Het Kremlin steunt volgens een door de Financial Times ingezien plan een gecoördineerde desinformatiecampagne om Viktor Orbán bij de verkiezingen van 12 april aan de macht te houden in Hongarije.

Het Kremlin heeft een geheime campagne goedgekeurd om de Hongaarse premier Viktor Orbán aan een nieuwe verkiezingsoverwinning te helpen. Een met Moskou gelieerd Russisch adviesbureau, het onder westerse sancties vallende Social Design Agency, moet via sociale media Hongaarse kiezers bespelen met op maat gemaakte memes, video’s en desinformatie, gericht tegen oppositieleider Péter Magyar en diens Tisza-partij, die in de peilingen voorloopt.

Wat er volgens de documenten gebeurt

Volgens bronnen die met de operatie bekend zijn, gaat het om een door het Kremlin goedgekeurd plan om Orbáns Fidesz-partij te versterken door Hongaarse sociale media te overspoelen met in Rusland ontworpen content die via invloedrijke Hongaren wordt verspreid. De campagne portretteert Orbán als een "sterke leider met vrienden over de hele wereld" en de enige die de Hongaarse soevereiniteit kan beschermen, terwijl Péter Magyar wordt neergezet als een "marionet uit Brussel" met een verborgen EU‑agenda.

Het plan voorziet in gerichte "informatieaanvallen" op Magyar en Tisza, die worden afgeschilderd als incompetente en verdeelde krachten met geheime plannen, onder meer door controversiële partijfiguren uit te vergroten. De Social Design Agency analyseert sinds februari systematisch Hongaarse media en denktankrapporten en selecteerde naar verluidt circa 50 pro‑Orbán‑figuren en 30 oppositiefiguren als potentiële doorgeefluiken voor Russische boodschappen.

Opmerkelijk is dat de Russische campagne Orbán juist wil framen als sleutelpartner van de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump, met de boodschap dat vooral die relatie Hongarije veiligheid en economische stabiliteit zou bieden. Moskou wil daarmee directe associatie met Poetin vermijden, omdat openlijke Russische steun de Hongaarse kiezer volgens het plan juist zou afstoten.

EU rules banning terms such as ‘bacon’ for veggie products are problematic, btw cow muscle = steak

Last week, European policymakers decided that plant-based foods should no longer be marketed with terms such as “chicken”, “bacon” or “steak”. The fear seems to be that shoppers might accidentally buy veggie bacon thinking it came from an actual pig. The change applies to the UK too, because of our trade agreement with Europe.

After considerable pushback from organisations including the one I work with, the Vegetarian Society, and many food brands, words such as “burger”, “nuggets” and “sausage” – as in, vegan sausage rolls – are still permitted, provided the packaging makes clear they are plant-based. But even those allowances could yet be revisited.

Deirdra Barr is director of marketing and communications at the Vegetarian Society

While some argue for destroying the terminal though which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow, others caution of a global market ‘tailspin’

Kharg Island – through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow – is arguably the country’s most sensitive economic target but the export terminal has so far remained untouched throughout the US-Israel bombing campaign.

Experts say bombing or capturing the site with US forces would be likely to cause a sustained increase to already surging oil prices, as it would amount to taking the entirety of Iran’s daily crude exports offline.

The perpetrators were jailed for 15 years for robbery with violence in the east African country, where homophobic attacks are increasing

The sentencing of two people who attacked and robbed two gay men in Kenya has been hailed by LGBTQ+ rights advocates as a breakthrough and a sign of hope for the country’s queer community. “Abel Meli & Another” were sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery with violence on 3 March at Milimani law courts in Nairobi.

The ruling is a rare example of justice being served for the queer community in Kenya. Njeri Gateru, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, an independent human rights institution working towards equality for sexual and gender minorities in Kenya, said: “A lot is going against [the queer community] with the existence of the criminal laws and prevailing homophobic attitudes, but some of us still trust that we can find justice, so this case encourages us.”

Woman, from Togo, faces uncertain wait for indefinite leave to remain because of changes coming into force next month

The mother of a six-year-old cancer survivor has spoken of her “overwhelming” fear her daughter will be denied crucial treatment because of the government’s immigration crackdown.

The girl, from London, underwent two rounds of life-saving chemotherapy after being diagnosed at two with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that mostly affects children.

Climate change committee finds move to renewable energy would also bring health, economic and security benefits

Achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050 will cost less than a single oil shock and bring health and economic benefits while insulating the country against future costs, the government’s climate advisers have forecast.

Eliminating the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by adopting renewable energy and green technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, would be the best and most cost-effective option for the future economy, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) found.

A springy riff on leek-and-potato soup and a flavour-fuelled batch of finger-licking wings

March is a tricky pin in the seasonal calendar, with energising winter citrus fading and spring’s stars yet to emerge. It’s a time when I find pleasure in reappraising ingredients that are routinely overlooked. Spring onions, say, which are often considered a garnish, but which are good for so much more. Their contrasting colourway is a clue to their varying intensity, with the white roots holding pungency and the greens more akin to especially bolshie chives. Today’s recipes harness the properties of both, bridging the gap between the current need for comfort and the warmer weather ahead.

Observers wait to see if Yemen-based Houthis will reopen hostilities as US warships approach Red Sea chokepoint

Iranian-backed militias around the Middle East are continuing attacks against Israel, the US and their allies in retaliation for the US-Israeli offensive against Tehran, but have so far held back from all-out confrontation, analysts and regional officials say.

The relative restraint suggests that Tehran sees such forces as a strategic reserve to be deployed if the 12-day war continues to intensify – though it may also be a sign that Iranian command and control systems are breaking down.

De enkele bult van een dromedaris kan wel veertig kilo vet bevatten.