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France 24
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- France 24
Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
Organisers expect a record turnout for the 30th edition of the Pride march in the Hungarian capital despite a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government. Akos Horvath, an 18-year-old student who came to Budapest from a city in southern Hungary, said it was "of symbolic importance to come". "It's not just about representing gay people, but about standing up for the rights of the Hungarian people," he told AFP on his way to the march after travelling for two hours. Orban's governing coalition amended laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. Orban said Friday that while police would not "break up" the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Newly installed cameras 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 who take part. Newly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. Despite the risk of fines, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather near Budapest's city hall for a march beginning at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT). "Freedom and love can't be banned," read one huge poster put up near the city hall. Ministers from several EU countries and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban. Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march. At a press conference Saturday, several French MEPs called on the EU to take tougher measures against Orban's government over the crackdown on civil rights and other rule of law issues. Budapest's opposition mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee could face any reprisals as the march is a municipal event that does not require police approval. "The police have only one task... and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib on Friday. Far-right groups meanwhile have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned parade route, putting up a wooden cross adorned with protest messages. A woman who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she hoped there would be no clashes. "Disgusting... it's become a fad to show off ourselves," she said. 'Polarising society' Justice Minister Bence Tuzson sent a letter to EU embassies this week cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban. Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories. Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. But it is the first move to ban the Pride ban, as Orban says he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump. "Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP, saying that Orban was "polarising society".
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Business Recorder
Heavy rain hits China's flood-stricken Guizhou for second time in a week
SHANGHAI: Heavy rain struck China's southwestern Guizhou province again on Saturday, half-submerging the already flood-stricken riverside city of Rongjiang for a second time this week and prompting the evacuation of residents to higher ground. Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours that left six dead and forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. The amount of rain that fell over 72 hours was double the city's average for June. In response to the new round of flooding, authorities raised the city's flood emergency response level to the highest level on Saturday. The benchmark hydrological station on one of the rivers estimated that the peak water level would hit 253.50 metres (832 ft) at around 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), exceeding the safety threshold by 2 metres, state broadcaster CCTV said. More than 40,000 residents in Rongjiang had been urgently evacuated as of 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, according to the state broadcaster. Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China Earlier this week, the peak water level reached 256.7 metres, the highest since 1954, the Guizhou provincial government said in a statement to Reuters on Friday, blaming 'the extreme climate' for the flooding. The floods in southwest China are set to hit local economies. Rongjiang was removed from the national poverty list in 2020. It then saw an unexpected tourism boom after a local soccer league nicknamed 'Village Super League' became a social media sensation, attracting thousands of fans and tourists. On Tuesday, the soccer pitch was up to seven metres under water. China has battled with summer floods for millennia, but some scientists say climate change is resulting in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flooding could set off unforeseen 'black swan' events with dire consequences, such as dam collapses, Chinese officials say. In southern China over the past two days, 13 major rivers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan were hit by storms and had risen above their warning levels, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
H&M profit beats expectations as brand reboot starts to bear fruit
Swedish fashion retailer H&M reported slightly stronger second-quarter profit on Thursday, an encouraging sign as CEO Daniel Erver tries to attract more shoppers with trendier clothes. H&M shares were up 4% by 1000 GMT as investors focused on the profit rather than second-quarter sales, which fell slightly more than predicted. Erver has said his focus is on profitability rather than solely sales growth. The world's second-largest listed fashion retailer also said it expected sales in June, measured in local currencies, to rise 3%, an improvement after a 6% fall in the same period a year ago. "Our collections are more current, they are more on trend, more fashionable, and the customer reception has been strong throughout this quarter," Erver said in a press conference. Erver said gingham and check patterned dresses, blouses and skirts have been especially popular this season, with the trend continuing into the autumn. Accessories sales have picked up, with social media also driving a craze for mini-accessories on bags, sneakers, and cellphones, he said. In the U.S., where H&M has around 500 stores, Erver said consumer sentiment has dropped significantly due to the "turbulent" tariffs situation since President Donald Trump hiked duties on imports, and competitors have started raising prices as a result. H&M, which sources its products primarily from China and Bangladesh, is focused on keeping prices competitive, Erver said, as consumers are particularly price-sensitive given uncertainty around the economy in the U.S. and globally. H&M's sales were 56.7 billion Swedish crowns ($5.99 billion) in the March to May quarter, down from 59.6 billion a year ago. Analysts polled by LSEG had forecast revenue of 57.0 billion crowns. Zara owner Inditex earlier this month also reported disappointing sales, in a sign consumers are pulling back from spending on clothes as U.S. tariffs create risks for global economic growth. H&M's second-quarter operating profit was 5.91 billion crowns, beating analysts' forecast of 5.88 billion, and the operating profit margin was 10.4%, down from 11.9% a year ago but still better than analysts had feared. "The slightly better than expected margin delivery sends a positive signal to the market," said Alphavalue analyst Jie Zhang. "The brand upgrading strategy has started to pay off." H&M said its higher-priced brand COS had done especially well and shoppers are opting for more medium- and high-priced items across the board, helping to boost profitability. But Erver flagged more discounting in the June to August quarter as he said summer markdowns across the market were highly competitive. Even as it reduces store numbers globally, H&M is also searching for growth in new markets with a growing middle class, with plans to open its first stores in Brazil in the second half, as well as in El Salvador and Venezuela, and to launch in Paraguay next year.
Bangkok Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in war with Israel
TEHRAN — Iran will hold a state funeral service Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran's top diplomat condemned Donald Trump's comments on supreme leader Ali Khamenei as "unacceptable". The United States had carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, joining its ally Israel's bombardments of Iran's nuclear programme in the 12-day conflict launched on June 13. Both Israel and Iran claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire, with Iranian leader Khamenei downplaying the US strikes as having done "nothing significant". In a tirade on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Tehran Friday for claiming to have won the war. He also claimed to have known "EXACTLY where he (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces... terminate his life". "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'" the US leader said. Trump added he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran's main demands. "But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred and disgust and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more," Trump said. Hitting back at Trump Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the Republican president's comments on Khamenei. "If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei," Araghchi posted on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter. "The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults." The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran's health ministry said. Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures. 'Historic' state funeral The state funeral proceedings in Tehran for 60 nuclear scientists and military commanders killed in Israeli strikes are set to begin at 8am (0430 GMT) at Enghelab Square. It will be followed by a funeral procession to Azadi Square, about 11 kilometres (seven miles) across the sprawling metropolis. Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, vowed it would be a "historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution". Among the dead is Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after the Iranian leader. He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all killed in an Israeli attack. Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife. Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, who was killed on the first day of the war, will also be laid to rest after Saturday's ceremony -- which will also honour at least 30 other top commanders. Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children. 'Imminent threat' During his first term in office, Trump pulled out in 2018 of a landmark nuclear deal -- negotiated by former US president Barack Obama. The deal that Trump had abandoned aimed to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear programme. Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump withdrew from the agreement. After the US strikes, Trump said negotiations for a new deal were set to begin next week. But Tehran denied a resumption, with leader Khamenei vowing Thursday never to yield to US pressure and insisting that Washington had been dealt a humiliating "slap". "The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," Khamenei said, rejecting US claims Iran's nuclear programme had been set back by decades. Israel had claimed it had "thwarted Iran's nuclear project" during the 12-day war. But its foreign minister reiterated Friday the world was obliged to stop Tehran from developing an atomic bomb. "Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat against it, the region and the international community," Gideon Saar wrote on X.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Heavy rain hits China's flood-stricken Guizhou for second time in a week
Heavy rain struck China's southwestern Guizhou province again on Saturday, half-submerging the already flood-stricken riverside city of Rongjiang for a second time this week and prompting the evacuation of residents to higher ground. Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours that left six dead and forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. The amount of rain that fell over 72 hours was double the city's average for June. In response to the new round of flooding, authorities raised the city's flood emergency response level to the highest level on Saturday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The benchmark hydrological station on one of the rivers estimated that the peak water level would hit 253.50 metres (832 ft) at around 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), exceeding the safety threshold by 2 metres, state broadcaster CCTV said. More than 40,000 residents in Rongjiang had been urgently evacuated as of 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, according to the state broadcaster. Live Events Earlier this week, the peak water level reached 256.7 metres, the highest since 1954, the Guizhou provincial government said in a statement to Reuters on Friday, blaming "the extreme climate" for the flooding. The floods in southwest China are set to hit local economies. Rongjiang was removed from the national poverty list in 2020. It then saw an unexpected tourism boom after a local soccer league nicknamed "Village Super League" became a social media sensation, attracting thousands of fans and tourists. On Tuesday, the soccer pitch was up to seven metres under water. China has battled with summer floods for millennia, but some scientists say climate change is resulting in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flooding could set off unforeseen "black swan" events with dire consequences, such as dam collapses, Chinese officials say. In southern China over the past two days, 13 major rivers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan were hit by storms and had risen above their warning levels, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday.
