World

Peter Marki-Zay: Is this the man who can beat Viktor Orban?

Published

3 years ago

April 2, 2022

Peter Marki-Zay: Is this the man who can beat Viktor Orban?

Hungary’s opposition was so determined to unseat long-time prime minister Viktor Orban they got here up with an unprecedented plan.

In a bid to have the perfect likelihood of successful the three April election, they chose one candidate to unite behind and signify all of them.

They selected Péter Márki-Zay.

The 49-year-old was thought of an outlier within the first spherical of Hungary’s first-ever opposition main however ended up seeing off Klára Dobrev and Gergely Karácsony, each thought of way more more likely to win.

Karácsony, a well-liked mayor of Budapest and favorite previous to the first, withdrew from the race whereas Dobrev, thought of a left-wing, pro-European choice, was crushed within the second spherical.

Márki-Zay’s entry into politics was, for a lot of, equally shocking. A father-of-seven who describes himself as a conservative, Márki-Zay received a mayoral election in 2018 in Hódmezővásárhely, his hometown, marking the primary defeat for Fidesz by an opposition candidate in a number of years.

Again then, no one actually knew the place to position Márki-Zay on the political spectrum, and he himself mentioned he would wrestle to assist each the Hungarian left and the far-right Jobbik, which has since rebranded as a centrist power.

There shall be some in Hungary that shall be relieved that it isn’t Dobrev, the vice-president of the European Parliament, that can face the nation. She has had an illustrious political profession – however her husband, ex-PM Ferenc Gyurcsány, is likely one of the most divisive figures in Hungarian politics.

It’s much less clear why Karácsony withdrew, on condition that he had appeared the Hungarian opposition’s brightest star after his defeat of the Fidesz-supported mayor in Budapest, István Tarlós, reportedly a private pal of Orban. A spokesperson for Karácsony didn’t reply to requests for remark.

There’s normal optimism too just because, for the primary time in a few years, an election is being held in Hungary that Viktor Orban may very well lose.

“The truth that there’s unpredictability in Hungarian politics is already a step in the precise course,” mentioned Andreas Bock, an analyst on the European Council on Overseas Relations.

Who’s Péter Márki-Zay?

Márki-Zay has mentioned he’s a Christian and a conservative, born to a non secular household in Hódmezővásárhely. His mom is a chemist and his father a physics trainer.

He describes himself as a historian, economist, marketer and electrical engineer who lived in Canada and the USA, returning to his hometown after 5 years of labor overseas.

He has been the mayor of Hódmezővásárhely since 2018.

Extra broadly, analysts describe Márki-Zay as a political outsider.

“In some methods, Péter Márki-Zay may be in comparison with Donald Trump: a non-party participant who says new and shocking issues, who comes out of nowhere and goes in opposition to the standard political logic,” mentioned Peter Kreko, government director of Political Capital, a thinktank.

“He’s additionally conservative and […] a candidate of the left. This can be a phenomenon that may appeal to quite a lot of consideration, and this consideration may be transformed – not mechanically – but in addition into assist.”

Márki-Zay’s conservative credentials might additionally see him take voters away from Fidesz of their conventional conservative rural heartlands. That, analysts say, has obtained Fidesz frightened.

“To win an election in Hungary, you need to win the countryside,” Bock mentioned.

However whereas there have been options that Márki-Zay has loads in widespread with Orban, on coverage the boys couldn’t be extra completely different. Márki-Zay is a believer within the European challenge and a defender of LGBT rights in Hungary at a time when the group is underneath wholesale assault by Fidesz. He’s additionally dedicated to European local weather change objectives which were opposed by Orban’s motion.

The person and not using a motion

Regardless of having the assist of the Hungarian opposition, Márki-Zay is a person and not using a motion – or not less than a political social gathering. He based the Everybody’s Hungary Motion (MMM) to run mayoral candidates through the 2019 municipal elections however by its personal admission, it has simply 6,000 members.

He’s working as a figurehead candidate for a coalition of six political events, from environmentalist to social democrat to far right-turned centrist conservative. There was hypothesis that Márki-Zay could now type his personal political social gathering, and run candidates all through Hungary.

If he doesn’t, it’s tough to see who Márki-Zay will flip to on day two when he’s constructing his cupboard: What number of socialists? What number of conservatives? What number of greens?

All that can should be labored out if Márki-Zay can confound expectations as soon as once more and unseat Orban after 11 years. In doing so, he faces a pacesetter whose allies have taken management of nearly all of Hungary’s media panorama over the past decade, making campaigning an uphill battle.

Each weekday, Uncovering Europe brings you a European story that goes past the headlines. Obtain the Euronews app to get a day by day alert for this and different breaking information notifications. It is obtainable on Apple and Android units.

Related Topics:Budapest Featured hungarian Hungary

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World

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

Published

8 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

NUEVA YORK (AP) — Todos conocemos los factores de estrés: obligaciones sociales, rencillas familiares, divisiones políticas, estrés financiero y el deseo de mantenerse alegre y generoso todo el tiempo.

Así que aquí va un recordatorio sobre cómo desterrar a tu perfeccionista interior y disfrutar verdaderamente de la temporada festiva:

“Realmente ayuda dejar de lado algunos de los ‘deberías’”, dice Lynn F. Bufka, jefa de práctica de la Asociación Estadounidense de Psicología. “Decide cuál es la cosa que más importa, y las cosas que te brindan más alegría, y suelta las demás”.

Las tradiciones pueden cambiar y evolucionar, y cuanto más flexibles sean las cosas, más fácil será para todos, dice Bufka.

“Concentra tu energía en crear un espacio cálido para que las personas que amas se reúnan y relajen, se pongan al día y celebren unos a otros. Eso es literalmente todo lo que importa”, concuerda Lauren Iannotti, editora en jefe de Real Simple.

Algunos consejos:

Concéntrate en lo que te hace feliz

Podrías decidir que la conversación es tu objetivo principal y no preocuparte en absoluto por la decoración, dice Bufka. O si la decoración de la mesa es lo que amas, invierte tu energía allí y no te preocupes tanto por otros aspectos.

“Idealmente, debería tratarse de enfocarse en el amor, y eso no significa lo mismo para todos”, dice Bufka.

Permite que otros hagan las cosas por ti.

“La gente quiere ayudar, ¡déjalos!”, dice Iannotti. “Si no te ENCANTA cocinar todas esas guarniciones, o tienes poco tiempo, no hay ninguna vergüenza en aceptar que tu hermana haga el relleno. O busca ayuda de los profesionales: apoya a un restaurante local haciendo un pedido de catering”.

Otra opción es que “cada uno traiga un plato distintivo”, dice Ianotti. “Ahorrarás tiempo y dinero en la preparación y la cocina y tus invitados podrán mostrar sus habilidades”.

Darte permiso para tomar atajos

“Está bien si la casa está un poco desordenada o si la cena se sirve unos minutos tarde”, dice Iannotti. “Si las personas que has invitado están más interesadas en evaluar tu desempeño que en pasar un buen rato, pueden discutirlo con su terapeuta”. (Por cierto, no lo están, añade ella).

Y no dudes en dejar que la gente se sirva por sí misma, cuando sea posible. “Si no tienes tiempo para jugar a ser el barman, crea una bebida insignia con anticipación que puedas servir a todos tus invitados. También puedes simplemente dejar algunos mezcladores para que los invitados se sirvan y hagan sus propias creaciones”, sugiere Caroline Utz, directora editorial y de estrategia en The Spruce.

Está bien tener tiempo a solas

Las cosas funcionarán lo suficientemente bien si no lo supervisas todo, así que cuídate. Tómate pausas o caminatas si eso te ayuda a mantenerte centrado.

“Aunque el mindfulness se está convirtiendo en un término demasiado utilizado en la sociedad actual, hay algo valioso que podemos tomar de esto y aplicar a la temporada de fin de año”, dice Brook Choulet, psiquiatra deportiva y de rendimiento de concierge y fundadora de Choulet Performance Psychiatry.

Ella recomienda “programar microdescansos intencionales” para hacer algo que disfrutes.

“Por ejemplo, podrías programar una llamada telefónica con un amigo de otro estado, tomar un paseo de 15 minutos al aire libre, o incluso ajustar el temporizador y tomar un baño de 15 minutos sin interrupciones”, dijo.

Espera algo de discordia y no te alarmes por ello

“Si te preocupa la polarización y entrar en conversaciones incómodas, intenta pensar en maneras en que puedas terminar una conversación o cambiarla de dirección”, dice Bufka.

Ella recomienda preparar algunas frases de antemano para ayudar a terminar la conversación o cambiarla de dirección.

En resumen, tener la intención de una temporada festiva menos perfecta puede ser justo lo que necesitas.

___

Katherine Roth cubre temas de vida y estilo y otros temas para The Associated Press desde Nueva York.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

World

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Published

9 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Dozens of passengers are feared dead after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reports say.

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 32 survivors had been rescued.

Flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Officials did not immediately explain why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

Russia’s aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

MORE THAN 30 DEAD IN BRAZIL BUS AND TRUCK COLLISION

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

Those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens, according to Kazakhstani officials.

Russian news agency Interfax reported that both pilots died in the crash, citing a preliminary assessment by emergency workers at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical workers who stated that four bodies had been recovered from the crash so far.

A total of 29 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized, the ministry told Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti, the Associated Press reported. Many passengers have yet to be accounted for.

MALAYSIA AGREES TO RESUME ‘NO FIND, NO FEE’ HUNT FOR FLIGHT MH370, 10 YEARS AFTER PLANE DISAPPEARED

More than 30 are feared dead following the crash near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan upon hearing news of the crash, the president’s press service said. Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg.

Emergency crews at the site of the Azerbaijani airliner crash on Dec. 25, 2024. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media.

“It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” he wrote.

He also signed a decree declaring Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.

The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus, the Associated Press reports. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

“We ask God for mercy on the passengers and crew members who lost their lives,” a translated statement on X said. “Their pain is our pain. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s top investor in space in a year when defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets for the first time since the 1990s.

Global public investment in space hit a record high of €106 billion in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022.

In Europe, the total funding was €11.9 billion, showing a modest 1% rise in its share of global space investment.

According to the European Space Agency, defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets last year for the first time since the 1990s. Defence expenditures in space are projected to grow faster than civil spending, making up 53% of the budget in 2024.

The US continues to dominate global space investment, accounting for 64% of the total budget, while China holds a strong second place, growing its share from an estimated 2% in 2000 to 12% in 2023 through long-term programmes in both civil and defence.

Europe ranks third, contributing 11% of the global space budget in 2023.

What share of their GDP do EU countries spend on public space budgets?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s leading investor in space, dedicating 0.135% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the sector.

Globally, the country ranks third behind the US (0.262%) and Russia (0.169%).

In Europe, Luxembourg is followed by France, which invests 0.167% of its GDP, Italy at 0.103%, and Belgium at 0.095%.

On the other hand, private investment in space has continued to decline in 2023, dropping by 32% compared to 2022.

Europe also saw a 14% decrease in 2023 compared to the year before, with private space ventures receiving just below €980 million.

Although the US accounts for most of the global decline in 2023, its space sector continues to attract the largest share of investments at 60%, followed by Europe with 16% and China with 9%.

What was the state of space activity in 2023?

There were 221 orbital launches in 2023, an 18% increase compared to 2022.

Yet, a total of 212 launches were successful.

The US carried out more than half of the launches, with 96 of them conducted by SpaceX.

China accounted for 30% with 67 launches, a 5% increase from 2022, and Russia completed 19 launches.

The European launch service provider conducted three launches in 2023, including Europe’s first mission to Jupiter, which aimed to explore whether the planet’s three moons — Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede — could support life in their oceans.

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz