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Europe
Hungary
4:22 PM CEST, July 31, 2024 In the months leading up to elections for the European Parliament, Hungarians were ’warned’ that casting a ballot against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would be a vote for all-out war. Orbán used a pro-government media empire that’s dominated the country’s political discourse for more than a decade. The right-wing Fidesz party cast the June 9 election as an existential struggle, one that could preserve peace in Europe if Orbán won - or fuel widespread instability if he didn’t. The party came first in the elections. To Fidesz’s 44%. an upstart party which attracted disaffected voters led by Magyar, a former Fidesz insider, took 29% of the vote. Since 2010, Orbán’s government 'has promoted hostility to migrants and LGBTQ+ rights, distrust' of the European Union, and a belief that Soros - one of Orbán’s enduring foes - is engaged in secret plots to destabilize Hungary. ’Such messaging’ has delivered Orbán’s party four consecutive two-thirds majorities in parliament and, most recently, the most Hungarian delegates in the EU legislature. Public television and radio channels consistently echo talking points communicated both by Fidesz and a network of think tanks and pollsters that receive funding from the government and the party. Their analysts routinely appear in affiliated media to bolster government narratives, while ’independent’ commentators rarely, if ever, appear. According to press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Orbán has used media buyouts by government-connected, to build “a true media empire subject to his party’s orders.' In 2016, Hungary’s oldest daily newspaper was suddenly shuttered after being bought by a businessman with links to Orbán. In 2018, nearly 500 pro-government outlets were simultaneously donated by their owners to a foundation headed by Orbán loyalists, creating a sprawling right-wing media conglomerate. The RSF group estimates that such buyouts have given Orbán’s party control of some 80% of Hungary’s media market resources. In 2021, RSF put Orbán on its list of media “predators,” the first EU leader to earn the distinction. A study showed up to 90% of state advertising revenue is awarded to pro-Fidesz media outlets, keeping them afloat. 'Hungary spent nearly $4.8 million on political ads on platforms owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, in a 30-day period in May and June', outspending Germany. The vast majority of that spending came from Fidesz or its proxies. One major spender is Megafon, a self-declared training center for aspiring conservative influencers. The government is the largest advertiser in Hungary. A network of ’independent’ journalists and online outlets continue to function and struggles to remain competitive. ’Independent’ lawmaker Hadházy said abuses go largely unaddressed because the majority of voters are unaware of them. The people that consume those media simply don’t hear about these things. The government controls state media by hand and ’spends about 50 billion forints ($135 million) a year on advertisements’ … that sustain their own TV networks and websites. Far more people hear their messages than the facts, he said. On a recent day in Mezőcsát, a small village on the Hungarian Great Plain, Hadházy inspected the site of an industrial park that was built with 290 million forints ($795,000) in EU funds. The problem, he said, is that since the site was completed in 2017, it has never been active, and ’the money used to build it has disappeared’. (Source: APNews – U.S.)
by Spike
An AP note: „This story has been corrected to show that the building of the industrial park in the village of Mezőcsát involved EU funds in the amount of 290 million forints, not 290 million euros’.
France
31/07/2024 - 19:06 The sporting competitions at the Paris Olympic Games are being staged at some of France’s most emblematic locations. /Photo(s)/ (Source: france24)
Ukraine
31/07/2024 - 19:17 With Russian forces gaining momentum on the front and aid from allies ebbing or in doubt, yesterday Zelensky said Russia should be represented at a second peace summit set for November after a first summit convened by Ukraine in Switzerland did not feature Russia on the invitee list and China shunned. Zelensky gathered leaders and top officials from dozens of countries at the Swiss mountainside resort of Burgenstock in June for a first summit. Since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it; if China wants, it can force Russia to stop this war, Zelensky said.. His push focuses on a sweeping 10-point plan that 'would restore Ukrainian territorial integrity, return prisoners of war and give Ukraine energy and economic guarantees'. Russian President Putin has said he is open to negotiations, but would only order a ceasefire if Kyiv effectively surrendered territory that Moscow claims as its own. The United States is a challenge today, Zelensky said. A victory for Republican candidate Trump - who claims he will be able to force the sides into a negotiated settlement - would bring Washington's continued support into question. (Source: AFP - France)
Asia
Iran
Wednesday 31 July 2024 23:10 BST Today morning, at an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei has issued an order for direct retaliation against Israel, following the killing of Hamas’ top political leader Haniyeh who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Pezeshkian. Israel has previously vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas over the group’s October 7 attack. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has claimed that Haniyeh was assassinated and has laid the blame for his death at the feet of Israel. The two nations risked plunging into war earlier this year when Israel hit Iran’s embassy in Damascus in April, Iran retaliated, and Israel countered. Through almost 10 months of war in Gaza, Iran has tried to strike a balance, putting pressure on Israel with sharply increased attacks by its allies and proxy forces in the region, while avoiding an all-out war between the two nations. Iran and the regional forces it backs - Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and multiple militias in Iraq - form what they call the 'axis of resistance.' Leaders of those groups were in Tehran for the inauguration of Pezeshkian yesterday. Haniyeh was assassinated at about 2 am local time, after attending the ceremony and meeting with Khamenei. (Source: independent – United Kingdom)
North America
United States
July 31, 2024 Trump questions Harris' race during the National Association of Black Journalists convention. /Video */ (Source: YouTube / APNews = U.S.)
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