Budapest celebrates its birthday this year with a vibrant lineup of events, including the return of the popular Metro Festival, the festive party tram, and the opening of the city’s Christmas fair in City Hall Park.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to ban biological males identifying as women from competing against female athletes, according to reports by The Times. IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the first female and first African person to serve in the position, has previously claimed she wants to ‘protect women’.

‘From the Middle Ages, a rare folk custom, still popular today, was associated with the holiday: the consumption of goose dishes…The custom was traditionally explained by a scene from the saint’s legend: Martin humbly hid in the goose pen so that he would not be elected bishop, but the geese betrayed him with their cries.’

A team of Hungarian students from the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) achieved an outstanding result at this year’s FIRST Global Challenge robotics competition in Panama, securing 4th place among 195 participating countries.

‘What does democracy look like today?…We have become socially liberal, while the government has become more federalist and centralized.’

‘Our heroine wanted to become an engineer from an early age and chose the least feminine of all disciplines—structural engineering. She drew up the plans for the reinforced concrete structures of the national swimming pool designed by Alfréd Hajós…and it was her task to reinforce the collapsed roof structure of the damaged National Theatre.’

‘In shedding light on his work and the history of the Hungarian Betar movement, we not only recover a lost voice of right-wing Zionism but also gain a fuller, more nuanced understanding of Jewish history in Hungary before, during, and after the Holocaust.’

Lake Balaton’s 179th passenger shipping season has closed with record-breaking traffic. BAHART ferries and boats carried more than 2.3 million passengers this year, already surpassing 2024’s full-year total and signalling continued growth in regional tourism.

Portuguese football superstar told Piers Morgan that President Trump is one of the few people he would want to meet in person, but has not yet had the chance. Morgan, given his personal relationship with the POTUS, replied that he could probably make that happen. Ronaldo has already sent a shirt to President Trump with the handwritten note ‘Praying for Peace’.

Budapest has received the Global Smart Green City Award in Geneva for its progressive environmental and climate strategy. The recognition places the Hungarian capital among Europe’s leading sustainable cities, highlighting its work on clean energy, green spaces and smart urban governance.

Brilliant autumn colours greet visitors at the University of Szeged Botanical Garden this Saturday, where the traditional Japanese Momiji celebration will showcase fiery maple leaves alongside cultural programmes, guided walks, music, and arts inspired by Japan.

‘Ostpolitik became the means for the Church to engage the Warsaw Pact nation-states under the pontificates of Popes John XXIII and Paul VI.’

Liverpool appear to be climbing out of their recent slump, and much of the credit goes to Dominik Szoboszlai. After four consecutive Premier League defeats, the Reds have now won twice in a row—including a crucial Champions League victory over Real Madrid—with the Hungarian midfielder emerging as the team’s driving force and emotional leader.

‘Children often see the internet as their natural environment, yet may be unaware of the dangers it contains, making informed parental guidance essential.’

A breakthrough by young researchers at the University of Debrecen could transform the way valuable metals are recovered from electronic waste. Their newly developed aerogel offers the most efficient and sustainable method yet for extracting gold, and the innovation has already won a major Hungarian award.

Netflix’s fantasy epic The Witcher returned for its fourth season on 30 October, once again captivating millions worldwide. Based on the novels of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, the series stands out as a rare non-Anglo fantasy phenomenon—and its latest chapter highlights multiple Hungarian references, including the iconic character Zoltan Chivay.

László Bölöni won the European Cup with the Romanian club Steaua București in 1986. While coaching Sporting CP, he brought up Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the all-time greats of the game, to the senior team in 2002. Now, a documentary is coming out about his life.

‘It is hard to distinguish between the phases of the Soviet takeover and the start of the Communist vengeance.’

Skywatchers in early November will have the chance to observe the Southern and Northern Taurid meteor showers, known for their bright, slow fireballs. The two showers peak on 5 and 12 November, offering many nights of spectacular autumn viewing.

‘Violent crime has arrived in a country where it was exceedingly rare. Iceland is now even a contributor to the online migrant-crime genre.’

A user going by the name ‘Based Hungary’ on the social media platform X has recently published a post, praising Hungary for renovating a ‘record number’ of 4,000 churches. Last month, State Secretary Miklós Soltész talked about the Hungarian government’s efforts to renovate churches, which is likely where the X user got their figure.

‘In international studies, the Hungarian merchant is considered one of the discoverers of Tibetan art, as he recognized the cultural values ​​of the Himalayan peoples early on…He is also considered the second founder of the Asian Art Museum, founded by Ferenc Hopp, as he donated so many, mainly Indian and Tibetan statues and scroll paintings, to the collection.’

‘István Dukai is a Budapest-based graphic and visual artist whose works evoke the traditions of constructivism, minimal art, op art, and the Bauhaus. Behind the discipline of form lies a profound sensitivity and deep respect for materials. His art is guided by a reductionist approach where every line, curve, and colour has its own place and purpose.’

Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, Transylvanian Roma priest Ottó Kalányos, and the Örökké Haza (Forever Home) project received Highlights of Hungary 2025’s three community awards, after a record-breaking over 140,000 votes cast by the public.

On this day, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation movement of the 16th century, a former Augustinian friar and professor of theology, and the author of the first common-language German translation of the Bible.

Olympic gold medalist taekwondo practitioner Viviana Márton won silver in the lightweight category, while her twin sister Luana Márton won the gold medal in the welterweight category at the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, China.

‘The French Revolution of 1789 did appear vividly, to many Hungarians of the 19th century, as both a challenge to the old order and a blueprint for something new.’

The Budapest General Assembly has approved new restrictions on the use of fireworks during New Year’s Eve celebrations, limiting private displays to a six-hour window and banning them entirely in protected areas across the city.

No progress was made on the future of the Sziget Festival, as the Budapest General Assembly failed to reach a majority vote on ending the city’s existing public-space contract with the organizers, leaving the fate of Hungary’s biggest music event uncertain.

At the International Pro-Israel Summit in Budapest this week, Bryan Leib described Hungary as ‘the beating heart of common sense in Europe’ for being one of the few countries to implement strict border control and stand up to the Islamization of the Old Continent.