~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (13)

Exclusive: Hungary’s PM and EU’s most isolated leader says he is pursuing ‘friendship with everybody’ – particularly the former US presidentEurope’s most isolated leader was beaming.Standing in a hallway in Brussels, Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, spoke excitedly about the politician he hopes will change his political fortunes – Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Péter Magyar building centrist movement that has visibly shaken ruling party he dramatically broke withA political newcomer who is causing headaches for Hungary’s government has said his experience as a regime insider can help him succeed where other opposition figures have failed, citing his “crazy” rise in the polls and “vision” as signs that change is possible.Fourteen years after the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor...

Footage showing former president spent two nights apparently hiding from potential arrest at mission was leaked to mediaThe Hungarian embassy in Brasília has reportedly fired two Brazilian employees after the leaking of security footage that revealed how Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro had spent two nights “hiding” inside the mission.According to the network CNN Brasil, the sackings were punishment for the embarrassing leak to...

Former Brazil president spent two nights at legation after two close aides were detained in February over alleged coup plotBrazil’s foreign ministry has summoned the Hungarian ambassador to explain why the South American country’s embattled former president Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights “hiding” at Hungary’s embassy in Brasília last month as federal police investigators closed in on some of his closest allies.Security footage obtained...

Hungary dropping opposition allows historically neutral country to become member, cementing alliance’s control of Nordic regionSweden has officially became the 32nd member of Nato, in a landmark moment for the historically neutral country and the western military alliance.Stockholm’s ratification process was finally completed in Washington as Sweden and Hungary, the last country to ratify Sweden’s membership, submitted the necessary documents after a drawn-out process...

Beijing’s move comes at a time when Budapest’s relationship with its EU and Nato allies is at a low pointChina has offered to deepen security cooperation with Hungary, underscoring Budapest’s warming ties with Beijing just as Hungarian officials snubbed a visiting delegation from Washington.Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, met China’s minister of public security, Wang Xiaohong, on Friday. Continue reading...

President’s resignation shines light on gap between government’s behaviour and rhetoric as country prepares for local and European electionsA scandal rocking Hungarian politics is exposing Viktor Orbán’s vulnerabilities and testing his opposition as the country prepares for local and European elections in June.The Hungarian prime minister has been spending a significant amount of time travelling the globe in a quest to build up an...

Katalin Novák stepped down after pardoning a man convicted of helping cover up sex abuse The Hungarian president has announced her resignation over her decision to pardon a man convicted of helping cover up a sex abuse case at a children’s home as the controversy posed a challenge for Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán.The pardon decision was made last year but only caught the...

Member states hope to persuade Hungary to remove its block on funding at Brussels emergency summitEU leaders have returned to Brussels for a second showdown in two months with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán over his refusal to sanction a new €50bn assistance package for Ukraine.A mixture of frustration and anger prevailed in the city as leaders arrived for dinner on Wednesday night on the eve...

Hungarian ambassador summoned amid national uproar at treatment of Ilaria Salis, accused of attacking neo-NazisItaly’s government has said that authorities in Hungary went “too far” in putting in chains an Italian woman who is awaiting trial for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis.Italian ministers summoned Budapest’s ambassador in protest on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Rights of lone minors were not protected, with some deported and others left homeless for monthsSpain, Greece and Hungary have been rebuked by courts for failing to protect the rights of children.It adds to a string of recent rulings that have reprimanded countries across Europe over the treatment of lone minors who are seeking asylum. Continue reading...

Vote leaves Hungary as only country still to ratify application made in response to Russian invasion of UkraineEurope live – latest updatesThe Turkish parliament has given its long-awaited approval to Sweden’s membership of Nato, bringing the Nordic country significantly closer to joining the western military alliance after months in limbo.Three months after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, submitted a bill on approving membership...

Hungarian PM met a who’s who of rightwing leaders on his travels in 2023, as critics point to failures at homeEurope’s pariah prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is jetting across the globe in search of friends.Hungary, an EU and Nato member that has been backsliding on democratic norms for more than a decade, has become even more isolated in the western club over the past...