Why is Poland introducing controls on its border with Germany? – DW – 07/03/2025
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Int'l Business Times
22 minutes ago
- Int'l Business Times
Slovak Gunman Who Shot PM To Go On Trial
The man who admitted to shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is due to stand trial on terror charges on Tuesday, more than a year after the attack shocked the central European country. Nationalist, Kremlin-friendly Fico was shot four times from close range after a government meeting in the central Slovak mining town of Handlova on May 15, 2024, leaving him seriously wounded. Detained at the scene, Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet, who has admitted to shooting the leader with the intention to wound but not kill him, is facing up to life in prison if convicted. The hearing at a special penal court in the central city of Banska Bystrica is due to start at 0700 GMT on Tuesday. Prosecutors argue that Cintula sought to "permanently prevent Fico from serving as prime minister, thereby preventing the Slovak government from proper functioning and fulfilling its programme". Just after the shooting, Cintula told the police he wanted to protest against steps taken by Fico's government, including the halting of military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, according to a leaked video. Cintula, who used a legally owned gun, told the Novy cas tabloid in a rare interview in May that he did not want to kill Fico: "I did not shoot at the heart or the head." He said he had plotted the attack for two days and added he was relieved to see Fico survived. "I have lost physical freedom, but mentally I was liberated... I feel no inner tension. In prison, one must run across green meadows in the mind to stay sane," Cintula told Novy cas. The Cintula case file comprises 18 volumes and more than 6,200 pages. Cintula was originally charged with premeditated murder, but prosecutors later reclassified the shooting as a terror attack. This means they will have to prove Cintula wanted to harm the state, Tomas Stremy, a criminal law professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, told AFP. "It is essential to examine the perpetrator's intent," he said. Fico underwent two lengthy operations and returned to work two months after the attack. The 60-year-old is serving a fourth term as premier, heading a three-party coalition governing the EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people since 2023. Since his return to office, Fico's government has launched a crackdown on non-profit organisations, LGBTQ rights, cultural institutions and some media it deems "hostile", drawing protests in the heavily polarised country. Fico's friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also led thousands of Slovaks to rally against him under the slogan of "Slovakia is Europe" as Russian troops keep pounding Ukraine. Fico himself called Cintula a "product of hatred, an assassin created by media and the opposition". "The governing coalition naturally tried to use (the shooting) to its advantage," Grigorij Meseznikov, a political analyst at the Institute for Public Affairs, told AFP. "This included associating the horrible act with the activities of opposition parties without any evidence or witness testimony to support these claims," he added. But he said the shooting did not change Slovakia's political landscape. He said the trial would be closely watched, but regardless of the verdict, "the polarisation will last". Gunman Juraj Cintula told the Novy cas tabloid that he did not want to kill Fico AFP Fico himself has called Cintula a 'product of hatred' AFP
DW
8 hours ago
- DW
Kenya: At least 10 killed in anti-government protests – DW – 07/07/2025
Clashes between police and protesters have turned violent in Kenya, with police firing tear gas at crowds and security forces blocking off access to central Nairobi. At least 10 people have died in anti-government protests in Kenya as of Monday evening, according a statement released by the state-funded Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). In an attempt to contain the unrest, police closed roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, to block protesters from rallying in the city center, reported Felix Maringa, DW's Nairobi correspondent. A police statement released late Monday said over 560 people were arrested around the country during Monday's protests. The statement estimated that 11 people were killed, and that dozens of police officers were injured. Protesters on Monday were commemorating the July 7 demonstrations, known as "Saba Saba," Swahili for seven seven, the first major protests Kenya that took place 35 years ago. Those protests called for a transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy, with the first multiparty elections having taken place in 1992. Today, protesters are demanding President William Ruto's resignation over his alleged corruption. Other issues protesters have cited include high cost of living, police brutality and poor governance. Roads leading to parliament, which was stormed during protests against proposed tax increases last year, and the president's office, were barricaded using razor wire. Police officers also stopped pedestrians, vehicles and bikes from entering the city, except for those deemed to have essential duties. Public Service Minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the demonstrations would not disrupt public services. Most businesses remained closed in the capital as people stayed away. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said that during the demonstrations "certain individuals remained determined to engage in acts of lawlessness that involved multiple criminal acts." Reports from Nairobi indicated protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police, while police fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in its report Monday evening that numerous police officers were not wearing their uniforms and patrolling the streets in unmarked vehicles, in defiance of a court order that asks officers to be clearly identified by their uniform. "They fire live rounds everywhere. They are not even targeting anyone, then it lands to whoever it will land. The police are being used improperly by the government, they should think about who they are killing. We are not animals, we are human beings like them, and we need to be protected by them. Yet, they are the ones killing us," Nairobi resident Evans Nyakwara told DW. According to the KNCHR, protests took place on Monday in 17 out of Kenya's 47 counties. They mark the latest in a series of widespread demonstrations. "Kenyans have continued to castigate police over what they call heavy handedness when it comes to dealing with protesters, and police have continued dealing very brutally with the protesters," said DW correspondent Maringa. "We have police lobbying teargas into homesteads, we have water canons discharging water into homesteads, but Kenyans have remained adamant that they will remain on the streets until they see the changes that they clamor for come to pass," he added. Kenya's latest wave of violent demonstrations was sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody last month. During protests on June 17, a police officer shot a civilian at close range, further angering the public. On June 25, at least 19 people were killed and more than 400 injured during protests against police brutality that were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of demonstrations against President Ruto's proposed tax hikes. At least 60 people lost their lives in those protests last year, and while Ruto ultimately withdrew the proposed tax bill, mass rallies have taken hold. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
8 hours ago
- DW
Why is Poland introducing controls on its border with Germany? – DW – 07/03/2025
Poland will impose temporary border checks with Germany in response to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's tougher migration stance, which has led Germany to conduct regular border checks. Germany is now countering criticism from neighboring countries. Journalist David McQuaid joins DW's political team to discuss the political tensions, motivations, risks, and implications for European unity.
