‘Meet your new neighbor, America,’ Alberta separatists declared as they promoted an October referendum that could set the province on a path towards a later independence vote. The oil-rich conservative stronghold is being branded the ‘Texas of the North’, while separatist groups increasingly cultivate links with the United States under Donald Trump.

Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s father has offered a ‘large quantity of stone’ for emergency works at the Paks nuclear plant, joining a growing wave of corporate contributions from businessmen linked to the former Fidesz era. His offer follows pledges from Garancsi-, Szíjj- and Tiborcz-linked firms and others as Hungary races to stabilize Danube water levels and avoid the shutdown of the plant.

A Spanish F-18 fighter operating under NATO’s air policing mission shot down a drone after it had entered Romanian airspace, Romania’s Defence Ministry said. NATO officials said the drone appeared to be Russian, although its origin remains under investigation.

Greece’s hard-line ‘prison or return’ migration policy is beginning to show measurable results, with 599 migrants choosing voluntary return rather than risk imprisonment under the new illegal-stay regime. Total returns rose 20 per cent in the first half of 2026 and forced returns by 41 per cent, making Greece an early test case for the toughest version of the EU’s new Return Regulation.

Companies belonging to the Coca-Cola group have agreed to launch a nationwide campaign to improve consumer awareness of PET bottle recycling following a review by Hungary’s Economic Competition Office (GVH).

Twelve people were killed and dozens injured when a bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashed on Hungary’s M3 motorway early Sunday. Police suspect the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Hubert Kós closed the European Aquatics Championships with a third gold on Sunday, winning the 200m individual medley in a national-record 1:54.24. The 23-year-old had already taken gold in the 200m backstroke and 4x100m freestyle relay, helping Hungary finish fifth in the medal table with 17 medals, ahead of host nation France, despite being the smallest nation in the top five.

Right-wing journalist Nick Sherley and Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie have clashed on X over government spending and alleged daycare fraud. While Massie criticized Sherley for not targeting Republican leaders on the issue, the 24-year-old journalist fired back, highlighting the success of his investigations as opposed to Massie’s actions.

Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary was consecrated on Saturday in Konotopie, Poland, where around 2,000 worshippers gathered for the Feast of the Assumption. Privately funded by billionaire Roman Karkosik as a votive offering, the project arrives as Poland, a fundamentally deeply Christian country, wrestles with secularization and declining Catholic practice.

The Spanish Guardia Civil has confirmed that 15 rapes have been registered in Ceuta since the mass invasion from Morocco at the end of July, deepening concerns over security in the enclave. Two suspects who entered during the influx have already been detained in connection with the cases, while at least one has now been ordered expelled to Morocco.

Russia’s growing blockade of Ukrainian shipping in the Black Sea is threatening both Ukraine’s economy and global food security. With more than 90 per cent of Ukrainian agricultural exports passing through Black Sea ports, prolonged disruptions could cause farmers to struggle to find storage for their backed-up goods, break foreign contracts, and put pressure on global food markets.

Former Cambridge professor Jason Arday has been found dead at 41, days after resigning amid a major plagiarism scandal and widening scrutiny of his academic record. Police are treating the death as unexpected but not suspicious, while people close to Arday said his mental health had deteriorated sharply under intense public criticism in the final days of his life.

Hungary has awarded three new hydrocarbon exploration concessions to state-owned MVM and energy giant MOL as Budapest seeks to strengthen domestic energy production and reduce reliance on foreign supplies. The winning companies will be able to explore for and produce oil and natural gas for at least 20 years.

A Moroccan migrant who entered Ceuta during the mass invasion was reportedly arrested over the alleged street rape of a ‘young Moroccan woman’. While local media reports contradict one another over the case, a pattern of sexual violence is already clear in the Spanish enclave, with courts proceeding in at least six rape cases involving three Moroccan suspects and minor victims.

Kristóf Milák led Hungary’s best night of the European Aquatics Championships on Thursday, first breaking the European record to win the 100m butterfly and then delivering a 46.29 anchor split in a historic 4x100m freestyle relay triumph. Hungary took its first European title in the event, already securing three gold medals during the tournament so far.

Famous American investigative journalist James O’Keefe dressed up in traditional Muslim attire to test Minnesota’s ‘voter vouching scheme’. Assuming fake identities at polling stations, he received confirmation from poll workers that he was allowed to vouch for up to eight other people, who would then be able to complete same-day registration and vote, all without anyone having to show any ID.

Foreign online marketplaces are accounting for an increasing share of Hungary’s e-commerce turnover, prompting the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) to increase its scrutiny of the sector. The authority said it has recovered tens of billions of forints for Hungarian consumers since April 2020.

Budapest is heading towards a future with significantly more heatwave days and tropical nights, according to climate simulations cited by Mayor Gergely Karácsony. By mid-century, most of the city could see temperatures rise by 3–5 degrees Celsius, with some outer districts facing increases of more than 6 degrees.

After winning 1–0 at home, Ferencváros travelled to Zabrze, Poland and got a hard-fought 1–1 tie against Górnik Zabrze. This means that they have advanced 2–1 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League qualifying; and no matter what happens in the next round against the Turkish club Trabzonspor, they are guaranteed a spot at least in the UEFA Conference League in the fall.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s military helicopter flight over Paks has triggered accusations of political propaganda and hypocrisy after he mocked Viktor Orbán for similar trips only months ago. The controversy comes as recent polling shows Tisza at 49 per cent among all adults, its first drop below 50 per cent since the election and its second consecutive month of declining support.

Francesca Hong looked almost certain to win Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. She led by double digits in every recent poll and had a 96 per cent chance of winning on Polymarket. Yet, Hong lost to David Crowley by just 0.48 points. All this took place just one week after another progressive candidate, Abdoul El-Sayed, was also heavily overpolled in Michigan.

Hubert Kós added the one major 200m backstroke title missing from his collection on Wednesday, winning European gold in Paris to become the reigning European, world and Olympic champion. One day before the final, he had come within 0.38 seconds of breaking Aaron Peirsol’s 2009 world record, prompting Michael Phelps to praise him online.

Nearly one-fifth of Hungary’s music royalty revenues could be at risk by 2028 because of the unregulated expansion of artificial intelligence, according to a new ProArt report. The organization estimates that cumulative losses between 2025 and 2028 could reach 12 billion forints.

The Hungarian government has ordered the immediate construction of a submerged weir on the Danube between the Paks nuclear power plant and Dunaszentbenedek to counter record-low water levels. Two 80-metre barges will also be placed on standby as a temporary measure that could raise the water level near Paks by up to 20 centimetres.

Hungary will mark its 20 August national holiday with a three-day programme across Budapest, with events taking place at ten locations. This year’s fireworks display will last 10 minutes, shorter than usual, and the celebrations will cost 4 billion forints.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration Secretariat has returned to Washington after three and a half years in Budapest, with Robert F Kennedy Jr and Marco Rubio publicly thanking Hungary for its stewardship. Since 2022, Viktor Orbán’s government has kept the coalition alive after the US withdrew under Joe Biden and Brazil later abandoned it under Lula, preserving the initiative until Trump’s return.

Karoline Leavitt will leave her post as White House press secretary at the end of August, weeks after returning from maternity leave, but will remain close to Donald Trump as an outside adviser. The 28-year-old, the youngest press secretary in US history, is expected to shift back into campaign mode as Republicans prepare for a difficult November midterm fight.

Seven-year-old William Evans has been found dead and bound in her mother’s home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother and her two trans women lovers are now charged with the murder of the boy, along with child endangerment. According to the detective in charge of the case, the victim was likely tortured before his death.

Hungary is preparing to sink two 80-metre barges in the Danube to raise water levels around the Paks nuclear plant as the river falls back towards critical lows. The emergency measure comes just days after Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the immediate danger had passed, while work also begins on a permanent riverbed sill intended to secure cooling water for the plant.

Hungary’s state development bank withdrew more than €170 million in EU funding from a company controlled by Lőrinc Mészáros, a businessman close to Viktor Orbán, just four days after approving it, citing transparency rules. OPUS TITÁSZ is challenging the reversal, while PM Péter Magyar, who has already named Mészáros as a likely target of his cabinet’s anti-corruption push, welcomed the move.