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The Hungarian Parliament unanimously agreed to accept the resignation of the country's President, Katalin Novak, after the scandal of her pardoning a man convicted in a case of sexual assault against minors.
All 196 representatives present at the meeting voted to approve the president’s resignation.
A scandal erupted in Hungary in early February, when it emerged that the country's President Katalin Novak, before the Pope's visit to Budapest in April 2023, had granted a presidential pardon to a man convicted as an accomplice in a case of sexual assault on minors, and opposition parties called on Novak to resign.
On February 10, Katalin Novak announced her resignation from her position , justifying this by saying that she “made a mistake” when she issued the pardon, and submitted an official statement to Parliament.
The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing a rare political crisis after the president's resignation, amid popular anger over her pardon.
Greece takes command of the European Union's naval mission in the Red Sea
Greece formally agreed on Monday to participate in and lead an EU maritime security operation in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks in Yemen.
A security committee headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered the participation of a Greek frigate in Operation Aspids (a Greek word meaning “shield”) that began last week.
The mission will be managed from a military base in Larissa, central Greece, under the command of Greek Navy Commodore Vassilios Griparis.
AP said that Greece was directly affected by the Houthi attacks, noting that the port of Piraeus, near Athens, announced a 12.7% decline in activity at its container terminal in January on an annual basis.
“Keeping maritime trade lines open is in the absolute interest of the European Union and is an existential necessity for Greece,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias told a parliamentary committee hearing last week.
He described the Aspidas mission as defensive, adding that Greece would not participate in US-led attacks against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
Dendias stated: "We do not take a position on the Houthi issue, but we challenge anyone's right to fire on our ships, on European ships, and on ships that sail in the region and come to our ports."
The Houthis say their attacks on commercial ships with drones and missiles are a response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza against Hamas that began in October.
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