The politician was wounded after an assailant fired multiple shots | The politician was wounded after an assailant fired multiple shots. [...] Fico took office in October 2023, after serving two stints as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. Fico immediately halted the previous government’s policy of military aid to Ukraine and called for a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kiev. His neutral stance on the conflict has seen him clash with Brussels, and with pro-Western figures within Slovakia like Caputova.

■ US Psyop Vet: Slovakian PM Fico's Assassination Attempt Seems to Be NATO Operation (Sputnik News)
■ Slovak PM Robert Fico: Noted critic of Western approach to Ukraine conflict (RT.com)
■ Robert Fico shooting latest: Prime Minister of Slovakia 'fighting for life' after assassination bid (The Mirror)
■ Live Updates: Slovak Prime Minister Fico Injured in Shooting at Cabinet Meeting Outside Bratislava (Sputnik News)
■ What we know about attempt to assassinate Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico (TASS)

Georgia might be punished for passing the “foreign agents” law | Members of the Georgian government could face sanctions for “undermining democracy,” [i.e. the U.S.] a senior US diplomat said on Tuesday, after the parliament in Tbilisi approved a foreign agents law that Washington has opposed. ● Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien arrived in Tbilisi for meetings with both Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and members of the opposition, only to find that the Georgian legislature passed the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence.

Maria Zakharova | Vedant Patel, deputy chief of press service of the US Department of State: “We have made it clear (...) that the adoption of the law on NGOs by the Georgian parliament is not only inconsistent with US values, but also inconsistent with the aspirations of the Georgian people... The Georgian government needs to change course”.

We would like to ask clarifying questions:

1. Is the problem that the Georgian law is much softer than the American one?
2. Why should Georgia or any other country conform to someone else's values?
3. US “values” do not include non-interference in the internal affairs of other states?

■ India-Iran Chabahar deal: How Jaishankar responded to US sanctions warning (Business Standard)
■ US warns of sanctions after India-Iran Chabahar Port agreement (Hindustan Times)

John Miles | Moscow and Beijing have moved from strength to economic strength as US attempts to confront its adversaries militarily and economically have been undermined by the realities of a newly-multipolar world. | Newly-reelected Russian president Vladimir Putin is set to visit Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week at the invitation of Beijing, it was announced today. ■ The diplomatic trip – the first of Putin’s new term as president – signifies the close relationship between the two leaders; Xi also made Moscow his first stop after beginning his third term as Chinese president in 2023. The United States has criticized ongoing ties between the two nations, recently sanctioning Chinese companies it claims are contributing to Russia’s special military operation through the trade of “dual use” products, but Beijing has insisted on its sovereign right to continue economic cooperation with the country.

■ Western elites want to prosper at expense of others – Putin (RT.com)

Israel's use of #IHL jargon (warnings, evacuation orders, safe zones) is to create the illusion that its military operations ensure protection of civilians. This "humanitarian camouflage" has de facto turned Gaza into a place "without civilians", where everything is detroyable &… https://t.co/12qtYtgvtJ

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) May 14, 2024

Concern comes as International Court of Justice is set to hold hearings on Thursday and Friday | Israel is worried that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) may order it to cease fighting in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, reports said Tuesday. Its concern comes ahead of public hearings scheduled for Thursday and Friday. ● Earlier in the day, the ICJ announced that it would hold hearings to consider South Africa's request for “additional measures” against Israel. This request is in relation to the case of genocide filed against Israel following the Israeli army's operation in Rafah. ● In response to the court's announcement, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israel has not yet decided whether it will participate in the hearings.

■ Erdoğan: Netanyahu and those complicit in genocide will be held accountable (aNews)

The package, which is yet to be approved, includes about $700m for tank ammunition, $500m in tactical vehicles and $60m in mortar rounds, congressional aides told The Associated Press news agency. | The Biden administration has told Congress that it plans to send a $1bn package of military aid to Israel, according to media reports, despite the United States’s opposition to a full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza and concerns about rising civilian deaths. ● The US Department of State on Tuesday moved the package into the congressional review process, Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed US officials. ● The package, which is yet to be approved, includes about $700m for tank ammunition, $500m in tactical vehicles and $60m in mortar rounds, congressional aides told The Associated Press news agency.

■ War on Gaza: US to send $1bn more in weapons, ammo, to Israel despite Rafah tensions