local media are reporting that that police have charged a man with the attempted murder of slovakian prime minister roberto fico. he is in a critical condition after being shot. labour insists that it has not scaled back in its ambitions. on friday, visitors to buckingham palace will have the chance to see one of the biggest collections from the royal family's archive. hello, i'm annita mcveigh, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we begin this hour in china where russia's president putin is on a state visit. it's his first foreign trip since his unprecedented re—election for a fifth term, and his second visit to china in six months.

mr putin and china's president xijinping hav signed a joint declaration, stressing the importance of the two countries�* strategic partnership. the chinese president talked about the countries�* long shared history, saying the nations are deepening their support for one another. president xi also said that he and president putin agreed on the need for a �*political solution�* to the ukraine conflict�*. president putin thanked china for a �*warm�* reception — adding that the talks were also "pragmatic". our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, has been telling us about the significance of the meeting. well, the overall message is just all about the symbolism. i mean, the biden administration has already accused the chinese government of offering serious material support for vladimir putin�*s invasion of ukraine. so equipment which is not only helping russia, but also,

according to the us government, helping russia to build more tanks, to build more drones. direct material support from china. and now this visit is also all about offering moral support for an isolated vladimir putin. he can�*t go to many countries because he risks being detained and sent to the international criminal court because of that invasion. and, yet, when he comes to china, he can be in the great hall of the people, appearing to his own people as more of a statesman than a global pariah. and then, when he has his meeting with xi jinping, he says, and i�*ll give you a bit of a taste of it, "our cooperation in world affairs is one of the main stabilising factors on the international stage." stabilising, so he�*s saying this while he�*s instigating a bloody, destructive war in the middle of europe. "together, we�*ll defend the principles of fairness and the democratic world order, based on international law."

now, i�*m sure the ukraine government would not agree with that, nor would many people in ukraine. but he can see that here — and the chinese government thinks that, well, that�*s ok — and xi jinping responds that these two governments are actually upholding justice in the world. now, i know these are alljust words, but to many analysts, they would seem to conflict wildly with reality and, yet, they�*re able to do this. and even, for example, when it comes to trade cooperation, now, they�*re talking it up, talking up the idea that this partnership is getting better and better and that trade is significant. really, they�*re still well short of china�*s trade with the us, or the importance of china�*s trade with europe. that said, there�*s russia, it�*s isolated, has sanctions placed on it, who�*s going to buy all its gas? well, china, acording

to the latest statistics, has increased imports of gas from russia by a0%. vladimir putin spoke today about how great it was that more russian food was being sent to china. and so, while the numbers are still not massive, you can see how crucial the support can be, if you�*re a country like russia. let�*s speak to dr anna matveeva, visiting senior research fellow at kings college london. thank you very much for your time today. it is interesting to look at this visit, isn�*t it? just a week ago. how do you assess the importance of this state visit for president putin? is it a deepening of the alliance, or is it a maintenance of the status quo. absolutely it is a deepening of the alliance. it also has a symbolic

meaning. after ten days his first visit was to russia. the same pattern with putin. after him, the first foreign trip for him was china. and that kind of leadership is highly symbolic. and the kind of reception that putin had in china signifies a very high value placed on that relationship. the fact that the two sides have started signing the two sides have started signing the partnership and mutual cooperation, deep comprehension agreement, and is also quite valuable. that was the russian aim to achieve deep support from china and putin seems to be achieving that. , , and putin seems to be achieving that. , _ , and putin seems to be achieving that. , , ., and putin seems to be achieving

that. _, that. they say it is a political solution to _ that. they say it is a political solution to the _ that. they say it is a political solution to the ukraine - that. they say it is a political i solution to the ukraine conflict. that. they say it is a political - solution to the ukraine conflict. do you think they agree on what a political solution looks like? i don't think so. i think the message don�*t think so. i think the message here is that china is already growing a bit impatient with the conflict in ukraine. the way it was presented to chinese leadership are if, initially it will be a short affair, now it�*s doesn�*t seem to be. it doesn�*t seem to be ending any time soon, there are side effects, pressure from the us and the europeans. china has blocked some financial pledges to russia. it is a new sense from the way it is seen in beijing. yes, he has a plan but

china has always insisted that its plan is based on the integrity of ukraine. russia�*s idea of a political settlement is probably based on that principle, though it has not been said. yes, the fact that president putin had to confirm that president putin had to confirm that his adherence to chinese plans shows that it continues to be a significant issue there. ukraine doesn�*t support chinese plans, despite efforts, and that is the block at the moment.- despite efforts, and that is the block at the moment. thank you very much, block at the moment. thank you very much. anna- — thank you very much, anna. slovakia�*s president zuzana caputova is to invite all of the country�*s parliamentary leaders to a joint meeting, as she called for a calming of political tensions following the shooting of prime minister robert fico. he is in hospital,

where his condition stabilised overnight — but he�*s still in a �*serious condition�*. we are waiting on a news conference for an update on the essence desiccation into this incident yesterday. we will bring that to you as soon as it happens. meanwhile slovakia�*s cabinet has been meeting to discuss the political implications of the shooting. mr fico was shot several times as he was leaving a government meeting yesterday, in what the interior minister described as a political motivated attack. they have reported that a man in his 70s has been charged with attempted murder. let�*s take a listen to what she had to say.

take a listen to what she had to sa . , , take a listen to what she had to sa. , ., ., say. yesterday's attack on prime minister roberto _ say. yesterday's attack on prime minister roberto fico _ say. yesterday's attack on prime minister roberto fico was - say. yesterday's attack on prime minister roberto fico was a - say. yesterday's attack on prime - minister roberto fico was a tragedy, but at the same time it was also an attack on the establishment. that is why i�*m asking to think about it and take a responsible approach. let step out of the vicious circle. what happened yesterday was a an act of hatred. today we agree that we will invite parliamentary political parties to the presidential palace to calm the situation and stand against violence. we politicians must have power. if we want to exercise executive power in the state, we must control our deeds. what we think, we become. and now, above all, we need to become a better people. thank you. i am

“oined better people. thank you. i am joined now— better people. thank you. i am joined now by _ better people. thank you. i am joined now by the _ better people. thank you. i am joined now by the former - better people. thank you. i am joined now by the former prime minister, iveta radicova. first of all, what are you hearing about his condition? ., , ., condition? now is the time that we all think about _ condition? now is the time that we all think about mr— condition? now is the time that we all think about mr prime _ condition? now is the time that we all think about mr prime minister. all think about mr prime minister and help him with our will and energy to really win this fight. to win this fight with all his problems he is facing. yes, he is under the five hour lasting operation, but still the situation is not, we cannot say that he is out of the danger. we cannot say that. these

hours are crucial and we have to believe that he is strong enough to also fight and we will really wish him to recover. we also fight and we will really wish him to recover.— also fight and we will really wish him to recover. we played that clip 'ust before him to recover. we played that clip just before you _ him to recover. we played that clip just before you joined _ him to recover. we played that clip just before you joined us, - him to recover. we played that clip just before you joined us, of- him to recover. we played that clip just before you joined us, of the i just before you joined us, of the president, pellegrini has been speaking as well. the messages are that we must come down the situation in society. they calling on all the parties to tone down ahead of the elections. how do we do that? the situation is — elections. how do we do that? the situation is not _ elections. how do we do that? iie: situation is not the result elections. how do we do that? "iie: situation is not the result of elections. how do we do that? i“ie: situation is not the result of a elections. how do we do that? iie: situation is not the result of a few months, it is of a few years. it is long—term development, not only in slovakia but in many of the democratic countries around the world. we are facing 15 years of a

different combination of crises, starting from terrorism, migration, war in ukraine and war in gaza. part of the politicians are using fear as an instrument of how to keep the power. they are using the situation also so the populist rhetoric, it shows that there are concrete enemies who are responsible for the situation. we have also on the top of the politics of representation of right and left populism. they are really trying to concentrate the power, building polarisation into society. not only polarisation, but

also radicalisation of the situation in society. it is a long process and i am absolutely sure that an occasion like this, this tragedy, it is time to totally change the political vocabulary. we need to stop this aggressive politics and personal attacks and return to classic political competition, which we have totally lost.— we have totally lost. thank you so much for your— we have totally lost. thank you so much for your time. _ we have totally lost. thank you so much for your time. we _ we have totally lost. thank you so much for your time. we are - we have totally lost. thank you so much for your time. we are out i we have totally lost. thank you so much for your time. we are out of time but we appreciate you talking to us.

the israeli army says five of its soldiers were killed when they were mistakenly fired

on by one of its tanks in northern gaza. two shells were fired at the paratroopers injabalia. these images show the aftermath of an israeli strike injabalia. israeli ground forces re—entered the area earlier this month. all of the israeli soldiers killed by their own troops were aged 22 or under. our correspondent in jerusalem, dan johnson, told us more about the incident. we know this happened yesterday, as israeli soldiers were sent back into one of the areas that had been declared cleared and free of hamas fighters as early as january. so somewhere that the idf had completed its operations, but had had to return to because of the reappearance of hamas fighters in that area. and it�*s in clearing buildings there that this group of israeli soldiers were fired on, shelled at by an israeli tank. that�*s certainly the early indications, that this was a tragic friendly—fire incident. perhaps the worst friendly—fire incident that we�*ve seen

since the start of this conflict in gaza in october. five young soldiers — aged just 20, 21, 22 — killed by that tank shelling. seven other soldiers wounded. three of them are seriously injured and receiving treatment. and the idf is reviewing the full circumstances of how this happened. it is another reminder of the israeli lives that are at risk in gaza and the threat that is still posed to the palestinian population there, as the idf returns to areas that it had previously declared safe. and that is why there is growing discussion of how successful, how sustainable israel�*s military strategy is now in gaza. what its aims are, what its chances of success are and, particularly, what the future plans for gaza are, once the military operation is concluded. we are going now to bratislava, to that news conference we told you was

coming. this is response to the shooting of slovakian prime minister, robert terry feature, who we are told —— roberto fico, who we are told is in a critical condition. our sympathy for roberto fico. we are receiving different messages of support and encouragement. this is something that is very positive

for all of us. we are not only fighting for the life of the prime minister but also the future of the slovakian republic. it happened yesterday, the assassination attempt of the prime minister robert fico. it was an attempt to derail decades of our struggle to build a tolerance, vibrant democracy. this is not a new prime minister, it is 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 ourfull support and our medical team, the medical team has our full support and our trust. medical team, the medical team has ourfull support and our trust. they dedicate every minutes to the prime minister, they try to set up the treatment in such a way so as to enable positive progression. i want to express my deepest gratitude for the strong support that we feel from all of you. the doctors succeeded in stabilising the medical state, however we are still not beyond the risk to the life of the prime minister. but we will inform you in the forthcoming hours about the current situation and the progress. the biggest tragedy of the last hours has been the fact that we now

see that the disagreement with other political opinions, the disagreements with other philosophies of life, has been converted into an attempt of an assassination, and attempted murder. what does it take for someone who has originally presented his opinions as a pacifist, suddenly become an extremist? just because of a change in opinion takes guns into his hands and is willing to take the life of an individual. i think that passions we have seen in slovakia over the last couple of months are exactly those passions that we all need to cool down. none of us wants to live in a society where you will be afraid to demonstrate freely your

opinions, your beliefs, without fearing that you might be at risk of a verbal or physical attack. perhaps in the same way as the heavy injuries of robert will cause him to learn many things again, to relearn how to live. the same will be the lesson for our democracy. we all need to find different ways for how to speak to each other, we need to learn how to be tolerant and that there is not a universal truth on how the slovakian or european society should evolve. we all need to relearn the basic lessons of the

revolution of 1989, it was a signal of tolerance, all kinds of political beliefs. perhaps we are now certain that this was not a random act, this was a planned attack because this person has already planned his attack. this person has been present attack. this person has been present at the previous government meeting in different parts of slovakia and therefore i would like to ask you, colleagues, journalists, that we should only state facts. let�*s start at our own door. we need to take a look in the mirror. we shouldn�*t change —— we shouldn�*t try to be the first to source information, we have seen an incredible amount of hoaxes

and false truths. let�*s try to stay calm, let�*s not abandon the rules just to make it work with our beliefs and our ambition. let�*s think about what democracy really means, that is the really broad perspective of opinions which, at the end of the day, can only lead us to progress. i would like to ask the media to present facts only. all information that can be published will be published, all other pieces of information that you are trying to piece together may not be truthful and, again, to piece together may not be truthfuland, again, it to piece together may not be truthful and, again, it leads to passions, which is the exact opposite of what we are trying to do. and to, one final play. —— plea.

let us try to avoid confrontation and discussions, let us change the organisation of discussions. everyone should have a fair chance to say their opinion, but we politicians should also try to look for a different way of working. less confrontation, more understanding, more cooperation and returning to the very basis of what has always been the belief of our prime minister, tolerance and accepting opinions. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. allow me to inform you within the legal limits about the current state of investigation. we have information on the investigation but within the

legally permitted limits i will try to inform you. what is permissible. we are now only working with one investigative version of the attack. the perpetrator has been charged with premeditated murder. we are working with one version only, this was a politically motivated crime. in contrast to the information from yesterday, i can confirm that the reasons why this was a politically motivated murder attempt are exactly as has been phrased by the perpetrator, based on the information that he had and that he had been following, because he had been following the political situation very closely. this is the way that you presented them. i think

that all of you should search in your own hearts the for his own acts, the abolishing of the —— the change of the status of the public tv broadcaster and the removal of the head of the special court. these were the reasons that were stated as the reasons why he is opposed to the politics of the current government, these are the reasons why he decided to attempt to assassinate the prime minister of the government with which he does not politically agree. i can only confirm that this man is now a member of any right—wing or left—wing extreme political group. he is a lone wolf whose decisions were accelerated after the presidential elections where he was

dissatisfied with the results of the put presidential elections which happened a month ago. this is when he decided to act. this person has taken part in multi—anti— government protests. i can confirm that the suspect has also been part of the protests during the previous regional government meeting, all of this has been confirmed. all further information are subjected to the information are subjected to the information embargo and cannot be shared. at the same time, i would like to inform you, stated quite clearly yesterday, i would like to ask all politicians, journalists, all citizens of slovakia, to stop with elevated passions. police are

now investigating 32 cases, 32 suspects, who have been sharing different opinions on social media. in most cases they have been approving of this act. in all cases the national crime agency will act and all these people will be apprehended and interrogated. they will need to stand in front of justice. i would like to ask everybody to cool down. let us refrain from further passion and i am stating this publicly to the media and for all the citizens who agree with this heinous crime, and also those who decided that something similar they would wish upon others. that is you journalists, or other members of political parties. whether they are from coalition parties or opposition

parties. we also have cases of attempts made to other members of parliament, the newly elected chairperson of the traditional council has already received threats. journalists have received threats. journalists have received threats and all of this will be investigated. and my messages to everyone, especially those who are keyboard heroes, we will act without compromise. this is the main message. about using strong words, wishing death to someone at the keyboard from the safety of your home or publicly approving an assassination attempt of the leader of the slovak republic. also allow me to clearly refute all lies, all half truths and misinformation that are being spread by some of the media also. i would like to ask you all to stop giving public arenas to