All posts tagged: Corruption

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán’s Fidesz party came in a distant second with only 52 seats in the parliament. “Here are the results of the 2026 parliamentary election: an unprecedented majority, an unprecedented mandate — and, at the same time, an unprecedented responsibility,” Magyar wrote in an X post on Saturday. He added that he could be officially sworn in as prime minister in mid-May. Magyar’s supermajority could facilitate the swift approval of democratic reforms necessary to unlock €17 billion of EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law shortcomings under Orbán’s tenure. Under the current rules, the Hungarian government has to fulfill 27 EU-mandated conditions — officially known as “super milestones” — that will reform the country’s procurement rules, and increase judicial independence and academic freedom as a precondition to claim any funding. Over the weekend, Magyar and his future ministers held talks in Budapest with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of staff, Bjoern Seibert, and several director-generals. The goal was to outline a roadmap to release the money and discuss a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that was …

Pope Leo XIV Challenges Angola’s Leaders While Delivering a Message of Encouragement for Its People

Pope Leo XIV Challenges Angola’s Leaders While Delivering a Message of Encouragement for Its People

Published by Sam Flores

LUANDA, Angola (AP) — Pope Leo XIV challenged Angola’s leaders to break the “cycle of interests” that have plundered and exploited Africa for centuries as he arrived in the southern African country on Saturday with a message of encouragement for its long-suffering people. Leo, history’s first U.S.-born pope, said that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate Trump, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace, justice and brotherhood in Africa. U.S. Vice President JD Vance later wrote on social media that “I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this.” Vance, a Catholic convert, suggested earlier in the week that Leo “be careful” when speaking about theology. In Angola, Leo met with President Joao Lourenco and delivered his first speech to Angolan government authorities, in which he referred repeatedly to Angola’s tortured history of colonial plunder and civil war. “I desire to meet you in the spirit born of peace and to affirm that your people possess treasures that cannot be bought or stolen,” he said. “There dwells …

CFTC’s one-man show gets awkward on the Hill as lawmakers hammer Selig on sports bets, staffing gaps and corruption claims

CFTC’s one-man show gets awkward on the Hill as lawmakers hammer Selig on sports bets, staffing gaps and corruption claims

Published by skeptic

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) came to the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday (April 16), hoping to talk about market integrity and fraud. Instead, it got dragged into the much messier question hanging over prediction markets, i.e. when does a “financial product” start looking suspiciously like a sportsbook in a blazer? The answer, judging by the CFTC hearing, is right about the moment lawmakers start saying “Jose Altuve home run prop” out loud. The tension has been building for months. The CFTC has been pushing new guidance and a formal rulemaking process for prediction markets even as the larger fight over whether these contracts are legitimate exchanges or just gambling with better stationery keeps escalating. At the same time, Kalshi has been expanding deeper into sports-style offerings, including contracts on touchdowns, point spreads and total scores, pushing the industry closer to the exact kind of betting state and tribal regulators say is already heavily regulated for a reason. Rep. Gabe Vasquez argued that prediction markets and sportsbooks may be sold under different labels, but …

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Eclectic supporters Despite years of speculation that he would go for the prime minister’s job, Radev only finally revealed his Progressive Bulgaria project in March. While Radev doesn’t formally lead Progressive Bulgaria, he is unmistakably its face. The movement features a motley assembly of politicians close to him or some who changed their allegiance, and also includes military figures, newcomers and former sports personalities. Only six women lead party lists across the country’s 31 electoral districts. “His face is everywhere, which is probably what matters, because nobody else is recognizable,” said Dimitar Bechev, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. Progressive Bulgaria has attracted an eclectic range of backers. Polls show it has drawn some supporters of the pro-Russian far-right Revival party. Ahmed Dogan, the founder of the ethnic Turkish DSP party and now a major rival of Peevski, has also expressed his support. And VMRO, a smaller nationalist grouping, has formally endorsed Radev’s party. Yet the party’s program offers few specifics, and Radev has not positioned Progressive Bulgaria clearly on the political spectrum. His economic …

SantaCon promoter arrested for charity fraud

SantaCon promoter arrested for charity fraud

Published by Sam Flores

SantaCon founder, Stefan Pildes leaves federal court after being arrested on April 15, 2026 in New York City. Edna Leshowitz | Getty Images The president of SantaCon was arrested on Wednesday on a federal criminal indictment accusing him of using the ticketed Christmas bar-crawl event to divert hundreds of thousands of dollars earmarked for charity to his personal use, New York federal prosecutors said. The defendant, Stefan Pildes, claimed he did not receive any compensation from SantaCon, according to the indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. But the 50-year-old Pildes allegedly diverted funds from the event to a “slush fund” to pay for extensive renovations to a lakefront property in New Jersey, luxury vacations in Hawaii, Las Vegas, and Vail, Colorado, concert tickets, extravagant meals, and a luxury vehicle, prosecutors said. About $124,000 of the SantaCon funds were spent toward leasing a luxury apartment in Manhattan, and another $100,000 was invested in a boutique resort in Costa Rica founded by a friend of Pildes, the indictment said. Pildes …

Der Orbán-Schock – POLITICO

Der Orbán-Schock – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Die Abwahl von Viktor Orbán erschüttert die AfD. Für Alice Weidel bricht ein zentraler strategischer Anker in Europa weg. Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler besprechen unter anderem, warum die Niederlage in Ungarn die Machtkämpfe in der AfD-Außenpolitik neu befeuert. Nach einer beispiellosen öffentlichen Schlammschlacht ist der verteidigungspolitische Sprecher zurückgetreten. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen eines Konflikts, in dem es um mehr als Wehrpflicht und NATO ging, sondern auch um Machtfragen. ⁠Eine Einschätzung von Frederik Schindler lest ihr auch hier. ⁠ Während die Parteispitze die Vetternwirtschaft-Affäre totschweigen will, sorgen die neuen „Untersuchungsausschüsse“ für Kopfschütteln. In Sachsen-Anhalt prüfen Vertraute ihre eigenen Mentoren , und in Niedersachsen soll ausgerechnet der als rechtsextrem eingestufte Jens Maier die Korruption aufklären. „Inside AfD“ ist der POLITICO-Deutschland-Podcast über die umstrittenste Partei des Landes. Trotz Radikalisierung und Beobachtung durch den Verfassungsschutz wächst die AfD weiter. Wie ist das möglich? Was treibt ihre Anhänger, Strategen und Gegner an? Wie funktioniert das Innenleben der Partei? Und was bedeutet ihr Aufstieg für das politische System Deutschlands? Antworten liefern immer mittwochs ⁠Pauline von Pezold⁠ von POLITICO …

10 of the best political excuses ever – POLITICO

10 of the best political excuses ever – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In the scene, the Trump ally followed an actress — who was impersonating a reporter — into a hotel bedroom, then laid back on the bed and put his hands down his trousers.  Not everything was exactly as it seemed, however, according to Giuliani.  “The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment,” Giuliani posted on social media. “At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise he is a stone-cold liar.” Rudy Giuliani pictured in December 2007. | Eric Thayer/Getty Images The lottery tickets were for my grandchildren In 2023, Didier Reynders, former European commissioner for justice and former Belgian deputy prime minister, came under investigation over allegations of money laundering. The probe centered on suspicions that he had purchased large quantities of lottery tickets and used any winnings to reintroduce “clean” money into his bank accounts. In early 2025, Belgian media reported that when a shopkeeper questioned why he was buying so many …

Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orbán, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat – POLITICO

Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orbán, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

But the Hungarian election had been a major priority just days earlier. JD Vance had traveled to Budapest last week and while Trump didn’t make the trip himself, he did call into the rally. And that eleventh hour campaign push came weeks after another visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump, in his remarks via telephone during Orbán’s rally aside Vance last week, credited the autocrat for his strict immigration policy in particular, stating that he “kept your country strong, and he kept your country good, and you don’t have problems with all of the problems that so many other countries have.” Beyond his own immigration crackdown with an expanded and hyper-aggressive core of immigration agents deployed in dozens of American cities, Trump has modeled other aspects of his governance on Orbán’s own actions, be it vociferously attacking judges, bullying the media into greater submission or hollowing out the government by firing career civil servants. But in Hungary, voters revolted amid a heightened focus on Orbán’s endemic corruption during a period of economic stagnation. “This is …

Peru election extended for second day after ballot delivery failure

Peru election extended for second day after ballot delivery failure

Published by Sam Flores

Thousands of Peruvians were back at the polls on Monday for a second day of voting after failure to deliver ballots to voting centres extended Sunday’s election by a day. Police said they arrested an election official amid an investigation into the voting delays, Electoral authorities granted the one-day extension to more than 52,000 voters in Peru’s capital, Lima. Peruvians registered to vote in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey, were also allowed to vote Monday for similar reasons. Voting is mandatory for Peruvians from the ages of 18 to 70. Failure to do so comes with a fine of up to $32. Read morePeruvians head to the polls amid political chaos and rising crime A former minister, a comedian and a political dynasty heiress are among 35 candidates vying to become Peru’s ninth president in just 10 years. The election comes as a surge in violent crime and corruption has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency. Many of the contenders have responded to the …