The 29th Svet Knihy, or Book World Prague International Book Fair and Literary Festival, will feature around 800 exhibitors from 40 countries. On Friday, 24 May the Hungarian organizers will host a V4 literary discussion about the impact of Franz Kafka’s works on Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, and Polish literature and culture.

In his remarks to officials working in the US capital and foreign diplomats, Ambassador Takács pointed out that for the sake of Ukraine and its society, peace and a ceasefire are needed. The sooner negotiations aimed at this can begin, the fewer further casualties will have to be suffered. The Ambassador also emphasized the importance of NATO remaining a defensive alliance focusing on deterrence.

Gergely Karácsony confidently leads the race for the mayor of Budapest, according to a survey by the Publicus Institute: 46 per cent of all respondents would vote for him in the municipal elections on 9 June.

Fico was shot in the town of Handlová after an off-site government meeting on 5 May. The pre-trial detention of the suspected perpetrator has been ordered by a Slovak court.

Eight adults were on the motorboat, five of whom—three men and two women—are still being searched for intensively, two were found dead. The ongoing investigation involves IT and water rescue experts. The aim is to determine if anyone is criminally responsible for the accident.

This year, the event will feature over fifty programmes across four stages. In the afternoons discussions introducing prominent authors and their new works will be held, while evenings will offer musical literary productions envisioned for Margó. The festival will include performances by Tudósok, Miklós Vecsei and Gergely Balla with their Mondjad Atikám József Attila evening, while slam poets Pion x Krizsó will play from their Népi lira album.

In an interview with public media Minister of Energy Csaba Lantos informed that the recently concluded China-Hungary bilateral agreements cover, among others, nuclear research and development, training cooperation, expanding the electric vehicle charging network, and examining the possibility of creating a critically important connection between the Hungarian and Serbian oil pipeline systems.

As part of the SopronFest series, János Áder, Chairman of the Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation, addressed various topics during the recorded conversation, including the difference in attitudes towards environmental issues between Generation Y, which grew up with digitalization, and Generation Z, which was born into it.

László Kövér stated that the 20th century has shown Hungarians that a liveable future cannot be achieved in the battlefields. The future is in the homes being built and in nurseries, kindergartens, and schools, not in destroyed, burnt-out towns, the House Speaker stressed.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary needs economic relations, not ideological ones, with both East and West in terms of future high technologies.

The district mayor of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in Brussels, Emir Kir, issued an administrative order to prohibit the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) scheduled for 16⁠–⁠17 April, citing ‘ensuring public safety’ as the reason. MCC, a co-organizer of the event, has now launched legal proceedings against Kir, claiming that the order violated the right of free speech.

According to the findings of the Project Europe research by Századvég, public attitudes towards combat readiness in Europe significantly differ regarding armed conflict within or beyond national borders. According to the survey, 59 per cent of EU respondents would fight for their country within their own borders, while 27 per cent would not be willing to do so.

Speaking to the Hungarian media after the meeting, János Bóka evaluated that the past five-year institutional cycle has been fundamentally marked by failures in the European Union, which faced numerous historical challenges to which it failed to provide adequate responses.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni believes that the only viable path which takes everyone’s interests into account is to have a debate on how to stop illegal immigration into Europe. ‘The only serious approach involves cooperation with the origin and transit countries,’ she emphasized at a press event in Milan on Tuesday.

According to EBRD’s forecast, Hungary’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to expand by 2.2 per cent this year and by 3.5 per cent next year.

CEO of MTVA Dániel Papp expressed that during the most challenging times, it was sport that Hungarian society could cling to, as it provided a sense of freedom.

In his remarks at the inauguration of MOL’s new plant in Tiszaújváros, the Prime Minister emphasized that an important element of the Hungarian industrial strategy is to incentivize Hungarian companies to enter foreign markets using state resources.

Currently, the greatest challenge lies in the infrastructure associated with electric vehicles, particularly the lack of charging networks. In this regard, it was noted that Europe lacks a cohesive, long-term, fast, and hassle-free continental network, which should be developed through both public and private investments.

The Hungarian Post aims to draw attention to the importance of voluntary blood donation through the issuance of a new commemorative stamp designed by graphic artist Nóra Horváth and produced in 40,000 copies. The Blood Donation stamps are available from Monday at Filaposta, philatelic service points, select post offices, and the Hungarian Post’s webshop.

Schaeffler Savaria Ltd, a manufacturer of automotive components, has expanded its site in Szombathely with a logistics hall covering an area of ​​6,200 square metres and an office building of 2,200 square metres. The new facility includes meeting rooms, changing rooms, and a conference centre suitable for hosting international events.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade described the Chinese President’s three-day visit with a 400-member delegation as historically significant. He explained that it has been twenty years since a Chinese President last visited Hungary; moreover, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The minister recalled that the world has been facing direct threats of war for the past two years, and the renewed global competition among major powers has fundamentally changed the relationship between governments and citizens regarding security.

Among other agreements, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced preparations for the joint development of a high-speed railway connection, aimed at enabling swift and comfortable travel from the Liszt Ferenc Airport to the centre of Budapest. In addition, the possibility of building an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia will be explored with Chinese and Serbian partners, as well as the expanding of Sino-Hungarian cooperation to nuclear energy initiatives.

The Chinese President emphasized that during their discussions with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán they agreed that China and Hungary have always been good friends, trusting each other, assisting one another, and striving to establish mutually beneficial relationships.

China’s president Xi Jinping arrived in Hungary late last night. He is expected to stay in Hungary until Friday. Today he was welcomed with a military ceremony by President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Buda Castle.

The goal of the roadshow is to integrate sustainable and eco-friendly energy into everyday life and promote green transitions. The series of events offer attendees the opportunity to test their skills in go-kart slaloms, acquaint themselves with road safety at the Road Safety Park, explore an e-car exhibition, and experience various virtual ‘exhibitions’ related to green mobility through VR goggles.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister was in London on Wednesday for talks with his UK counterpart, David Cameron, discussing the war in Ukraine, migration, and energy issues. Péter Szijjártó also participated in a panel discussion at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, arguing, among other things, for the need to replace the Brussels leadership.

The second volume of the publication titled Hungarian Rock History presents the stories of prominent figures in the domestic rock music scene, including Bikini, Kontroll Csoport, KFT, Edda, Karthago, Quimby, and Kispál és a Borz, uniquely depicted in comic book format.

The political director of the Hungarian PM underscored in an interview with public media that the Chinese President’s visit also signifies that Hungary is becoming a key state in the region. He recalled that it has been twenty years since a Chinese president last visited Hungary, and during this time, China has become a superpower and one of the strongest countries economically, in leading positions in numerous technological industries.

It was already known that the Hungarian duo was in a qualifying position, but the right to compete became official on Tuesday, when the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) published the list of quota doubles.