Postponed national day celebration held with fireworks

An elaborate fireworks display took place under calm skies in Hungary's capital on Saturday.

Originally planned on Hungary's national holiday a week earlier, the event drew tens of thousands of people to the Danube River in Budapest in what was billed as Europe's largest fireworks show.

The government committee managing the events of the national holiday postponed the show based on the weather service's projections of high probabilities of heavy rain that evening.

While storms did strike other areas of Hungary that night, they ultimately did not hit the capital. Weather service chief Kornelia Radics, who had served in her post since 2013, and her deputy Gyula Horvath, who has served since 2016, soon lost their jobs.

Academics and scientists in Hungary have long complained of pressure being exerted on independent scientific bodies. the rule of law.