Budapest’s Várkert Bazaar offers a vibrant end to 2024 and a promising start to 2025 with an array of cultural events, concerts, exhibitions, and festive activities, featuring renowned artists and unique programmes to captivate audiences of all ages.
Subsequent to the anti-government rebels’ rapid advance that made President Bashar al-Assad depart from Syria, the Austrian government is planning to halt the processing of current Syrian asylum applications and to reassess previously granted asylum statuses. Additionally, family reunification programmes for Syrian refugees have been suspended.
For the first time since Donald Trump’s great comeback victory in November, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary and President-elect Donald Trump of the United States have met in person at the famous Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The Prime Minister has also held talks with the world’s richest man, Elon Musk at the event. This is the third time PM Orbán has visited President Trump’s famous estate this year.
Variety magazine’s global locations update has spotlighted Hungary’s thriving film industry, praising cutting-edge studio expansions, skilled professionals, and tax incentives that solidify the country’s reputation as a leading global filmmaking hub.
‘The total EU debt-to-GDP ratio is nearing a staggering 90 per cent. EU citizens are being forced into collective debt against their will, with Hungarians then even denied access to funds. That is a ludicrous scenario. It’s like a bank forcing a person to take out a mortgage loan, then refusing to actually disburse the loan, but sending debt collectors to recover the repayments. This is where we stand in Europe today.’
The Hungarian Constitution Protection Office has initiated a national security investigation into the opposition news portal Magyar Hang and opposition leader Péter Magyar over their dissemination of a false news story alleging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was staying in Hungary after he fled Syria.
‘When a candidate disfavoured by the progressive mainstream achieves electoral success within the Western sphere of influence—be it in the EU or the South Caucasus—the media empire and NGO networks closely tied to this elite immediately cry electoral fraud. However, it is unprecedented for a democratic election to be annulled on such grounds. This makes the developments in Romania particularly significant, as they could establish a troubling precedent.’
The video report published on public media news website Hirado.hu takes viewers to Ungvár (Uzhhorod) and Szolyva (Svalyava) in Transcarpathia, a region in the Western part of Ukraine heavily populated by ethnic Hungarians, to showcase the everyday lives of locals living through the troubled, war-torn times in Ukraine.
‘Despite his mild demeanour and centrist credentials, what Christophe Hansen offers is a distinctly more pro-farmer outlook than that of the previous quinquennium. The Luxembourgish was adamant in his defence of the CAP during his hearing.’
In his remarks at the University of Nyíregyháza on Friday Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó noted: ‘The West seems willing to fight until the last Ukrainian youth with the possibility of lowering the conscription age’, adding that the Ukrainian nations’ future is at risk.
Rock legends Guns N’ Roses will return to Budapest’s Puskás Aréna on 15 July 2025, as part of their global tour. Fans can expect an unforgettable evening from one of the world’s most iconic bands, following their triumphant 2023 performance.
The Hungarian Women’s National Handball Team secured their spot in the semi-final of the 2024 European Women’s Handball Championship by beating national rivals Romania 37–29 in Group I of the main round in Debrecen, Hungary. Hungary have won all six games in the tournament so far; and have made it to the semi-final for the first time in 12 years.
The EU’s AI Act fails to protect human rights effectively, Hungarian experts argue in a new multidisciplinary book. Highlighting legal, media, and societal perspectives, the authors critique current regulations and explore AI’s growing impact on society and governance.
Hungary’s creditworthiness received a boost as Fitch Ratings upgraded its outlook on Hungary’s IDR from negative to stable, and reaffirmed the country’s investment-grade rate. This aligns with Moody’s and S&P’s recent positive evaluations, reflecting strong investor confidence and robust economic fundamentals.
‘When I heard the saying, “Survivors carry the credentials of the forever silenced”, it really touched me. Due to the values instilled in me by the Hungarian scouts and the Piarists, as well as the American attitude of giving back, it slowly emerged as a conviction that I had a responsibility to help others who were less fortunate.’
Syrian insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured Damascus, ending Bashar al-Assad’s rule. As the Syrian president fled the country, Hungarian opposition media outlet Magyar Hang claimed his plane landed in Budapest. The outlandish allegation was swiftly denied by Budapest Airport and the government, with even the news website later admitting that the claim was baseless.
‘The teaching that Mary, the Mother of Christ, was from the very moment of her conception preserved from original sin, was first explained by the Scottish Franciscan friar Duns Scotus (1266-1308). He explained that with Mary conception and redemption were simultaneous, producing a two-fold status at the first moment of her existence.’
One of the most brilliant personalities of the 10–11th centuries fell victim to politics, only to discredit Gregory VII and the church reform. To do this, the lifework of Gerbert/Sylvester had to be ignored, and his unparalleled scientific achievements mocked and even made to look like the work of the devil.
Zsuzsanna Kossuth was Lajos Kossuth’s youngest sister, who, similarly to her revolutionary leader brother, was a devoted and selfless patriot. In April 1848 she set out to establish field hospitals to provide medical aid to soldiers wounded during the freedom fight, and she also created a large network of voluntary nurses.
‘It is evident that the international network—of which Direkt36 and De Tijd are integral part of—consistently criticizing the Hungarian government, is essentially accusing the Intelligence Office (IO) of doing its job, however absurd it seems. The true aim of the Brussels-led agencies has long been not to uncover the truth, but to weaken the Hungarian government and ultimately bring it down.’
‘Republicans should be especially concerned about their ability in the post-Trump era to retain gains in the Rust Belt, where the president-elect is uniquely popular among white working-class voters. Trump has twice carried Michigan and Pennsylvania, which hadn’t voted for a Republican candidate since 1988, and Wisconsin, which a Republican hadn’t won since 1984.’
Budapest’s communal transportation company BKV, as per its tradition since 2015, will put in service a special festive fleet of vehicles for the holidays this year as well. Starting today, 6 December, running until 23 December, it will include Santa Clause-themed buses, trolleys, and trams. Passengers will have to pay no extra fee to board these special rides.
In his regular Friday morning radio interview, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed Hungary’s foreign policy and economic priorities. Orbán underscored that without the involvement of the Biden administration, there would be no war in the EU’s neighborhood. He also praised the peace-promoting efforts of Pope Francis, whom he met this week during a visit to Vatican City.
According to a compilation of polls by EuropeElects.eu, Hungarians would have backed Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election over Democrat Kamala Harris by a massive 24-point margin. Meanwhile, the new President-elect is the least popular in Denmark, where only 4 per cent of voters would have supported him.
After meeting Fidesz MEPs in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary uploaded a short video to his Facebook page, in which he explains that despite the ‘lie campaign’ by Brussels, the Migration Pact does mandate Hungary to take in illegal migrants, which is why he opposes it; and that Hungary deserves ‘accolades, not punishment’ from the EU concerning border protection.
Nine months after a savage act of vandalism at Trinity College Cambridge, anger is growing at its lacklustre response.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated in an interview with Reuters that Ukraine should lower its conscription age to 18 from the current 25. In previous remarks he also said President Biden is ‘committed that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door [to Ukraine] between now and 20 January’.
On Wednesday, after barely three months in power, the French National Assembly voted no confidence in the government of Michel Barnier, toppling it—a scenario not seen since 1962. What is certain is that the largest EU member state will face months of political paralysis, but it remains unclear who will ultimately benefit. If an early presidential election were to occur, Marine Le Pen would likely emerge as the fortunate beneficiary.
Disney has released its official trailer for their Snow White film, starring Latina actress Rachel Zegler. Just weeks before, Zegler had a public meltdown over the US presidential election result, and wished that Trump supporters ‘may never know peace’. While she later apologized, the reactions to the trailer still have been overwhelmingly negative, foreshadowing yet another big flop for Disney.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó met with Donald Trump’s pick for National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (PST). The discussion centred on promoting peace in Ukraine, on which Hungary and the incoming Trump administration share a common stance.