Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on 27 October, marking their first in-person meeting. They discussed Hungary–Vatican cooperation on peace efforts in Ukraine, the Church’s role in social development, and broader international issues, including the Middle East and Europe.
‘During the fighting, two primary schools, one high school, and one kindergarten in the district were damaged, with total costs amounting to 150,000 forints; 20,000 of this was for the physics laboratory at Szilágyi High School alone.’
The Center for Fundamental Rights held its third International Pro-Israel Summit in Budapest. While the first event in 2023 followed the 7 October Hamas attacks, this year’s took place a few weeks after President Trump’s Israel–Hamas peace deal. Speakers included Hungary’s Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch, and Yair Netanyahu.
‘Here, we will mostly focus on Batthyány’s role as one of the rebel leaders mentioned; his trial papers have survived to the greatest extent. In October 1959, an investigation was launched “in connection with the crimes of the counter-revolutionaries of Széna Square”, and “during this investigation, we identified several individuals who had not yet been held accountable…”’
The Hungarian Embassy in London hosted the Roger Scruton Symposium on 21 October, bringing together scholars, diplomats and public figures to reflect on the conservative philosopher’s legacy. Organized by the Hungarian Scruton Hub and the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, the event featured four panels examining Scruton’s ideas on nationhood, culture, and the defence of Western civilization.
The documentary Ferenc Krausz — In Pursuit of Electrons, portraying Hungary’s Nobel Prize-winning physicist, has won Best Documentary at the Kraków International Science and Technology Film Festival over the weekend.
Marcin Tulicki’s new documentary on the takeover of Polish state media under Donald Tusk premiered in Budapest on Monday. During the panel discussion that followed, Gergely Gulyás criticized the European Commission’s approach to rule of law issues, while Zbigniew Ziobro claimed that Tusk’s government operates ‘with EU approval’ despite undermining judicial independence.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has been accused of match-fixing, while Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups faces charges for participating in an illegal, rigged poker game. The scandal revealed two hard truths: even the multi-million-dollar salaries of the NBA are not sufficient safeguards against illegal gambling, and New York’s five ‘traditional’ La Cosa Nostra families remain active.
‘The conundrum, as stated above, is that Taiwan is treated by a great part of the international community as if it were a country of its own.’
‘Conservative governments of the Thatcher era recognized the damage the over-reach of the state in the economy could do to ideas of individual responsibility…’
‘On 25 October, transport workers began to blockade major national roads, as well as the central arteries of Budapest.’
‘Preferring a loosely Christian society to these theocratic or technocratic extremes, Dawkins concedes that “we need Christianity” as a cultural inheritance that sustains meaning.’
Ferencváros edged Red Bull Salzburg 3–2 in a dramatic Europa League win on the anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 Revolution. Barnabás Varga, Kristoffer Zachariassen, and Bamidele Yusuf scored as Fradi held firm despite Salzburg’s late fightback to stay unbeaten in the league phase. Some controversy led up to the game: Austrian authorities did not let the Fradi fans’ charter train through at the border for unclear reasons.
Concerto Budapest will hold its celebratory concert on 24 October at the Müpa in memory of the 1956 Revolution. Conducted by András Keller, the concert will feature Liszt’s symphonic poem, Dohnányi witty artwork, and Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ symphony, with pianist Dénes Várjon.
After nearly a decade of dictatorship, the spark ignited on 23 October, and the Hungarian revolutionaries demonstrated a courage that still makes us shiver almost 70 years later. They risked their lives and their careers for a narrow window of freedom—a feat that is difficult for a person in this age of egotism to comprehend.
The US Supreme Court, currently holding a 6–3 conservative majority, might appear to favour President Trump. However, conservatives often support a strict, limited reading of the Constitution. Many analysts therefore expect the Court to strike down his tariffs as unconstitutional. In that case, the decision can (and should) be softened by a long stay to avoid a market crash.
Hungary will allocate an additional 2 billion forints this year to continue joint forestry and climate programmes, bringing total investment to 12 billion forints over five years. The funds aim to expand forest cover and enhance the country’s natural carbon sinks.
The Budapest Showcase Hub (BuSH) returns for its 10th edition from 29–31 October, bringing over 30 artists from 15 countries to venues across the city, including Turbina, Gödör, and Akvárium Klub, for three days of music and professional dialogue.
Artificial intelligence is already being incorporated into Hungary’s digital textbooks, with 58 AI-related lessons or exercises available this school year—a number that continues to grow, according to State Secretary for Public Education Zoltán Maruzsa.
The MCC Leadership Academy’s ‘Sailing in Storm’ conference explored leadership in times of crisis, with speakers discussing resilience, adaptability, and the impact of the rising AI technology. The distinguished speakers included, among others, Balázs Orbán, Mark Khater, Gábor Csepregi, and Katalin Erdei.
During a press conference on 21 October, KINCS presented their new publication, created together with the SZTFH, on the link between families and workplaces, and how the two should function hand-in-hand, with workplaces focusing on creating family-friendly environments for their workers.
Hungary’s leading agricultural organizations, NAK and Magosz, strongly oppose the EU’s proposed free trade deal with Ukraine, warning that it threatens Europe’s food production, drives down prices, and poses serious food safety risks.
Only three out of the 45 Presidents of the United States have visited Hungary during their time in office, with two more coming to our country after they served. President Trump will soon become the fourth incumbent POTUS to come to Budapest, to have important peace talks with President Putin of Russia.
The Danube Institute hosted a high-level discussion on the EU’s future, where Balázs Hidvéghi, Stefano Arroque, Daniel Hinšt, and Péter Kruzslicz agreed that the bloc’s growing centralization has created a structural crisis. Speakers urged reform, respect for sovereignty, and a return to the principle of subsidiarity.
‘Western Europe is in terminal decline. That’s my point of view, anyway. One informed by two years in the European Union’s infernal capital.’
‘One of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century was born in Kyiv in 1889 to Polish parents. He rose to fame as a member of the Tsarist ballet, and then, under Diaghilev, in ballet productions choreographed by Mikhail Fokine and with sets by Leon Bakst, he became an icon of modernist art.’
‘In Budapest, not only have the Hungarians worked to build and restore buildings beautifully, but also to remove modernist intrusions, reclaiming space for beauty.’
‘The armed conflict started in April 1775 at the Battles of Lexington and Concord—with the aim of reform, not independence—and after more than six years of fighting, it was in October 1781 that the colonists, against all odds, defeated the Royal Forces on the battlefield. In fact, it was on 19 October 1781 that General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia—exactly 244 years ago today.’
‘In a country aiming for EU membership, the Church chose confrontation over passive acceptance of draconian laws. And it won.’
‘The events in District I during the Hungarian Soviet Republic give a very good account of how fear, miscommunication, and ideological zeal combined to ignite violence and unrest…From armed requisitions to fatal clashes over religious processions, the communist Council Republic’s heavy-handed responses reveal the fragility of order under a revolutionary dictatorship.’