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☆ Hungary's President Under Pressure to Quit Over Pardon in Sex Abuse Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian opposition parties have demanded the resignation of the president over her decision to pardon a man convicted as an accomplice in helping cover up a case in a children's home whose director sexually abused children. She added that the reasoning behind her decision was not public and all pardons were divisive by their nature. The former director was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually abusing several under-age boys in 2004-2016. "I am baffled by Katalin Novak's decision as a human being and as a mother," Momentum chair Anna Donath said in a statement on Wednesday, adding she believed the decision was "morally incomprehensible". Some of the opposition and civilians called a protest in front of Novak's presidential office for Friday.

Persons: Katalin, Pope Francis, Novak, Viktor Orban, paedophiles, MTI, Anna Donath, Orban's, Judit Varga, Krisztina, Alison Williams Organizations: Democratic Coalition, Socialists Locations: BUDAPEST

☆ 'I Went to the Wall', Hungary's Orban Says After Agreeing to EU Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's Viktor Orban said on Friday that he "went to the wall" for his country before agreeing to an EU deal on Thursday to extend new aid to Ukraine and that he averted the risk of losing EU funds earmarked for Budapest from the bloc's joint coffers. In a regular interview on state radio on Friday, where he addresses his domestic audience, Orban said the agreement reached on Thursday was a good one. "I went to the wall," Orban said. "We are not sending weapons (to Ukraine), we get our money from Brussels, and we will contribute to the civil financing of Ukraine." Orban reiterated that peace talks should start between Ukraine and Russia as two years have now passed since the start of the war, and "time was on the Russians' side."

Persons: Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, Krisztina, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Union, European Commission Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Budapest, United States, Hungary, Brussels, Russia

☆ 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

☆ Hungary's Orban says EU should first sign strategic partnership accord with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The European Union should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine instead of starting membership talks with the country, Hungary's Viktor Orban said on Friday, flagging a way to a possible compromise ahead of a crucial EU summit. Orban reiterated on Friday that several issues would need to be cleared before membership talks could start with Ukraine, saying the country, making it impossible to assess what consequences Ukraine's membership would have on the bloc. So I will represent the view that the EU should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine," Orban said in an interview on state radio. "Let's give time for us to work together, and when we see that we can work together, then let's bring up the issue of membership." The Hungarian premier urged a ceasefire in Ukraine, and said if the EU wanted to give more money to Ukraine then it should set up a separate financial fund outside the EU budget based on an intergovernmental agreement.

Persons: Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, " Orban, let's, Krisztina, Sharon Singleton, Gerry Doyle Organizations: European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Hungary, Hungarian, Brussels, Budapest, EU

☆ Exclusive: EU nuclear agency sees some Russia imports up again in 2023 from before Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Its overall imports from Russia's nuclear energy industry held steady last year despite rising demand for nuclear power driven by high energy costs and a push to cut carbon emissions. The trend highlights challenges EU faces in reaching its long-term goal of achieving VVER fuel self-sufficiency. EU imports of natural uranium from Russia fell 16% last year from 2021, a drop compensated by increase in deliveries from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, ESA said. In 2022, the EU's Russian nuclear energy imports were worth around 750 million euros ($823 mln), or 1% of the bloc's Russian gas imports, according the European Commission. Sources said, however, that the proposal - which is not public - does not include sanctions on Russia's nuclear energy industry.

Persons: Radovan Stoklasa, ESA's, Stefano Ciccarello, Ciccarello, Finland's, Gabriela Baczynska, Anne Kauranen, Timothy Gardner, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Euratom Supply Agency, ESA, Reuters, U.S, Westinghouse, Commission, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Mochovce, Slovakia, Russia, BRUSSELS, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Europe, United States, Brussels, Helsinki, Washington, Budapest

☆ Hungary's Orban erects billboards vilifying EU's von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Hungary's ruling party unveiled billboards vilifying European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Monday, the first time it has made her a personal target in a campaign similar to one against her predecessor that angered Brussels. The billboards, erected overnight to launch a campaign for next June's European parliamentary election, depict Von der Leyen alongside Alex Soros, the son of liberal Hungarian-born financier George Soros, a perennial target of hostility from Orban's Fidesz Party. Soros is Jewish and some critics view the central role he plays in Fidesz propaganda as evidence of anti-Semitism, which Fidesz strongly denies. Similar billboards showing Von der Leyen's predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker alongside the elder Soros drew a rebuke from Brussels in 2019. Orban sent out a survey on Friday to Hungarians asking whether the EU should allocate more funds to Ukraine or grant it membership.

Persons: Ursula Von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Alex Soros, George Soros, Soros, Von der, Jean, Claude Juncker, Orban, Krisztina, Peter Graff Organizations: Fidesz Party, Jewish, Fidesz, EPP, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Brussels, Hungarian, Hungary, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Hungary needs to change the EU, not leave it, Orban says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Orban again reiterated his government's opposition to starting talks with Ukraine about its accession to the EU. "Correcting the mistaken promise (by Brussels) to start talks (with Ukraine about EU membership) will also be our task, as Ukraine is light years away from the EU now," Orban said, adding that he would fight off attempts by the EU to settle migrants in Hungary. Ukraine, which applied to join the EU days after Russia's invasion in February 2022, sees membership as a top priority. The question of starting accession talks with the country will be on the agenda at an EU summit next month. With Hungary clambering out of an inflation crisis, nationalist Orban has this week started campaigning heavily for European parliamentary elections due next June.

Persons: Victor Orban, Johanna Geron, Viktor Orban, Orban, Krisztina, Kirsten Donovan, Mike Harrison Organizations: European Union, of, Caribbean, REUTERS, Rights, Fidesz, Ukraine, EU, Hungary, Thomson Locations: Caribbean States, Brussels, Belgium, Hungary, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Muslim rescuer says Israel kibbutz bloodshed caused by attackers' hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Eli Berlzon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Unlike most emergency workers called out that day, Warraqi is a Muslim Israeli Arab. Warraqi is a volunteer for Zaka, a non-governmental rescue and recovery service. "I saw families, they were slaughtered, a lot of families," Warraqi told Reuters, standing next to his ambulance. "Our religion, as a proud Arabic Muslim Israeli guy, I'm saying that has nothing to do with our religion," Warraqi said. Warraqi is still hopeful that Jews, Arabs, Christians and Muslims can learn to live together in Israel, saying "we are all the same".

Persons: Jamal Waraqy, Israel Perlshtein, Eli Berlzon, Jamal Warraqi, Warraqi, Be'eri, they're, Krisztina, William Maclean Organizations: Be'eri, Reuters, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Rehovot, Israel, Israeli, Zaka, Gaza, East Jerusalem

☆ US Is 'Confident' Sweden Will Soon Join NATO - US Envoy to Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The United States is "confident" that Sweden will soon be a member of NATO, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary said on Thursday, adding he had been assured by the Hungarian government that Budapest would not be the last to ratify the bid. Relations between Budapest and Washington have soured because of Hungary's foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession and also over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's warm ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine. "I have been repeatedly assured at the senior-most levels of this government that Hungary will not be last to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO," Ambassador David Pressman said. Sweden's NATO membership is still pending ratification by Turkey and Hungary. Orban's Fidesz was expected to submit the bill to parliament on Tuesday, but it has been delayed.

Persons: Viktor Orban's, David Pressman, Orban, Vladimir Putin's, Pressman, Putin, that's, Krisztina, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, Fidesz Locations: BUDAPEST, United States, Sweden, U.S, Hungary, Hungarian, Budapest, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Beijing

☆ Hungary's Orban says EU must not start membership talks with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban looks on as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The EU must not start membership talks with Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday, stressing this was Hungary's "clear stance" on the issue. EU countries' leaders are due to decide in mid-December on whether to accept the Commission's recommendation to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions. "Membership talks must not be started, this is the clear Hungarian stance," Orban said, adding that Brussels "owed Hungary money." Investors have been eyeing Budapest's talks with Brussels over the EU funds very closely.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Johanna Geron, Nationalist Orban, Orban, Budapest's, Krisztina, Jason Neely, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Union, REUTERS, Rights, EU, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, EU, Ukraine, Hungary, Budapest

☆ Hungary seeks EU action over Bulgaria's new fee on Russian gas transit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

European Union (EU) flags fly in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Hungary has asked the European Commission to launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria over a new fee it has imposed on Russian gas transit shipments, EU affairs minister Janos Boka said in a post on Facebook on Friday. Bulgaria introduced the new transit fee of about 10 euros per MWh of Russian gas last month, prompting strong criticism from Hungary and Serbia. "Today I have sent a letter to the European Commission asking it to launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria without delay," Boka said. He has asked the EU executive to call on Bulgaria to suspend the fee until the procedure is completed, he added.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Janos Boka, Boka, Krisztina, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Union, European Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, Europe

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion) on military aid for Ukraine is meeting resistance from EU countries and may not survive in its current form, diplomats say. The debate over military aid comes as EU nations are also in discussions over a proposal to give Ukraine 50 billion euros in economic assistance. The EU is also facing challenges over other aspects of its military aid to Ukraine. SECURITY PACKAGESEU governments have stressed that long-term EU military aid must be coordinated with security packages that individual EU countries are negotiating with Kyiv, making it hard to settle on a price tag while those talks are ongoing. Some EU members have also argued they will struggle to make a big long-term pledge as domestic budgets are squeezed.

Persons: Nuzhnenko, Josep Borrell, I'm, Olaf Scholz, David Evans Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS, Rights, Germany, EU, Peace Facility, Ukraine, Facility, Kyiv, Krisztina, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Radio Free Europe, Rights BRUSSELS, Brussels, Russia, EU, Germany, Kyiv, Hungary, OTP

But some worry the aid could be blocked by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has touted his ties with Moscow and objected to similar support in the past. Asked for comment, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said that any financial aid to Ukraine should be separate from the EU budget. "The issue of money for Ukraine will be solved one way or another, Kyiv will get EU support," the official said. BILLIONS AT STAKELast year, Hungary vetoed a similar proposal to give 18 billion euros in financial assistance to Ukraine in 2023. EU officials told Reuters last month that they were looking at unlocking at least some of that money as the bloc seeks to win Orban's vote for Ukraine.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, Valdis Dombrovskis, Orban, Jan Strupczewski, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew Heavens, Toby Chopra Organizations: Moscow, Russia, Kyiv, European, Hungary's, EU, Trade, Ukraine, Hungary, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hungary, Moscow Ukraine, BRUSSELS, BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Moscow, EU, Budapest, Russia

If accepted, EU officials expect formal accession talks with Kyiv to start next year. A top aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Budapest would not support Ukraine's EU integration unless Kyiv changes its laws on minorities, in particular as regards education. "Moldova is firmly on the path for EU membership and we will continue working relentlessly towards this goal," the country's president, Maia Sandu, said in welcoming the move. The Commission said the EU should also begin membership talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina once a long list of extensive conditions are met. In 2020, Britain was the first country to ever leave the EU, a major setback for European integration following World War Two.

Persons: Yves Herman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Viktor Orban, Maia Sandu, von der Leyen, enlargements, Andrew Gray, Yuliia, Olena, Alexander Tanas, Gabriela Baczynska, Nick Macfie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Moldova, Bosnia, Georgia, BRUSSELS, KYIV, Hungary, Kyiv, Hungarian, Budapest, EU, Moscow, Tbilisi, Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Netherlands, Britain

☆ China EV maker BYD to build first Europe plant in Hungary -FAS
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies BYD Co Ltd FollowFRANKFURT, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD (002594.SZ), plans to build its first European car factory in Hungary, a German newspaper reported on Saturday. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), citing unnamed sources close to BYD, said the decision had already been made internally. A government website in Shenzhen, where BYD is headquartered, posted an article last month saying that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu on a visit to the company. BYD, contacted by Reuters, said that it was still looking for the right location and would make an announcement at the end of the year. Reporting by Brenda Goh, Jason Xue, Krisztina Than, and Tom Sims; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Wang Chuanfu, Brenda Goh, Jason Xue, Tom Sims, Jason Neely Organizations: BYD, FRANKFURT, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hungary, BYD, Shenzhen, Hungarian

Overall EU support for Ukraine has totalled almost 83 billion euros since Russia invaded in February 2022, the Brussels-based executive European Commission said this week. Slovakia's Robert Fico, attending his first EU summit since being appointed for his fourth term as prime minister on Wednesday, adopted a similar line. Orban has also said he would not endorse in its current form the proposed EU budget revision, which includes the 50 billion in new aid for Kyiv. Fico said there was endemic corruption in Ukraine and demanded that any new EU aid include guarantees that the funds not be misappropriated, according to a statement from his office. "The questions are, what type of aid and how it is used, how we are sure, the European Union is sure, that this aid is used efficiently," he said.

Persons: Fico, Orban, Olaf Scholz, Slovakia's Robert Fico, Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Denkov, Jan Strupczewski, Phil Blenkinsop, Bart Meijer, Tassilo Hummel, Marine Strauss, Krisztina, Jason Hovet, Miranda Murray, Gabriela Baczynska, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Ukraine New, Union, EU, Ukraine, European Commission, Russia, Kyiv, European Union, European, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukraine New Slovak, Ukraine BRUSSELS, Russian, Hungary, Slovakia, Brussels, Russia, SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY Hungary, Budapest, Bratislava, European Union

☆ One dead, eight injured as car carrying migrants crashes in Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A crashed car carrying migrants is seen near Asotthalom, Hungary, near the Serbian border, October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Oct 27 (Reuters) - One person died and eight people including four children were injured in Hungary near the Serbian border on Friday when a car carrying migrants crashed with a truck, authorities said. Renata Papp, mayor of Asotthalom village where the accident occurred, said on Facebook the car driver, a smuggler, was lifted from the wreckage by another smuggler and whisked away in another car. The migrants, predominantly from the Middle East and Afghanistan, enter Hungary from Serbia despite a steel fence that Prime Minister Viktor Orban had built after the 2015 migration crisis that rocked Europe. Reporting by Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer, Renata Papp, Jozsef Hanga, Viktor Orban, Krisztina, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Asotthalom, Hungary, Serbian, Serbia, Balkans, Slovakia, Austria, East, Afghanistan, Europe

☆ 'Positions Not Matching Yet' as EU Leaders Fight for Slice of Budget Pie
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The bloc's executive proposed that member states chip in more to the shared coffers to provide 50 billion euros to Ukraine and spend another 15 billion on migration. Budgetary decisions require unanimity and divisions were on display on Thursday as the bloc's 27 national leaders arrived for a summit in Brussels. On the bloc's eastern flank, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that - beyond supporting Ukraine - joint spending should grow for improving EU defence capabilities. Lithuania said 50 billion euros for Ukraine was not enough. Orban's comments come as his government is trying to unlock billions in aid envisaged for Hungary in the EU budget but blocked by the European Commission over rule of law concerns.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, Alexander de Croo, Kaja Kallas, Kyriakos, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, that's, Ireland's Leo Varadkar, Olaf Scholz, Marine Strauss, Krisztina, Tassilo Hummel, Rene Maltezou, Jan Strupczewski, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: European Union, EU, Belgian, European Commission, Diplomats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Brussels, Estonian, Lithuania, Greece, East, Africa, Budapest, Hungary, Austria, Western Balkans, Germany

☆ Putin and Orban reaffirm Russian-Hungarian ties amid international strains
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally among European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties amid international tensions over the war in Ukraine. The men met in the government guest house where Putin was staying before the start of an international forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative. One of these countries is Hungary,” Putin told Orban. In an emailed response to Reuters, Orban's press chief Bertalan Havasi said Orban and Putin had discussed gas and oil shipments and nuclear energy issues.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Grigory Sysoyev, Orban, Putin, ” Putin, Bertalan Havasi, Havasi, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hungarian, Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, Initiative, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Brussels, Russian, Europe, Moscow, Budapest

Only the fifth woman to win a Nobel physics prize, French-born L'Huillier works at Lund University in Sweden, while Agostini, who was also born in France, is a emeritus professor at Ohio State University in the United States. Agostini and Krausz then demonstrated how this could be used to create shorter light pulses than previously possible. These experiments all showed that attosecond pulses could be observed and measured, and could be used in new experiments. While the award for peace can take the limelight, the physics prize has also often taken centre stage with winners such as Albert Einstein and awards for science that has fundamentally changed how we see the world. Announced on consecutive weekdays in early October, the physics prize announcement will be followed by ones for chemistry, literature, peace and economics, the latter a later addition to the original line-up.

Persons: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L'Huillier, Eva Olsson, Krausz, L'Huillier, Agostini, Emmanuel Macron, Hans Ellegren, Mats Larsson, Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman, Alfred Nobel, Albert Einstein, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Terje Solsvik, Elizabeth Pineau, Ayhan Uyanik, Christine Uyanik, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Michaela Cabrera, Alexandra Hudson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, Max Planck, Quantum Optics, Lund University, Ohio State University, Royal Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Hungarian, Garching, Germany, French, Sweden, France, United States, Stockholm, Austria, Paris, COVID, Oslo, Krisztina, Budapest, Amsterdam

☆ Billions in frozen funds for Hungary on table as EU seeks Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I can't imagine Hungary agreeing without there first being a solution to the blocked funds," said the official. A second EU official confirmed there was a link between releasing funds to Hungary and EU plans requiring unanimity, including in the enlargement and budget talks. The Commission needs Hungary to lift its vetoes on a number of issues in return," said an EU diplomat. For Ukraine, which applied to join the EU just days after Russia's invasion in February 2022, the West's support is existential and EU membership is a major national goal. Speaking to the Hungarian parliament last week, he drew a line between supporting Ukraine and unlocking EU funds.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Andrew Gray, Gareth Jones Organizations: Budapest, Ukraine, Hungary BRUSSELS, European, Kyiv, EU, Reuters, Financial, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hungary, Ukraine, Brussels, EU, European Union, Russia, Budapest, Krisztina

BUDAPEST/PRAGUE, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Robert Fico's election win in Slovakia after he had campaigned to end military aid to Ukraine shows creeping discontent in Central Europe over the war with Russia, but analysts do not expect a major policy turn-around by Bratislava or Warsaw. Fico's victory in Saturday's election prompted concerns that his new government would see NATO-member Slovakia joining Hungary in challenging the European Union's consensus on support for Ukraine. However, analysts do not see a big policy switch regarding Ukraine in Slovakia and Poland. MODERATING EFFECTIn Slovakia, Fico's SMER-SSD party won the election with 23% of the vote. "The bigger challenges are not Slovakia, or Hungary but the U.S. election cycle and the impact that has on support for Ukraine."

Persons: Robert Fico's, Fico, Viktor Orban, Roger Hilton, Fico's, Peter Pellegrini, Samuel Abraham, Robert Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Radovan Stoklasa, Pellegrini, Abraham, legitimise, Orban, Mujtaba Rahman, Rahman, Krisztina, Jan Lopatka, Angus MacSwan Organizations: NATO, SNS, Republika, REUTERS, EU, Russia, Ukraine, Reuters, Eurasia, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, PRAGUE, Slovakia, Ukraine, Central Europe, Russia, Bratislava, Warsaw, Hungary, Russian Poland, Saturday's, Poland, GLOBSEC, SMER, Brussels, Budapest, Kyiv, Europe, Prague

And I told her that many, many scientists work very, very hard," Kariko added. BioNTech said in June that about 1.5 billion people across the world had received its mRNA shot, co-developed with Pfizer (PFE.N). [1/11]Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman win the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden October 2, 2023. The medicine prize kicks off this year's Nobel awards with the remaining five to be unveiled in coming days. The prizes, first handed out in 1901, were created by Swedish dynamite inventor and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel.

Persons: Weissman, Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman, Kariko, BioNTech, Rickard Sandberg, Susan Francia, immunologist, ”, Sir Andrew Pollard, Alfred Nobel, Swede Svante Paabo, Alexander Fleming, Karl Landsteiner, Niklas Pollard, Johan Ahlander, Ludwig Burger, Terje Solsvik, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Medicine, Nobel, Sweden's Karolinska Institute, University of Szeged, University of Pennsylvania, Pfizer, Karolinska Institute, TT News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Boston University, Oxford University, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, COVID, Hungary, Pennsylvania, Szeged, U.S, Stockholm, Sweden, Frankfurt, Krisztina, Budapest, Oslo

☆ Tough issues to clear before EU membership talks with Ukraine -Hungary's Orban
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that "very difficult questions" would need to be answered before the European Union could even start membership talks with Ukraine. EU countries are due to decide in December whether to allow Ukraine to begin accession negotiations, which would require the unanimous backing of all 27 members. "So I think we need to answer very long and difficult questions until we get to actually deciding about the start of accession talks," he said. Commenting on Orban's remarks, Ukraine's foreign ministry said it was positive "that the Hungarian Prime Minister is concerned about Ukraine's accession to the European Union". "We would like to inform that Ukraine has not changed its territory within its internationally recognised borders," the ministry added.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban, Krisztina, Yuliia Dysa, Mark Potter, Susan Fenton, Peter Graff Organizations: European Union, Ukraine, Diplomats, Hungarian, European, NATO, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungarian, European, Ukraine, Hungary, Brussels, Moscow

☆ Ukrainian captain sentenced to 5 years over deadly Budapest boat accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Mermaid, a Hungarian boat which sank in the Danube river near Margaret bridge, is moved away during a salvage operation in Budapest, Hungary, June 11, 2019. REUTERS/Tamas Kaszas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian captain of a cruise liner was sentenced to five years in prison in Hungary on Tuesday for his role in a 2019 accident in which his boat hit and sank a smaller boat on the River Danube, killing 25 South Korean tourists and two crew. The Mermaid's captain and its crew member also died and one Korean is still unaccounted for. The Ukrainian man, who has been in custody since 2019, told the court that he was "deeply sorry" about the tragedy. The captain was acquitted by the court on the charge of failing to provide help.

Persons: Tamas Kaszas, Yuriy, Leona Nemeth, Boldizsar Gyori, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, South, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Margaret, Budapest, Hungary, Ukrainian

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