The high-profile clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool ended in a scoreline very dear to Hungarian football fans, 3–6, to Liverpool. Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai scored a goal and made an assist during the victory solidifying the Reds’ place on top of the Premier League table for Christmas.

As the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU concludes, even EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a frequent critic of the Orbán administration, has praised its achievements at a press conference. She highlighted the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal, expanding the Schengen Area to Romania and Bulgaria, and progress on the Western Balkan EU expansion.

Actress Rachel Zegler, who wished that Donald Trump and his supporters ‘may never have peace’ after the 2024 US presidential election, had to suffer major embarrassment after her new film Y2K became a giant box office flop, even being beaten by the re-release of the Christmas classic White Christmas from the 1950s. Zegler will also star in Disney’s Snow White film next year, despite being Latina.

The Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, under the Hungarian presidency, has agreed on the general approach to have EU Member States better align their criminal laws on migrant smuggling. Out of the 380,00 illegal border crossings recorded in 2023, about 90 per cent were facilitated by smugglers, according to Europol.

A video analysis by TLDR News EU suggests Viktor Orbán’s long tenure as Prime Minister of Hungary may be coming to an end in 2026 at last. However, our own, rebuttal analysis of polling and election data, as well as the cultural issues for Hungarian voters, purport that that is an unlikely outcome.

Since the Budapest City Council did not elect a Deputy Mayor in their November session, Capital Government Commissioner Botond Sára is taking the municipal government to court for failing to comply with its legal obligations. Sára has also raised concerns over the city budget, saying that Budapest is ‘nearing bankruptcy’.

Pollster Ann Selzer, who had been remarkably accurate in the state prior, showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading President Trump by three points in Iowa in the 2024 presidential election. President Trump ended up winning by 13.2 points, meaning a 16-point miss for Selzer. Her subsequent retirement left many to speculate about a case of bribery, and Trump has now launched a civil suit against her, alleging fraud.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was critical of his counterparts in other EU Member States for still pushing for arms supplies instead of negotiating a ceasefire, in a Facebook post he shared as he set off to attend the last EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Hungarian EU presidency. Earlier, he also revealed in a radio interview that President Zelenksyy of Ukraine refused to have a phone conversation with PM Orbán.

Hungary beat France 25–24 in the play-off for third place at the 2024 European Women’s Handball Championship in Vienna, Austria. This is the fourth bronze medal Hungary have won in the competition, after 1998, 2004, and 2012. Right back Katrin Klujber from Ferencváros finished as the top scorer of the tournament.

Hungary will face Armenia, Ireland, and the winner of the Portugal–Denmark Nations League quarter-final in the group stage of the European qualification round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Hungary have not made an appearance at the World Cup since 1986.

Time Magazine awarded its Person of the Year title, which has been given out since 1927, to Donald Trump after his great comeback victory in the 2024 US presidential election despite unprecedented challenges. This is the second time he has received the title after 2016, making him one of the 15 individuals to win it more than once.

After meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Tuesday and having a lengthy phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Wednesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary travelled to Ankara, Türkiye to continue discussions about the potential peace in the Russo-Ukrainian war with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye this time.

Alexandra Szentkirályi, the Chairwoman of the Budapest branch of the ruling Fidesz party and 2024 Budapest Mayoral candidate, has sat down with urban planning expert Koppány Kőrösi, prop master Endre Pallós, location manager Viktor Mitev, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó of Hungary in the debut episode of her new talk show all about Hungary’s beloved capital city, Budapest.

The 118th meeting of the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) was hosted in Budapest, Hungary last week, as part of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The leaders of the pharmaceutical industry discussed pressing issues such as regulation, international cooperation, and shortages of medicines at the event.

Bryan Leib, who is in the running to become the next US Ambassador to Hungary, has called on his potential predecessor David Pressman to remove the speech he made right before the US election results came in, titled ‘Hungary’s gambling problem’; stating that ‘this type of political theater and activism is unacceptable.’

In a survey by Daily Mail and J.L. Partners, one of the most accurate predictors of the result of the 2024 US presidential election, incumbent President Joe Biden was ranked as the worst among nine recent Presidents by 1,006 registered voters. Biden’s term was plagued by low approval ratings, constant questioning of his mental acuity, and, not least, a historically controversial pardon for his son.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

Under the Hungarian government’s newly launched Sándor Demján Programme, local businesses can apply for grants from a fund of 100 billion HUF. This is part of the government’s grand economic plan aiming to double the size of Hungarian businesses; and further strengthen the small and medium enterprises in the country.

Viktor Orbán has met with His Holiness the Pope for the fourth time, once every year since their initial meeting in 2021. The Prime Minister stated that this meeting in Vatican City was part of his ‘peace mission,’ and news reports confirm that the Russo-Ukrainian war was the main topic of discussion between the two world leaders.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary paid a visit to Moscow after the Biden administration put Russian Gazprombank on its sanctions list, hindering the energy-related transactions of many European countries. Minister Szijjártó assured all a solution will be found to the problem, and reiterated Hungary’s stance for a negotiated peace in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

History professor Allan Lichtman’s Keys to the White House model predicted Kamala Harris would win the 2024 election, which, evidently, was won by Donald Trump instead. Professor Lichtman can’t seem to accept that his model failed, so he argued that it missed because it relies on ‘a rational, pragmatic electorate’—is that really why ‘the great predictor’ missed?

European competitiveness was made the top priority of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2024, thus the meetings of the EU Competitiveness Council have carried special, added significance to them. The last of these meetings took place last week under the Hungarian Presidency, where five conclusions were adopted by the Member States.

A recent AFP articles titled ‘Orban’s soft power shines as Hungary hosts Israeli match’ apparently praised the Hungarian leadership for welcoming many Israeli football teams in the midst of the ongoing Hamas–Israel war. However, as expected, the piece also insinuates that the Hungarian government at times ‘veers into’ antisemitism, citing as an example the anti-Soros billboard campaign of 2017.