DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Slovak PM Fico no longer in immediate danger but condition serious, deputy says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in immediate danger but still in a serious condition, his deputy said on Sunday, four days after an assassination attempt that sent shockwaves through Europe. “We are all a little calmer,” Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told a news conference outside the hospital where Fico is being treated in the central Slovak town of Banska Bystrica. The prime minister, 59, was hit by four bullets on Wednesday in an attack that raised alarm over the polarized state of politics in the central European country of 5.4 million people. Kalinak told journalists that Fico’s condition was still too serious to consider transferring him to hospital in the capital. Local news media say the suspect is a 71-year-old former security guard at a shopping mall and the author of three collections of poetry.

Persons: Robert Fico, Robert Kalinak, Kalinak, Juraj C Organizations: Reuters, Slovak Locations: Europe, Slovak, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

☆ Toxic Political Culture Has Even Some Slovaks Calling Country ‘a Black Hole.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a quarter century has passed since the United States called Slovakia a “black hole in the center of Europe” — an island of autocratic malaise surrounded by spry new democracies. The insult, leveled in 1997 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright against a country that has since joined NATO and the European Union, still stings. “We are back in a black hole; I’m not sure we ever got out of it,” said Roman Kvasnica, a prominent Slovak lawyer who denounces a political culture in which threats and personal insults are routine. In his own legal work he has faced numerous threats, including a warning that he would get a “bullet in the head” from a tycoon charged with ordering the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist digging into government corruption. Mr. Havel served as the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia, the state that in 1993 split amicably into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia.

Persons: spry, Madeline Albright, Robert Fico, Albright, ”, Roman Kvasnica, Vaclav Havel, Havel Organizations: NATO, European Union, Central, Mr Locations: United States, Slovakia, Europe, Central European, Slovak, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia

☆ Live Updates: Attempted Killing of Slovakia’s Leader Shocks a Polarized Nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

PinnedA day after Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, was critically wounded in what his government called a politically motivated assassination attempt, attention focused on Thursday on the security breaches that had allowed the attack to occur. Mr. Fico’s condition stabilized overnight, and doctors were carrying out more procedures in hopes of improving his condition, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told a news conference on Thursday morning outside the hospital where Mr. Fico was being treated. Political tempers in the deeply polarized Central European nation rose after Mr. Fico’s shooting, and the interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, said an initial investigation “clearly points to a political motivation” behind the assassination attempt. Filip Kuffa, a state secretary, said early Thursday on Facebook that Mr. Fico was in stable condition. It said that cellphones had been taken from many staff members at the hospital to prevent them communicating information about Mr. Fico’s condition.

Persons: Robert Fico, Robert Kalinak, Fico, Matus Sutaj Estok, Mr, Filip Kuffa, ” Organizations: Facebook Locations: Bratislava, Handlova, Slovakia, Slovak

☆ Robert Fico: Slovakia’s prime minister out of ‘life-threatening situation’ following assassination attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is out of danger after being shot five times and undergoing surgery, officials say, following an assassination attempt that rocked the central European country and sparked global condemnation. Footage from the scene showed the injured prime minister being bundled into a vehicle by his staff, before it speeds away with him inside. undefined — Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico walks during the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on April 18, 2024. Unlike the president, whose role has limited scope, the prime minister holds rank as the decision-making head of government. Fico previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018.

Persons: CNN —, Robert Fico, Fico, Tomáš Taraba, “, Zuzana Čaputová, Kenzo Tribouillard, Šutaj Eštok, ” Fico Organizations: CNN, EU, Getty, Ukraine, Kyiv, NATO, Reuters Locations: Handlova, Banská Bystrica, Brussels, AFP, Slovakia

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ China’s Xi is visiting Europe for the first time in five years – his goodwill tour will be an uphill struggle
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Major breakthroughs with China’s toughest critics will be hard to come by unless Xi is ready to make surprise concessions. And the trip could instead serve to underscore divisions – not only between Europe and China – but those within Europe that could play to China’s favor, analysts say. Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a garden in Guangdong during Macron's state visit to China last April. Putin has said he plans to visit China this month, according to Russian state media. Xi may also look to highlight Chinese investments in both Belgrade and Budapest in a message to the rest of Europe.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Andrea Bocelli, –, Xi, China –, ”, Noah Barkin, Hungary –, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Von der Leyen, Olaf Scholz, Chong Ja Ian, “, Chong, Jacques Witt, China’s, Macron, Russia …, Wang Yiwei, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Aleksandar Vučić, Viktor Orban – Organizations: CNN, European Union, Ukraine, German Marshall Fund of, EU, “, National University of Singapore, Getty, Beijing’s Renmin University, NATO, Reuters, EV Locations: China, Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, “ China, Europe, Berlin, United States, Serbia, Hungary, Beijing, Paris, “ France, North America, Guangdong, Ukraine, Switzerland, Barkin, “, Belgrade, Budapest, Balkans, Balkan

The American right’s growing embrace of Orbán builds upon millions of dollars that his government has spent on lobbying in the US, and new connections between Hungarian and American conservative think tanks. “Make America great again, make Europe great again!” Orbán declared in English, before continuing in Hungarian: “Go Donald Trump! Conservatives from around the US, Europe and beyond traveled to Budapest for the two-day event, which was organized by a Hungarian government-funded think tank. Two American nonprofits that are actively planning policies for a second Trump term have shown an interest in Hungary and Orbán’s model. But some of the American conservatives who flew into the country for CPAC seemed more focused on the optics of Budapest than on democratic rights.

Persons: crackdowns, “, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Donald Trump’s, ” Orbán, Donald Trump !, ” Trump, ”, Trump, Steve Bannon, President Trump, Gladden Pappin, Szilard Koszticsak, White, ” Pappin, “ saviors, Bannon, Kari Lake, Mark Meadows, Andy Harris, Zoltan Mathe, Paul Gosar, Christopher Rufo, István, Ron DeSantis, Trumpists, Kim Lane Scheppele, Orbán’s, Zsuzsanna Szelényi, ” Szelényi, Márton Gulyás, influencers strode, Joey Mannarino, ” Kyung Lah, Anna, Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine Organizations: Hungary CNN —, Republican, Conservative, Trump, European Union, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Conservative Political, “ Conservative, White House, ”, Republican Arizona, CNN, Department of Justice, Southern Poverty Law, Heritage Foundation, America, Policy Institute, Institute, Florida Gov, Princeton Locations: Budapest, Hungary, American, Europe, Lago, Dallas, America, Hungarian, Arizona, United States, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Florida, “ Hungary, marveled, New York, Washington

☆ A former corporate lawyer died after falling from a luxury liner, reports say. One expert says cruise safety is outdated.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementWhile the chances of falling overboard on a cruise ship are extremely low , a cruise ship expert told Business Insider that the industry's safety protocols needed updating. Sophie Elizabeth Blythe-Tinker told the court her father "wasn't himself" and had become "increasingly abnormal" during his time on board, per the Telegraph. Cruise ship safetyRoss Klein, an international authority on the cruise ship industry, told BI he believes cruise ship safety rules are outdated. He said no substantial changes have been made to cruise ship safety since the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010. AdvertisementKlein is "not very hopeful" about actionable change regarding cruise safety in the near future "because nobody's pushing for changes."

Persons: —, Nigel Blythe, Blythe, William Hill, Tinker, Sophie Elizabeth Blythe, wasn't, I'm, Karen Shuman, Mr Blythe, Ross Klein, Klein, Levion Parker, Francel Parker, ideation Organizations: Service, London's, of Justice, The Telegraph, Seven Seas, Business, Seven Seas Cruises, Cruise Vessel Security, Royal Caribbean, New York Post, Sun Locations: England, Australia, Blythe, Marseille, Barcelona, Florida, Port

☆ Hungary’s Orban, a long-time Trump ally, rocked by major scandals ahead of European elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives to attend a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 21, 2024. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has run into political trouble ahead of European parliamentary elections in June, with his ruling party shaken by two political scandals within six weeks. Orban is a long-time ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump and widely seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest supporter in the European Union. The right-wing leader has led the central European country since 2010, making him the EU's longest-serving head of state. Yet two major scandals have recently rocked his dominance of Budapest's political landscape at a sensitive time when Hungary is poised to hold both local and European elections in early June.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Sameer Al, Orban, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's, Peter Magyar, Janos Kummer, Zsuzsanna Vegh, Vegh, Magyar, Judit Varga —, Katalin Novak, Novak, Varga, William Shakespeare Organizations: Hungary's, EU, Afp, Getty, Hungarian, European Union, Eurasia Group, Fidesz, German Marshall Fund of, CNBC, Facebook, YouTube, Reuters, Lawyer Locations: Brussels, doumy, Hungary, Budapest, United States, Hungarian

☆ Kate Winslet is a blast in 'The Regime' — but critics say it's not the next 'Succession'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"The Regime'" is HBO's latest bet on Kate Winslet, who helped carry miniseries like "Mare of Easttown" to critical acclaim. But according to critics, the series doesn't entirely live up to Winslet's excellent performance. But while critics praised Winslet's acting, many noted that if you're looking for more "Succession," this isn't quite it. Matthias Schoenaerts and Kate Winslet in "The Regime." Miya Mizuno/HBOThe show's ensemble cast is underusedIn addition to Winslet and Schoenaerts, "The Regime" has an ensemble cast with several acclaimed actors.

Persons: —, Kate Winslet, Winslet, Elena Vernham, she's, — Vernham, Herbert Zubak, Matthias Schoenaerts, Will Tracy, Winslet's, Daniel Fienberg, Beast's Coleman Spilde, Gregory Lawrence, Miya Mizuno, Judy Berman, Marina Fang, Carly Lane, Lawrence, elucidations, Alexandre Desplat's, Fienberg, Stephen Frears, Jessica Hobbs, Alexandre Desplat, Caryn James, Oscar, Spilde, HuffPost's Fang, Andrea Riseborough, Schoenaerts, Agnes, Hugh Grant, Martha Plimpton, Judith Holt, Guillaume Gallienne, Danny Webb, David Bamber, Henry Goodman, Paste's Elijah Gonzalez, Andrea Riseborough's Organizations: Service, The, French Dispatch, Budapest Hotel, Daily, HBO, State Locations: Austria

☆ Child abuse scandal rattles Orban’s image as defender of ‘family values’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Orban has long posed as a globetrotting defender of Christian values and an enemy of liberalism. But Orban’s critics say his carefully constructed image is a thin guise for a plutocratic mode of governance designed to enrich a small group of oligarchs. The scandal could also weaken Hungary’s bid to gain more influence in Brussels in the upcoming European elections. Since the scandal was revealed last weekend by Hungarian news site 444.hu, “Orban has not made an appearance or said anything. Critics argue that Orban’s proposed constitutional solution to the scandal is a symptom of his autocratic mode of governance.

Persons: CNN —, Viktor Orban, Katalin Novak, Orban’s, ”, Judit Varga, Fidesz party’s, Varga, Orban, Hungary’s, “ Orban, Kim Lane Scheppele, Attila Kisbendek, Peter Magyar, “, ” Magyar, Magyar, Hungary ”, ” Orban, Critics, ” Scheppele, Hungary –, Bernadett Szabo, Scheppele, ‘, illiberal, ’ ”, Pope Francis, Eva Fodor, Fodor, Attila Kisbenedek, Zoltan Balog, Balog, hasn’t, Mark Rutte, Europe’s, he’s Organizations: CNN, CNN — Hungary’s, Fidesz, European Union, Princeton University, Partizan, State of, Reuters, Survey, Christian, Central European University, Getty Locations: Washington, Moscow, Brussels, Budapest, AFP, Varga’s, Hungary, State, Christian Europe, China, Venezuela, ”, Netherlands

☆ Kate Winslet says becoming famous after 'Titanic' was 'horrible': 'My life was quite unpleasant'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Caralynn Matassa | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewKate Winslet skyrocketed to fame after starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in "Titanic." But the massive success of the 1997 blockbuster film wasn't without its downsides. In a new interview with Net-a-porter, Winslet reflected on becoming famous at a young age and her difficulties in handling an onslaught of media attention. "I felt like I had to look a certain way, or be a certain thing, and because media intrusion was so significant at that time, my life was quite unpleasant," Winslet said. "If I could turn back the clock I would have used my voice in a completely different way," Winslet said on the 2022 podcast.

Persons: —, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Winslet, James Cameron, it's, Rose DeWitt Bukater, Fox Winslet, Josh Horowitz, Rose, DiCaprio's Jack, Jack, Jack hadn't, Horowitz, Mia Threapleton, Mia, Elena Vernham Organizations: Service, Business, HBO

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers are urging Hungary to immediately ratify Sweden's application to join NATO, saying patience with the Central European country is “wearing thin” as it continues to delay its approval for the Nordic nation. “Despite its numerous prior public commitments, Hungary is the last remaining NATO member to have not ratified Sweden’s bid and both time and patience are wearing thin. Hungary’s inaction risks irrevocably damaging its relationship with the United States and with NATO,” the senators wrote. Orbán, a staunch nationalist that has led Hungary since 2010, has long promised that his country wouldn't be the last NATO member to approve Sweden's application. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesA vote on the protocols for Sweden’s NATO accession hasn’t yet appeared on the Hungarian parliament’s agenda, and the matter is unlikely to go before lawmakers until at least late February when the parliament reconvenes.

Persons: Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Sen, Ben Cardin, ” Cardin, Biden, Cardin, ”, “ Organizations: NATO, Central, New, New Hampshire Democrat, North Carolina Republican, Hungarian, Maryland Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations, U.S, Visa, Global, European Union Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, U.S, Nordic, Budapest, Sens, New Hampshire, United States, Ukraine, Maryland, Washington

☆ A Gustav Klimt painting valued at up to $54 million was rediscovered after being missing for nearly a century
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gustav Klimt's painting "Portrait of Fräulein Lieser" was rediscovered after nearly 100 years. The painting is set to be auctioned in April and is valued at up to $54 million. AdvertisementA long-lost painting by the Austrian modernist Gustav Klimt has been rediscovered after nearly a century. Related storiesAfter being exhibited globally, the portrait will be auctioned in Vienna in April, with an estimated value of up to €50 million, or around $54 million, the auction house said. According to the auction house, the painting appears to have been acquired by "a legal predecessor of the consignor in the 1960s and passed to the current owner in three inheritances."

Persons: Gustav Klimt's, —, Gustav Klimt, Klimt, It's, Adolf, Henriette Lieser, Klimt's Organizations: Service, Observer, Washington, Nazi Locations: Austrian, Vienna, Austria, Europe

☆ Slovak Lawmakers to Fast-Track Criminal Law Reforms Debate Despite Objections
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Slovakia's parliament will fast-track debate on government plans to scrap a special prosecutor's office fighting corruption and lower sentences for financial crimes after ruling lawmakers approved the move on Thursday despite objections. Opposition parties had delayed the vote on whether to fast-track the criminal law reforms for weeks, looking to slow Prime Minister Robert Fico's changes that they argue will afford impunity for politicians and business leaders linked to him. Pushing the reforms on a faster track has also raised warnings from the European Union and United States. Opposition parties have led near weekly protests drawing tens of thousands, with another string of rallies planned for Thursday evening. Slovakia's special prosecutor's office, around for two decades, has been in Fico's sights since he won a September election and returned to power.

Persons: Robert Fico's, Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Caputova, Jason Hovet, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, European Union, European Commission, Brussels, USP Locations: United States, Hungary, Poland, Prague

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — With Turkey completing its ratification of Sweden's bid to join NATO, Hungary is the last member of the military alliance not to have given its approval. Orbán has long promised that Hungary wouldn't be the last NATO member to ratify Sweden's request to join the alliance. Yet Orbán's critics say that there is no such schism within his party, and that when it comes to Hungary's approval of Sweden's NATO membership, Orbán alone is in control. Hungary's opposition parties, which favor Sweden's membership in NATO, have made several attempts over the past year to schedule a vote on the matter. “Anybody who believed that it’s in the hands of the governing party lawmakers was seriously mistaken,” she said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Hungary wouldn't, —, Agnes Vadai, parliament's, It’s, ”, he'd, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson hasn't, Tobias Billström, Budapest hasn't, he’d, Jens Stoltenberg, Dorka, Kristersson, “, ” Vadai, Vladimir Putin, Vadai, Orbán's Organizations: —, Turkey, NATO, Central European, Fidesz, European Union, Democratic Coalition, Ministry of Defense, Hungary, Centre, Integration Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Budapest, Sweden, Turkey, Stockholm, Swedish, Ukraine, NATO

MILAN (AP) — The European Commission on Tuesday announced an in-depth investigation of German airline Lufthansa’s planned takeover of Italian carrier ITA Airways, citing competitive concerns. Lufthansa signed a deal last year for a 41% minority share in the long-struggling ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia. The deal calls for a 325-million-euro ($354 million) investment by Lufthansa, and another 250 million euros ($272 million) from the Italian Finance Ministry. The European Commission cited concerns about reduced competition on short-haul flights between Italy and Central Europe and long-haul routes between Italy and the United States, Canada, Japan and India. ITA Airways and Lufthansa compete on the Central European flights, where low-cost players generally serve secondary airports.

Persons: Gregory Alegi, bailouts, ’ Alegi Organizations: MILAN, European Commission, Lufthansa’s, Italian, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Italian Finance Ministry, Central, ITA, Air Canada, United, European Union, LUISS University Locations: Italy, Central Europe, United States, Canada, Japan, India, Milan’s Linate

☆ Amazon entertainment layoffs stir 4 big questions for insiders about the tech giant's Hollywood ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The layoffs hit Prime Video and the Amazon MGM Studios division, with many of the cuts related to Amazon's $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM in 2022, the second biggest deal in the tech giant's history. The layoffs, combined with other factors straining the entertainment business — from strikes to content spending pullbacks — have heightened concerns about the future of the company's entertainment ambitions. These are the questions that came up the most about that future, according to conversations with six people close to Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. As part of the layoffs, two MGM teams were integrated under Chris Brearton, a business-side exec who joined Amazon with the MGM acquisition in 2022. How will sports impact original content spending?

Persons: what's, Jen Salke, Freevee, didn't, Who's, Chris Brearton, Salke, Mike Hopkins, What'll, there's Organizations: Amazon, Amazon MGM Studios, MGM, Amazon's, Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood, Diamond Sports, MLB, NHL, NBA Locations: Salke, Africa, MENA, Northern, Central

☆ NASA’s plans to return to moon take a hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Humans landed on the moon during NASA’s Apollo program in the late 1960s and 1970s using computers that had far less processing power than today’s smartphones. Several projects are expected to head toward the moon this year with sights set on a soft landing. ExplorationsAstrobotic Technology shared the first image of the Peregrine lunar lander in space on Monday. Once upon a planetThe oldest known fossilized skin is at least 130 million years more ancient than the previously oldest known example. The world’s oldest known fossilized skin belonged to a species of reptile that lived before dinosaurs roamed Earth.

Persons: Russia’s Luna, United States — hasn’t, Peregrine, NASA —, Zhang, King, G.H.R, von Koenigswald, Mooney, Charles Darwin, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, United, Astrobotic Technology, Technology, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Payload Services, University of Toronto Mississauga, European Space Agency, CNN Space, Science Locations: India, United States, Pittsburgh, Guangxi, King Kong, Hong Kong, Oklahoma, China, Norway, British, New Mexico

☆ The most exciting new trains coming in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —Around the world, travelers are flocking back to trains, and demand is increasing across the board for high-speed trains, luxury “land cruises” and long-distance day and night trains. Here are some of the best new trains you’ll be able to take in 2024. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/AFP/Getty ImagesLinks between two of Europe’s most visited capitals have traditionally been pretty poor, with no direct trains since the 1990s. Ian Clarke/Alamy Stock PhotoFour continents, 13 countries, and seven luxury trains across 80 days – the ultimate experience for rail travel connoisseurs is due to depart in late 2024. BelmondOne of the world’s greatest luxury train journeys is returning to the rails in 2024 after a four-year gap.

Persons: Laurie Dieffembacq, Dimorestudio, Vita ”, Riva Aquarama, itineraries, Jeroen Berends, Gabriel Bouys, it’s, Jesus Hellin, That’s, Trenitalia, Luigi Ferraris, France –, Railbookers, Ian Clarke, we’ve, ”, Frank Marini, Alex Halada, There’s Organizations: CNN, Orient, Getty, ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways, SNCF, Eurostar, National, Europa Press, French, Renfe, FS, Rocky Mountaineer, Royal, Orient Express, Oriental, ”, Oriental Express, Austrian Railways, Swiss Locations: Swiss, Venice, Paris, Berlin, AFP, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Italy, Rome, Matera, Palermo, Sicily, Messina, Europe’s, Istanbul, Split, Brussels, Prague, Europe, Dutch, Dresden, Belgian, Roman, Naples, Madrid, Spain, France, Spanish, Barcelona, Lyon, Marseille, Canada, Central Europe, India, South Africa, Eastern, Vancouver, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia’s, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, Bangkok, Vienna, Innsbruck, Hamburg, Switzerland, Germany, Zürich, Gornergrat Bahn, Zermatt, Gornergrat, Riffelalp

☆ US Envoy Slams Hungarian Govt for 'Disregarding' Interests of NATO Allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to Budapest sharply criticised the Hungarian government on Tuesday for "disregarding" the interests of its NATO allies and strengthening ties with Russia at a time when its allies are isolating it. In a speech at AmCham to U.S. companies that have invested in Hungary, Ambassador David Pressman said Hungary has thrived as a member of the European Union and NATO, allowing companies run successful businesses in the Central European country that joined the EU in 2004. "Yet today, we are increasingly seeing an Ally that relies upon its NATO Allies, but feels comfortable disregarding the interests of those same Allies and our Alliance, including during a time of war in Europe," Pressman said. Sweden's NATO membership is pending ratification byTurkey and Hungary. Budapest opposes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but Orban has kept up close relations with Moscow - partly due to Hungary's continued energy dependence on Russia.

Persons: David Pressman, Ally, Pressman, Vladimir, Putin, Viktor Orban's, Orban, Orban's, Krisztina, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, NATO, European Union, Central European, EU, NATO Allies, Alliance Locations: BUDAPEST, Budapest, Russia, AmCham, U.S, Hungary, Europe, Ukraine, Washington, Moscow, Turkey

In Hungary, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy is under pressure from Viktor Orban's government to cut rates further ahead of local and European Parliament elections next year. Reuters GraphicsTANGIBLE BENEFITSA 2021 World Bank survey found that political meddling in central bank policy led to sustained periods of high inflation in emerging market economies such as Turkey and Argentina. "Attempts to bring the president of the NBP before the State Tribunal can be directly interpreted as an attack on the independence of the central bank," the spokesman said. How those premia evolve will depend partly on how politics in Poland and Hungary is perceived by investors to influence the central banks in the months to come. "Everything else being equal, the less independent the central bank, the more real yield you need to have to be compensated for the risk," said Arif Joshi at Lazard Asset Management.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Gyorgy Matolcsy, Viktor Orban's, Donald Tusk's, Karen Vartapetov, Paul Gamble, Glapinski's, Glapinski, Marta Kightley, Orban, Peter Virovacz, Arif Joshi, Karol Badohal, Gergely, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: WARSAW, Law and Justice, U.S . Federal Reserve, EU, Sovereign, Investor, Emerging, Fitch, Local, ING, Lazard Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Poland, Hungary, BUDAPEST, Europe, Turkey, Argentina, WARSAW

People walk past the new headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Canary Wharf, London, Britain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Alishia Abodunde/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Move follows Hungary govt exit from Erste unitGovt raising financing for airport transactionExit 'good news' for sector's stability -EBRDBUDAPEST, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is selling its 15% stake in Erste Group Bank's (ERST.VI) Hungarian unit back to the Austrian group after the Hungarian government's recent exit from the bank, a top EBRD official told Reuters. Austrian lender Erste said on Friday it was repurchasing a 15% stake in its Hungarian subsidiary, currently held by Hungarian state-owned Corvinus International Investments. Francis Malige, EBRD managing director of financial institutions, said the investment had been designed to help the Hungarian bank recapitalise while supporting a positive relationship with the authorities. "We received a call notice from Erste last Friday and are proceeding with the sale of our stake to the group, based on terms agreed during our 2016 investment."

Persons: Alishia, Viktor Orban, Marton Nagy, Francis Malige, Malige, Orban, Gergely Szakacs, Louise Heavens Organizations: European Bank for Reconstruction, REUTERS, Erste Group, Reuters, Economic, Budapest Airport, Austrian, Erste, International Investments, Erste Bank, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, Hungary, Erste, BUDAPEST, Austrian, Hungarian, Erste Bank Hungary

UKRAINE DIVERSIONReuters spoke to around a half dozen Czech and Polish defence companies and government officials who described renewed efforts to carve out a bigger share of the African arms market as the Ukraine conflict diverts Russia's attention. Privately-held defence and civil manufacturing company Czechoslovak Group - the biggest Czech defence company - said its ability to maintain and modernize armoured vehicles using Soviet-era standards has helped it win business in Africa. ...in Poland where our stand was visited by numerous delegations from African countries that appeared here for the first time," WB Group spokesman Remigiusz Wilk said. The effort to supply Ukraine has pushed Czech companies to boost production and expand supply lines, something Czech-based independent defence analyst Lukas Visingr said has burnished the region's reputation. "The Czech arms industry is stepping up its efforts towards certain African countries still using Soviet-style equipment but who start to see Russia as a problematic supplier," Visingr said.

Persons: David W Cerny, Jiri Hynek, Filip Kulstrunk, Andrej Cirtek, Pieter Wezeman, Sebastian Chwalek, –, Remigiusz Wilk, Petr Fiala, Tomas Pojar, Tomas Kopecny, Kopecny, Lukas Visingr, Visingr, Michael Kahn, Anna Koper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Aero Vodochody, REUTERS, Western, Central, Russia Czech, Defence, Western NATO, Warsaw, Defence and Security Industry Association of, Reuters, Aero, Privately, Czechoslovak Group, CSG, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, WB Group, WB, Ivory, Thomson Locations: Odolena Voda, Czech Republic, Russia, Africa, PRAGUE, WARSAW, European, Western, Czechoslovakia, Czech, UKRAINE, Polish, Ukraine, Stockholm, China, Saharan Africa, Poland's, Poland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Prague, Mozambique

☆ 'True European': Former top Czech diplomat Schwarzenberg dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PRAGUE, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, one of the leading figures in the country's post-Communist era, has died, officials said on Sunday. Schwarzenberg was born into a prestigious Czech family and became a senior aide to his friend Vaclav Havel after the former dissident won the country's first free election in 1990. He later served twice as foreign minister between 2007 and 2013. The Vaclav Havel Library, which Schwarzenberg co-founded, said he died on Saturday, calling him a "patriot and true European". Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on X that Schwarzenberg was an "unwavering advocate" of democracy and the European idea.

Persons: Karel Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg, Vaclav Havel, Miroslav Kalousek, Havel, Alexander Schallenberg, Milos Zeman, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Vaclav Havel Library, Communists, Television, Foreign Ministry, Austrian, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, Europe, Vienna, Czech Republic, Schwarzenberg, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Central European

Search resuls for: "Central European"

25 mentions found