15 years after its ruling on crucifixes in Italian schools, the European Court of Human Rights has asked Greece to justify the presence of Orthodox icons in its courts. Legal scholar Nicolas Bauer reminds us that states have entrusted the Court with protecting individual freedoms, not erasing European cultural heritage.
Organizers of the Sziget Festival have announced more than 40 new performers, including Bring Me The Horizon, Zara Larsson, Loyle Carner and Wolf Alice, strengthening the international line-up for the 2026 edition of the event.
Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova sparked controversy at the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca after refusing to shake hands or pose for a joint photo with Hungary’s Anna Bodnár during their match. Oliynykova cited Bodnár’s earlier participation in a tournament held in Russia as the reason for rejecting the traditional gestures, drawing a comparison to taking part in a sporting event in Nazi Germany.
Billie Eilish’s decision to use her Grammy acceptance speech to attack ICE and Donald Trump sparked a fierce reaction from conservative commentators. Her ‘stolen land’ remarks was widely mocked online as another example of celebrity activism collapsing under its own moral inconsistency.
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signalled a shift on Russia’s exclusion from international football. Calling the ban ineffective and counterproductive, he argued that athletes should not be punished for political decisions—a stance Hungary has consistently defended since Russia’s suspension in 2022.
In the 2026 big-budget film production of Homer’s Odyssey, Kenyan Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o is set to play the role of Helen of Troy, the most mythically beautiful woman on Earth, who is described as ‘fair’ and is repeatedly compared to ‘white-armed’ goddesses in Homer’s other famous work, the Iliad. Many people have criticized the casting choice online, including Elon Musk.
With an executive decree by the Spanish government bypassing parliament, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration has granted residency and work permits to half a million migrants who had entered Spain illegally. Vox leader Santiago Abascal has accused the Prime Minister of wanting to ‘replace’ native Spanish people, and wanting to eventually nationalize the migrants for votes.
‘The aggressive push by UN and EU institutions, among others, to impose CSE, a harmful agenda that is neither grounded in nor compatible with international human rights law, on the African continent, represents a striking encroachment on the principle of cultural and development ownership and an affront to the same European values that reject undue interference in the democratic processes of states.’
Her hobby became her job: travelling. She leads groups to destinations around the world—excursionists, hikers, and travellers drawn to her relaxed, easy-going style. Get to know the story of Zsuzsanna Kovács, aka Female Yeti.
‘It pains me to say that the Netherlands, like much of Western Europe, is rapidly dismantling what was built over centuries. Uncontrolled mass migration, an aggressive focus on “net zero” climate policies, and the erosion of national sovereignty…all contribute to this process. Some Dutch citizens have tried to resist this trend.’
‘Colleges and universities breed violence and hate against conservative, pro-America students. Some administrations have sided with violent campus radicals instead of protecting the rights of the peaceful minority.’
‘Elderly, much like children, often need the power of the state for protection, but in this case, it was the state itself which saw them as “class enemies”. These old Hungarian citizens, whatever their political beliefs were, had trouble taking care of themselves, yet the Communist state…branded them enemies of the people and forcibly removed them from their homes…’
‘Handwriting, it seems, has fallen out of fashion along with many everyday practices that require time, skill, and patience—much like other traditional arts that aim to create something beautiful. Admittedly, handwriting is time-consuming, especially when using an elegant cursive script. Yet it is also a personal expression, often reflecting a culture and a moment in time.’
More than 50 side events will accompany this year’s Budapest Central European Fashion Week, with exhibitions, workshops, pop-up events and professional programmes running across the city between 9 and 15 February.
Nottingham Forest delivered Ferencváros their first defeat in the Europa League campaign, and it was a hefty one. The 4–0 score to the home side means that Fradi has finished 12th in the league, and will have to compete in the play-off round before the Round of 16.
Lake Balaton remained the most popular destination for domestic travellers last year, with more than a fifth of bookings, while over a quarter of the total value of online-paid reservations were settled using SZÉP cards, Szallas.hu said.
Visitors to the Budapest Zoo can explore Chinese cuisine on three evenings from Friday and discover the world of bears on Sunday, with special programmes linked to the Chinese Lantern Festival and the popular Bear Sunday family event.
After weeks of viral growth on right-wing platforms, the Amelia meme has broken into Britain’s mainstream media—prompting panic rather than reflection. The Guardian and LBC now accuse the purple-haired character of fuelling racism, as AI-generated Amelia content spreads globally, spawns copycat characters, and even inspires a cryptocurrency token.
Nurse Malinda Rose Cook at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia has posted a series of videos on TikTok in which she calls for others to harm ICE agents in various ways. In one clip, she suggests other health professionals should inject immigration officers with saline or succinylcholine. According to a public statement by her hospital, she is now on ‘administrative leave’ while an investigation is ongoing.
Hungarian tourism closed a record year in 2025, with nearly 20 million visitors spending close to 47 million nights at domestic accommodation, according to the National Economy Ministry, citing the latest official tourism data.
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, US Chargé d’Affaires Caroline Savage joined an immersive augmented-reality experience that transforms Budapest’s former Jewish ghetto into a living historical space. The project, If These Streets Could Talk, uses cutting-edge technology to place visitors inside real stories from the Second World War—an approach Savage described as ‘extremely powerful’.
American actress Sydney Sweeney has been targeted by the X account Zionist Tracker, claiming she is dating ‘fanatical zionist’ Scooter Braun and that she has done ‘zionist propaganda’ for meeting with two released Israeli hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity.
An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was passed by the UK House of Lords, which would ban the use of VPNs for citizens under 18. Free speech advocates caution that this could end anonymous browsing, as IDs would have to be submitted to VPN providers, and fear it could lead to a VPN ban for a wider population.
Creative Hungary has launched the Central European Creative Awards, a new regional prize building on Hungary’s long-running design award tradition, aiming to boost the visibility and competitiveness of creative industries across Central Europe.
In the game between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool over the weekend, three Hungarian internationals played in the same English Premier League game: Alex Tóth, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Milos Kerkez. To mark the occasion, we collected all 13 Hungarian footballers who have made it to the Premier League.
The Super Bowl’s culture war is back as the New England Patriots return to the NFL’s biggest stage against the Seattle Seahawks, with Bad Bunny set to headline the halftime show. The Puerto Rican star’s anti-Trump politics—and rumours he may wear a dress as a ‘queer’ statement—have already triggered backlash, while Turning Point USA prepares a rival ‘All American Halftime Show’ built around ‘Faith, Family & Freedom’.
‘She searched, researched, and reached the oldest layers of our culture, whose memories had been passed down through generations in words, melodies, and spirituality. She rescued our archaic folk prayers from oblivion and became the defining figure, analyst, and systematizer of the genre.’
‘Our first written record of traditional Hungarian cuisine dates back to a 16th-century cookbook written by a chef who cooked for several Transylvanian princes…The book reveals the astonishing variety of dishes served at the tables of princes and nobles.’
US tennis player Amanda Anisimova has gone viral after refusing to join the mainstream media’s ritual condemnation of Donald Trump during a press conference at the 2026 Australian Open. Asked how it felt to ‘play under the American flag right now’, Anisimova said she was ‘always proud’ to represent the US—and dismissed the political bait as ‘not relevant’.
Ryan Coogler’s blues-infused vampire epic Sinners led this year’s Oscar nominations with a record 16 nods, surpassing previous highs and positioning the film as the frontrunner ahead of the 98th Academy Awards.