‘In October of 2021, in the same elementary school, the homoerotic book, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson, was an approved book in the school library. Parents were criticizing the book at a school board meeting, but what was tragically comical is that the local newspaper couldn’t accurately report on the book because of pornography laws.’
As the Trump administration signals its intention to step back from peace talks over the war in Ukraine—pressuring Kyiv and Moscow to engage in direct negotiations—a new structure for peace efforts is beginning to take shape. In parallel, the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV is assuming an increasingly active role in the process, positioning Rome as the new epicentre of the negotiations.
Over the weekend, his family revealed that Former President Joe Biden had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. President Biden had also lost his son, Beau Biden, to cancer in 2015.
In a closely contested first round of Poland’s presidential election, Donald Tusk’s candidate Rafal Trzaskowski won 31.1 per cent of the vote, narrowly ahead of Karol Nawrocki, who trailed with 29.1 per cent according to the late poll. The run-off on 1 June is widely expected to hinge on voters from right-wing Konfederacja, whose support could tip the balance.
What will the future labour market in Hungary look like, and what challenges must employees, employers, and the state overcome to create a system that benefits all stakeholders? Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation and WHC joined forces to answer these questions in a comprehensive study examining current trends and future challenges, presented at a distinguished conference on Thursday.
‘We have heard Trump. We have heard Vance. We are taking notes. We are doing the work. But if we are to recover—from this economic dislocation, from cultural disorientation, from moral exhaustion—we will need your help. And if you choose not to offer it, because we are no longer good enough, or because better deals lie elsewhere—so be it.’
A recent survey by Századvég Foundation reveals that most Hungarians reject foreign influence in domestic politics and media, supporting new legislation that would restrict foreign-funded organizations seen as threats to national sovereignty.
The agreement is not just a matter for Ukraine and the US. There is a geopolitical realignment of the world’s raw materials markets, in which Europe’s interests are strongly involved. If US companies are, in practice, given priority access to Ukrainian raw materials, this could limit the EU’s room for manoeuvre at a time when the speed of the green transition will determine future competitiveness.
As the proposed meeting in Istanbul between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in limbo, Pope Leo XIV appears to have offered the Holy See’s mediation to the warring parties. The negotiations have gained new momentum as international pressure mounts on Russia to agree on a ceasefire.
White smoke signalled history in the making: the Catholic Church has elected its first American pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, emerged from the conclave with a call for peace and dialogue. A veteran of Latin American ministry and Vatican leadership, he inherits a Church reshaped by Pope Francis—and still deeply divided.