Latest news with #Budapest
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
I Was Ambassador to Hungary. The America I Returned to Alarms Me.
As the most recent U.S. ambassador to Viktor Orban's Hungary, I'm often asked if the Trump administration's tactics and policies feel familiar. The short answer is yes. But the more important — and unsettling — question is this: Does the way Americans are responding feel familiar, too? After years watching Hungary suffocate under the weight of its democratic collapse, I came to understand that the real danger of a strongman isn't his tactics; it's how others, especially those with power, justify their acquiescence. Take the judiciary. I met leaders of Hungary's sole independent judicial body in October 2022 to discuss their work. For months afterward, their faces (and mine) were plastered in the papers, branded as traitors and foreign agents, just because they had raised concerns about the rule of law in Hungary. The response from other powerful judges? Silence. Or take the private sector. Since Mr. Orban became prime minister in 2010, the state has awarded billions in public contracts to his son-in-law and childhood friend, a former plumber named Lorinc Meszaros. What have Hungarian business leaders said? Nothing. Last year, when Mr. Orban's close associates reportedly told a multinational retailer to give the prime minister's family a cut of its business, did other multinational companies speak up? They did not. Hungarians with little power or privilege to lose would occasionally protest. But those with power remained reliably, pliably silent. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Molly-Mae Hague blasted by fans for 'always moaning' as she says 'I've not done one fun thing all summer' despite multiple luxury holidays
Fans have blasted Molly-Mae Hague for 'always moaning' as she told fans she's 'not done one fun thing all summer' despite jetting off to multiple destinations. The former Love Island star and business owner, 26, made the admission in her latest YouTube vlog which landed this week. Molly said in the life update: 'I said to a friend the other day, that I'm going to make it to the end of summer having not done one fun thing.' She then spoke to her sister and said: 'Zoe, I haven't socialised once. I'm going to get to the end of this summer having not done one social fun thing. 'I haven't a life. That's not good is it. Summer will end and I've not done one fun social thing.' It left some fans open-mouthed as they called out how she failed to acknowledge the three holidays she's already been on this year. Some comments read: 'She's a millionaire, she can literally wake up tomorrow and do whatever the hell she wants', 'Wimbledon, lunches, Spain, Dubai, France, Centre Parcs... let's normalise that', 'This was so jarring because she can casually spend 6k in Dior on an outfit to log to Wimbledon then complains she has no time for herself', 'Why does she always want us to feel sorry for her?' The mum-of-one - in this year alone - has been on no expense-spared trips to Dubai, Budapest and even Disneyland in 2025. Back in March she and Tommy Fury took baby Bambi on a family holiday to the United Arab Emirates, marking a reunion holiday for the clan. Just a month later Tommy had treated Molly to a European trip as the pair enjoyed downtime in Budapest. During their break, they stayed at The Pullman, a five-star hotel where prices start from at least £500 per night. Meanwhile, in May the dotting parents took Bambi to Disneyland Paris where they enjoyed a lavish stay at the park's resort. It comes after her candid complaints about a recent £86,000 motorhome holiday her family went on - after Tommy said their daughter Bambi shouldn't be spoilt with five star trips. The family were travelling on a swanky Elddis Avalon 255 motorhome. Yet Molly-Mae revealed the trip had been struck with delays, leaving Bambi 'overtired and overstimulated'. She explained: 'Tommy has bought a motorhome and we spent our first weekend in the motorhome this weekend. Obviously, being us, we went in feet first and decided to go to the Isle of Man. 'Tommy's family were spending the weekend in the Isle of Man. I was feeling spontaneous so we literally booked the ferry to the Isle of Man an hour before we needed to leave. 'We'd never used the motorhome before, we needed to pack it up, sort Bambi, I just had this wave of 'you only live once, have a bit of fun. 'Bambi doesn't need to be so perfectly routine every day, she's not a newborn anymore. 'I've got so stuck in my ways with the fact that her routine is her routine and I don't really steer away from it. 'I'm not gonna feel bad for that because that is what works for me and that is what works for Bambi and Tommy, so that's fine.' She then added of when things started to go wrong: 'So anyway, booked the ferry, packed the motorhome up and nearly didn't make the ferry but that's another story and then there was a two hour delay. 'This ferry, which was already gonna get us in at 11:30pm, which was already severely triggering me because Bambi goes to bed at 7pm, was not fine. It was giving me a prime example as to why the routine works for us. 'It was one of those moments where strangers come up to you and are like 'can I help? Is there anything I can do?' 'She was screaming that much for four hours straight. The boat basically had a malfunction and it wouldn't move for like two hours so we had a huge delay. 'She was so, so, so overtired and overstimulated - Bambi is so routine, she is the opposite of flexible.' And when they arrived things continued to go downhill, as she said: 'We managed to get to the Isle of Man at 1:30am in the morning. 'We didn't know where we were, what we were doing, we were going to a different campsite to Tommy's family. It was just a lot. 'We had to make our bed out of this sofa, I was like 'I'm really out of my depth, I'm struggling. The next day, Bambi was so tired, she was just screaming, literally screaming, so, so unhappy. 'Me and Tommy were looking at each other like 'what were we thinking?. I was having a breakdown.' She went on in the vlog: 'Bear in mind this motorhome of Tommy's is his pride and joy, he's obsessed with it…I kid you not, the next day he was like 'I'm selling it, the minute we get home I'm putting it up for sale, I hate this motorhome.' 'It wasn't even the motorhome's fault. For our first time, stupid move.' They even considered getting an early ferry home but once they met up with Tyson Fury and his wife Paris, things improved. She said: 'We were actually going to get on a ferry that day to come home because we were so out of our depth, we couldn't do it. 'But then, when we met up with them, we were like 'no, we're gonna stick it out, we can do this.'
CBC
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Rocker Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76, his family says
Entertainment · Breaking Singer Ozzy Osbourne, seen performing during a 2016 Black Sabbath concert in Budapest, Hungary, has died at the age of 76, according to British media outlets citing a statement from his family. (Balazs Mohai/The Associated Press) John Michael (Ozzy) Osbourne, the lead singer of British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died at 76, according to Sky News and BBC News, both citing a family statement. More to come.
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Molly-Mae accused of ‘always moaning' as she claims not to have done ‘one fun thing' this summer despite holidays
MOLLY-MAE Hague has been accused of "moaning" about her luxury jet-setting lifestyle after three holidays this year. The influencer, 26, told fans on her latest vlog that she's not done one "fun thing" this summer. 7 7 7 7 But some fans were left open-mouthed as she failed to acknowledge her no expense spared getaways to Dubai, Disneyland and Budapest, while claiming she has "no life". Molly said: "I said to a friend the other day, that I'm going to make it to the end of summer having not done one fun thing." Speaking to her sister, she said: "Zoe, I haven't socialised once. I'm going to get to the end of this summer having not done one social fun thing. "I haven't a life. That's not good is it. "Summer will end and I've not done one fun social thing." Molly went on to say that she's not put makeup on or dressed up for a night out with her friends in ages. But her followers were quick to hit out at the star for taking her luxury lifestyle for advantage. One wrote: "I like Molly but she does complain." A second posted: "Wimbledon, lunches, Spain, Dubai, France, Centre Parcs... let's normalise that." Someone else commented: "This was so jarring because she can casually spend 6k in Dior on an outfit to log to Wimbledon then complains she has no time for herself. "'No life', when she has a better life than 99.9 per cent of girls/mums her age," a fourth said. "She's been to Dubai three times this year," this person said. This follower posted: "She's on holiday every month, she was just at Wimbledon. She was at Estelle Manor Spa." While another noted: "She's a millionaire, she can literally wake up tomorrow and do whatever the hell she wants." This annoyed viewer asked: "Why does she always want us to feel sorry for her?" It comes after the influencer traveled to the UAE in March with their two-year-old daughter, Bambi, and praised the destination as their "happy place". Tommy was spotted at the airport with them, and the pair shared nearly identical snaps from the same resort. In April, Tommy splurged on a luxury stay in Budapest as he prepared for his first fight since defeating KSI in October 2023. They stayed at The Pullman, a five-star hotel with luxurious amenities, including a gym, restaurant, and bar. The hotel's most expensive suite, which boasts a spiral staircase, is believed to cost at least £500 a night. In May, Molly-Mae and Tommy took Bambi to Disneyland Paris. Molly-Mae gave fans a glimpse into the lavish getaway - complete with champagne on board and a Mickey Mouse cake. The former Love Islander also took a trip to St Moriz in Switzerland in January for a luxurious "work trip". Taking to Instagram, she shared several clips and photos from her stay at the posh Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, where rooms go for around £1,500 a night. 7 7
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Law In Hungary Could Send Crypto Traders To Jail – What's Behind The Crackdown?
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Over the past few weeks, a new law has thrown Hungary's cryptocurrency sector into disarray. New rules criminalizing the operation and use of 'unauthorized' cryptocurrency exchanges took effect in the country on July 1. 'A person who exchanges crypto-assets of significant value for money or other crypto-assets using an unauthorized crypto-asset exchange service is guilty of a misdemeanor,' Hungary's updated criminal code reads. Don't Miss: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different strategies. Grow your IRA or 401(k) with Crypto – . Under the new rules, cryptocurrency traders could face between two and five years in prison for trading on the so-called unauthorized platforms, with jail time varying based on how much is transacted. For example, for trades between 5 million and 50 million forints ($14,600 to $145,950), cryptocurrency traders could face up to two years in prison, while offenses over 500 million forints could attract a five-year prison sentence. In comparison, operators of unauthorized cryptocurrency exchanges face between three and eight years of imprisonment under the new rules. The sentences also vary based on the value of the transaction. The issue is that there is currently no path to compliance for cryptocurrency exchanges, as Hungary's Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs has yet to release licensing procedures. So in the meantime, these companies are in limbo and an estimated 500,000 cryptocurrency holders are at risk of jail time. Trending: New to crypto? on Coinbase. Unsure of the current rules of the road, at least one firm has suspended operations in Hungary. 'In accordance with recent changes in Hungarian legislation, we have unfortunately made the decision to discontinue all our cryptocurrency-related services for our customers in Hungary,' British multinational fintech company Revolut told users last week. 'Unfortunately, we cannot give an exact date when the services will be available again, but we will notify you immediately as soon as this happens.' Local news outlet Portfolio reported on Monday that the platform was now allowing only withdrawals for Hungarian users. Bitstamp has also reportedly followed in Revolut's footsteps. Hungary's recent rules sharply contrast with the EU's efforts to harmonize cryptocurrency rules across the bloc with the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulatory framework. The framework, which allows companies to use a license from one country across the 27-member country bloc, also came into full effect on July 1 in several countries. 'It's incomprehensible why Hungary would implement such restrictive rules just as the EU is establishing unified standards,' a cryptocurrency industry analyst told Forbes reported that several firms are already considering moves away from Hungary to more cryptocurrency-friendly jurisdictions in the wake of the recent uncertainty, citing unnamed industry sources. Still, not all are pessimistic. Local news website Telex reported that some industry players have expressed hope that the government will not pursue enforcement until authorization procedures are released. Telex said Hungarian policymakers have recently adopted the position that cryptocurrencies are a tool for illicit activities such as tax evasion and payment for arms, drugs and prostitution. These policymakers have also said that Hungarians are being scammed with fake tokens, the outlet said. Read Next: Accredited investors can —with up to 120% bonus shares—before this Uber-style disruption hits the public markets Image: Shutterstock This article New Law In Hungary Could Send Crypto Traders To Jail – What's Behind The Crackdown? originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
