Page 2 - Hungary

Orbn's anti-Ukraine campaign targets rival before Hungary elections

As Hungary heads toward national elections next spring and the populist government's popularity slumps, Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has zeroed in on a central theme he hopes will sway voters: an alleged threat posed by neighbouring Ukraine. While most European Union countries have offered political, financial, and military support to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Hungary under Orbn has charted a starkly different course refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons or allow their transit through Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions relief and rapprochement with Russia, and adopting a combative stance toward both Kyiv and its EU backers. With his ruling Fidesz party slipping in the polls and a new opposition force gaining momentum, Orbn has escalated a sweeping anti-Ukraine campaign presenting the upcoming election as a referendum on peace or war. Going further, he has accused his leading political opponent of entering into a treasonous pact with Kyiv to overthrow hi

Hungarian Oppn leader tells supporters he will restore Western alliances

The leader of Hungary's largest opposition party on Sunday told thousands of supporters that he would guide his country out of its international isolation if he defeats Prime Minister Viktor Orbn in elections scheduled for next year. Pter Magyar, the leader of the Respect and Freedom (Tisza) party, represents the most serious challenge to Orbn's power since the right-wing populist leader took power in 2010. Recent polling suggests that Tisza has overtaken Orbn's Fidesz party as Hungary struggles with a stagnating economy and has been politically sidelined in the European Union over Orbn's policies. Speaking at a rally in Budapest on Sunday, Magyar said that, if elected, he and his party would restore Hungary's relationships and reputation among its allies that have suffered as Orbn has attacked the European Union and pursued close relationships with autocracies like Russia and China. We will finally put our common affairs in order, Magyar said. "Our homeland, Hungary, will once agai

Hungary set to ban LGBTQ+ pride, raise fears of broader rights rollback

Hungarian lawmakers are preparing to vote on a constitutional amendment viewed by many critics as both a crackdown on the freedoms of assembly and expression and the most recent move by the populist government to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ communities. The amendment, which will almost certainly be passed on Monday by the two-thirds majority of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist Fidesz party, would permanently codify a ban on public events held by LGBTQ+ communities including the popular Pride event that draws thousands annually in the capital, Budapest. It will also provide a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities or sexual characteristics of minority groups, and allow for some Hungarians to have their citizenship suspended if they are deemed to pose a threat to Hungary's security or sovereignty. Here's what the amendment will do, what it entails for LGBTQ+ Hungarians, and for some of the basic rights of all citizens in the Central European nation. A ban

Hungary plans to withdraw from ICC as Netanyahu arrives despite warrant

Hungary said Thursday it will begin the procedure of withdrawing from the world's only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide. Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Gergely Gulys, who is Prime Minister Viktor Orbn chief of staff wrote in a brief statement. The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework. The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, despite an international arrest warrant against him over his conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hungary's government, led by right-wing populist Orbn, extended the invitation to Netanyahu in November after the ICC, based in the Hague, Netherlands, issued the warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. Orbn, a close Netanyahu ally, has called the arrest warrant outrageously impudent and cynical. Member countries of the ICC, such as Hungary

US SC deals severe blow to Holocaust survivors' lawsuit against Hungary

A unanimous Supreme Court on Friday dealt a severe blow to Holocaust survivors and their families in a long-running lawsuit seeking compensation from Hungary for property confiscated during World War II. The justices threw out an appeals court ruling that had allowed the lawsuit to continue despite a federal law that generally shields sovereign nations like Hungary from suits in US courts. The high court heard arguments in December in Hungary's latest bid to end the lawsuit filed in 2010 by survivors, all of whom are now over 90, and heirs of survivors. Some survived being sent to the Auschwitz death camp in what was German-occupied Poland. The appeals court had held that the survivors satisfied the exception the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act makes for property taken in violation of international law. To qualify, the survivors must be able to show that the property has some commercial tie to the United States. The survivors had argued that Hungary long ago sold off the property,

EU extends Russia sanctions by 6 months after Hungary lifts veto threat

The European Union agreed a 6-month extension Monday for a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine after Hungary lifted its objections to the move. The sanctions target trade, finance, energy, technology, industry, transport and luxury goods. They include a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU. They will now remain in place at least until July 31. Some measures were introduced in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, but the list grew significantly after Moscow's full-fledged invasion of its neighbour almost three years ago. On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn called on the EU to intervene in a gas dispute that his country has with Ukraine. He said Kyiv's decision to halt the transit of Russian gas into Central Europe had forced Hungary to turn to alternative routes, which raised energy prices. To satisfy Orbn's demand, the European ...

Wait for Donald Trump before extending Russia sanctions: Orban to EU

The EU has imposed 15 rounds of sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which need to be extended every six months

Italy PM Meloni, Hungary's Orban pledge cooperation on migration, Ukraine

Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni met her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on Wednesday in Rome, where the two discussed the situation in the Middle East, their support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and their commitment to the eastern country's reconstruction. Meloni also congratulated Orban on his six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, the first chapter of accession talks with Albania and the progress made with Bulgaria and Romania in the expansion of the Schengen area, according to a statement from the Italian government. The two far-right leaders also discussed the Middle East conflict, support for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, and their nations' commitment to Ukraine's reconstruction ahead of the next recovery conference, which will be held in Rome in July 2025. During the 1 1/2-hour meeting at the Italian government's headquarters the leaders also emphasised the importance of addressing irregular migration, calling for increased cooperation with countries

What is the International Criminal Court that issued Netanyahu's warrant?

International Criminal Court issued warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity related to the 13-month war in Gaza

Israel-Gaza war: Hungarian PM Orban defies ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu

International Criminal Court issued warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity related to the 13-month war in Gaza

Orban visits Georgia to support ruling party amid election protests

Georgia's ruling party, which has faced massive opposition protests demanding the annulment of its declared victory in the weekend parliamentary election amid allegations of vote rigging helped by Russia, is getting a boost with the visit from Hungary's prime minister. Victor Orban, the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream, arrived on Monday in Georgia on a trip that highlighted his rifts within the European Union. The EU said he doesn't have any mandate from the bloc for the visit. Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied outside parliament on Monday night, demanding a new election under international supervision and a probe into the alleged vote rigging. The protest underlined tensions in the country which lies between Russia and Turkey and where the governing Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. President Salome Zourabichvili, who has rejected the official results, told The Associated Press that Georgia has fallen vict

Taiwan questions head of pager firm linked to recent Hezbollah blasts

Another person also seen leaving the prosecutors office was Teresa Wu, the sole employee of a company called Apollo Systems Ltd, who did not speak to reporters as she left the prosecutors

Trump cites Hungary's Orbn as example of foreign solidarity during debate

Former President Donald Trump made room during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris to express the mutual admiration he shares with Viktor Orbn, the autocratic leader of Hungary who has cosied up with Russia and China and became a thorn in the side of his allies. They call him a strongman. He's a tough person, smart, Trump said of Orbn in response to Harris' assertion that world leaders are laughing at the former president. Look, Viktor Orbn said it. He said, The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump. We had no problems when Trump was president,' Trump said. Why is Orbn popular with conservatives? Orbn, a right-wing populist and the European Union's longest-serving leader, has become an icon to some US conservatives for championing what he calls illiberal democracy, which includes some of the EU's harshest restrictions on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. He has also cracked down on the press and judiciary in the formerly Communist Central European country an

Orban's charge of EU presidency raises questions about Hungary's stance

The European Union traditionally ends its summer slumber in the dying days of August with an informal meeting of its foreign affairs ministers in a political equivalent of a fireside chat. But with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Hungary holding the presidency of the 27-nation bloc, vacation has already been turned into one long firebrand's shout. Since July 1, and right up to year's end, the EU's arcane rules allow Hungary, a nation of 9.5 million, to represent and often speak for the bloc of 450 million. The problem is that Orban increasingly stands for everything the EU opposes. The first two months of the half-year rotating presidency has already turned into troll diplomacy, said Peter Kreko of the Center for European Policy Analysis. Orban "just wants to provoke more anger from the leaders of the European Union, he said. When Russian President Vladimir Putin is the EU's archenemy because of his war in Ukraine, Orban travels to Moscow and hobnobs with the autocratic leader. When .

EU putting new pressure on Hungary's Orban over his outreach to Russia

Hungary won't be allowed to host a strategic EU meeting next month because of Prime Minister Viktor Orbn's self-proclaimed peace mission trips to Moscow and Beijing this month aimed at brokering an end to the war in Ukraine, which EU partners overwhelmingly saw as undermining their support for Kyiv. We have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Monday in Brussels, explaining why he had decided that the upcoming foreign and defense ministers' meeting would take place in Brussels instead of Budapest. Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and as such had expected to host the annual late August gathering known as the Gymnich in late August. This gathering should now be held in the EU capital in September, Borrell announced. Orbn is seen as having the warmest relationship with Russia in the EU and is largely politically isolated in his stance on the Ukraine war. His government has held up sanctions on Moscow and huge

Hungary PM meets Xi during surprise China visit; Russia-Ukraine on agenda

In a video he posted from a Beijing airport tarmac on Monday on X, Orban hailed China as the only world power "clearly committed to peace''

Far-right groups from France, Hungary to be new political force in EU Parl

Far-right parties from 12 countries, including France's National Rally and Hungary's ruling Fidesz, announced on Monday that they have joined together to form a new bloc in the European Parliament and plan to become a major political force. The European Parliament moved perceptibly to the right following Europe-wide elections a month ago as many voters abandoned the business-friendly liberals and environmentalist Greens. Mainstream centre-right and centre-left groups still hold the majority though. The new bloc, dubbed Patriots for Europe, is made up of 84 EU lawmakers and will be led by Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old protg of Marine Le Pen. Kinga Gl, from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn's Fidesz party, will be first vice president. Right-wing parties from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain are also involved. Forming a group brings parties more influence, money and the possibility of coveted posts on ...

PM Orbn makes surprise visit to China after trips to Russia, Ukraine

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbn is making a surprise visit to China on Monday after similar trips to Russia and Ukraine to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Peace mission 3.0 is how Orbn captioned a picture posted early Monday on the X social media platform depicting him after having stepped off his plane in Beijing. He was being greeted by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying and other officials. Orbn later met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Besides Russia and Ukraine, the end of the war depends on the decision of three world powers, the United States, the European Union and China, Orbn wrote in a Facebook post showing him shaking hands with Xi. Orbn met with Xi just two months ago when he hosted the Chinese leader in Hungary as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which unlike the other two is not a member of the European Union or NATO. Hungary und

In rare visit from European leader, Hungary's Orbán meets Putin in Moscow

Orbán's visit comes only days after he made a similar unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

9-yr-old Indian-origin girl chess prodigy to be youngest in England team

Bodhana Sivanandan, a nine-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl is set to make chess history after she became the youngest person selected to represent England internationally in any sport. Bodhana, from Harrow in north-west London, will join the England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September. The others in her team are all in their 20s, 30s or 40s. "I found out yesterday after I came back from school when my dad told me. I was happy. I hope I'll do well and I'll get another title," she told the BBC on Wednesday. Malcolm Pein, manager of the England chess team, described the schoolgirl as one of the most remarkable British chess prodigies he has ever seen. "It's exciting she's on course to be one of the best British players ever," he said. Her father, Siva Sivanandan, says he remains mystified about where his daughter got her talent. "I'm an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I'm not good at chess, he said. Bodhana first picked up chess during