The Danube Institute launched its new Turkic Western Engagement Initiative (TWEI) in Budapest on Tuesday with a high-profile conference exploring how the West and the Turkic world can deepen cooperation amid growing geopolitical volatility, with particular emphasis on Hungary’s strategic bridging role.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has met with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in London to secure continued European war aid to his nation. After the meeting, he told reporters that Ukraine has ‘no legal or moral right’ to cede land to Russia. Dr Sándor Seremet from the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs has commented on the latest development in the Russo–Ukrainian war.
Türkiye and Hungary elevated their relations to an enhanced strategic partnership on Monday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in Istanbul. The leaders highlighted deepening cooperation in trade, defence, transport and culture, setting a new framework for long-term collaboration.
Artificial intelligence could become the new driving force of the financial system, said Norbert Izer, Managing Director for Financial Markets and Digitalization at the Hungarian National Bank, emphasizing its potential to transform supervision, forecasting, and risk detection.
X is filled with videos of the Budapest Christmas lights, as well as the large outdoor festive market located near St Stephen’s Basilica.
Hungary ranks among the top ten most competitive tax systems in the OECD, according to the 2025 International Tax Competitiveness Index. Scoring 78.7 points, Hungary placed ninth overall, performing especially strongly in corporate and individual taxation, reinforcing its appeal to international investors.
Gergely Gulyás warned that the Tisza Party’s plans would require massive austerity and billions in spending cuts. He argued the party would scrap taxes on multinationals, shifting the burden to citizens, and said a Tisza–DK coalition would risk repeating past left-wing austerity cycles.
The European Commission’s decision to fine X €120 million under the DSA has ignited the sharpest transatlantic clash since Trump returned to power. Musk called the penalty ‘bullsh*t’, while senior US officials warned the EU is undermining free speech and straining the foundations of the alliance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned that the 2026 parliamentary election will be the last before Hungary could face a direct threat of war, arguing that only a national government can keep the country out of a conflict he says is approaching Europe. He claimed Brussels is preparing the EU for confrontation with Russia and shifting towards a war economy.
Tim Pool, a popular right-wing podcaster and influencer, has claimed in an X post that a vehicle approached and opened fire at his residence in West Virginia on Friday night. All this is happening just three months after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During the session on the bill, the National Rally was called the ‘party of the SS’ by one left-wing parliamentarian.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán widened his advantage over Péter Magyar in November regarding who Hungarians see as the most suitable head of government, according to a new Nézőpont Institute poll that shows nearly half the public would keep the current premier.
‘A D66-led government would most likely eliminate most Dutch resistance, from environmental projects to diplomatic disputes between EU Members and foreign policy.’
The group stage draw for FIFA World Cup 2026, held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has been made, with the help of US President Donald Trump. England v Croatia, Kylian Mbappé’s France v Erling Haaland’s Norway, Brazil v Morocco, and many other exciting fixtures are on the schedule for next year’s tournament.
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy warns that Europe is on a path toward ‘civilizational erasure’, urging EU governments to reverse course on mass migration and reclaim national sovereignty. The document explicitly backs Europe’s patriotic forces, signalling a coordinated push to reshape EU politics.
‘If China wants to exert pressure on Japan, this isn’t the way. Ultimately, it has only damaged the reputation and viability of its airlines.’
Hungary’s Hungary Helps programme is carrying out humanitarian and development projects in Chad that save lives and support the country’s fragile stability, according to State Secretary Tristan Azbej in charge of assisting persecuted Christians.
The person who placed two pipebombs at the Republican and Democratic National Committee HQs on the eve of the 6 January Capitol riots has been arrested and identified as 30-year-old black anarchist Brian Cole Jr. Despite 5,000 FBI agents working on the 6 January case under President Biden, who made around 1,500 arrests, the pipe bomber managed to evade authorites for nearly five years.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned that the coming days may determine whether the war moves closer to Europe or tensions ease. He criticized the EU’s limited role in major negotiations and cautioned that Europe faces a dangerous moment.
American Eagle’s stock has surged after the retailer sharply raised its holiday sales forecast, boosted by strong consumer demand and continued buzz around its viral Sydney Sweeney campaign—an advert that sparked progressive outrage in July but has since become one of the brand’s biggest commercial successes.
US Vice President JD Vance blasted Brussels for targeting Elon Musk’s X platform, urging the EU to defend free speech instead of ‘attacking American companies over garbage’. His remarks follow reports that the European Commission is preparing a major DSA fine against X—just as tensions with Washington escalate over Ukraine and trade.
The launch of Budapest — What We Are Proud Of photo album at the Museum of Ethnography celebrated the city’s recent architectural renaissance. It featured distinguished guests such as architect Sándor Finta, pianist János Balázs, Ministerial Commissioner for the Liget Project László Baán, and famous Hungarian TV host Nóra Ördög.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said next year’s wage agreement will directly improve the income of 700,000 families, highlighting an 11 per cent rise in the minimum wage and further measures aimed at supporting workers, employers, and economic stability.
The University of Szeged and BYD Auto Hungary have signed a cooperation agreement to deepen ties in education, research and development. The partnership will expand training, internships and joint programmes, strengthening the talent pipeline for BYD’s new Szeged plant.
The European Parliament scrapped a planned delegation to Kyiv after Ukrainian authorities said they would not allow AfD MEP Hans Neuhoff to enter the country. Kyiv’s refusal—labelled ‘security-related’—halted the mission and raised questions about Ukraine’s treatment of EU lawmakers.
Hungary is undergoing a nationwide overhaul of its healthcare system, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the reopening of the renovated Jewish Charity Hospital in Zugló, highlighting its symbolic significance for the country’s Jewish community.
A full-scale bronze statue of legendary Hungarian footballer József Bozsik of the 1950s ‘Mighty Magyars’ team has been unveiled in Budapest, Hungary. Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó of Hungary, who now also serves as the Chairman of Bozsik’s club Budapest Honvéd, was among the attendees of the event.
Left-wing groups and union-backed networks mounted coordinated blockades and street violence in Giessen to hinder the founding congress of AfD’s youth wing, Generation Deutschland. Subsidized NGOs helped mobilize masked agitators who built barricades and attacked journalists, politicians, and vehicles, while police intervened only partially, exposing publicly funded pressure against the AfD.
Hungarian forint hit its best level since December 2023 on Wednesday, strengthening to HUF 380.2 per euro. Markets continue to reward the Hungarian Central Bank’s disciplined approach and the Trump–Orbán currency-swap deal, which signalled that the forint is well-protected from external shocks.
Nearly three years after Qatargate, Brussels is rocked by another major scandal: Belgian authorities have detained former EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and top diplomat Stefano Sannino in a fraud probe involving the EU’s diplomatic academy. The probe is already fuelling calls for accountability at the highest levels of the Commission.