Virgil van Dijk received his first-ever red card for the Netherlands during their Nations League match against Hungary, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Dutch captain was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession, the first for dissent and the second for a foul on Kevin Csoboth on the wing.
Hungary initially took the lead with a first-half volley from Roland Sallai, but Van Dijk’s dismissal late in the game, during his 77th international appearance, put the Netherlands at a disadvantage.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Denzel Dumfries leveled the score shortly after Van Dijk’s exit, heading in a free-kick delivered by Cody Gakpo.
Before his sending off, Van Dijk was instrumental in maintaining the Netherlands’ possession, completing 145 out of 152 passes, almost matching Hungary’s total of 173 passes.
Following the red card, it was announced that Van Dijk would leave the Netherlands camp, as the suspension rules him out of their upcoming match against Germany in Munich.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putinregarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The trip has sparked condemnation from European Union leaders, who have underscored that Orban’s actions do not represent the unified stance of the bloc. Among EU national leaders, Orban remains distinct as the only one maintaining significant ties with the Kremlin since Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
He described the trip as a “peace mission” in a post on X. It comes days after he visited Kyiv, where he spent three hours with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
Both legs of the trip were carefully choreographed to emphasise Mr Orban as a global statesman, rather than an outsider. Hungary has just taken over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and will hold it to the end of the year. Viktor Orban, speaking in Moscow, said: “Hungary will slowly become the last European country that can talk to everyone.”
The Kremlin said on Friday that talks between the two leaders would last at least two or three hours, but could go on “as long as needed”.
Officials are accompanying them, but there is a possibility they could speak one to one. In footage of the meeting, Mr Putin said Mr Orban was visiting “not just as a long-time partner” but as a European Union representative.
However, European leaders openly condemned the Moscow trip and emphasised he was not representing the EU. “The EU rotating presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU,” Charles Michel, President of the European Council, wrote on X.
“The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.” “Appeasement will not stop Putin,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
Who is Viktor Orban, Hungarian PM with 14-year grip on power?
Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss his recent proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Orban’s plan includes talks on the condition that Ukraine withdraws from four regions claimed by Russia, which encompass territory currently outside Russian control.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently maintained that Ukraine will not engage in negotiations with Moscow until all Russian forces withdraw from Ukrainian soil, including Crimea. The Kremlin has set forth stringent conditions for talks, which Kyiv and its Western allies view as tantamount to Ukraine surrendering.
Earlier this week, Viktor Orban visited Kyiv, suggesting that a swift ceasefire could expedite peace negotiations.
President Zelensky, who has had strained relations with Orban, did not publicly respond to the proposal. Before Ukraine’s offensive last summer, Orban had warned that Ukraine faced significant challenges in any military confrontation. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Orban has highlighted Russia’s substantial military resources and manpower, indicating a formidable advantage.
Despite these developments, many Ukrainians fear that agreeing to a ceasefire could entrench Russia’s grip over seized territories. They insist that any negotiations should be conducted from a position of strength, rather than under duress.
Orban’s stance on Western aid to Ukraine has been critical, as evidenced by his prior efforts to delay a €50 billion EU assistance package aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
His visit to Kyiv this week was his first in 12 years, in stark contrast to his frequent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin during that period.
During a joint appearance with President Zelensky, the atmosphere was noticeably formal, with both leaders refraining from taking questions from the media after delivering their statements.
However, Orban’s recent appointment as head of the Council of the European Union positions him as a significant European leader for the next six months.
In his inaugural days in this role, Orban emphasized the importance of resolving past conflicts and focusing on a constructive path forward.
Under the supervision of their teacher, students in western Ukraine conducted a pig heart dissection for a biology lesson during the weekend.They used a scalpel and forceps to do it. The class was in Hungarian. The students are part of a big group of Hungarian people in Ukraine.
This has caused problems between Hungary and Ukraine. It might make it hard for Ukraine to get money to fight against Russia’s invasion. Hungarian leader Viktor Orban says Ukraine is not letting students and about 75,000 ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia region speak their own language in school and government.
His government has stopped important European Union money for Ukraine and warned that they might make it harder for Ukraine to join the European Union in the future. This has made diplomatic relationships between the two countries very tense.
The argument about language comes from Ukraine wanting to strengthen its national identity after rebels supported by Russia took over two areas in the eastern part of the country in 2014. Also, Russia took control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
In 2017, a law was passed that made Ukrainian the main language in schools after fifth grade. This upset Romanian, Bulgarian, and Hungarian minorities. The law was meant to fight against Russian influence.
In December, Ukraine changed its education and language laws to follow the rules for being part of the EU. This made the Hungarian community in the region very happy.
The new laws basically allowed the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia to keep existing for another 30 years, according to Laszlo Zubanics, who leads a group that represents Hungarian interests in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s government is now trying to include the interests of all groups of people, not just the main one. This is different from before when they mainly focused on building the country.
Many ethnic Hungarians think it’s a good thing that the law changed to let minority groups study in their own languages again. Hungary’s government is not completely happy. This could lead to problems as EU leaders try to convince Orban to change his mind about blocking a 50-billion euro aid package for Kyiv.
The law passed at the end of last year in Ukraine definitely deserves respect. “It helped to stop a bad situation,” said Peter Szijjarto, the Foreign Minister of Hungary, on Monday after meeting with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine in western Ukraine.
However, he said, “We don’t see that the problem of national minorities has been solved at all. We still have a lot of work to do.
After Russia attacked Ukraine, Orban, who is seen as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been against giving military and financial help to Ukraine and imposing punishment on Moscow. He often uses the Hungarian community as a reason for his not so strong support for Ukraine.
Many Hungarians in Zakarpattia support Orban and also want Kyiv to join the EU. Orban is doubtful about Ukraine joining the EU. He said in November that it is a long way off and he wants Ukraine to guarantee language rights for Hungarians before he supports them.
Zubanics agreed with a letter asking Orban to support Ukraine’s EU membership in December. He is hopeful even though there is tension between Hungary and Ukraine.
“We think of ourselves as being European citizens in our mindset and customs,” he said. “We know that this will take time and it may be difficult for everyone. It won’t happen right away. ”
The government of Hungary has given a lot of money to support the minority in Ukraine, trying to make sure they keep their Hungarian culture and ties to Budapest strong. It made it easier to become a Hungarian citizen, but Ukraine, which does not allow people to have citizenship in two countries, has not liked this.
In a small city called Berehove, in Zakarpattia, near the Hungarian border, the government of Orban helped start a campus for a conservative private school called Matthias Corvinus Collegium. This school has 23 locations in Hungary and nearby countries.
The MCC got more than $1. 5 billion from Hungary’s government and is a place where Orban wants to train the future leaders of the country.
Hungarian students cut up a pig’s heart during a biology class at their school over the weekend. This is part of a special program to help them learn more about biology in Hungarian, which is one of the languages in the public schools in Zakarpattia. They were able to ask questions and get answers in their own language.
MCC says it gives lots of students classes in subjects like robotics, media, and internet knowledge. These classes aren’t taught at Ukraine’s public schools in any language.
Milan Constantinovits, second in command at MCC, said it’s really important for people in Zakarpattia, where there are many different cultures, to think carefully about who they are. “Most Hungarian students who come here are very sure that they think of themselves as Hungarian first. ”
He said that the MCC works hard to teach people from different cultures to be tolerant and respectful. They also offer Ukrainian lessons to Hungarian students who are learning it as their second language. Living together peacefully was always the norm, but then bigger problems started affecting the whole area.
“Ethnic conflicts often come from outside this diverse area,” he said. The people who live next to each other, the original people of this area, don’t really have any issues with each other. Many times this is a made-up increase in tensions.
The meeting on Monday between Szijjarto and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was their first since the war started in February 2022. There are also plans for Orban to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which suggests things are starting to improve a little bit.
However, Hungary’s government is still not fully ready to support Ukraine, even though the situation for the Hungarians in Zakarpattia is getting better. Zubanics said that both sides will need to work harder.
He said that diplomacy is like a performing art, sometimes more like a play than actual real life. “But we need to focus on the details now. I believe the parties have a lot in common, but we need their willingness to work together.
The Nordic country asked to join the defense alliance after Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. Each person has to agree to a new member joining, but Hungary was taking longer because it accused Sweden of being unfriendly towards it.
Last week, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the two countries are ready to sacrifice their lives for each other. All Nato countries must support each other if one is attacked.
The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, said that it was a very important day and a significant move for Sweden to stop being neutral after 200 years.
“We think Sweden is a great country, but we are joining NATO to better protect ourselves and our beliefs,” he explained.
The president needs to sign the parliament’s approval, and then a formal invitation will be sent to Sweden to join the group of 31 members.
The process typically takes a few days.
Mr Orban is a politician who loves his country and is friends with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. He has stopped the EU from giving weapons to Ukraine many times.
Sweden is one of the European Union countries that say Hungary is moving backwards on the EU’s democratic rules.
MrOrban’s spokesperson, Zoltan Kovacs, said that officials in Sweden think they are better than everyone else, but their power is weakening.
Last week, Mr Orban met with the leader of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, and said he supports Sweden being in the group.
On Monday, almost all Hungarian MPs agreed to a vote – 188 yes, 6 no.
In his speech, Mr. Orban strongly criticized some Nato allies for trying to make his government stop the 21-month delay.
Hungary is a free country and won’t accept being told what to do by others, about what decisions to make or when to make them.
Turkey did not agree to let Sweden join Nato because it thought Sweden was helping Kurdish separatists. It finally decided to stop blocking or saying no in January.
Sweden and Finland, who have always stayed out of military conflicts, said that they want to join Nato in May 2022.
Finland officially became a member of the alliance in April of last year, which made the alliance’s border with Russia twice as long.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his army into Ukraine to stop Nato from getting bigger and make Western countries weaker.
Actually, the opposite has happened with Sweden and Finland joining.
Last week, it came out that President Novak pardoned a man who was in prison for making children take back their claims of sexual abuse against a director of a government-run children’s home.
Protests in Hungary were getting bigger and asking for her to leave her position.
Ms Novak said sorry and admitted she made a “mistake” in giving the pardon.
Judit Varga, who used to be in charge of making the pardon official, has quit her new job leading the European elections campaign for Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party, Fidesz.
The resignations happened because 25 people who were pardoned by Ms. Novak last year had their names revealed by Hungarian media last week. This caused a lot of disagreement.
The list of people in prison included the deputy boss of a kids’ home near Budapest. He was sent to jail for three years because he made kids take back their reports of being hurt by the boss of the home.
The director was sent to jail for eight years because he hurt children at the government facility.
The people and political parties in Hungary wanted Ms Novak to quit, and she surprised everyone by deciding to resign.
Ms Novak is well-liked in Fidesz and one of the few female politicians in a country where men usually have more power. She is a very important friend of Hungarian Mr Orban and used to work as his family minister before.
In 2022, she was the first woman to become the Hungarian president, but the role is mostly for ceremonies.
In particular, it made Fidesz feel really bad because they focus on traditional family values in their social policy.
Ms Novak said on TV that she pardoned the man because she believes he did not take advantage of the vulnerable children he was watching.
She said sorry to the people who may have felt like she didn’t support them.
Ms Novak said she made a mistake and that the forgiveness and lack of reasoning made people doubt the zero tolerance for paedophilia.
Along with Ms. Novak, another important woman in Fidesz has also quit because of the same issue.
Judit Varga, who was the minister of justice, also signed the decision to pardon.
The two most important women in politics have quit, which is a big problem for Mr Orban and his party. Ms Varga was supposed to lead the Fidesz list in the European elections in June.
European bosses are having a meeting on Thursday in Brussels to try to solve a disagreement over giving money to Ukraine.
Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban said no to giving Ukraine 50 billion euros in aid last December.
Many people thought he made his decision because the EU didn’t give Hungary 20 billion euros due to worries about human rights and corruption.
Lately, there have been rumors about the EU taking strict action.
Leaders are getting frustrated with Hungary’s position, which is stopping money from reaching Ukraine as the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion gets closer.
However, his position on Ukraine has always been clear. Orban, who is really close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the EU, has been cautious about criticizing Russia for attacking Ukraine. He has also disagreed with the EU’s decision to put sanctions on Russian oil and gas many times.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the EU will find a way to help Ukraine, even if some countries like Hungary don’t agree.
Earlier this week, The Financial Times said that officials in Brussels might harm Hungary’s economy if Prime Minister Orban chooses to stop the aid package for Ukraine once more.
MrOrban’s political boss, Balazs Orban, said on X, which was previously known as Twitter, that Brussels is trying to force Hungary to do what it wants by using threats.
A few days after the last meeting, Mr. Orban said that EU countries could give money to Ukraine from sources other than the EU budget. He said he might use the budget and remove the veto on the money plan if they vote on it every year before giving out more money.
EU leaders probably won’t agree to this idea because it would make them vulnerable to Hungary’s veto every year.
The summit is happening while farmers have been protesting for weeks in many European countries.
Farmers are upset about new rules from the EU that are supposed to make farming more environmentally friendly. They are also unhappy that the EU is allowing Ukraine to export more grain.
Many leaders in Europe are worried about the big and long-lasting protests by farmers. They will probably ask the EU for solutions when they go to Brussels.
On Wednesday, the European Commission seemed to listen to some of the farmers’ worries and problems.
It suggested a change to a rule about leaving land uncultivated, and said the EU would put in place a way to put taxes on goods from Ukraine if there were too many coming in and it caused problems for the market.
However, the Copa-Cogeca, which represents farmers in the EU, has already stated that the safeguard mechanism will not give enough help to producers.
Lewis Hamilton has candidly admitted that his driving performance has not been at its peak for over a year, and this was evident in his poor start at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen capitalized on the opportunity and secured a record-breaking victory.
Verstappen outmaneuvered pole-sitter Hamilton on the downhill stretch to the opening corner at the Hungaroring, establishing a significant lead and cruising to his seventh consecutive victory in what has been a notably one-sided Formula One season.
Hamilton’s struggles continued as he finished in fourth place, with both McLaren drivers overtaking him in the first two bends of the 70-lap race.
Lando Norris secured the runner-up position, trailing Verstappen by 33.7 seconds, while Sergio Perez showcased an impressive comeback from ninth place to finish third. Oscar Piastri secured the fifth position.
With this win, Verstappen has clinched nine victories out of the 11 rounds so far, extending his lead over Perez by 110 points as they approach the final round before the summer break in Belgium. Red Bull remains unbeaten this season, achieving a new F1 record with their 12th consecutive win.
Hamilton’s struggle for a win continues, as he now faces the longest winless streak of his career with 34 appearances without a victory.
“I have not been at my best for over a year,” said Hamilton who has not won since he was denied a record eighth world title at the concluding round in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Across the same period, Verstappen – the man who beat him to the title on that controversial night in the desert – has triumphed 24 times.
But the seven-time world champion added: “I am not disappointed. It was obvious that we do not have the quickest car. Max got a better start than me, I got a bit of wheelspin, and I was a bit compromised after that.
“I am really proud of myself and the job we did to get pole and outperform the world champion and the other two McLaren cars that are quicker than us. But today is just a reality check. The reality is that we are not fast enough.
“I was told in the strategy meeting this morning that I would be five tenths a lap slower than the Red Bull so the fight is not with Max but hopefully that we would be able to fight the McLarens. But then the McLaren was also too quick for us.”
Hamilton’s initial reaction to the lights turning green was fine enough, but he lacked traction in the next phase, with Verstappen moving alongside the Mercedes and then ahead under braking for the first corner.
Forced wide by Verstappen, Hamilton then lost two further positions. First to Piastri at the same right-hander, before Norris also muscled his way ahead around the outside of the next bend. Hamilton had a nibble back at his countryman on the long run up to Turn 4 but Norris held firm.
A contrite Hamilton was straight on the radio. “Sorry about that, guys,” he said.
“Don’t sweat about it, Lewis,” came the reassuring response from Hamilton’s ever-upbeat race engineer, Peter Bonnington.
As Verstappen did what Verstappen does and controlled the race to perfection, Hamilton appeared rattled.
He questioned if his Mercedes team had turned down his engine after falling a dozen seconds back from Verstappen by the time he stopped for fresh rubber on lap 16.
He then expressed his exasperation at being cast more than 10 seconds behind third-placed Piastri, the Australian dropping behind Norris at the first round of stops.
“Where am I losing all the time?” he asked, adding: “It is just the car is slow.”
Bonnington then called on Hamilton to pick up the pace. But the despondent 38-year-old replied: “This is as fast as it goes, mate. That is what I have been saying.”
When he finally stopped for rubber for a second time with 20 laps to run, Hamilton dropped to fifth.
He wiped out a six-second deficit to Piastri inside a handful of laps, and at the start of lap 57 he breezed past the McLaren man at the first corner, before taking the chequered flag 39 seconds behind the all-conquering Verstappen.
“The Red Bull car is phenomenal,” added an envious Hamilton.
The Briton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell started 18th and finished sixth, benefiting from a five-second penalty to Charles Leclerc who sped in the pit lane. Daniel Ricciardo was a commendable 13th on his first race back.
Hungary’s President, Katalin Novák, is scheduled to arrive in Tanzania today to commence her three-day visit to the country from July 17 to July 20, 2023.
During her visit, Ms. Novák will have a meeting with her host, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, on July 18, 2023, at the State House in Dar es Salaam, as announced by the State House’s Directorate of Presidential Communications.
Zuhura Yunus, the Director of Presidential Communications, highlighted the positive relationship between Tanzania and Hungary, particularly in the field of education. Hungary has sponsored numerous Tanzanian students, supporting their pursuit of bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and PhDs in various disciplines such as science, engineering, mathematics, and communication.
The diplomatic and economic ties between Tanzania and Hungary have been strong since the 1980s, although they experienced a decline in recent years. However, the relations are now on the path to recovery and regaining their previous strength.
During her time in Tanzania, President Novák will also have the opportunity to visit various attractions in the Arusha region. Her departure from Tanzania is scheduled for July 20, 2023, with her return journey to Hungary via Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Katalin Novák, at the age of 45, was elected as the President of the Republic of Hungary last year. She is not only the youngest president in the country’s history but also the first woman to hold this esteemed office.
Hungary has vowed to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports as Slovakia became the third European nation to halt imports due to concerns that a glut is driving down prices and endangering farmers in other European nations.
The European Union must do more to defend Hungarian farmers, according to the agriculture minister of Hungary, Sandor Farkas, who stated on Monday that Budapest may stop imports after June.
“Ukrainian grain imports got stuck in Hungary, driving down prices by about one-third, year on year,” he told parliament, saying he will use “all possible” means to protect Hungarian farmers from market disruptions.
While Slovakia announced its decision to temporarily restrict Ukrainian agricultural imports, several central and eastern European nations claimed they were also considering taking similar action.
To safeguard the interests of their own farmers, officials from Poland and Hungary recently issued prohibitions on the import of Ukrainian grains in response to a recent spike in the price of inexpensive Ukrainian agricultural products within the bloc.
Jaroslaw Kaczyski, the head of the ruling party in Poland, claimed that despite Poland’s support for Ukraine, it was compelled to take action to defend its farmers as the Polish countryside is currently experiencing a “moment of crisis.”
The European Commission has rejected the bans and said in a statement that the “EU’s trade policy is of exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable”.
EU representatives are expected to discuss the issue later this week.
Ukrainian officials have said they regret Poland’s decision, saying while Polish farmers may be suffering, Ukrainians have it worse.
“The first step, in our opinion, should be the opening of transit, because it is quite important and it is the thing that should be done unconditionally and after that we will talk about other things,” Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said on Monday.
Talks between Ukrainian authorities and those in Poland, Romania and Slovakia are expected in the coming days.
What’s behind the tensions?
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow blocked the Black Sea port’s sea routes, stalling Ukrainian ships from transporting grains and other agricultural products to the rest of the world.
The blockade ended in August with Black Sea grain deal, under which Russia allows the transport of Ukrainian grain.
The EU has lifted all duties on Ukrainian grains and introduced “solidarity lanes” to ensure there are no further obstacles in global exports.
But this move has angered farmers across Eastern and Central Europe.
Roads have been blocked in countries such as Bulgaria and Romania, with farmers protesting that cheaper Ukrainian grain has made them suffer huge financial losses.
Bulgaria’s Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said on Monday that while his country is in solidarity with Ukraine “a local glut is being created on the agricultural market, because instead of export corridors, our countries are becoming warehouses”.
His country is also working to ban imports from Ukraine, he said.
Ghanaian students studying in Hungary on scholarships have appealed to the government to settle their unpaid allowances.
The students say they have not received their stipends from the government for the past eight months.
According to the Chairperson of the Academic Committee of the Association of Ghanaian Students Studying in Hungary, Nii Aryee, all efforts to get the government to pay their stipend have proven futile.
Nii Aryee said the failure of the government to make these payments has caused the eviction of some students from their apartments due to their inability to pay rent.
“We understand this scholarship agreement is due for payment of stipends for the past eight months. Efforts made by the student executives to get the Government of Ghana to fulfil these payments have yielded no results thus far.
“The student executives would like to use your platform to draw the attention of the government to our needs. The situation is hard for the majority of students. In some cases, students have been evicted from their apartments due to their inability to pay rent.
“Most students have to combine work with studies which would have been ok in other jurisdictions like Germany and the UK, but here in Hungary, flexible student jobs are scarce and paid poorly; thus, it’s not enough to sustain students. This is having a significant impact on the quality of studies. In summary, it’s not a sustainable situation,” he said.
He urged the government to focus on paying their stipends so they could focus on their studies, as that was the primary reason they were in Hungary.
Ghanaian students studying in Hungary on scholarship was made possible through a bilateral agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Government of Hungary.
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian government to promote the internationalisation of Hungarian higher education.
The Stipendium Hungaricum spans three years, with the Ministry of Education representing Ghana and the Scholarship Secretariat acting as the coordinating and implementing agency.
A memorandum of understanding, signed in 2015, allowed this collaborative facility to train 50 Ghanaian students annually in various Bachelor and Postgraduate programmes at the tertiary level of education. These include Engineering, Agriculture and Business Administration and to mention a few.
Finland’s NATO membership will be approved in a vote later this month, according to a statement released by Hungary’s ruling party on Friday.
According to a statement from the head of the ruling Fidesz Party, Máté Kocsis, the group will vote unanimously in favour of Finland’s bid on March 27.
The group would decide later on Sweden’s request to join the military alliance, according to Kocsis.
Turkey and Hungary have been the remaining obstacles preventing the entry of both Nordic countries; however, earlier on Friday, Turkey announced that it would approve Finland’s membership.
Western officials had generally considered getting Turkey’s blessing the most significant hurdle to NATO expansion.
More background: Finland announced its intention to join NATO in May, along with Sweden, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc.
That announcement was welcomed by almost all of NATO’s leaders, but under NATO rules just one member state can veto a new applicant’s membership.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put a spoke in the wheel when he said he was not looking at both countries joining NATO “positively,” accusing them of housing Kurdish “terrorist organizations.”
Friday’s announcement clears the way for Finland’s accession, but Sweden’s application has been stalled by Ankara’s accusations, which Sweden denies.
“If this new power plant is built,”, says Janos, a tall, friendly nuclear engineer who works in Reactor block 2 of the existing nuclear power station at Paks, “it will be good for the town, and good for the country.”
It’s a big if.
Despite the Hungarian government’s unswerving commitment to the Paks 2 project, despite the Russian commitment to supply the finance and technology, the Russian war in Ukraine is making the new power station less likely by the day.
It is the biggest single investment in Hungarian history.
The government claims it will make the country less dependent on Russia, from which Hungary gets most of its oil and gas. Critics say it will make Hungary even more dependent on Russia for much of this century.
Paks 1 nuclear power station, on the shore of the Danube and an hour’s drive south of Budapest, was built by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and its four reactors still supply around 40% of Hungary’s electricity needs.
Their working life is due to end in the 2030s. In 2014, Prime Minster Viktor Orban signed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to build two new 1,200 MW reactors beside the old ones.
Russia will finance the plant with a €10bn loan, which Hungarian consumers should pay back in their electricity bills, starting in 2026, when the plant was due to come on line.
Years of delays with permits meant that ground-clearing work at the site only began last August.
While Hungary has pressed ahead with Paks 2, last May Finland cancelled a similar, Russian-built plant on the Hanhikivi peninsula in mid-construction, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
IMAGE SOURCE,FENNOVOIMA Image caption, Finland cancelled its first nuclear plant for 50 years citing delays and the war in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is now hanging like a dark cloud over the Paks project, too.
Fighting in the early days of the war around Ukraine’s former nuclear plant at Chernobyl and artillery duels around the Zaporizhzhia plant, the biggest in Europe, have harmed the project.
Even those who believe in Paks 2 with an almost religious zeal sound worried.
“Isolation of Russia is not a solution, even in this war situation,” says Attila Aszodi, former government commissioner for Paks 2.
BBC
I really believe that the war will be closed in a short time with conditions that can leave the project running
Dyed-in-the-wool opponents, such as former Green MEP Benedek Javor, are more blunt.
“Paks 2 is a purely political project,” he says, pointing to close relations established by Viktor Orban with Russian Vladimir Putin since 2009.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Hungarian leader has pushed back repeatedly against EU sanctions on Russia and its officials have maintained close diplomatic ties with Moscow.
“From an energy perspective it’s not necessary to build [Paks 2], and it’s definitely not necessary to build it with the Russians,” says Mr Javor.
He argues the money would be better spent on renewables like solar, from which Hungary already gets 10% of its energy, and improving the electricity grid.
This autumn, the government abruptly ended subsidies for households installing solar panels, because the grid could not cope with the new inputs.
The Fidesz government has also made wind power practically impossible,by banning the construction of turbines within 10km (6.2 miles) of a settlement.
“We might arrive at a point where Paks 2 cannot be constructed but there is no alternative,” says Mr Javor. “Then Hungary will have a serious problem with the security of supply.”
The list of complications from the war in Ukraine is long.
Many major components of the plant are supposed to be built in Russia, and transported overland.
The original plan was to bring them through Ukraine and there are no obvious alternative routes.
Several thousand welders are supposed to be employed.
Back in 2014, everyone I asked said Ukrainian welders would be found. And the plant is not simply a Russian one.
Under EU pressure, it is now a hybrid, using Russian hardware and a control system to be built by the Siemens-led, French-German consortium Framatome.
The turbines are supposed to be built by GE Hungary, a subsidiary of US firm General Electric. It is hard to imagine US, German and French engineers working shoulder to shoulder with their Russian comrades, 400 km from the border of a country the Russians shell day and night.
There are other question marks, too. How will Russia supply nuclear fuel? How will Hungary send highly radioactive used fuel elements back to Russia?
And will the EU eventually extend sanctions to nuclear technology and employees of Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom?
Nuclear power transformed Paks from a small, sleepy, riverside town into one of the richest in provincial Hungary.
The streets are lined with hairdressers, clothes shops, restaurants and bars – 2,700 people work at Paks 1, with another 7,000 dependent on the plant as sub-contractors.
During construction, Paks 2 is supposed to attract 10,000 more. Smart new blocks of flats are nearly finished for the Russian engineers to be employed here. But, for now, the town is holding its breath.
“To tell the truth, I just don’t know what will happen. I’m not a prophet. I can’t predict when it will be built,” says Janos, from Reactor block 2.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who’s in personal charge of the project, recently met Rosatom directors in Istanbul and still speaks confidently of 2030.
While he is optimistic Russia will deliver on its promises, the reluctance of Hungary’s EU partners towork on any Russian energy project because of the war is likely to cause Budapest future headaches.
She said the EU has so far given €19bn, adding: “It is very important for Ukraine to have a predictable and stable flow of income.”
It is estimated Ukraine needs about €3-4bn a month “for the basics” and the EUwill finance €1.5bn of this, with the rest to come from other countries and international institutions.
“That will give a total of €18bn for the next year – an amount Ukraine can count on and where there is a stable and reliable, predictable flow of income,” she said.
The bloc is divided over further strengthening sanctions on Russia and Iran over claims that Russia is using Iranian-made drones in its war.
Poland and the three Baltic states suggested banning Russian diamond imports and phasing out steel trade more quickly, but Belgium and Italy are among those opposed.
Hungary is against any sanctions on Russia, while Germany and France have said current measures already go far.
Now that Meloni is expected to win,there has been a greater reaction, with Moscow declaring its openness to forging “constructive” ties with Rome.
“We are ready to welcome any political forces that are able to go beyond the established mainstream, which is filled with hate for our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Meloni’s political allies in Italy have both made controversial remarks about Russia.
Silvio Berlusconi claimed last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “pushed” into invading Ukraine, though he later made clear Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was “unjustifiable and unacceptable”.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s nationalist leader Prime Minister Viktor Orban has congratulated Meloni – whose rhetoric on the EU is close to that of the Hungarian nationalist leader – and her allies on the election results.
He added he looked forward to future cooperation over peace, the European economy, and the energy crisis.
🇭🇺🤝🇮🇹 PM Orbán has sent letters to @GiorgiaMeloni, @matteosalvinimi, @berlusconi congratulating them on the election results. “I look forward to our future cooperation to preserve peace in our countries & in Europe, to restart the European economy and to ease the energy crisis.” pic.twitter.com/XPAL9kMT49
Two of the first congratulatory messages to Giorgia Meloni, within the EU, have come from Hungary and Poland.
That’s no coincidence. Warsaw and Budapest both have conservative nationalist governments who rail against EU overreach and have been at odds with Brussels on issues including LGBT rights.
But it’s a little more complicated than saying the three nations might sit as some kind of united trio around the European Council table.
Poland and Hungary are deeply split on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has been hard-line on sanctions against the Kremlin whereas Budapest has been seen, increasingly, as a barrier.
Giorgia Meloni has stressed her support for Ukraine but it’s an approach that, it’s feared, won’t be fully backed by her right-wing allies.
What is certain is that a new Meloni government could mean more EU division given its predecessor was the Brussels-favoured technocrat, Mario Draghi.
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, has announced that plans are underway for the construction of two new nuclear reactors in the country.
According to Peter Szijjarto, Russian nuclear power giant Rosatom will be constructing these reactors in Hungary in some weeks to come.
“Let the construction begin!” said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in a Facebook post.
The deal, reached between Russia and the EU state in 2014, aims to expand the existing Paks nuclear plant.
“This is a big step, an important milestone,” Mr Szijjarto said in a Facebook post quoted by AFP news agency.
“In this manner we will ensure Hungary’s energy security in the long term and protect Hungarians from wild swings in energy prices,” he added.
Russia’s nuclear industry has not been subjected to EU sanctions over its bloody invasion of Ukraine.
Moves to isolate and sanction its oil and gas exports have not been unconditionally supported by Hungary.
The Paks site currently generates 40% of Hungary’s electricity supply.
With the additional two reactors, the nuclear power station – currently made up of four Soviet-built reactors – will see its capacity more than double.
According to Peter Szijjarto, the nuclear reactors could be ready for service by 2030.
The controversial €12.5bn (£10.6bn; $12.4bn) project is largely financed by Russia.
In the wake of the war in Ukraine, many EU states have been trying to lessen their dependence on Russian supplies of energy.
A “pink education” phenomenon in Hungary that favours women could endanger the economy, lower birth rates and disadvantage men, a report says.
Women are over-represented in Hungarian higher education, according to parliament’s economic watchdog, seen as close to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The authors warned that an increase in female graduates could make women less likely to marry and have children.
Mr Orban has sought to boost Hungary’s flagging birth rate.
In 2019 he announced that women with four children would be exempt from paying income tax for life.
The report, by the State Audit Office, was published last month but its findings have only just been picked up by the Nepszava newspaper. Its contents have been criticized by several Hungarian politicians and human rights experts.
Over the past decade, it found that more women than men had enrolled in Hungary’s universities – with the number this autumn at 54.5%. Male students were meanwhile dropping out at a higher rate, and it suggested that the feminization of the teaching profession may have led to 82% of teachers being women.
The report found that “feminine traits” such as emotional and social maturity were favored in Hungary’s education system, which meant that sexual equality would be “considerably weakened”.
The researchers warned that Hungary’s economy could be put at risk if “masculine traits” were undervalued, which they listed as technical skills, risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
The report concluded that this could even impact everyday life with young people at a loss for what to do with “a frozen computer, a dripping tap, or furniture that has arrived flat-packed and there is no one to put it together”.
Hungarian opposition politician Endre Toth criticized the report on Facebook: “It is time to remove your glasses from the last century.” He also called the differentiation of so-called feminine and masculine traits as “total scientific absurdity”.
Lydia Gall of Human Rights Watch tweeted that it was “another blow to gender equality and women’s rights in Hungary”.
Hungary has faced criticism for its gender inequality for some time. After a visit in 2019, Council of Europe rights commissioner Dunja Mijatovic said Hungary was backsliding in gender equality and women’s rights.
Hungary recently elected its first female president, Katalin Novak, but continues to have the lowest share of female politicians in the European Union.
It is currently being sued by the European Commission for a controversial “anti-gay law” that bans the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.
Viktor Orban, who has repeatedly clashed with the EU over rule of law issues such as press freedom and migration, has described his vision of Hungary as an “illiberal democracy”
Formula 1 is nearly ready to go racing again after a short summer break, with Max Verstappen having one hand on the drivers’ title heading into the second half of the campaign.
Back-to-back victories for the Dutchman before the mid-season recess saw him extend his drivers’ championship lead at the top of the table to 80 points with nine races to go.
The reigning champion’s superb win from tenth on the grid in Hungary has also pushed Red Bull 97 points clear in the constructors’ standings, piling the pressure on a faltering Ferrari outfit.
A catalogue of mechanical and strategic errors from the Scuderia appears to have handed Red Bull the title. Still, after some time to clear their heads, a Ferrari fightback could get underway at historically one of their favourite tracks.
Leclerc chasing Belgium bounty
The Italians have taken the chequered flag 14 times at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps, which has received an €80m facelift despite this potentially being its final F1 appearance.
Charles Leclerc was the last Ferrari driver to win in Belgium in 2019 and is in desperate need of a repeat result, having managed just one podium finish in his previous eight races.
For a driver with seven pole positions to his name, Leclerc can count himself unlucky to not have more points to his name, especially given Ferrari have a car equal, if not better, than Red Bull.
The improvements made by the Maranello-based outfit have largely negated Red Bull’s previous straight-line speed advantage, and there shouldn’t be much between the duo around the power-hungry Spa circuit.
Verstappen hoping to be signing in the rain again
Whether we see Red Bull and Ferrari go flat out and engage in another thrilling battle could depend on the weather.
Showers are forecast for all three days of action in Belgium, bringing back bad memories of last year’s washout race, which lasted two laps and was won by Verstappen, who is the favourite to win this year’s edition.
The world champion’s tainted 2021 victory kept up Red Bull’s impressive record of having at least one car on the podium in 11 of the last 13 years.
Mercedes in the mix
Lewis Hamilton will hope he can kickstart his season in Belgium this weekend
Red Bull will expect to maintain that record of top-three finishes, but both they and Ferrari face the added complication of a rejuvenated Mercedes team.
The Silver Arrows signed off for the summer on a high with back-to-back double podium finishes, coupled with a first pole position of the season from George Russell at Hungary.
The Brackley-based outfit have made steady improvements since a poor start to the year and are looking to kick on in the second half of the season, with Lewis Hamilton now having a realistic chance of continuing his streak of at least one win in every year he’s been in F1.
Mercedes expect to be even closer to the top two in Belgium, courtesy of new technical regulations introduced for the final nine races relating to porpoising or bouncing, believing they will hinder the advantage Ferrari and Red Bull previously enjoyed in that regard.
Prediction
The improvements made by the Silver Arrows and incoming rule changes muddy the waters when it comes to the fight for first, but if Ferrari can stop shooting themselves in the foot, they look the class of the field.
Leclerc hasn’t always handled the pressure well this season, but with the drivers’ title now an unrealistic goal, he could race with a bit more freedom at the scene of his maiden win in Formula 1.
Hungary‘s top two weather experts have been fired over a mistaken weather forecast that sparked political uproar.
What had been billed “Europe’s biggest fireworks display” had been organized for Saturday evening to celebrate St Stephen’s Day – the national holiday,
But seven hours before the scheduled start, the government postponed the event, citing extreme weather warnings.
The weather, however, stayed calm – leading to the sackings of the head and deputy head of the weather service.
Some 40,000 fireworks were ready to be launched from 240 points along a 5km (3 mile) stretch of the Danube River in central Budapest, in a display usually watched by up to two million people.
The government postponed the event for a week due to the extreme weather warnings it received.
But the rain storm the National Meteorological Service had predicted changed direction and struck parts of eastern Hungary instead – missing the capital city entirely.
The service posted a public apology on their Facebook page on Sunday, explaining that the “least likely” outcome happened, and that uncertainty is part of weather forecasting
But it was too late.
On Monday, Innovation Minister Laszlo Palkovics sacked the service chiefs, with immediate effect.
Reaction in Hungary has been mixed.
Nearly 100,000 people had signed a petition, calling for the fireworks to be cancelled at a time of war in neighbouring Ukraine, and austerity at home.
Government supporters, however, were furious at the supposed ineptness of the forecasters, and hope the display will now go ahead as planned next Saturday.
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