Is it possible to demilitarise the Gaza Strip? How strong is the Iranian regime? Will there ever be a Palestinian state? Do Israeli policies contribute to rising antisemitism? We spoke with the Head of the Military–Social Relations Department at the David Institute for Security Policy about the challenges and prospects facing the Middle East.
‘Efforts to quantify and mitigate the carbon footprint of the health sector are accelerating. However, there are multiple obstacles complicating progress, such as competitive pressure and data gaps. Decarbonization of the sector depends mainly on energy-efficiency standards, minimally invasive protocols, and reshaping service models.’
Nottingham Forest delivered Ferencváros their first defeat in the Europa League campaign, and it was a hefty one. The 4–0 score to the home side means that Fradi has finished 12th in the league, and will have to compete in the play-off round before the Round of 16.
‘As the latest voting results from the European Parliament demonstrate, neither the climate nor the quest for electoral victory is well served by sacrificing balanced judgment and political realism on the altar of activism and virtue signalling.’
According to the Center for Fundamental Rights, fully abandoning Russian gas would sharply increase Hungary’s utility costs and end reduced energy prices. LNG imports would be far more expensive, preferential pricing and bargaining power would be lost, and transit revenues would disappear, weakening Hungary’s energy and trade position, the analysis claims.
Liberal-progressive Renew Europe has leapt to the defence of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony after Hungarian prosecutors charged him over organizing the banned 2025 Pride march. Framing the case as a political attack on ‘European values’, Renew leaders accused Budapest of authoritarianism—escalating tensions just weeks before Hungary’s parliamentary election.
Lake Balaton remained the most popular destination for domestic travellers last year, with more than a fifth of bookings, while over a quarter of the total value of online-paid reservations were settled using SZÉP cards, Szallas.hu said.
Balázs Csercsa, who ran the religious affairs task force for the Tisza campaign, announced his departure from the party earlier this month. Then, he talked to Index in a tell-all interview in which he claimed that the leaks about the party’s austerity plans are authentic, Tisza is hiding their actual plans from the public, and described Péter Magyar’s leadership style as ‘autocratic’, among other bombshell revelations.
‘Budapest could not finance this without raising taxes and placing the burden of Ukraine’s “reconstruction” on the shoulders of Hungarian families. Financing Kyiv “will destroy the European Union,” commented on these plans Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has fiercely rejected a POLITICO Brussels report claiming he questioned Donald Trump’s mental health during last week’s EU summit, calling the story a fabrication built on anonymous leaks. Fico said he made no such remarks, accused the outlet of spreading deliberate lies, and warned of a broader effort to discredit leaders pursuing independent foreign policies.
BioTech USA has created 100 new jobs through a 9.5 billion forint investment programme, including a new robotized production plant in Szada, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday.
‘After 844 days, the clock counting the days of captivity of the Israeli hostages was finally switched off in Tel Aviv. The clock installed at Hostages’ Square became, over the past two years, a symbol of the grief- and hope-filled waiting endured by Israeli families.’
Visitors to the Budapest Zoo can explore Chinese cuisine on three evenings from Friday and discover the world of bears on Sunday, with special programmes linked to the Chinese Lantern Festival and the popular Bear Sunday family event.
After weeks of viral growth on right-wing platforms, the Amelia meme has broken into Britain’s mainstream media—prompting panic rather than reflection. The Guardian and LBC now accuse the purple-haired character of fuelling racism, as AI-generated Amelia content spreads globally, spawns copycat characters, and even inspires a cryptocurrency token.
Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is not merely a new diplomatic forum, but a deliberate attempt to replace the United Nations’ paralysed conflict-resolution role. Designed to bypass vetoes and institutional capture, the initiative could weaken China’s leverage at the UN and drive Moscow away from Beijing.
Hungarian prosecutors have filed charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony for organizing and leading the Budapest Pride march last summer despite a police ban, seeking the imposition of a fine, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office said.
Nurse Malinda Rose Cook at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia has posted a series of videos on TikTok in which she calls for others to harm ICE agents in various ways. In one clip, she suggests other health professionals should inject immigration officers with saline or succinylcholine. According to a public statement by her hospital, she is now on ‘administrative leave’ while an investigation is ongoing.
The Brussels Court of First Instance has ruled that the municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium unlawfully banned the National Conservatism Conference in April 2024. The ruling affirms that authorities have a duty not only to refrain from censorship but to actively protect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and is welcomed by the leadership of MCC Brussels.
Hungarian tourism closed a record year in 2025, with nearly 20 million visitors spending close to 47 million nights at domestic accommodation, according to the National Economy Ministry, citing the latest official tourism data.
Kontron Electronics is relocating manufacturing from China to Hungary in a HUF 2 billion investment backed by state support, a move Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó hailed as a strategic win for reindustrialization. The project will create new jobs, protect hundreds of existing positions, and bring high-value electronics production for medical, aviation, and robotics sectors back to Europe.
Brussels is considering admitting Ukraine to the European Union as early as 2027, before accession criteria are met, according to Századvég, whose latest survey finds that three quarters of EU citizens oppose the initiative.
‘It has been over a decade since Western media began (and continues) to demonize Orbán for his uncompromising position against migration. This passage of time is useful, as it allows us to look back and evaluate Orban’s logic for rejecting migration in light of what has actually happened over the last ten years.’
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, US Chargé d’Affaires Caroline Savage joined an immersive augmented-reality experience that transforms Budapest’s former Jewish ghetto into a living historical space. The project, If These Streets Could Talk, uses cutting-edge technology to place visitors inside real stories from the Second World War—an approach Savage described as ‘extremely powerful’.
American actress Sydney Sweeney has been targeted by the X account Zionist Tracker, claiming she is dating ‘fanatical zionist’ Scooter Braun and that she has done ‘zionist propaganda’ for meeting with two released Israeli hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity.
Hungary’s government has announced the launch of a national petition campaign urging citizens to reject EU plans to fund the war in Ukraine, Ukraine’s long-term operation and higher energy costs linked to the conflict.
Viktor Orbán has backed AfD co-chair Alice Weidel’s demand that Ukraine pay reparations for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, retweeting her speech in which she vowed to make Kyiv ‘repay’ the damage. The intervention follows mounting evidence of Ukrainian involvement in the 2022 explosions and adds to growing pressure on European governments to confront responsibility for the attack.
An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was passed by the UK House of Lords, which would ban the use of VPNs for citizens under 18. Free speech advocates caution that this could end anonymous browsing, as IDs would have to be submitted to VPN providers, and fear it could lead to a VPN ban for a wider population.
Creative Hungary has launched the Central European Creative Awards, a new regional prize building on Hungary’s long-running design award tradition, aiming to boost the visibility and competitiveness of creative industries across Central Europe.
‘Iran’s latest wave of anti-government protests may have resulted in one of the bloodiest crackdowns in the country’s modern history.’
Most Hungarians now consume information primarily online, with algorithms and social recommendations increasingly replacing conscious searches, according to a new study supported by the media authority, which also finds sustained demand for quality content.