Michael Becker Courtesy of Apple
World
Protests erupt over Slovak government's planned public broadcasting overhaul
- Slovaks turned out in droves Friday to protest the government’s planned overhaul of its public broadcasting service.
- The planned change comes amid a wave of similar protests against the populist, Russia-friendly government of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
- Opposition lawmaker Zora Jaurova slammed the proposal as one that would transform Slovakia’s public media into “a trumpet for government propaganda.”
Thousands of Slovaks rallied in the capital on Friday to condemn a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to overhaul the country’s public broadcasting during a wave of anti-government protests.
The protesters in Freedom Square at downtown Bratislava joined President Zuzana Čaputová, local journalists, the opposition, international media organizations, the European Commission and others who warned that the changes would result in the government’s full control of the Slovak public television and radio.
Zora Jaurova, a lawmaker for the major opposition Progressive Slovakia party that co-organized the protest said the changes would turn the broadcaster into “a trumpet for government propaganda.”
SLOVAKS TURN OUT IN DROVES TO PROTEST FICO GOVERNMENT’S PENAL CODE OVERHAUL
“We must not allow that to happen,” she told the crowd.
According to the plan drafted by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, the current public radio and television known as RTVS would be replaced by a new organization. A new seven-member council with members nominated by the government and parliament would select its director, although the current one has a parliamentary mandate until 2027. The council would have a right to dismiss the director without giving any reason.
People gather to take part in a protest against the government, in Bratislava, Friday, March 15, 2024. Thousands of Slovaks have rallied in the capital to condemn a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to overhaul the country’s public broadcasting amid a wave of anti-government protests. (Jaroslav Novak/TASR via AP)
“This appears to be a thinly veiled attempt to turn the Slovak public service broadcaster into state-controlled media,” Noel Curran, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) director general said in a statement. “That would be a dangerous step backwards for democracy and for freedom of expression.”
RTVS is a member of EBU, which is an alliance of public broadcasters.
The attack on RTVS is part of Fico’s major attack on all free media, a statement signed by hundreds of Slovak journalists said.
Šimkovičová said the changes are needed because the current broadcaster is biased and gives space only to mainstream views and censor the others.
About a thousand journalists and others working for the broadcaster denied that was true.
Simkovicova represents the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, a member of the coalition government that is a major pro-Russian force in Slovakia. She has worked for an internet television known for spreading disinformation.
Thousands of people have repeatedly taken to the streets across Slovakia recently to rally against Fico’s pro-Russian and other policies, including a plan to amend the penal code that would reduce punishment for corruption and some other crimes and a significant shorten the statute of limitations.
A number of people linked to the prime minister’s party, including lawmakers, face prosecution in corruption cases.
Fico returned to power for the fourth time last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won Sept. 30 parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
Known for his tirades against journalists, Fico recently labeled a major television network, two nationwide newspapers and an online news website his enemies and doesn’t communicate with them.
His critics worry Slovakia under Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
World
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Sets Summer Release, Reveals More First-Look Photos as Jason Sudeikis Returns to Richmond
Jason Sudeikis‘ long-awaited return to AFC Richmond now has a date.
Apple TV has announced that that the fourth season of “Ted Lasso” will debut globally this summer, while the streamer has also sharing new stills and plot details.
Currently in production, the show will see the return of Sudeikis, who exec produces, plus Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Emmy winner Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift. New signings include Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsey, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely.
In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. As per the synopsis: “Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.”
“Ted Lasso” season four also adds Emmy winner Jack Burditt (“Nobody Wants This,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock”) as executive producer under a new overall deal with Apple TV. Sudeikis stars and executive produces alongside Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, and Bill Wrubel. Goldstein serves as writer and executive producer alongside Leanne Bowen. Sarah Walker and Phoebe Walsh will serve as writers and producers for season four, and Sasha Garron co-produces. Julia Lindon will write for season four, and Dylan Marron will serve as story editor.
Bill Lawrence executive produces via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal Content. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer also serve as executive producers. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Kelly and Hunt, and is based on the preexisting format and characters from NBC Sports.
Following its global debut on Apple TV, “Ted Lasso” immediately broke records, the first season becoming the most Emmy-nominated comedy series. The series went on to land back-to-back outstanding comedy series Emmys for its first two seasons on air.
See the other first-look stills from “Ted Lasso” season 4 below.
Courtesy of Apple
Courtesy of Apple
World
Ted Cruz urges US to arm Iranian protesters as militias threaten ‘total war’ against America
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Sen. Ted Cruz called for the U.S. to arm Iranian protesters Tuesday as unrest continues inside the nation and Iran-backed militias issued threats against Washington.
“We should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW,” Cruz wrote in a post on X.
“For the Iranian people to overthrow the Ayatollah — a tyrant who routinely chants ‘death to America’ — would make America much, much safer,” the Texas Republican added.
Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.
IRAN WILL RETALIATE ‘WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE’ IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS
“From trusted source in Tehran: Tell all of your friends [abroad] — everyone you know: there is absolutely nothing else we can do here inside Iran,” the post read.
“They are killing people in such ways, they’ve descended upon people so brutally, they’re attacking us in such ways… We’ve lost so many lives that no one dares go out anymore. They shoot directly with bullets. They kill outright. And even after killing, they come and behead you, and do countless other violent things to you,” it continued.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called for the armament of anti-government protesters in Iran. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Going out into the streets is literally suicide. It’s not about bravery anymore. It’s madness. You go out and they shoot you point-blank. They don’t even ask why you came. They just kill you,” the post continued. “There is absolutely no way for us to gather unless we had weapons, unless we were armed like them. Otherwise they have weapons everywhere.”
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, activist groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have been killed in Iran, with additional cases still under review.
The protests began in late December amid widespread anger over economic hardship, political repression and corruption, according to reports.
IRAN REGIME REPORTEDLY ISSUED NATIONWIDE SHOOT-TO-KILL ORDERS AS PROTEST DEATH TOLL SURGES
Iranian security forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad despite government claims. (NCRI)
Cruz’s post came after armed militias aligned with Iran warned the U.S. they would retaliate against any American attack on the Islamic Republic, as the Trump administration moved forces into the region.
Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq said it was prepared for “total war” if the U.S. attacked Iran, according to The Associated Press.
Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the group’s leader, said the “enemies” of the Islamic Republic would face “the bitterest forms of death.”
IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS
Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq said it was prepared for “total war” should the U.S. attack Iran. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“You will taste every form of deadly suffering, nothing of you will remain in our region, and we will strike terror in your hearts,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis also threatened to restart attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, releasing a video Monday showing a ship engulfed in flames, captioned: “Soon,” The Associated Press reported.
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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, President Donald Trump said Iran appeared to be seeking negotiations with the U.S. amid the growing military buildup, telling Axios, “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East on Monday as unrest inside Iran continued to escalate.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sen. Ted Cruz for comment.
World
North Korea’s Kim to outline plans to boost nuclear arsenal
Pyongyang expected to release five-year development plan for defence and economy at upcoming congress.
Published On 28 Jan 2026
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will unveil plans to bolster the country’s nuclear forces at an upcoming governing party meeting, state media reported.
The report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday came the day after Kim oversaw the latest in a series of missile tests that have unsettled the region. Kim has ordered the “expansion” and modernisation of the country’s missile production.
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Details, which Kim has warned will bring “excruciating mental agony” to his enemies, are expected to be released at the upcoming ninth Communist Party congress, which is due to take place in the coming weeks.
At the meeting, the first such gathering since 2021, the governing party will unveil a five-year development plan for defence and the economy.
Kim described Tuesday’s test-firing of a large-calibre multiple rocket launcher system as of “great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent” and said it showed the weapon system could be used for “specific attacks”, KCNA reported.
The missiles that were fired “hit a target” in waters at a distance of 358.5km (222.7 miles), the North Korean leader declared.
The missiles were fired in the direction of the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. Two landed outside North Korea’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Japanese state news agency Jiji Press reported, citing Defence Ministry sources.
South Korea’s military reported that it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles launched from north of Pyongyang towards the Sea of Japan.
“The result and significance of this test will be a source of excruciating mental agony and serious threat to the forces that attempt to provoke a military confrontation with us,” Kim said.
Analysts told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that the “self-steered precision guided flight system” mentioned by Kim may indicate a new navigation system employed to help the weapon defy global positioning system (GPS) jamming.
Photos showed Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, accompanying him to the test, along with Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the party’s central committee, and Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Missile Administration, Yonhap reported.
While acknowledging that development of the rocket launcher system had “not been plain sailing”, Kim said the test was “of great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent”.
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