Yesterday in while visiting a small town in the centre of the country. Hes 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 dont understand how it happened. Something must have clicked. Ive 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. Im 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 Press Conference and spoke about the Political Climate in the country. Take a listen. Translation yesterdays attack on Prime Minister robert fico is above all a great human tragedy, but at the same time, it is also an attack on a democratic establishment. Thats why im asking everyone i to think about his quick recovery and to take a responsible approach. Lets step out of the vicious cycle and mutual blame. I what happened yesterday was individual act, but the tense atmosphere of hatred. Was our collective fault. Live to the slovak capital, bratislava, and our correspondent bethany bell. What is the latest . Well, the people have been watching what is the latest . Well, the people have been watching very what is the latest . Well, the people have been watching very closely have been watching very closely today for these updates on mr ficos health. He is said to be in a very serious condition, still stable but as we have the incoming president theyre saying, the next few days will be critical. We understand his injuries have been very extensive. They have also been described as complicated. And of course he did undergo several hours of Emergency Surgery last night. And elsewhere here in slovakia, people are still trying to come to terms with how this could have happened in a small town in the centre, in the middle of the day time and how questions are being asked as well about whether his Security Forces acted quickly enough at the time. Its a very difficult situation here for people to get their heads around. find difficult situation here for people to get their heads around. And what does this mean to get their heads around. And what does this mean for to get their heads around. And what does this mean for security, to get their heads around. And what does this mean for security, for does this mean for security, for politicians right across the country . Politicians right across the count . ~ ~. , ~ country . Well, certainly i think politicians country . Well, certainly i think politicians not country . Well, certainly i think politicians not just country . Well, certainly i think politicians notjust here country . Well, certainly i think politicians notjust here in politicians notjust here in slovakia, but in the region are feeling very nervous and destabilised after this attack on mr fico. There is in many parts of eastern and central europe, there is a sense of increasingly polarised politics, splits over questions from everything from the way the coronavirus pandemic was handled to ukraine to various, all sorts of things which are things. And what we have heard certainly from politicians here in slovakia today, from the president , is that they want to see an end to hate speech and also there are some recriminations, once i blaming the other, for an atmosphere which has contributed to what the president called hateful acts. She said the hate speech needed to stop. Qm. Hate speech needed to stop. Ok, bethany, thank hate speech needed to stop. 0k, bethany, thank you very much for that. Here, the Labour Leader, sir keir starmer, is setting out the first steps hell take if his party wins the next General Election. At an event in essex, hes been outlining the six pledges he says will begin a decade of national renewal. The conservatives say his speech is another relaunch of policies. The Labour Priorities include setting up a Border Security command, recruiting 6500 new teachers in england and creating Great British energy to generate clean energy and cut bills. Starmer also said labour would provide 40,000 appointments and operations per week to help tackle nhs waiting lists. He said labours pledges were fully costed and that voters could expect to see them delivered within two terms of a labour government. Sir keir has been speaking with our politcial editor chris mason. Heres some of that interview. Keir starmer, you want 40,000 more appointments per week in the nhs in england. Can you be specific, by when . Well, i think we can start on this straightaway. And theyre desperately needed. As you know, weve got. Start, though . Weve got, what, the best part of 8 million appointments and operations that are needed, so this 40,000 each and every week is hugely important. But by when . When i say start, let me explain what i mean by that, because without getting ahead of ourselves and anticipating the result of the election, i do know weve got to be ready. And thats why we are already having discussions with nhs staff about how we would operate to this model, so i think we can do that pretty swiftly. There are other changes ive set out this morning. Pretty swiftly� s quite vague, though, isnt it . Can you not. Is it not really a promise if you cant actually put a timeframe on it . Yes, it is. From day one, minute one, we will be working on this to deliver itjust as quickly as possible. And how many days in do you get to 40,000, thats the point . We will have the necessary discussions now to ensure that we can go at pace. I know how important this is. I spoke this morning of some of the people on the waiting list. Theyre desperate for this to happen quickly. With the General Election coming closer, each announcement by a party leader is being scrutinised by their opponents. The conservative party chairman, richard holden, had this reaction. Look, i mean, this is Keir Starmers16th Relaunch in a few months. I mean, hes dumped every pledge that he made during the Labour Leadership campaign. Hes dumped every pledge he made when he tried to get Jeremy Corbyn into being our Prime Minister, not once but twice. I think people need to take with an enormous pinch of salt anything that hes putting forwards. Its quite clear that labour dont have a cohesive plan and would take the country back to square one. I have no idea why anybody would believe a word that keir starmer says when every single time hes got a different audience to play for, he changes his tune, he changes what hes saying and changes what he says he stands for. You know, 16 relaunches in a matter of a couple of years after four years in opposition, hes not got a cohesive plan. I think it says everything you need to know about keir starmer. Play more analysis of that event later on in the programme. Still to come on The World Today the russian president is visiting his neighbour enchanted to talk about their everlasting friendship. And the king has been meeting the queen of reality tv. Love island anyway. We will see what they chatted about. Around the world and across the uk, this is The World Today on bbc news. This is to be seat news. A moment this is to be seat news. A moment ago i promised you more analysis on the politics story of the day and i shall deliver. Lets speak to our Political Correspondent alex forsyth. We just heard a bit of chris masons interview with a Labour Leader keir starmer and saw some of the pledges what should we take away from this . I think in the labour style of that launched today get the sense that launched today get the sense that the General Election is due on peoples mines despite the fact we are still months away from it. I think with this once was labour try to put some flesh on the bones of what it would do worry to get in the government if it wins that next election. Of course we heard last year from the labour party about what it calls its five big missions. They were quite sort of grand, ambitious ideas for government, and i think what they are attending to do now is to narrow that down a little bit into a sort of offer that voters can kind of understand. So that when labour� s out and about and is asked what it stands for as the party and any parties often are, that it can point to the steps as he calls them. Its interesting that during the question and answer question with certain keir starmer after the speech he gave the event this morning, there are points raised about notjust what this morning, there are points raised about not just what was this morning, there are points raised about notjust what was in these pledges but what was not. So things like housing which labour has talked about but is not in this initial six steps for government supported calls them. Things like Climate Change, labour 22 its Great British energy but nothing on Climate Change specifically in the initial six steps in the same with workers rights which labour has talked a lot about but again not included. Forthe talked a lot about but again not included. For the party is saying it is not a whole programme or government but a bit of it. I think the challenge remains for the labour party and of course for all parties as we approach the General Election in the months to come is how do you speu in the months to come is how do you spell out what you stand for providers that making promises that you might not be able to deliver . And i think that its a dilemma that we are seeing here with labour. They are trying to explain to voters with are trying to explain to voters with a stand for but they are being cautious about putting time frames on when they might be able to do some of this stuff or specific targets because of course there is a risk that they may not deliver. And i think a party is trying to avoid that by saying we will do it as soon as we can when we are in government, if the party gets there. If the party gets there. Indeed it what do you if the party gets there. Indeed it what do you make if the party gets there. Indeed it what do you make of if the party gets there. Indeed it what do you make of the if the party gets there. Indeed it i what do you make of the actual six then . What you think they are trying to achieve, timescales and delivery apart, what are they trying to appeal to . If apart, what are they trying to appeal to . Apart, what are they trying to auealto . , ~. , appeal to . If you talk to the party, orthe appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell you appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell you is appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell you is these appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell you is these are appeal to . If you talk to the party, or they tell you is these are the. Or they tell you is these are the properties that speak to the priorities of voters and of course there are some echoes with the five priorities that the Prime Minister set out but some differences as well. Of course you have that one on the economy with lara saying delivering economic stability and tough spending rules. Thats really interesting for the Liberal Party because one thing they are really keen to stress is that they would be economically responsible. Labour has in the past been seen as a weakness so that is why they are putting that so that is why they are putting that so high of the agenda. Of course there are those who suggest actually a labour should not be so restrained on spending and there are others who might advocate a different academic approach with perhaps more borrowing to invest or even a different taxation system Buffer Labour that is a real priority which is why you were seeing it so i am. And then of course it aintjust were seeing it so i am. And then of course it aint just waiting times or Something Else echoes with the promised or made a pledge on, although of course we know that the waiting list for the nhs still are remarkably high. In other one were flagging, so while some of these will echo the refrains that you heard in those five ambitious missions from lara last year, the one thats been added, the sixth step, is one of the new Border Security command. Now it keir at summer gave a speech about this last week talking about labours plans about trying to tackle the games behind the small boat crossings and interesting the party has chosen to include that on this list because it was to be so restrained on spending and there are others who might advocate a different academic approach with perhaps more borrowing to invest or even a different taxation system Buffer Labour that is a real priority which is why you were seeing it so i am. And then of course it aintjust were seeing it so i am. And then of course it aint just waiting times or Something Else echoes with the promised or made a pledge on, although of course we know that the waiting list for the nhs still are remarkably high. In other ones were flagging, so while some of these will echo the refrains that you heard in those five ambitious missions from lara last year, the one thats been added, the sixth step, is one of the new Border Security command. Now it keir at summer gave a speech about this last week talking about labours plans about trying to tackle the games behind the small boat crossings and interesting the party has chosen to include that on this list because it was a beast is these are speaking to what it sees as the priorities of the country and of course there is always a political calculation in announcements like this as well. Alex, thank you so much for that. Lets turn to the hague now, where south africa has asked the Uns Highest Court to instruct israel to stop its offensive in rafah in southern gaza. The hearing at the International Court ofjustice is the latest intervention by the South African Government in its legal case against israel. It says as well as direct military attacks, israel is starving palestinians in gaza by obstructing access to deliveries of food, fuel and medicines. Israel has insisted it is acting in accordance with international law. It has dismissed the south african case as a baseless blood libel. South africas legal team have been outlining their case and have accused israel of breaching the courts previous orders with impunity. It is escalating its attacks in gaza, and in so doing, it is wilfully breaching the binding orders of this court. Israel similarly breaches the binding resolutions of the United NationsSecurity Council, erroneously believing from the lack of countermeasures by the International Community that it is exempt from having to respect international law. Weve heard assurances that israel was doing everything in its power to avoid civilian deaths as it exercised its claimed right of self defence. Weve heard boasts that israels army is the most moral army in history, and weve heard denials that there is famine in gaza. For months, people, particularly in the west, have appeared unwilling to accept that the accusations are true. How could people who look like us and sound like us possibly engage in anything like genocide . In case youre wondering why we havent heard from israel yet, the case is taking place over two days. South africa is putting its arguments today, israel will respond on friday. Well bring you full coverage of that. Lets speak to rosa friedman, a professor of law and conflict at reading university. If you very much for coming on the programme. What is the court being asked to do here exactly . The court being asked to do here exactl . ~ � ,. , the court being asked to do here exactl . ~ exactly . Well, its of africa returned exactly . Well, its of africa returned to exactly . Well, its of africa returned to the exactly . Well, its of africa returned to the court exactly . Well, its of africa returned to the court to exactly . Well, its of africa | returned to the court to ask exactly . 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