Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban on Sunday ratcheted up his hardline anti-immigration rhetoric as he urged voters to re-elect him in April for a third term, branding the opposition as out of touch and "hopeless".
“Dark clouds are gathering over Europe because of immigration,” Mr Orban told an audience of supporters during an annual state-of-the-nation speech in Budapest.
“Nations will cease to exist, the West will fall, while Europe won't even realise that it has been invaded,” he said, claiming that large European cities could soon have Muslim majority populations.
“The opposition doesn’t feel the voice of the times,” he said.
Since 2015, the 54-year-old has become known for his anti-immigration measures including building razor-wire border fences, and his criticism of EU policies in this and other areas.
He has also sparked a bitter feud with the Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros, whom he accuses of orchestrating immigration from the Middle East and Africa.
Mr Orban said on Sunday that Hungarian opposition parties had not supported the border fences, had opposed the government in its ongoing quarrels with the EU over refugee quotas, and sided with Mr Soros regarding immigration.
“This is why the opposition are in a hopeless position … I don’t understand how they can ask for people’s trust," he said, flanked by a row of Hungarian flags, with the slogan on his podium reading “For Us, Hungary First".
His stance against migrants has bolstered his popularity at home despite accusations by critics that his nationalist policies have steered Hungary away from democracy and towards authoritarianism.
Mr Orban’s supporters say that he is reforming Hungary after decades of stagnation, particularly during the country’s communist period that followed the Second World War.
The strongest opposition party — the right-wing Jobbik — is currently polling under 20 per cent of decided voters among Hungary’s electorate of eight million.
Mr Orban's ruling Fidesz party is polling about 50 per cent, although an unfolding corruption scandal involving the premier's son-in-law and a row over an alleged government cover-up of refugee intake numbers have provided unexpected setbacks for the government in recent weeks.
The size of Fidesz's probable majority is regarded by analysts as the main factor to watch, with a drop from the two thirds majority won four years ago potentially loosening Mr Orban's grip on power.
Election rules introduced since 2012 also punish smaller parties if they are unable to form effective alliances, as has happened with several leftist and liberal groups.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Company%20profile
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66