World
EU lawmakers push on with move to try and limit Hungary’s voting rights
More than 100 members of European Parliament signed a letter arguing the move is ‘necessary’ to protect the values of the European Union.
Some European Union lawmakers have called on member states to punish the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban by moving closer to withdrawing his voting rights.
At least 120 of the European Parliament’s 705 members signed a letter sent to the parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, on Friday calling for more pressure on Budapest.
“Hungary has been repeatedly criticised for its erosion of the Rule of Law, and especially after Hungary’s actions to disrupt the decision-making of the Member-States in the December EUCO, we believe that the time has come for the European Parliament to take action,” the letter read.
The European Council (EUCO) is the collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the EU. In December, Orban blocked a review of the bloc’s budget that included granting Ukraine 50 billion euros ($55bn) in new financial aid through 2027.
The letter called for a process to be started that could result in “the suspension of specific membership rights of Hungary, including voting rights in the Council”.
“We believe that this action is necessary to protect the values of the European Union,” the letter added.
Signatures collected! We are one step closer to withdraw Orban’s voting rights.
The feedback was strong, thanks to everyone who has supported this historical petition. I gathered 120 names across party lines and from several Member States. 1/3 https://t.co/vjFyFk46zf
— Petri Sarvamaa (@petrisarvamaa) January 12, 2024
Last month’s EU summit capped another year of bitter feuds between the bloc and Budapest over the independence of Hungarian courts, corruption and freedom of minorities, non-governmental organisations and education.
“The letter demonstrates a clear willingness in the Parliament to launch Article 7.2 TEU,” the author of the letter, Finland’s member of European Parliament (MEP), Petri Sarvamaa, said, referring to the next step in the disciplinary steps for countries not respecting the rule of law.
“But above all, it highlights the urgency of addressing Viktor Orban’s actions,” said Sarvamaa, who is from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the most significant faction in the current European legislature.
But Balazs Hidveghi, a Hungarian MEP, dismissed the letter and called it another “attack” by Hungary’s critics.
“Our adversaries, who have been smearing Hungary with lies for years and are trying to make our life more difficult in Brussels … have launched another attack,” he said.
The European Parliament wants to adopt a resolution on Hungary next week as its main political factions are dissatisfied with the European Commission’s decision in December to unfreeze billions in EU financial support to Budapest.
The money had been suspended for years due to concerns that Orban undermined democratic checks and balances.
But the decision last month was part of a deal for Budapest to agree to funding for Kyiv, which Orban vetoed.
However, many MEPs argued that Budapest still needed to address the concerns of the rule of law.
Member states are expected to meet again on February 1 to try to approve the 50 billion euro ($54.7bn) package for Ukraine, which would be easier to do if Hungary could no longer vote on measures to help Kyiv.
While taking away Budapest’s votes was largely unrealistic due to its support from nationalist allies in Poland, its election in November last year, where the pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk was elected, has pledged to make supporting Ukraine a key priority.
Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez visited jailed former president Pedro Castillo as officials counted ballots from the closely contested runoff election against conservative rival Keiko Fujimori.
Published On 8 Jun 2026
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.
World
Suspected Hamas terrorist arrested in Greece for allegedly plotting attack on Israeli cruise ship
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A suspected Hamas terrorist, reportedly granted asylum a year from the Gaza war, was arrested by Greek police for allegedly plotting an attack on an Israeli cruise line.
The Gaza man, 37, was arrested on the Greek island of Crete on Sunday for his alleged ties to one of four suspected Hamas terrorists previously arrested in Cyprus, having traveled with him to Malaysia, where they allegedly received training in making explosives from commercially available chemical agents.
The Israeli cruise ship MS Crown Iris was the believed target of the attack before it was scheduled to arrive in Crete on Tuesday. Police did not publicly identify the man or name a target in their initial statement.
Searches in homes in both Crete and the Greek capital, Athens, turned up a number of mobile phones, a laptop, external hard drives and bank cards, The Associated Press reported.
3 ALLEGED HAMAS MEMBERS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING AGAINST JEWISH INSTITUTIONS IN GERMANY
A Wednesday protest at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece, opposing the arrival of the Crown Iris cruise ship was a prelude to the arrest of a suspected Hamas terrorist who is alleged to have plotted an attack. (Costas Baltas/Anadolu)
The suspect, an electrician who has been reportedly living in Crete for the past year and working at a hotel there after being granted asylum, will appear before a magistrate later Sunday.
The suspected terrorist had placed an online order for what police said were “chemical agents” that could be used in the manufacture of explosives, according to the report.
State broadcaster ERT, cited by Israeli and Greek media, reported that police also found laboratory equipment.
TWO CONVICTED OF TERRORISM IN DENMARK FOR GRENADE ATTACK NEAR ISRAELI EMBASSY
The case appears to be part of a broader regional counterterrorism probe. Cypriot authorities arrested two Palestinians on May 22 after intelligence led investigators to materials in two residences that police said could be used to manufacture explosives. Two more Palestinian men were detained May 29 as part of the same investigation, according to Greek police.
The Crown Iris has become a recurring flashpoint at Greek ports amid anger over the war in Gaza. Protesters gathered near the ship when it docked in Piraeus on Wednesday, June 3, and demonstrations against the vessel have followed it at Greek ports since last year.
Protesters allege that Mano Maritime, the owner of the MS Crown Iris, is profiting from the Hamas-Israel war by selling tourist services to Israel Defense Forces soldiers during breaks from active duty.
In July 2025, Greek police used tear gas and made arrests as demonstrators tried to block the ship at Agios Nikolaos on Crete.
Greek security forces were forced to protect Israeli tourists traveling on buses to board the Israeli-owned cruise ship MS Crown Iris at the port of Piraeus in Athens on June 3, 2026. (Aggelos Nakkas/AFP)
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The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced formal charges against the suspect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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