A Lebanese national Pierre Shaqib Daher visited Lebanon in the past few weeks at the head of a Hungarian official delegation, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.

Daher is a Hungarian MP affiliated since 1989 in the Youth party in Budapest, which chose him to represent it in the Hungarian parliament after winning a seat during the 2010 elections.

The leaders of 23 European countries moved to tie their economies much closer together in a new treaty in their latest attempt to shore up the euro, but failed to get the four other European Union members, including Britain, to join in.

Following marathon all-night talks, the 23 decided to back a new treaty with strict oversight over national budgets, as they try to convince markets that the euro has a future in the wake of a crippling debt crisis.

Defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel won the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to strengthen his overall lead with seven races remaining.

Vettel started from pole position to win his seventh race of the season and 17th of his career. The German led Red Bull to a 1-2 finish with Mark Webber finishing close behind.

A soaring Swiss franc is a threat to Eastern European economies as households struggle to repay the now much costlier loans they took out in the currency in better times, analysts warn.

Eastern Europeans rushed to take out loans in Swiss francs and other foreign currencies in 2004-2005 as interest rates were much lower than what they would have had to pay on domestic borrowings -- now that has all changed.

Sziget, one of Europe's largest music festivals, kicks off officially Wednesday with close to 200 acts from around the world expected over the next five days in Budapest.

Reunited British indie rock band Pulp will take the main stage in the evening, alongside compatriots Motörhead, French group Ben L'oncle Soul and local heroes Quimby.

Discordant brass notes escape from a rehearsal room in Sliven's gypsy ghetto, as 15 local boys prepare for band practice and take a break from the poverty-stricken life of the slum outside.

"Now boys -- one, two, three...," band leader Angel Tichaliev calls out and the tunes merge into a bold, lively melody that resonates in the room barely bigger than a one-car garage.

Hungary's government said Friday it is considering a novel way of tightening the public belt -- the introduction of a "hamburger tax".

"The ministries concerned are examining the effects of the introduction of a so-called 'hamburger tax'," Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy said on the Hungarian parliament's website, in a reply to an opposition lawmaker's inquiry.