PM Narendra Modi of India’s right-wing populist and nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the state legislative election in West Bengal, a state that Modi had never won in the three general elections in which he was elected Prime Minister by a landslide. In the state of Kerala, the last remaining communist-led state government in India was voted out.

Romania’s parliament has ousted Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in a decisive no confidence vote, collapsing the pro-EU coalition and plunging the country into political uncertainty. The collapse raises concerns over reform paralysis, investor confidence, and shifting regional power dynamics.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s call to revive the Visegrád Four highlights a rapid regional recalibration after Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat, which stripped him of his closest EU ally. Yet the outreach is already overshadowed by emerging tensions with incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, particularly over minority rights and the Beneš Decrees.

Hungary’s president has called for new legislation to balance child protection, EU law and constitutional requirements following a recent European court ruling.

The Vatican has published a confidential 2024 letter rejecting German efforts to formalize same-sex blessings, in a move widely seen as a direct rebuke of Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s reform agenda. The release intensifies tensions with the German Church, where structured blessing ceremonies have already begun to take shape.

Hungary’s armed forces have launched the Adaptive Hussars exercise in coordination with NATO drills, focusing this year on command systems and crisis management without large-scale troop movements.

A Canadian court has convicted Innisfil Pride founder Jake Tucker on multiple human trafficking charges, in a case that has sparked controversy due to his prominent role in local LGBTQ activism. The verdict, delivered by a Barrie jury, found Tucker guilty on seven counts related to exploiting two women over several years.

Germany’s SPD, Greens, and Left have announced a coordinated exit from Elon Musk’s X, citing disinformation concerns, in a move that quickly sparked controversy online. Critics argue the identical statements and timing suggest political choreography, while users accuse the parties of retreating from open public debate.

Marking the 235th anniversary of Europe’s first modern constitution, Polish President Karol Nawrocki unveiled plans to prepare a new constitutional framework by 2030. The initiative comes amid ongoing institutional conflict with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government.

Husband and wife Christopher and DeYanna Ostroushko, along with their daughter Paige Ostroushko, were captured on camera attacking TPUSA reporter Savanah Hernandez at an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple has gone on a ‘media tour’ seeking sympathy after the backlash they have received for their violent action. However, they have been charged in federal court since.

European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen sparked fierce backlash after suggesting that Brussels may need to address VPNs used to bypass the EU’s upcoming age-verification systems. Critics warned that the EU’s expanding digital regulation agenda increasingly resembles China- or Russia-style internet control.

Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar criticized Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony for organizing a concert one day before a planned national celebration marking the new parliament, calling the move inappropriate.

Mel Gibson’s long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ has finished filming, with viral behind-the-scenes photos immediately reviving the powerful visual imagery associated with Christ’s crucifixion. The film is scheduled for release in 2027.

Hungary will not implement a recent European Union Court ruling on its child protection law, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, citing constitutional and sovereignty concerns in a letter to the president.

Hungary’s incoming Tisza government is facing accusations of nepotism after Péter Magyar nominated his brother-in-law as Minister of Justice. Although Márton Melléthei-Barna is widely regarded as a highly experienced legal expert, the appointment has opened an avoidable political front for the new administration—particularly sensitive given that Tisza repeatedly portrayed patronage networks and family-based loyalty systems as defining features of the Orbán era.

Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has completed the line-up of his Tisza government, naming ministers for interior and justice and finalizing a 16-member cabinet ahead of the new parliament’s inaugural session.

One of Hungary’s most sensitive parliamentary committees, the National Security Committee, will be led by the hard-right Our Homeland party in the next legislative cycle, a decision that triggered immediate outrage and backlash among liberal and progressive users online. Comment sections were quickly flooded with criticism, mockery, and claims that the appointment itself represents a ‘national security risk’.

21-year-old Beran Aliyi, an Albanian–North Macedonian Muslim holding Austrian citizenship, pleaded guilty to plotting a large-scale Islamist terror attack targeting Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts in 2024. Prosecutors said the ISIS-inspired plot aimed to kill ‘tens of thousands’ using explosives, knives, and vehicle attacks.

Prime Minister-Elect Péter Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to finalize a political agreement by late May aimed at unlocking billions in frozen EU funds for Hungary. Magyar stated that none of Brussels’s conditions run contrary to Hungary’s national interests; however, the deal could require politically sensitive concessions on more ideological issues, particularly LGBTQ rights.

‘The ruling has implications far beyond the single House seat presumably gained by the GOP in Louisiana. It gives legal license for Republican stronghold states in the South to redraw their congressional maps, this time without high regard for black-majority districts.’

The extension of the ceasefire—brokered in part by Donald Trump during talks in Washington—appears, at first glance, to signal a modest diplomatic success in pausing the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Yet developments on the ground suggest otherwise.

Germany now leads the US in conventional ammunition production capacity, according to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, reflecting Europe’s rearmament driven by the war in Ukraine and the broader recalibration of US–NATO relations under Trump. The company, mirroring a wider European trend, has expanded production capacities across the continent, including through important facilities in Hungary.

Both Atlético Madrid and Arsenal scored from penalty kicks in a 1–1 draw in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final in Madrid, Spain. Referee Danny Makkelie awarded a third PK in the match for Arsenal, but rescinded the call after VAR review. Who will get to play the final in Budapest, Hungary, on 30 May will have to be decided in London, UK, next week.

British police carried out a massive raid on the headquarters of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Cheshire, arresting six members of the Islamic sect over allegations involving rape, forced marriage, and modern slavery linked to a single alleged victim.

Hungary’s growing partnership with the Organization of Turkic States has evolved far beyond symbolic diplomacy, according to experts at the Danube Institute, who described the relationship as a key geopolitical, economic, and energy asset that the incoming government should preserve.

Rome’s controversial ‘take one migrant home for free’ initiative has largely collapsed after only three families agreed to participate in three months, reinforcing criticism that left-wing migration policies are increasingly detached from the social and economic realities facing ordinary Italians.

A Hungarian chief physician performed a rare life-saving procedure on a stabbing victim, opening the man’s chest and stitching his heart on the street to stabilize him before transport.

Greek MPs have waived immunity amid an European Public Prosecutor’s Office probe into misused EU farm funds. The scandal cost minister Konstantinos Tsiaras his post. Athens accuses EPPO of political bias as scrutiny widens and past EU probes raise doubts about its effectiveness.

As Europe debates migration, sovereignty, living costs, and the green agenda, MCC Brussels hosts a launch event for Frank Füredi’s new book In Defence of Populism on 20 May. Joined by Matthew Karnitschnig, Füredi will examine populism, democracy, and Europe’s shifting political landscape.

Wizz Air is expanding its capacity across Central and Eastern Europe and expects to carry 80 million passengers this year, maintaining low fares and avoiding fuel surcharges despite rising costs.