At the 5th Geopolitical Summit in Budapest, US Chargé d’Affaires Robert Palladino framed Hungary as central to the ‘renewal of Western civilization’, praising its defence of sovereignty and family. He argued that America and Hungary are allies not by convenience but conviction, united against chaos by shared civilizational values.

Hungarian musicians dominated Spotify and YouTube in 2024, with Azahriah and DESH leading both platforms, while global stars barely appeared on local charts, according to a new NMHH study on Hungary’s music streaming habits.

‘Borders must be enforced, constitutions defended, and citizenship laws tightened,’ Fabrice Leggeri declared at the Geopolitical Summit in Budapest. The former Frontex chief set out a detailed plan to reclaim sovereignty, warning that EU ideology has blurred lines between residence, rights, and national identity. Panellists from both sides of the Atlantic agreed.

The rules-based international order is collapsing, warned panellists at Danube Institute’s 5th Geopolitical Summit, as the UN and EU drift into irrelevance or abuse of power. Speakers, including Zoltán Kovács, agreed that sovereignty lies with nations, not supranational bureaucracies, but cautioned that unchecked collapse could bring conflict instead of stability.

Germany’s anti-immigration AfD scored a breakthrough in North-Rhine Westphalia’s local elections, nearly tripling its vote share to 14.5 per cent and finishing third behind the CDU and SPD. The result, in Germany’s most populous and economically vital state, signals AfD’s growing strength beyond its eastern strongholds.

The 5th Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit is currently taking place in Budapest, Hungary. Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky of Hungary has delivered the keynote address, speaking about such crucial issues of the time as the Russo–Ukrainian war, the Israel–Hamas war, common European defence, and EU enlargement.