BRATISLAVA: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday blamed his opponents for fostering the “hatred” that led to an assassination attempt against him, in his first address since the shooting.
Looking calm but speaking with long pauses, the 59-year-old also said in the video on Facebook that he could resume work as early as this month.
“I feel no hatred toward the stranger who shot me,” Fico said.
“I forgive him and let him sort out what he did and why he did it in his own head.”
But Fico said the accused gunman was not “some madman” but “a messenger of the evil and political hatred” fostered by the opposition in Slovakia.
Fico was shot four times at close range on May 15 as he greeted supporters after a government meeting in the central town of Handlova.
The alleged perpetrator, identified by Slovak media as 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula, has been charged with premeditated attempted murder and remanded in custody.
Fico was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Banska Bystrica after the shooting, where he underwent two lengthy surgeries.
He was transferred for home treatment to the capital Bratislava on May 31.
Fico said in the video posted on Wednesday that “if everything goes as planned, I could gradually return to work at the turn of June and July.”
But most of the 14-minute message was devoted to a robust defense of his views and accusations against political opponents, critical media and non-governmental organizations.
“The opposition was unable to assess... where their aggressive and hateful politics has led a section of society and it was only a matter of time before a tragedy would occur.
“If it continues as it is now, the horror of May 15... will continue and there will be more victims. I don’t doubt it, not for a second,” he said.
Fico came to power most recently following elections last year and previously headed governments in 2006-10 and 2012-18.
He was forced to resign in 2018 after an investigative journalist’s murder exposed high-level corruption and sparked anti-government sentiment.
Since returning to office last October, Fico has made a string of remarks that have soured ties between Slovakia and neighboring Ukraine.
He has questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty and called for a compromise with Russia, which invaded in 2022.
After he was elected, Slovakia stopped sending weapons to Ukraine.
He also sparked mass protests with controversial changes, including a media law that critics say will undermine the impartiality of public television and radio.
Slovak PM lashes out at opponents in first address since shooting
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Slovak PM lashes out at opponents in first address since shooting
- “I feel no hatred toward the stranger who shot me,” Fico said
- He said the accused gunman was not “some madman” but “a messenger of the evil and political hatred” fostered by the opposition in Slovakia
84 Indonesian workers from Myanmar scam centers return home
- Eighty-four Indonesians returned home overnight on two flights from Thailand, Indonesian officials said Saturday, the latest group of alleged scam workers to be repatriated from the region
JAKARTA: Eighty-four Indonesians returned home overnight on two flights from Thailand, Indonesian officials said Saturday, the latest group of alleged scam workers to be repatriated from the region.
Cyberscam operations, which have thrived in Myanmar’s lawless border areas for several years, lure foreign workers with promises of high-paying jobs but hold them hostage and force them into committing online fraud.
Under pressure from key ally Beijing, Myanmar has cracked down on some of the compounds, freeing around 7,000 workers from more than two dozen countries.
The 69 Indonesian men and 15 women landed in capital Jakarta after negotiations between Indonesian officials and their Thai and Myanmar counterparts, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affair’s citizen protection director Judha Nugraha told AFP Saturday.
“They will be brought to the Social Affairs Ministry’s safehouse and trauma center. They will undergo a rehabilitation process,” he said.
Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat also confirmed their return.
The group, which included three pregnant women, were in “good condition and healthy” after their evacuation from Myanmar, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
They arrived in Jakarta on two AirAsia flights — one late Friday and one early Saturday.
The ministry said it had repatriated an early group of 46 Indonesians in February, bringing the total repatriated since last month to 140.
Thousands of Indonesians have been enticed abroad in recent years to other Southeast Asian countries for better-paying jobs, only to end up in the hands of transnational scam operators.
Between 2020 and September last year, Jakarta repatriated more than 4,700 Indonesians entangled in online scam operations from countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, according to foreign ministry data.
Four dead in India avalanche, five still missing: army
DEHRADUN, India: At least four people were confirmed dead and five were still missing after an avalanche hit a remote border area in India, the army said Saturday.
A total of 55 workers were buried under snow and debris after the avalanche struck a construction camp near a village on the border with Tibet on Friday.
Millions of Muslims in Indonesia mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan
JAKARTA: Muslims in Indonesia are shopping for sweets and new clothes and taking part in traditional festivities as millions observe the holy month of Ramadan, which started on Saturday.
Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.”
Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset for the whole month.
Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast. At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.
Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar announced on Friday that Ramadan will begin on Saturday, after the sighting of the crescent moon was confirmed by Islamic astronomy observers in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.
Shortly after the announcement, mosques flooded with devotees offering evening prayers known as “tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan. In Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of worshippers crammed together shoulder-to-shoulder.
The daylong fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor. Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation. They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fighting or cursing during the holy month.
Flares, drums and tradition
Samsul Anwar, his wife and their 8-year-old nephew were among hundreds of people taking part in a torchlight parade along the streets of their neighborhood in Tangerang, a city just outside the capital of Jakarta, on Wednesday after evening prayers.
They carried torches, lit flares and played Islamic songs accompanied by the beat of rebana, the Arabic handheld percussion instrument, as they walked along the cramped streets of the densely populated neighborhood.
“Every year we welcome Ramadan with a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Anwar.
Chinese Indonesian communities also participated in the parade by performing the vibrant “barongsai” or “lion dance,” a prominent part of Chinese New Year celebration, to the sound of drums and trumpets.
The barongsai performance “was also held to show unity between the religious communities of Chinese and Muslim, aiming to increase religious tolerance,” Anwar said.
Cost of living anxieties
It’s also an exciting time for business. Hotels, restaurants and cafes all prepare special Ramadan promotions, and shoppers flock to shopping centers for new clothes and home decorations for the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Children often receive new clothes and gifts.
However, some Muslims worry how they will cope financially during Ramadan this year amid soaring prices.
“Everything to do with cooking is rising (in cost) day by day,” said Asih Mulyawati, a mother of two who lives in Jakarta’s outskirt of Tangerang. “I worry this situation will impact Ramadan celebrations.”
Despite soaring food prices in the past month, popular markets such as Tanah Abang in Jakarta were teeming with shoppers buying clothes, shoes, cookies and sweets before the holiday.
Indonesia’s Trade Ministry has said prices of imported staple foods including wheat, sugar, beef and soybeans have increased sharply this year as a result of rising global commodity prices and supply chain disruptions.
But many people say the rise in prices not only impacts imported foods but also local commodities like rice, eggs, chili, palm oil and onions. Many also blame the government for rising gas and electricity prices.
“The current gloomy economic situation and extreme weather recently also contribute to the soaring prices and the weakening of people’s purchasing power,” said Heru Tatok, a trader in Jakarta’s Pasar Senen market.
Trump administration approves major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel
- State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has approved a major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department said.
Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.
Using the same justification, the department also said Rubio had approved another munitions sale to Israel worth $675.7 million to be delivered starting in 2028.
In addition, it said Rubio had approved the emergency sale of D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers worth $295 million.
What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean
- Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House
- Of more than 350 languages spoken in the US, English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic and the most widely spoken
As President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, activists and advocacy groups are alarmed by what that will mean for non-English speakers when it comes to immigration, voter access and other issues.
The order, which was announced Friday, will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet. The move rescinds a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House. But some activists and organizations think the move is just another way for the president to stoke division and fear.
“This isn’t just an offensive gesture that sticks a thumb in the eye of millions of US citizens who speak other languages, but also will directly harm those who have previously relied on language assistance for vital information,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group for immigration reform, said in an email.
What does it mean to have an official language?
According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an official language is what is used by the government to conduct official, day-to-day business. Having one or more official languages can help define a nation’s character and the cultural identity of those who live in it.
Prioritizing one language may place certain people in position of power and exclude others whose language is not recognized, according to the institute.
US English, a group that advocates for making English the official language in the United States, believes having an official language provides a common means of communication, encourages immigrants to learn English to use government services and “defines a much-needed common sense language policy.”
Currently there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States, according to US Census Bureau data. The most widely spoken languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic.
People in the US also speak Native North American languages such as Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres and Cherokee, among others.
Potential impact on citizenship and voting
Anabel Mendoza, the communications director for United We Dream, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, said limiting the language of federal communication will make it harder for people to become citizens if they are denied the ability to speak their native tongue throughout the process. Currently, people of certain age and residency requirements can qualify for a waiver to do the citizenship test and interview in their native language.
“Trump is trying to send the message that if you’re not white, rich and speak English you don’t belong here,” Mendoza said. “Let me be clear: Immigrants are here to stay. No matter how hard Trump tries, he can’t erase us.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced Friday that New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, caucus chair, will deliver, on behalf of Democrats, the official Spanish-language response to Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress.
George Carrillo, co-founder & CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, said it seems like a step backwards in a country that has championed its diversity. He is also concerned how limiting governmental communication might affect US territories such as Puerto Rico where the predominant language is Spanish.
“This executive order, while framed as promoting unity, risks dismantling critical supports like ESL programs and multilingual resources that help immigrants adapt and contribute,” Carrillo said. “Imagine families navigating health care or legal systems without materials in a language they understand, it’s a barrier, not a bridge.”
APIAVote, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on registering Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, also expressed worry this could mean barriers for millions of voters such as naturalized citizens or elderly residents who aren’t English-proficient.
“It will make it harder for them to participate civically and vote, as well as access critical health care, economic and education resources,” the group said in a statement.
Furthermore, the organization says this action could make anyone who speaks another language a target.
“The exclusionary nature of this policy will only fuel xenophobia and discrimination at a time when anti-Asian hate and hate against other minority and immigrant groups are rising.”
States that have English as the official language
More than 30 states, from California to New Hampshire, as well as the US Virgin Islands have already passed laws designating English as their official language, according to US English. Hawaii is the only state to declare two official languages, English and Hawaiian.
For decades, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to designate English as the official language, but those efforts failed. The most recent effort was in 2023, when Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and JD Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the English Language Unity Act. Vance is now vice president.
How many countries have official languages?
It is estimated that over 170 countries have an official language, with some having more than one language.
Mexico does not have an official language. In Canada the official languages are English and French. According to Canada’s Official Languages Act of 1969, the purpose of designating two languages ensures “the equality of status” and protecting linguistic minorities “while taking into account the fact that they have different needs.”
