack on Fico. US President Joe Biden condemned the "horrific act of violence" and said the US embassy was in "close touch" with the Slovakian government and was "ready to assist".
Russian President Vladimir Putin said there could "be no justification for this monstrous crime". European Council President Charles Michel said "nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks". — BBCH


Clic here to read the story from its source.