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Vance ‘sad Orbán lost’ but says US will work with new Magyar government in Hungary – Europe live | World news

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Morning opening: JD Vance ‘sad that Orbán lost,’ but will work with new Magyar government

Jakub Krupa

Jakub Krupa

Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar has been invited to meet with the Hungarian president, Tamás Sulyok, on Wednesday to discuss the government-formation process following the stunning win over Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s election.

The meeting could be a bit awkward, given Magyar’s repeated calls for Sulyok, an Orbán loyalist, to resign from the office.

“He was appointed to sign everything; every document that he is presented with – whether it’s the menu or the constitution or the laws – so we don’t need people like that. To me, he is not the president,” he said yesterday.

Erm, nice weather, Mr President, huh?

Speaking of presidents, we finally heard from the US vice-president JD Vance overnight as he defended his decision to travel to Budapest last week to interfere with the Hungarian election support Orbán in the final days of the campaign.

US vice-president JD Vance (R) and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán shake hands on stage during a campaign event at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary.
US vice-president JD Vance (R) and then Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán shake hands on stage during a campaign event at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/AFP/Getty Images

Appearing on Fox News, he said he was “said that [Orbán] lost,” but insisted the intervention “was not about Russia, and fundamentally, it was not about Europe,” merely a sign of thanks from the US administration for defending its interests against the EU bureaucracy.

“He’s one of the few European leaders we’ve seen who’s been willing to stand up to the bureaucracy in Brussels that has been very, very bad for the United States. So for example, when you see a European bureaucrat go after an American company, sometimes the only vote ‘no,’ the only vote to protect that American interest, has been Viktor Orbán.”

Vance added that the White House “certainly knew there was a very good chance that Viktor would lose that election,” but he wanted to “stand behind a person who had stood by us for a very long time.”

He also insisted that Orbán “is a great guy who’s done a very good job,” before adding:

“I think that his legacy in Hungary is transformational, 16 years, fundamentally changing that country.”

Well, hard to disagree with that.

But in a sign that will be reassuring to the incoming Magyar administration, however, he declared that “we will work very well, I am sure, with the new prime minister of Hungary.”

I will bring you more reactions and news from across Europe during the day.

It’s Tuesday, 14 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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Magyar set to make rare appearance on ‘propaganda’ state media on Wednesday

Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar is set to appear on the Hungarian state media on Wednesday as he prepares to overhaul the broadcasters he repeatedly accused of spreading propaganda benefiting the outgoing government of Viktor Orbán.

“Nothing lasts forever. The party-state is falling apart before our eyes,” he said in a post on social media.

It will be his first interview given to the state media in – this is not a typo – a year and a half, including the entire election campaign.

His intervention will be closely watched for hints on how he wants to reform the state TV and radio. During his press conference yesterday, he suggested he would suspend their operation until a new board gets put in place to ensure unbiased coverage, pointing to the BBC as one of his inspirations (Europe Live, Monday).

He is set to appear on Kossuth Rádió at 7:33 in the morning, and on M1 TV just after 8am local time.

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European stock markets hit record high and oil price falls to three-month low after US-Iran peace deal – business live | Business

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European stock markets hit record high

European stock markets have hit a record high at the start of trading, as relief over the US-Iran peace deal ripples across global markets.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index has jumped by 0.9% to 639 points, over the previous record high set just before the Iran war started, with shares rising in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid and Milan.

Mining and travel companies are driving the rally, while oil company shares are sliding.

That follows sharp gains in Asia-Pacific markets overnight, where Japan’s Nikkei surged by 5% on hopes that the strait of Hormuz will reopen within days.

Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says global equity markets are starting the week firmly on the front foot after President Trump announced that a deal with Iran had been reached, adding:

double quotation markThe move has given investors a clear reason to dial back some of the geopolitical risk premium that has hung over markets, especially as the Strait of Hormuz is expected to reopen and oil prices move sharply lower.

Energy prices have been one of the clearest transmission channels from Middle East tensions into inflation, bond yields and equity sentiment, and there is likely to be a concerted effort to get prices down even further once this deal is finalised.

There are still details to be ironed out before markets can fully trust the agreement, but for now the direction of travel is clear: lower oil, calmer nerves and a renewed appetite for risk.

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Peace deal should keep mortgage rates down

Mortgage borrowers can breathe a sigh of relief at the news of a peace deal in Iran, says Adam French, head of consumer finance at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk.

double quotation markWhile we are far from being out of the woods yet, a lasting peace deal should dramatically reduce the risk of the Bank of England’s worst-case scenario for inflation and interest rates becoming a reality.

“Under that scenario, Base Rate could have risen to 5.25%, potentially pushing typical rates on new mortgages towards 6.75%. Instead, today’s news means mortgages rates, which have already been slowly falling for several weeks, have likely already passed their peak – at least until the next unwelcome crisis.

“Borrowers can be optimistic but with a word of caution, as inflation and economic data will continue to influence the outlook. However, a lasting peace should remove one of the biggest risks to mortgage costs and may help restore a more stable environment for hard-pressed remortgage borrowers and prospective buyers.”

Even before this morning’s drop in UK bond yields (see earlier post), average mortgage rates have dipped slightly.

Moneyfacts reports:

  • The average 2-year fixed residential mortgage rate today is 5.61%. This is down from 5.62% the previous working day.

  • The average 5-year fixed residential mortgage rate today is 5.58%. This is down from 5.59% the previous working day.

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Roy Hattersley, former Labour deputy leader, dies aged 93

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Paying tribute, Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Hattersley “was a giant of the Labour movement”.



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A £350 swimming pool fee ruined our easyJet holiday | Consumer rights

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My partner and I paid £2,150 for a week’s all-inclusive break in Marrakech with easyJet Holidays.

We chose the Jaal Riad Resort Hotel because of its pool and spa. When we arrived, we were told that use of the heated pool cost £24 a person an hour, the Jacuzzi £24 for 20 minutes, and the hammam was £16 for 20 minutes.

Nowhere were these extra fees listed when booking. EasyJet Holidays rejected my complaint and referred me to a line buried at the bottom of the list of facilities that said charges may apply. We were planning on using the pool regularly but could not afford it. If we had known, we would have booked elsewhere.
DP,
Cambridgeshire

Hidden charges can hugely inflate the cost of holidays. Resort fees are the most pernicious – some hotels charge up to £50 a person a day for facilities whether or not they are used.

Then there’s the daily tourist tax levied via the accommodation provider during the stay in some countries, and ancillary fees for upgraded wifi for sun loungers.

EasyJet Holidays makes a big deal of the pool – it’s a prominent photo on the webpage for the hotel.

No asterisk refers potential bookers to the crucial caveat that a couple, wishing to avail themselves once a day during a week’s stay, would have to pay almost £350 extra.

Even the eagle-eyed who alighted on the paragraph of small print at the bottom of the page, would be none the wiser.

Enjoy the pool! (T&Cs apply, may cost £24 an hour per person, please read small print) Photograph: Maria Korneeva/Getty Images

Only after declaring that the facilities are subject to height and weight restrictions, seasonal availability, opening times, and age and dress code, does it mention that they “may” attract additional charges. These are not listed.

This is potentially unlawful, according to consumer lawyer Gary Rycroft.

“The facilities were prominently marketed as part of the holiday experience, and extra charges were not clearly disclosed before purchase,” he says. “Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024, businesses must not omit material information that would influence a consumer’s decision about whether to enter into a contract.”

EasyJet is defensive. “We always strive to make it clear that use of hotel facilities may incur additional charges,” it told me.

The company said then that it was reviewing the description to “further highlight that the use of the spa facilities is chargeable”, although, at the time of writing, three weeks later, the webpage remained unchanged. It has also now offered a £500 goodwill payment.

As the holiday season begins, you need to read the small print to avoid nasty surprises.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.



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