Warsaw and Budapest sent a joint message to Brussels – news of the day
It passed a bill on the listing of ministries in the parliamentary majority, so tomorrow (Wednesday) it began a committee hearing of the ministerial candidates. The fifth Orbán government will operate with eleven ministries and two ministers without portfolios. Opposition parties criticized the new government structure during the parliamentary debate, failing to get an independent ministry for education, health and the environment.
According to the Minister of Finance, the Hungarian economy remains crisis-proof, and government measures have successfully mitigated the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Mihály Varga commented on the latest GDP data in a video message posted on his Facebook page, according to which the performance of the economy grew by 8.2 percent in the first quarter. This is better data than analysts expect. The increase is 2.1 percent from the previous quarter. For the development of almost all branches of the national economy, but most of all industry and market services.
Hungary and Poland have called on Brussels to disburse the new recovery fund. President of the Republic Katalin Novák, together with her Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, stated in Warsaw that it was in Hungary’s basic interest to stand on its own two feet and increase its independence from Russia in terms of energy, but this required resources. According to the Polish president, it will be difficult to implement the sixth EU package of sanctions against Moscow if the funds for the recovery of funds due to Hungary are withheld. As President of the Republic, this was Katalin Novák’s first foreign office trip. According to the head of state, this is not primarily a diplomatic move. He said that this is due to the millennial friendship of the two countries, and also to the fact that Poles and Hungarians are close to each other in their values to this day.
The Finnish parliament overwhelmingly supported the country’s accession to NATO. After a 14-hour parliamentary debate in Helsinki, 188 MEPs supported the accession, with 8 voting against. A few hours before the Finnish parliamentary decision, the Swedish Foreign Minister had already signed Sweden’s official application to join NATO. Most NATO members support the inclusion of the two Scandinavian countries as soon as possible, but Turkey’s reservations could make the process more difficult.
The rescue of Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol’s Azov table continues, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said. Irina Verescsuk wrote on the Telegram page that 52 of our seriously wounded soldiers were evacuated yesterday and replaced by Russian prisoners of war. He added that they are working closer to the next phase of the humanitarian operation.
The European Commission provides technical support and funding for the reception and care of refugees before the war in Ukraine to 9 members. Hungary is not among them. The Brussels committee said nine of them – Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – would receive assistance in the coming months.
Due to negligent danger, the 12th District Municipality is filing a complaint against an unknown perpetrator in a demolition accident on Böszörményi út. Mayor Zoltán Pokorni said that the local government had stopped the work until it guaranteed safety. The two upper floors of the nine-story building under demolition were torn down yesterday, with no one injured but several cars damaged. The Budapest Police Headquarters has initiated proceedings in the case against the perpetrator for an unknown perpetrator.
The University of Óbuda will take over the Corvinus campus in Fehérvár, where the joint financial and economic courses of the two universities will start. The current Corvinus students from Székesfehérvár graduate from Corvinus at the University, but from the next semester Corvinus will not start independent training in the city, only in cooperation with the University of Óbuda. The University of Óbuda takes over the staff of Corvinus.
Concentrations of coronavirus in wastewater are further reduced. The National Center for Public Health experienced an increase: only in Zalaegerszeg. A significant decrease can be observed in Kecskemét, Nyíregyháza, Salgótarján, Székesfehérvár, Szekszárd and Szolnok, while most cities are characterized by a stagnant trend. Concentrations are in the “moderate” range at 19 sampling sites, while they are in the “elevated” range at 3 cities.
After two years, Japan is once again receiving tourists from the United States, Australia, Thailand and Singapore. Tourists from these countries visit the country on an organized trip, accompanied by official tour guides and pre-arranged itineraries. Entry is conditional on the presence of three vaccinations against the coronavirus and the conclusion of a private health insurance contract.
In North Korea, the army has already been deployed to provide medicine in the capital. Soldiers are present in every pharmacy in Pyongyang, and government officials have also been deployed to transport the drugs. Authorities have mobilized 11,000 people to care for the infected. According to official figures from the country, one and a half million people are infected and 56 deaths are caused by the coronavirus epidemic, which is only referred to as a fever by the authorities.