EU-Ukraine trade pact set to expire on Jun 5
A temporary trade agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, established after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, is slated to expire on Thursday (Jun 5). Kyiv warns this will have a major impact on its economy that is heavily dependent on agriculture, adding that it could trigger negative sentiment towards the EU. However, farming communities in countries like France and Poland say they have been hurt by Ukrainian imports over the past three years. William Denselow reports from Warsaw.
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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Lyon owner Textor to step back from club management
PHILADELPHIA :American businessman John Textor plans to step back from the day-to-day management of Olympique Lyonnais following the club's relegation to Ligue 2, which was confirmed after a meeting with French football's financial watchdog (DNCG) this week. Textor, who owns the French club through his Eagle Football Group, revealed his decision in an interview with Brazil's TV Globo on Saturday, shortly before his Brazilian side Botafogo lost 1-0 to Palmeiras in the Club World Cup, saying he could have dealt better with French football politics. Lyon's demotion was provisionally announced by the DNCG in November due to financial irregularities and was confirmed on Tuesday. Textor said the club would appeal against the decision and that Lyon's financial position remained strong despite the ruling. "I will tell you that we're very well capitalised in France," Textor told TV Globo. "It's clear that I've been much better on the pitch than managing France. I have not been so good at the politics of France. I think that's well known. So the process is, for me, as an American capitalist, adjusting to that system." Textor said his focus would shift towards broader responsibilities within Eagle Football Group which also includes Botafogo and formerly included a 43 per cent stake in English club Crystal Palace, sold earlier this week. "I am going to spend a lot more time focusing on Eagle Global, coming back frankly a bit more to Botafogo," he said. "I've got very good partners in the Eagle Football Group shareholders who are going to take a lead on dealing with some of the issues that I have frankly not been very good at dealing with." Despite Lyon's relegation, Textor highlighted the club's recent achievements, including back-to-back qualifications for the Europa League, and reassured fans about their financial stability. "We've never been more liquid in cash. But there are things in the process I did that disappointed the governing bodies there that we need to fix," Textor said. "We did pass through the financial sustainability review with UEFA, which is quite a comprehensive process. So the fact that we didn't pass through France has more to do with some of the specific elements that I brought to the table that I should have improved." Textor hinted at a potential acquisition in the United Kingdom to replace the Crystal Palace stake. "We have our U.K. strategy where we need to look at who our new club is. What are we going to buy there? What's the partnership? Because it's that collaboration between the clubs that's been so successful for us," he said.
CNA
2 hours ago
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Biggest-ever Budapest Pride defies Orban ban in Hungary
BUDAPEST: Record numbers of people marched in the Budapest Pride parade Saturday (Jun 28), defying a government ban that marked a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Organisers estimated up to 200,000 people took part in the 30th parade in the Hungarian capital, which was held in a festive atmosphere with rainbow flags flying high. Those numbers far exceed the previous record turnout of 35,000 people and came in spite of a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government. The governing coalition amended its laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, citing "child protection" to justify the years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights. But the opposition-run Budapest city hall decided to co-host the march so it could go ahead. "I am proud to be gay and I am very scared that the government wants to bring us down," one participant, 66-year-old Zoltan, told AFP. "I am very surprised that there are so many people, I want to cry," he added. He declined to give his full name. "BIG EMBARRASSMENT" Orban said Friday that while police would not break up the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($590). The latest legal changes also empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those taking part, and cameras had recently been installed on lamp posts along the parade route. Szabolcs Pek, lead analyst at research centre Iranytu Institute, said it would be difficult for Orban's Fidesz party to respond to the high turnout. "This is a big embarrassment for Fidesz," he told AFP. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs in a post on X after the march claimed the opposition staged the parade "at Brussels' command". "With Pride, the opposition incited against laws they don't like, mocked Hungary's sovereignty, and - with foreign backing - tried to force woke culture onto us," he wrote. The march began chaotically under a scorching sun. Marchers repeatedly had to pause to wait for police to stop traffic, according to AFP journalists at the scene. "I definitely wanted to come, if only to show my solidarity, and to show how important this issue is - not only to me, but to almost everyone living in Budapest," economics student Marcell Szanto, 22, told AFP. Dozens of European lawmakers also attended in defiance of the ban. "LOVE CAN'T BE BANNED" "Freedom and love can't be banned," read one huge poster put up near city hall, the gathering point for the march. Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march. Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. It is the first EU nation to ban a Pride march, and Orban has said he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump. Some people also gathered along the route to protest LGBTQ rights, in demonstrations called by far-right groups, one of which featured a wooden cross adorned with protest messages. But opposition leader Peter Magyar said on Facebook that the government "scored not a goal, but a huge own goal with their attempt to ban today's event". Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony in a post noting the big turnout thanked Orban "for advertising for a more tolerant society". One woman, who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she didn't want any clashes.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Huge crowds pack Budapest as banned Pride march swells into anti-Orban rally
People carrying a giant EU flag as they take part in the Pride parade, in downtown Budapest, on June 28. PHOTO: AFP BUDAPEST - Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on June 28 as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass anti-government demonstration, in one of the biggest shows of opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Crowds filled a square near Budapest's city hall in sweltering heat before setting off across one of the main bridges over the Danube, waving rainbow flags, some draped in capes and some carrying signs mocking Mr Orban. 'This is about much more, not just about homosexuality... This is the last moment to stand up for our rights,' Ms Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers, said. 'None of us are free until everyone is free,' one sign read. Mr Orban's government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and lawmakers passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Mr Orban's opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election in 2026 when the veteran prime minister - whose party has dominated Hungary's political scene for 15 years - will face a strong opposition challenger. Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the peaceful march, but police separated them and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes. Mr Orban and his government, who promote a Christian-conservative agenda and have championed family values, have defended the restrictions saying that the need to protect children supersedes all other rights. Mr Orban posted a photo with his grandchildren on the morning of the march, with the caption: 'This is what I am proud of.' Several of his supporters followed suit. Marchers included students, families and people from the countryside who said they had never attended a rally before. The Erzsebet bridge, built to carry six lanes of traffic, was engulfed with people. Local media sites including and Magyar Hang estimated the crowd at 100,000, though Reuters could not confirm that figure. 'The message is clear, they have no power over us,' Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony told the rally. He thanked police for securing the march. What started as a Pride parade in Budapest on June 28, morphed into an anti-government protest involving tens of thousands of people. PHOTO: AFP March organisers said participants had arrived from 30 different countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament. More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead. 'Legal consequences' Budapest's mayor had tried to circumvent the law by organising Pride as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police however banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Mr Orban provided some clues on June 27 about what participants can expect when he warned of 'legal consequences' for organising and attending the march. Earlier this week Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. Police officers standing guard as people attend the Budapest Pride parade in Hungary's capital on June 28. PHOTO: REUTERS Mr Orban's attacks on Pride initially increased his support, political analyst Gabor Torok wrote on Facebook on June 28. But opinion shifted after the police ban and the legal debates surrounding the march, he said. Mr Orban's dominance and ability to set the political agenda had faced increasing challenges from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which had a 15-point lead over Mr Orban's Fidesz in a poll this month. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to Reuters questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
