robert fico certainly is a friend. robert fico certainly is a friend of him.attitudes. and they share an affinity for vladimir putin. robert fico is seen as someone close to russia. he fought this election by saying i don't want is giving in more arms to ukraine. that would certainly have made him some enemies, i would have thought. some people very angry when he said that. , ,., some people very angry when he said that. , . _, some people very angry when he said that. , . u, ., that. there is so much coming in all ofthe that. there is so much coming in all of the time- — that. there is so much coming in all of the time. line _ that. there is so much coming in all of the time. line by _ that. there is so much coming in all of the time. line by line, _ that. there is so much coming in all of the time. line by line, image - that. there is so much coming in all of the time. line by line, image by| of the time. line by line, image by image. let's go back to the freelance journalist based in bratislava. in terms of the information that you are human, the latest, ju

and robert fico is a dominating figure - robert fico is a dominating figure in slovak politics.inisterfour in slovak politics. he has been prime minister four times. in slovak politics. he has been prime ministerfour times. he won the last elections, parliamentary elections in september, on a very emotional populist campaign throughout which he tried to dial up emotions on many issues, calling on the frustrations of the society and he also felt obliged to go closer to the people while in the office as prime minister so he was doing this, government session in small towns around the country. and this was one of them. where the attack took place, it is a mining town in central slovakia. normally one of the bastions of support of his party but we need to learn more. we need to wait for more information about the motives and i think it is super important how the political class, as such, will react to it, if these terrible incidents, terrible assassination attempt, which is probably what it was, would be another sort of fire on polarisation.— another sort of fire on olarisation. . ,

a speedy recovery. and wish robert fico a speedy recove . , and wish robert fico a speedy recoveryhe _ recovery. they were talking about her being probably the saddest i her being probably the saddest moment in 31 years of democracy. that is correct. it's also one of the most horrific attacks on an eu leader in recent history. [30 the most horrific attacks on an eu leader in recent history.— the most horrific attacks on an eu leader in recent history. do we know an hinu leader in recent history. do we know anything more _ leader in recent history. do we know anything more about _ leader in recent history. do we know anything more about the _ leader in recent history. do we know anything more about the alleged - anything more about the alleged attacker? this anything more about the alleged attacker? �* , . . , �* anything more about the alleged attacker? a . �* . attacker? as far as i'm concerned, i don't think— attacker? as far as i'm concerned, i don't think that — attacker? as far as i'm concerned, i don't think that the _ attacker? as far as i'm concerned, i don't think that the

i suspect that may take _ condition of robert fico.t may take a — condition of robert fico. i suspect that may take a wild _ condition of robert fico. i suspect that may take a wild to _ condition of robert fico. i suspect that may take a wild to get - condition of robert fico. i suspect that may take a wild to get in - that may take a wild to get in update if one assumes perhaps he's in surgery as we're speaking. —— may take a while. we await to get information from hospital officials. we mentioned politics because absolutely we've had a sense of the last few hours as we talk to various politicians and those who know slovakia and politics well and they all point to the way that society politics has become so deeply divided they are.— politics has become so deeply divided they are. very polarised indeed here _ divided they are. very polarised indeed here in _ divided they are. very polarised indeed here in slovakia. - divided they are. very polarised indeed here in slovakia. robert| divided they are. very polarised - indeed here in slo

how well do you - yourself know robert fico? well, he is my political— yourself know robert fico?is my political opponent, _ yourself know robert fico? well, he is my political opponent, i _ yourself know robert fico? well, he is my political opponent, i know- yourself know robert fico? well, he is my political opponent, i know him personally through meetings we had, several political debates, so, yeah, definitely we know each other�*s personally, we have met several times over the years, i know him as a person, but he is my political opponent so it's not like we would be on the same side. i opponent so it's not like we would be on the same side.— opponent so it's not like we would be on the same side. i know across euro e, be on the same side. i know across eur0pe. and _ be on the same side. i know across eur0pe. and i— be on the same side. i know across europe, and i went _ be on the same side. i know across europe, and i went through - be on the same side. i know across europe, and i went through the - europe, and i went through the reaction there has been from 70 different eur

politicians like robert fico are viktor 0rban, they are like a master tacticians. her field. trying to block one issue to get gains in anotherfield. we have seen viktor 0rban doing that for instance with that european union aid to ukraine, he was blocking it in return for benefits for hungary. so this is really the type of leaders that we are talking about. but the same is also true for nato, there will be a nato summit injuly in washington. forany will be a nato summit injuly in washington. for any decisions made at nato also there unanimity is needed. we haven't seen particularly slovakia or hungary actually blocking decisions but we do see that decisions are sometimes taken longer to achieve, it takes longer to have this unanimity. in the end, this is a plus for the kremlin. you said in the — this is a plus for the kremlin. you said in the last _ this is a plus for the kremlin. you said in the last hour— this is a plus for the kremlin. you said in the last hour when you are talking about polarisation and division you could be talking about united states, presumab

robert fico has been _ the prime minister himself.ter himself. robert fico has been a towering figure in i fico has been a towering figure in slovakia. it's a relatively young country, born in 1993, when czechoslovakia split up. in that time, robert fico has been prime minister several times. always a controversial figure. minister several times. always a controversialfigure. he started on the left on the communist party at one point. he was then considered much more conservative all the way through populist figure. he stood against immigration for example, and he's made a really clear difference with other politicians by saying he does not want more weapons to go to ukraine. forthat does not want more weapons to go to ukraine. for that reason, does not want more weapons to go to ukraine. forthat reason, robert fico became a majorfigure in the european scene. politicians around european scene. politicians around europe may not have worried too much, suddenly very worried by robert fico, both himself and what he represented that others

robert fico was shotin to save his life. public. he was bundled away into the back of his car into a helicopter at one point, into this medical facility there that we are seeing, and we are waiting. as soon as we get any update on that, of course we will bring that to you. plenty more coverage here and on the bbc news app coverage here and on the bbc news app and on the website. this is bbc news. we will be back in slovakia as and when we do get an update. here in the uk we will look at some the days other news. taylor swift's eras tour is set to give a staggering cash injection to the uk's economy. the tour is expected to boost uk spending by almost £1 billion this year with more than 1 million fans gearing up to see the pop sensation perform live. new data from barclays suggests that fans are expected to spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation and outfits. it said the average amount spent on an eras tour ticket was £206, with 14% of fans spending more than £400 on perks, including vip packages and exclus

you are here is bbc news, the details of robert fico shot at an eventin details of robert fico shot at an event in a small town, i want to take you through some of the pictures from the scene from the immediate aftermath of the shooting. this is a man arrested at the scene, moments after shots were fired at the prime minister. we will put the still images on the screen in a moment or two, but let me take you through what we think actually happen, because as the prime minister was at this function, it's a small town, we have heard he was trying to meet people, speak to people, and these are the pictures. this is the moment, it mustjust be a few seconds, you see on being scooped up, the prime minister, he's already been hit by three, four, may be five bullets, put into a car, it whisks away as he is put into hospital, some confusion as to which hospital, some confusion as to which hospital in the end he was taken to. initially it was reported that there were non—life—threatening injuries, and that has changed over the last half hour with a number of sources reporting that he is a life—th

prime minister robert fico. a physical attack on the prime minister is first of all an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. a country very much in shock today. one person i spoke to said this sort of thing simply doesn't happen here. i would like to thank all those emergency services and the doctors at the hospital who at this moment are still fighting for life of the prime minister. slovakia's prime minister remains in a life—threatening condition after being shot five times. robert fico was bundled into a car and airlifted to a hospital nearby. the attacker, reportedly a 71—year—old man, has been detained. the motive is said to be political. we'll get reaction from bratislava, and we will discuss what it means 3 weeks from european elections. good evening. in the last hour doctors treating the slovakian prime minister robert fico, said he is still undergoing surgery and is in a critical condition. slovakia has always been known as a country of people who are tolerant, people who are accep

minister robert fico with a wound to the abdomen.nt bringing out some of the sun. this is a weather front still bringing some outbreaks of rain. it's also quite misty and murky close to some north sea coasts of north—east england and eastern scotland. but we do have some sunshine to speak of. parts of wales, southern counties of england, just the odd shower here. also quite a lot of sunshine across northern ireland, again with one or two showers. and in northern scotland, the sunniest spot seeing highs of 2a or 25 degrees. so where you've got blue skies overhead, yes, it does feel quite warm out there now. through this evening and tonight, our weather front continues to bring some splashes of rain. it will also stay quite misty and murky for some north sea coasts, some clear skies which may well fill in with some patches of mist and fog, slightly cooler than the last couple of nights. for some of us, generally, we will be between nine and 12 degrees. so, for thursday, our weather front still bringing cloud and some splashes of rain.

we are all shocked by the prime minister robert fico.ical attack on the prime minister is first of all an attack on a person but it is also on attack on democracy. hateful rhetoric, which we can see in society, lead to hateful actions. please, stop it. >> prime minister fico, seen here earlier in the day, is a decisive figure. a populist politician, he's been accused of authoritarianism and being too close to russia. but in slovakia's parliament this afternoon, there there was condemnation of attack from across the political spectrum. >> the attack on the prime minister is terrible, uncivillized and brutal. pure evil. this should pro provoke just one reaction. unite all society against evil, hate, and violence. >> the alleged attacker is now in police could where detectives will be trying to findout his motive and whether he acted alone. christian: robert fico has served three times as slovak iowa's -- slovakia's prime minister. he was previous ousted in 2013 over a death of an associate. buff he staged an unlikely come back, expressing

robert fico was a manager— enemies, would you say?ery _ was a manager can very confrontational stance on an awful lot of things and i am sure made enemies in the process i mean, his politics, he was considered very left wing. i think his politics are best described as populist. and that, inevitably, made him enemies because he spoke it as he saw it. comedians like journalists. because he spoke it as he saw it. comedians likejournalists. i because he spoke it as he saw it. comedians like journalists. i should say, whenjonas criticised him he called them the corrupted gang of swines and at one point, the journalist had written something critical about him he said, should i go over there and give you guys a slap? i am saying that is to give you an idea of the tone of the man. but what has been particularly distinctive recent occupation of the office of prime minister, he came to power saying he did not want slovakia to keep giving weapons to ukraine. he is seen as close to vladimir putin. i should say that slovakia, until then, vladimir

robert fico was shot in the stomach and in the arm.urity team half dragged, half carried him to his car. a few metres away, amidst the chaos, security officials push a man to the ground. the suspect is believed to be in his 70s. witnesses say he shot at the prime minister several times. translation: i heard three shots. _ it was quick, one by one, like if you throw firecrackers on the ground. i saw a scratch on the prime minister's head and then he fell next to the barrier. it's a nightmare. the 59—year—old was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he had emergency surgery. officials said his condition was critical. a few hours later, a sombre president addressed the nation. translation: i am shocked, we are all shocked by - the terrible and vicious attack on prime minister robert fico. a physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. hateful rhetoric, which we can see in society leads, to hateful actions. please, stop it. robert fico, seen here before the attack,

on today's show, the slovakian prime minister, robert fico, has been shot and wounded . shot in front of a cultural community centre in the town where a government meeting was being held . meeting was being held. >> we'll have all of the latest on this breaking story. next up, the policing minister has demanded that police must increase their use of stop and search to tackle the cancer of knife crime and stop bowing to campaign groups who slam it as racist . i'll speak to a top cop racist. i'll speak to a top cop and also a mother and a grandmother who've lost loved ones to knife crime , and food ones to knife crime, and food bank users are at an all time high, with a 94% increase in five years, and labour say this is a result of 14 years of tory

the slovakian prime minister, robert fico , has prime minister, robert fico, has been shot and woundedco was shot in front of a cultural community centre in a town named handlova, where a government meeting had just been held . meeting had just been held. several shots were heard and the slovak leader has been taken to hospital and his alleged assailant has been detained by the police. well, joining us now for a full update as gb news home and security editor, mark white. mark, a dramatic dramatic scene. what's the latest? what do we know about robert fico's politics? do we know anything at all about his would be assailant, not at this stage. but as we tell you about the events that unfolded , we can events that unfolded, we can show you some video. the dramatic moments just after he was shot in the abdomen. you can see him being bundled into one of the security vehicles there by his close protection detail. and taken off to hospital. we know that he was treated initially at the hospital in this town of handlova , where he this town of handlova, where he was stabilised. according to me

robert fico was shot in the stomach and in the arm.y team half dragged, half carried him to his car. a few metres away, amidst the chaos, security officials push a man to the ground. the suspect is believed to be in his 70s. witnesses say he shot at the prime minister several times. translation: i heard three shots. it was quick, one by one, like if you throw firecrackers on the ground. i saw a scratch on the prime minister's head and then he fell next to the barrier. it's a nightmare. the 59—year—old was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he had emergency surgery. officials said his condition was critical. a few hours later, a sombre president addressed the nation. translation: i am shocked, we are all shocked by - the terrible and vicious attack on prime minister robert fico. a physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. hateful rhetoric, which we can see in society leads, to hateful actions. please stop it. robert fico, seen here before the attack, is rega

and i think very worrying for many is the fact that robert fico, divisive and controversial as he is, was an attempt at an assassination. vladimir putin and xijinping have already met more than a0 times over the years, and, after their meeting last week, they've agreed to get together yet again in july. but the balance of power has clearly switched from the days when the soviet union was dominant and china was the junior partner. as the old chinese saying goes, "same bed, different dreams". i asked the bbc�*s russia editor, steve rosenberg, for his thoughts. certainly if you look at, you know, this russia—china relationship, what does russia get out of it? i think a lifeline, really, you know, since vladimir putin has burnt his bridges with the west, he's had to turn east. and china provides this lifeline, both in terms of political support foeradimir putin, and economic support, in terms of trade. and china is a place where russia can sell its energy to, since it can't really sell much gas now to europe, so it sells it to china. what does china get out of this relationship? well, it'

robert fico was shot in the stomach and in the arm.ity team half dragged, half carried him to his car. a few metres away, amidst the chaos, security officials push a man to the ground. the suspect is believed to be in his 70s. witnesses say he shot at the prime minister several times. translation: i heard three shots. _ it was quick, one by one, like if you throw firecrackers on the ground. i saw a scratch on the prime minister's head and then he fell next to the barrier. it's a nightmare. the 59—year—old was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he had emergency surgery. officials said his condition was critical. a few hours later, a sombre president addressed the nation. translation: i am shocked, we are all shocked by - the terrible and vicious attack on prime minister robert fico. a physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. hateful rhetoric, which we can see in society leads, to hateful actions. please stop it. robert fico, seen here before the attack, is

news thatjust a couple of hours ago an assassination attempt on the prime minister of slovakia, robert fico, has been shot and injured. a post on his official facebook page says he was hit several times, we know a number of shots were fired. we have eyewitnesses describing seeing and hearing that. i want to show pictures of the aftermath, because they were filmed very quickly in the immediate aftermath, and you see the security detail simply pick him up and get him into his car before they whisk him away, and we know three or four shots actually hitting the prime minister, eye witnesses have described one in the abdomen certainly, i've heard reports of shots hitting him in the arm and also the leg, the eyewitness talking about blood on his forehead, and those pictures we are seeing the man that was detained, a suspect, wrestled to the ground, you can see his arms cuffed behind him, all the reports, confirmed in the last little while, he is 71 years old, slovakia's president saying in the briefest of statements we saw from her a little earlier describing that her a little earlier describing

slovakia's prime minister, robert fico, remains in hospital, after hours of surgery to save his life, following an apparent assassination attempt. the deputy prime minister says the pm's condition "stabilised" overnight, but he's still in a "serious condition". mr fico was shot several times as he was leaving a government meeting, in what the interior minister described as a "politically motivated attack". a man in his seventies is in custody. let's go live to the slovak capital, bratislava, and our correspondent, sarah rainsford. sarah, bring us up—to—date with the latest we know about the condition of the prime minister this morning. well, we have heard from the director of the hospital where mr fico is being treated, where he received emergency care overnight and yesterday afternoon and evening. he was in surgery for some five hours. that was emergency surgery after he received three gunshot wounds. we understand that includes wins to his stomach and to his arm. so extremely and —— serious injuries. long, long surgery, five hours of surgery, multiple wounds. now the defence ministe

robert fico had come from this event, offering support for a small—town economy.s to ukraine and will block its entry to nato. he also thinks vladimir putin has been demonised. his government claims these issues infuriated the gunman and drove him to this attack. the interior minister describes him as a lone wolf but the government is accusing the opposition here and the media of whipping up tension and hatred. given that mr fico himself often uses very confrontational language, inflammatory language himself, would you agree that he is at least, or the government is at least partially to blame for the tensions in slovak society right now? translation: robert fico won elections for the fifth time. - then a frustrated part of the political spectrum and the media started a six—month hunt which has ended like this. i�*m not pointing fingers at you phrased a question to divert attention from the real reasons that led to this. the prime minister is still in intensive care but his life is no longer at risk. after an attack that has exposed huge divisions here and there d

robert fico is well known. he is a career politician, a career spanning three decades.he founded a populist party. it was part of a eurosceptic coalition. he campaigned saying not a single bullet would go to ukraine. he wanted sanctions ended against russia. he criticised western allies, criticised policies giving rights to lgbtq, and this attack took place just before a protest against the new broadcasting bill. tonight they are saying in slovakia the arguments are part of democracy, not assassination attempts. democracy, not assassination attempts-— democracy, not assassination attemts. , ., democracy, not assassination attemts. , . ., ., attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at — attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but for _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but for now, - on the news at ten but for now, thank you. time for a look at the weather. here's

robert fico had come from this event, offering support for a small—town economy.ending arms to ukraine and will block its entry to nato. he also thinks vladimir putin has been demonised. his government claims these issues infuriated the gunman and drove him to this attack. the interior minister describes him as a lone wolf, but the government's accusing the opposition here and the media of whipping up tension and hatred. given that mr fico himself often uses very confrontational language, inflammatory language himself, would you agree that he is at least, or the government is at least partially to blame for the tensions in slovak society right now? translation: robert fico won elections for the fifth time. - then a frustrated part of the political spectrum and the media started a six—month hunt which has ended like this. i'm not pointing fingers, but you phrased a question to divert attention from the real reasons that led to this. the prime minister is still in intensive care, but his life is no longer at risk, after an attack that has exposed huge divisions here

some supporters of robert fico, some who see him as a dangerous politician. re—elected only recently. you covered the election. in many ways it was quite a wrong remarkable turn wasn't it? he had been prime minister before, but in terms of the politicaljourney he made. he minister before, but in terms of the politicaljourney he made.— political “ourney he made. he was prime politicaljourney he made. he was prime minister _ politicaljourney he made. he was prime minister twice _ politicaljourney he made. he was prime minister twice before - politicaljourney he made. he was prime minister twice before he i politicaljourney he made. he was i prime minister twice before he was, when he was booted out in 2018, that was after the contract killing of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. this guy had been looking at allegations of high—level collusion between the then slovak government of fico, and all kinds of criminal elements. those court cases were ongoing and then fico came back, and he came back quite dramatically. it was a very tight election, it was e

robert fico had come from this event, offering support for a small—town economy.'s a populist who opposes sending arms to ukraine and will block its entry to nato. he also thinks vladimir putin has been demonised. his government claims these issues infuriated the gunman and drove him to this attack. the interior minister describes him as a lone wolf, but the government's accusing the opposition here and the media of whipping up tension and hatred. given that mr fico himself often uses very confrontational language, inflammatory language himself, would you agree that he is at least, or the government is at least partially to blame for the tensions in slovak society right now? translation: robert fico won elections for the fifth time. - then a frustrated part of the political spectrum and the media started a six—month hunt which has ended like this. i'm not pointing fingers, but you phrased a question to divert attention from the real reasons that led to this — the prime minister is still in intensive care, but his life is no longer at risk, after an attack that has

robert fico had come from this event, offering support for a small—town economy.l block its entry to nato. he also thinks vladimir putin has been demonised. his government claims these issues infuriated the gunman and drove him to this attack. the interior minister describes him as a lone wolf, but the government's accusing the opposition here and the media of whipping up tension and hatred. given that mr fico himself often uses very confrontational language, inflammatory language himself, would you agree that he is at least, or the government is at least partially to blame for the tensions in slovak society right now? translation: robert fico won elections for the fifth time. - then a frustrated part of the political spectrum and the media started a six—month hunt which has ended like this. i'm not pointing fingers, but you phrased a question to divert attention from the real reasons that led to this. the prime minister is still in intensive care, but his life is no longer at risk, after an attack that has exposed huge divisions here and their danger. sarah rains

i would like to once again wish mr prime minister robert fico a lot of strength in the struggle he is no other complications will emerge, anything that would complicate the already grave medical situation in which he is. and also i would like to ask all other people to think about him in this difficult period, we should all be with him and our thoughts, human values should be above political values should be above political values and differing opinions, and we need to think of the prime minister, first of all as a person, someone who was absent—minded or politically violent individual, attempted to murder him, just because he disagreed with the style of politics and the government is pursuing this, thank you very much, and i really hope that in the future we will only listen to positive and optimistic reports from this place from hospital staff, thank you for your attention.— your attention. slovakia's president-elect - your attention. slovakia's president-elect calling i your attention. slovakia'sl president-elect calling for your attention. slovakia's i president-elect calling for

declaring an emergency after protesters occupied a lecture hall. >>> slovakia's prime minister robert fico to his deputy. this dramatic video appears to show the moment fico was shot multiple times before security guards rushed him to a nearby hospital. >>> and the u.s. coast guard is investigating a collisio in galveston, texas tonight where a barge slammed into a bridge on the pelican island causeway. the crash damaged the structure and caused an oil he cbs news app on your phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. >>> make my day, pal. i'll even do it twice. >> the debates are on. after months of back and forth between joe biden and donald trump -- >> any time, any place, we'll do it anywhere you want, joe. >> why won't you debate president trump? when? >> the 45th and 46th presidents to meet on the debate stage. what we're learning about why they agreed to a rematch. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. the stae is set. the dates are picked, and president biden and donald trump are a

. >>> slovakia's prime minister robert fico is expected to survive an assassination attempt. this according to his deputy. this dramatic video appears to show the moment fico was shot multiple times before security guards rushed him to a nearby hospital. >>> and the u.s. coast guard is investigating a collision in galveston, texas tonight where a barge slammed into a bridge on the pelican island causeway. the crash damaged the structure and caused an oil spill. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle >>> it's thursday, may 16th, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." the presidential slug fests are on. joe biden and donald trump agree to meet on the debate stage after a social media tit-for-tat. what makes these face-offs different. >>> another boating crash, this time a barge slams into a bridge in texas causing significant damage, shutting down traffic, and leaking oil into the water. the latest on the cleanup. >>> and assassination attempt. slovakia's head of state shot multiple times, and now fighting for his life. the potential mo

he says robert fico was reps presented by the opposition leader like almost a monster.emocracy so this is really a problem. that tells you about some of the polymerisation there in slovakia and perhaps some of the retribution we will hear —— polarisation, at least it is only what we will hear in the coming days but some strong words from the prime minister and the last few minutes. let's touch on ukraine. on the eve of his second visit to china in six months, the russian president vladimir putin has told state media in beijing that he is in favour of xi xinping's plan for resolving the war in ukraine. china has been keen to position itself as an honest broker. in an interview with the xinhua news agency published putin said president xi had show his commitment to a "just and multipolar world order". meanwhile, in ukraine, the visiting secretary of state antony blinken was on a different tack. let me be very clear about one thing which actually shouldn't require clarity, that the united states is committed to helping ensure ukraine winning this war and i think we have sh

and tonight, doctors say, after hours of surgery, prime minister robert fico remains in a life-threatening condition. watch as fico, flanked by bodyguards, approaches a crowd to greet supporters. a handgun just visible over that metal barrier. then gunshots ring out. look left, you can just see the prime minister collapsing. the gunman then wrestled to the ground. fico rushed into his car, knees buckling, held up by his security detail, then helicoptered to a nearby hospital with extraordinarily serious abdominal wounds. robert fico is a three-time prime minister, a controversial and key figure in slovakian politics for more than 30 years. his views growing increasingly far right and pro-russian. he was re-elected last year campaigning on ending aid to ukraine. tonight, slovakian officials saying there was, quote, a clear political motivation behind the attempt on his life. there's no doubt about it. officials tonight saying the suspect taken into custody at the scene planned the assassination shortly after the presidential elections. slovakia's outgoing president from an opposing party ca

slovakia's prime minister, robert fico, remains in hospital after hours of surgery to save his life,wing an apparent assassination attempt. the deputy prime minister says the pm's condition "stabilised" overnight, but he's still in a "serious condition". slovakia's cabinet is meeting this morning to discuss the political implications. mr fico was shot several times as he was leaving a government meeting yesterday, in what the interior minister described as a "politically motivated attack". local media are reporting that a man in his 70s has been charged with attempted murder. speaking outside of the hospital where mr fico is receiving treatment, deputy prime minster robert kalinak gave an update on his condition. translation: over the course of the night, the doctors - managed to stabilise the patient�*s condition. and at this moment, further procedures are under way that should aim towards improvement of his condition. the situation is really serious. live to the slovak capital, bratislava, and our correspondent bethany bell. bethany, hello to you. let's start with that news that we

the prime minister of slovakia, robert fico, seems to have survived an attempt on his life. is there really a russian trace in the attack on him? well, vladimir putin met with chinese leader xi jinping for the 43rd time. why? expect in country, svoboda live is not the only thing we talk about, my name is sashko shevchenko, we are starting. against the background of the aggravation of the military situation in the kharkiv region, the president of ukraine volodymyr zelenskyi held an outing of the supreme commander in kharkiv. according to the president, in general, the situation in kharkiv region is under control, but this direction remains extremely difficult. zelenskyi said that threats were analyzed at the pond, in particular. days and weeks, as well as ukrainian opportunities to resist the offensive plans of the russian federation. next, a quote. they analyzed in detail the prospects of the combat situation, the threats in the coming days and weeks, and our ukrainian capabilities to counter russian offensive plans. as of today, the situation in the kharkiv region is genera

we had more details about the condition of robert fico who remains in hospital.ster said he remained in a very serious condition, that his wounds were extensive and that the next few days would be critical. robert fico was shot at very close range in the stomach, we understand, and what one of the politicians here described as joint, and what one of the politicians here described asjoint, taken and what one of the politicians here described as joint, taken to hospital immediately, and the man believed to be his attacker was detained and has now been charged. bethany bell, in bratislava, thank you. a six—year—old boy has died after falling from a building in east london. emergency services were called to plaistow at about six o'clock this morning. paul hawkins is at the scene. how much do we know? i can tell you what we do — how much do we know? i can tell you what we do know, _ how much do we know? i can tell you what we do know, a _ how much do we know? i can tell you what we do know, a 16-storey - what we do know, a 16—storey building behind me, jacob's house i

the prime minister of slovakia, robert fico, is fighting the prime minister of slovakia, robert fico,pital after being shot multiple times in what officials are calling an assassination attempt. mr fico, whose condition is said to have improved had been attending a government meeting in the central town of handlova when he was shot up to five times whilst speaking to crowds. a 71 year—old man has been detained by police. 0ur eastern europe correspondent, sarah rainsford, has more. robert fico strode out to meet supporters as he likes to do. but as he reached out to shake hands, a man in the crowd reached for a gun. gunshots. five shots rang out and the slovak prime minister tumbled to the ground. too late, his security guards leapt on the gunman. the prime minister was first dragged and then rushed to emergency care. too badly hurt to get back to bratislava, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital. we were told he'd been shot in the stomach and arm and his condition was critical. translation: i heard three shots. it was quick, one by one, like if you throw firecrackers on the ground. i

robert fico was shot several times yesterday in while visiting a small town in the centre of the country's now in a serious, but stable condition in hospital. at a news conference, the slovak interior minister described the suspect as a lone wolf who opposed the government. a neighbour and friend of the suspect said he was shocked by what happened. translation: i was very surprised by what he did. | i don't understand how it happened. something must have clicked. i've known him for a0 years. he was decent and normal like me. we travelled on a bus just a few days ago, and we were making jokes, no politics. i'm completely shocked by what he did. a little earlier, the slovakian president—elect, peter pellegrini, gave an update from the hospital where mr fico is being treated. translation: the prime minister i is now facing the most difficult l and challenging days, hours, minutes in order to survive, and i hope that everything will work out for the best. i really hope for us all to see his soon recovery and coming to full strength. the current slovak president zuzana caputova also held a pr

it happened yesterday, the assassination attempt of the prime minister robert fico.a politician of many years, whose lifelong motto was to always accept other opinions, to compete with arguments and this is one of the main reasons why he has been enjoying such high—level support and trust among citizens. for almost 30 years, this has been repeatedly confirmed in the elections. we want to approach the current situation with the maximum degree of responsibility. to begin with, i would also like to inform you about the current condition. it continues to be serious, and the members of the medical staff in central slovakia are doing their maximum effort in order to stabilise his medical state, and to contribute to a positive prognosis. unfortunately, at the moment, i cannot confirm whether the prognosis is positive. this is because of injuries that were caused by four bullets. the response of the organism will be better demanding in time. we have, however, ourfull better demanding in time. we have, however, our full support of the medical team, the medical team has ourful

channel continues, but a couple of hours ago the assassination of the prime minister of slovakia, robert ficotook place. it is known that fico is currently in a very serious condition, at least according to the slovak media, it is said that immediately information began to spread on the network that he received two or three wounds, allegedly in the limbs of the chest and abdomen, well... officially, the condition of the physio was not commented on at the moment, the ministry of foreign affairs confirmed only the fact of the wounding and the attempt on the prime minister. yes, well, it is an extremely important story with correspondingly possible consequences, i don't want to fall into conspiracy theory , but, but, but, we understand that war and russian aggression, it also affects our neighbors. well, i think that the key conclusion is an increase in the forces used to protect certain individual officials, it applies, well, in ukraine with all that. we hope everything is okay, yes, well, but this also applies to the neighbor, our partners and so on. we are adding gleb vyshlinskyi, executive d

the man charged with trying to murder slovakia's prime minister, robert fico, is appearing in court formr fico had stabilised but still remained in a serious condition. more now on our top story, the russia—ukraine war. after russian troops crossed the border into north eastern ukraine last week, president putin has said there are no plans to capture the country's second city kharkiv, at least for now. the russian leader said his forces were advancing in order to protect the russian border region. this is how the battlefield currently

[gunshots] >> reporter: just moments after a gunman opened fire on slovakia's prime minister robert fico collapses, as odyguards bundle him into the car. [gunshots] security officials say he was shot five times at close range. the alleged shooter pinned down, the suspect described by local media as a 71-year-old former security guard and activist. taken by chopper to the closest trauma hospital, seen here being wheeled in, tonight, fico's office says he is fighting for his life. the shooter's motive is unclear. the prime minister has been a divisive figure in the eastern european country of around 5.4 million people. the populist leader of a nato ally, whose pro-russian, pro-putin stance brought him to power for a third time. he has stood firm against sending more weapons to ukraine. tonight, the slovak defense minister called for calm. >> what's happened, it's a political assault, it's absolutely clear. and we have to react n that. >> reporter: a political assault in which not only the prime minister's life, but the direction of his fractured country, hang in the balance. charlie d'agat

the man charged with trying to murder slovakia's prime minister, robert fico, is appearing in court for hearing to decide whether to hold him in pre—trial detention. the country's deputy prime minister says mr fico had stabilised but still remained in a serious condition. more now on our top story, the russia—ukraine war. after russian troops crossed the border into north eastern ukraine last week, president putin has said there are no plans to capture the country's second city kharkiv, at least for now. the russian leader said his forces were advancing in order to protect the russian border region. this is how the battlefield currently looks, according to uk military intelligence, the red areas are russian—occupied, with the arrows showing likely points of russian attack. the recent focus of attention is here, in the north east, near kharkiv, where fierce fighting has been taking place, the yellow represents new gains claimed by russia. our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, sent this special report from the front line. near the village of lyptsi, the russians are closing in. the f