In a recently published analysis, POLITICO Brussels calls Hungary’s 2026 election the EU’s ‘most important’, while admitting that Brussels is invested in Viktor Orbán’s defeat. The piece frames Péter Magyar as a credible challenger and highlights how the EPP and Renew have embraced Tisza to ‘secure influence over Budapest’—as EU pressure on Hungary continues to mount.
Dutch right-wing commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek has been barred from entering the United Kingdom days after criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X. According to a notice she shared, her UK ETA was cancelled from 13 January because her presence ‘is not considered to be conducive to the public good,’ leaving her with no right of appeal.
According to a new poll released by The Economist, over 70 per cent of Venezuelans think that the political situation will be either a little or much better in their country within 12 months of President Maduro’s capture, while over 50 per cent outright approve of the US military’s operation.
Canadian conservative philosopher Gad Saad has announced the launch of his sixth book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to be Kind, now available for pre-order. In the book, Saad argues that ‘empathy politics’ has become a destructive force in the West, inverting moral priorities by protecting criminals over victims and privileging illegal migrants over citizens in the name of compassion.
‘Our analytical work covers areas including transport development, the housing crisis, the reuse of brownfield sites, Budapest’s large public parks, and the capital’s portfolio of development tenders…Beyond our professional work, we also aim to strengthen residents’ connection to their city through community programmes.’
Hungary’s Ministry for European Union Affairs has warned that Brussels’s expanding financing plans for Ukraine could translate into major budgetary pressure, reduced EU funding, and new policy demands hitting Hungarian households. European Affairs Minister János Bóka said the Commission’s approach points to ‘tax increases and cutbacks’ at home.
Swedish journalist Isabelle Eriksson says the Minnesota Somali fraud scandal is not an American exception but a familiar model she has investigated in Sweden: taxpayer-funded associations, phantom programmes, fake staff identities, and millions disappearing without consequences.
Martial artist Luana Márton and swimmer Hubert Kós were named Hungary’s Athletes of the Year at the Nemzeti Sport gala in Budapest. Márton won world championship gold in taekwondo in Wuxi, while Kós defended his men’s title with another victory in the 200-metre backstroke at the World Aquatics World Championships, this time in Singapore.
Marine Le Pen returns to court on 13 January as her appeal trial gets under way, challenging a conviction that bars her from holding public office for five years. At the centre of the case is whether the sanction is proportionate to the offence she was found guilty of.
Hungary’s economy is often labelled small, yet new analysis suggests this perception is misleading. A study by the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation shows that Hungary’s total economic output matches the combined GDP of several sovereign states, highlighting the country’s real economic weight in a global context.