International
Hungarian president resigns over sex abuse case pardon
Hungarian president resigns over sex abuse case pardon
BUDAPEST, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted of helping to cover up sexual abuse in a children’s home.
Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, resigned a week after her presidential pardon was first reported by local news site 444.hu.
The revelation caused a public uproar and demands from the opposition for her and former Justice Minister Judit Varga to quit. Varga, who has been a rising star in Orban’s ruling Fidesz party, resigned as a lawmaker on Saturday.
The scandal was a rare setback for Orban, who has been in power since 2010, and who faces European parliament elections just as the country emerges from an inflation crisis.
Orban has for years campaigned to protect children from what he has described as LGBTQ activists roaming the nation’s schools. This has been one of several issues over which Orban has clashed with the European Commission.
“I made a mistake … Today is the last day that I address you as a president,” Novak, whose role as president is largely ceremonial, said as she announced her resignation on state television. She cut short an official visit to Qatar and returned to Budapest unexpectedly on Saturday.
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“I made a decision to grant a pardon last April believing that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of children whom he had overseen. I made a mistake as the pardon and the lack of reasoning was suitable to trigger doubts over the zero tolerance that applies to paedophilia,” she said.
This week, Hungarian opposition parties had demanded Novak’s resignation over the case and on Friday a thousand demonstrators rallied at Novak’s office calling for her to quit.
In a bid to contain the political damage, Orban personally submitted a constitutional amendment to parliament late on Thursday depriving the president of the right to pardon crimes committed against children. Some political analysts had interpreted that move as a clear message to Novak.
On Saturday, Judit Varga – who was expected to lead Fidesz’s list for the elections, and who also signed off on the pardon – said on Facebook she would step down as a Fidesz MP, taking responsibility for her decision.
“I resign from public life, I resign my mandate as a lawmaker and also the top position on the European party list,” Varga said.
The head of Fidesz’s parliamentary group, Mate Kocsis, said Novak and Varga made “responsible” decisions which the party would respect.
Fidesz leads opinion polls ahead of the June elections but about a third of voters are undecided.
Hungarian president resigns over sex abuse case pardon
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International
‘Completely False’ — Moreno Denies Using AI to Prepare Games
Robert Moreno has begun his interim tenure as South Korea’s coach with a denial of one of the more unusual controversies attached to his coaching career, claims that he used ChatGPT to help prepare his teams for matches.
The Spanish coach, who arrived in South Korea this weekend, was asked about the allegation as he began work with the national side.
Moreno was accused by Russian media earlier this year of heavily relying on artificial intelligence during his spell at Sochi, where he left in September 2025 following a poor run of results.
He has consistently rejected the claim.
Moreno said the reports were “completely false” and argued that his use of technology had been misrepresented.
His explanation comes as he takes over a South Korean side attempting to recover from a turbulent World Cup campaign. The team crashed out in the group stage, leading Hong Myung-bo to resign and leaving the Korea Football Association under pressure over both the team’s performance and its previous recruitment process.
The KFA appointed Moreno as a temporary replacement rather than immediately committing to a permanent coach. He is expected to lead the team through six international matches, beginning with September and October friendlies against Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan.
His first squad includes veteran captain Son Heung-min, who now plays for Los Angeles FC, as well as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae.
Moreno said he wants his tenure to be about more than results, with the immediate goal of rebuilding the relationship between the national team and its supporters.
“I want to make Korean football fans happy,” he said.
For now, however, the AI controversy remains part of the baggage surrounding his appointment, something Moreno appears keen to put behind him as he begins the task of rebuilding South Korea’s national team.
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International
Trump Downplays Report of Chinese Satellite Help to Iran
US President Donald Trump has played down a report alleging that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery of a US military base in Jordan before and after a deadly Iranian missile strike.
The report, published by The Wall Street Journal, said US officials had linked high-resolution satellite imagery provided by Chinese entities to Iran’s July 17 attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, where three American soldiers were killed and four others injured.
Trump, however, appeared to dismiss the significance of the allegation while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
“When they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” he said, adding that the two countries essentially engage in similar intelligence activities.
The report has not established that Beijing directly authorised or participated in the alleged transfer. US officials cited by the Journal did not identify the Chinese entities involved, while Chinese officials reportedly rejected the allegation and asked Washington to provide evidence.
The development comes as Washington and Beijing prepare for a potentially sensitive meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected to take place at the White House on September 24.
The US has previously accused Chinese companies of assisting Iran’s military capabilities. Washington sanctioned three China-based satellite firms in May over alleged support for Iran’s military operations.
Despite the latest dispute, Trump struck a conciliatory tone when discussing Xi, saying the Chinese leader had “behaved reasonably well” and that the US had done the same.
Trump’s response leaves the satellite imagery allegations unresolved, with Beijing denying involvement and Washington yet to publicly identify the companies allegedly involved.
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International
Boris Johnson Caught in Russian Drone Strike Scare Near Poland Border
Boris Johnson Caught in Russian Drone Strike Scare Near Poland Border
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was caught up in a major security scare involving a Russian drone attack after a passenger train was struck near Ukraine’s border with Poland, shortly after a diplomatic train carrying him and other European officials had passed through the area.
The incident occurred on Sunday, September 13, 2026, near Yahodyn in Ukraine’s Volyn region, about two kilometres from the Polish border.
Johnson was travelling from Kyiv after attending the Yalta European Strategy conference, where he joined other international political and security figures for discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war and European security.
He was aboard a diplomatic train carrying several prominent European figures, including former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, as the delegation travelled towards Poland.
The train reportedly passed through the Yahodyn area shortly before a Russian drone struck the locomotive of another passenger train.
The incident triggered heightened security measures in the area, although reports indicate that Johnson was not evacuated from the train and was not injured.
Ukraine’s state railway operator said the diplomatic train had departed the station earlier than scheduled because of security concerns.
A separate passenger train was subsequently targeted by a Russian drone near Yahodyn.
Railway officials said the drone was detected before the strike, allowing emergency procedures to be activated. The drone eventually hit the locomotive, but no casualties were reported.
The railway operator said there was a possibility that the diplomatic train carrying Johnson and other senior officials could have been the intended target. However, Ukrainian authorities have not conclusively established that the delegation was specifically targeted.
Another high-profile passenger in the area was former CIA Director David Petraeus, who was reportedly travelling separately and was also at Yahodyn around the time of the incident.
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The attack has attracted international attention because of its proximity to Poland, which is a member of NATO and shares a long border with Ukraine.
The strike occurred only about two kilometres from Polish territory, raising fresh concerns over the potential for Russia’s war against Ukraine to create security risks along NATO’s eastern flank.
Polish authorities heightened their monitoring of the border area following the attack but there was no immediate indication that the Russian drone entered Polish airspace.
The incident came as Russia launched another major wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities reported hundreds of drones being used during the overnight assault, with several regions targeted.
The western part of Ukraine has increasingly become a target of Russian long-range attacks despite being located far from the main battlefield.
The country’s railway network has also remained a key target because of its importance in transporting civilians, military equipment, humanitarian supplies and international officials.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, while Moscow maintains that its attacks are directed at military and strategic facilities.
The latest strike also underscored the dangers faced by foreign politicians and diplomats travelling inside Ukraine.
Johnson has remained one of the strongest Western supporters of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
During his time as British prime minister, he developed close relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and strongly backed Western military and financial assistance to Kyiv.
Since leaving office, Johnson has continued to advocate greater military support for Ukraine and has repeatedly called for stronger measures against Russia.
Following the latest attacks, he renewed calls for increased air-defence assistance for Ukraine, arguing that Kyiv needs additional capabilities to protect its cities and critical infrastructure from Russian drones and missiles.
The incident also comes amid growing debate over the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.
Western governments have frozen hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Russian central bank assets since the invasion, although questions remain over the legal and financial implications of using the funds directly.
The security scare near Yahodyn is particularly significant because the area is an important transport corridor linking Ukraine with Poland and the wider European Union.
The railway route is regularly used by foreign delegations travelling to and from Kyiv, making it strategically important for Ukraine’s diplomatic engagement with Europe.
The latest attack has therefore raised concerns about the safety of the route as Russian strikes increasingly reach western Ukrainian infrastructure.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Johnson was not reported to have been injured, and there was no indication that other members of the diplomatic delegation were harmed.
The circumstances surrounding the drone strike, including whether the diplomatic train was deliberately targeted, remain under investigation.
The incident nevertheless provides another indication of how the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to pose security challenges well beyond the immediate front lines, particularly in areas close to NATO territory.
Boris Johnson Caught in Russian Drone Strike Scare Near Poland Border
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