Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has ordered military units and additional police to guard energy infrastructure sites in his country’s east, citing the threat of potential Ukrainian attacks.

Orban announced the deployment on Wednesday amid the continuing standoff between Budapest and Kiev over the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which until recently carried Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine.

The pipeline went offline in late January, with Kiev claiming it was damaged in Russian strikes, which Moscow has denied. Both Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of deliberately withholding supplies for political reasons, threatening retaliation.

Announcing the move, Orban cited intelligence obtained by the country’s security services about the potential attacks and stressed that Hungary “cannot be blackmailed” by Kiev.

“I have ordered reinforced protection of critical infrastructure, troop deployment where necessary, increased police presence, and a drone ban in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg county,” the prime minister wrote on X, referring to the Hungarian region bordering Ukraine.

Orban’s political director, Balazs Orban, claimed that information available to the country’s authorities indicated that Kiev has been “preparing further actions aimed at disrupting the operation of Hungary’s energy system.” 

The deployment comes after Budapest vetoed the latest EU package of sanctions against Russia, as well as a €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine. The loan was agreed upon late last year, after Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic opted out of contributing to it financially.

The veto has been condemned by the EU leadership, which accused Orban of bailing on his promise to support the loan scheme and undermining the “credibility of decisions taken collectively.” 

“Any breach of this commitment constitutes a violation of the principle of sincere cooperation,” European Council President Antonio Costa told Orban in a letter.

The Hungarian prime minister shot back at Costa on Wednesday, stating he will not support any pro-Ukrainian moves until Kiev returns “to normality.”

“We take a decision financially favorable to Ukraine that I personally disapprove, then Ukraine creates an energy emergency situation in Hungary, and you ask me to pretend that nothing happened,” Orban told the EU Council chief in a letter.

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The former directors of Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) have been charged for allegedly using Pegasus spyware, the national prosecutor’s office has announced.

After Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government took over in late 2023, it launched multiple inquiries into the alleged use of the controversial software developed by the Israeli-based NSO Group. The new authorities have claimed the program was widely used by the former Law and Justice (PiS) government to spy on opposition politicians. Former officials, however, have insisted the accusations are politically motivated.

The head of the ABW, Piotr Pogonowski, and the ex-chief of the SKW, Maciej Materka, are both now facing accusations of breaching their official duties, the prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday. The charges, which carry a penalty of up to three years behind bars, are related to the alleged use of Pegasus without proper clearance and “without checking whether this system meets the requirements of information protection,” the prosecution said. Both former officials have denied any wrongdoing and refused to testify, it noted.

Ex-Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has also been implicated in the Pegasus scandal. Last September, he was detained and brought before a parliamentary commission investigating the use of the Israeli-made spyware. He admitted initiating the purchase of Pegasus. Ziobro claimed it was used to “pursue criminals, not political opponents” and was overall a “good decision.” 

Shortly after the hearing, the ex-minister faced 26 criminal charges, including embezzlement of state funds, leading a crime group, and interfering with tender offers. Ziobro had his immunity waived and an arrest warrant was issued in November last year, while he was in Budapest. The politician denied all charges, opting to stay in Hungary and receiving political asylum there early in January.  

First identified in 2016, Pegasus software has been the centerpiece of multiple high-profile scandals worldwide, with officials repeatedly caught using it for questionable goals. The program is designed to target iOS devices and is believed to be capable of call snooping, reading text messages, location tracking, collecting passwords, and other malicious activities.

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US President Donald Trump has delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, using the primetime speech to defend his administration’s record and lay out political and economic priorities ahead of looming midterm elections.

The address – the first official State of the Union speech of Trump’s second term – unfolded against a deeply polarized political backdrop, with Democratic protests and boycotts highlighting divisions in Washington.

Framing his remarks around the upcoming 250th anniversary of US independence, Trump declared that the country had entered a “golden age of America,” telling lawmakers the nation was now “respected again – perhaps like never before.”

Much of the speech focused on the economy, with Trump arguing that inflation had fallen sharply and investment was surging after what he described as a “turnaround for the ages.”

“Our nation is back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said, crediting tax cuts, deregulation and tariffs for renewed growth.

The president also defended his hardline immigration agenda, claiming the United States now has “the strongest and most secure border in American history” and asserting that illegal crossings and fentanyl trafficking had dropped significantly over the past year.

On energy and technology policy, Trump announced agreements requiring major technology companies to supply their own electricity for new AI-driven data centers, saying the move would protect consumers from rising power bills.

Foreign policy featured more briefly but included references to a “new friend and partner, Venezuela” – as well as tensions with Iran, where Washington has increased its military presence while pursuing nuclear negotiations. Trump said the US was seeking strength through diplomacy but warned adversaries that America’s military power had been rebuilt.

“As President, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump stated.

The speech mixed policy with patriotic moments, including a tribute to Olympic gold-medal-winning hockey goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, whom Trump announced would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Democrats sharply criticized the address, arguing that the president overstated economic progress and ignored affordability concerns that continue to weigh on voters. In the party’s official rebuttal, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger claimed Trump’s “reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs.”

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Over 450 soldiers have been deployed to South Africa’s Gauteng province to combat growing illegal mining and gang violence, provincial Premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed on Monday.

Lesufi made the announcement during the State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed to Gauteng to assist law enforcement in tackling illegal miners, known locally as zama zamas. The deployment follows the forced displacement of more than 600 people from the Sporong informal settlement in the West Rand by illegal miners.

Lesufi said the army has already been sent to Sporong and other identified hotspots for illegal mining. ”Madam Speaker, illegal mining has reached intolerable levels in our province. Over 600 families have been targeted, and we see these attacks occurring across the province,” he said.

He said the perpetrators are heavily armed and threaten women and children. “In some instances, residents have fled their homes due to violent attacks and threats. The ongoing illegal mining affects communities in West End, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and the Silibenk District.”

“Dangerous syndicates use high-caliber weapons, including AK-47s, to take over illegal mining sites.” Lesufi said the government aims to put a stop to this terror. “We welcome the decisions taken by the President, and I want to announce that we have allocated over 450 soldiers to assist us in stamping out illegal mining and rising gang violence in our province.”

“We urge the President to keep these soldiers for a long period so that our communities can be safe.”

Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia confirmed that the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Chief of the SANDF have finalized a deployment plan, set to begin within 10 days and now including the Eastern Cape.

Cachalia made the announcement during a joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces last week on Tuesday, where MPs debated Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA). He praised the SANDF deployment to Gauteng and the Western Cape to assist in combating organized crime and illegal mining and confirmed it would extend to the Eastern Cape.

”I can confirm that the National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, and the Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya, met yesterday to finalize the deployment plan, which will begin within the next 10 days and include the Eastern Cape,” Cachalia said.

He emphasized that the deployment strategy would draw on lessons from both South African and international experience, respect the mandates of the SAPS and SANDF, and adhere to the Constitution, with the goal of restoring calm and preventing further killings.

Cachalia said he had requested Masemola to take additional steps to strengthen Anti-Gang Units and deploy further specialized units, with a report expected soon. “It will also be critical to strengthen intelligence-driven approaches to dismantle the networks behind organized crime,” he said.

First published by IOL

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French President Emmanuel Macron has asked US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions he imposed on several European officials, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Nicolas Guillou.

Breton, a French citizen who oversaw the EU’s tech regulations, was among five Europeans barred from entering the US for leading “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose,” according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Judge Guillou, also a French national, was sanctioned over the ICC’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes in Gaza.

In a letter published by La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday and confirmed by the Elysee Palace, Macron argued that the measures were “unjustly imposed” and asked Trump to “reconsider these decisions.”

“The sanctions adopted against Thierry Breton undermine European regulatory autonomy and are based, moreover, on erroneous analyses,” Macron wrote.

“European digital regulation does not, in fact, have any extraterritorial reach and applies without discrimination, on European territory, to all companies concerned,” he added.

The French leader argued that “the sanctions adopted against Nicolas Guillou undermine the principle of judicial independence and the mandate of the ICC.”

The US has long opposed what it considers excessive regulation of social media platforms in the EU, including the bloc’s 2022 Digital Services Act (DSA). Breton played a key role in designing the rulebook that imposes strict moderation requirements on tech companies such as X, Facebook, and Google. US officials have accused the EU of using the law to stifle free speech and censor American social media users.

The letter comes as Macron pushes for restrictions on children’s access to social media. He has said he will discuss the issue directly with Trump.

Last week, the French president dismissed social media platforms’ arguments in favor of free speech as “pure bulls**t,” calling for full transparency in how algorithms shape online discourse.

Russia has warned France and the UK that alleged plans to provide Kiev with nuclear capabilities could trigger severe global consequences, accusing the Western European powers at the UN Security Council of pursuing a dangerous escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused Kiev’s European backers on Tuesday of openly prioritizing Moscow’s “strategic defeat” while derailing any prospects for peace in Ukraine.

The envoy pointed to an emergency statement issued earlier by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), alleging that the UK and France are considering transfers of components, technology, or equipment enabling Kiev to develop either a nuclear device or a “dirty bomb.”

“Such plans are not only irresponsible and dangerous but also a direct violation of Article I of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). That is why the authors of this escapade seek to portray Kiev’s acquisition of nuclear weapons as Ukraine’s own development,” Nebenzia said.

Nebenzia said Moscow views the alleged plot as evidence that British and French leaders, sidelined from the US-led Ukraine settlement process, have “completely lost touch with reality.”

“Russia possesses all necessary means to respond to such developments. However, we hope that there are still enough sane and reasonable people in London and Paris who will be able to restrain their leaders from such inadequate steps,” he added.

Nebenzia’s remarks echoed earlier warnings from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who said any effort to grant Ukraine nuclear capabilities risks a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers.

Officials in Kiev have repeatedly claimed their country once possessed the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal and gave it up under the 1994 Budapest Memorandums. In reality, nuclear weapons were present on Ukrainian soil after the collapse of the Soviet Union but remained under Moscow’s control, with Russia regarded as the Soviet Union’s sole legal successor.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky threatened to review the country’s non-nuclear status at the 2022 Munich Security Conference, shortly before the conflict with Russia escalated.

Moscow argues that after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev, Ukraine’s new authorities breached the neutrality pledge underpinning its post-Soviet independence by making NATO membership a key foreign policy goal.