Having previously secured victories against Montenegro with a score of 26–24 on Friday and Serbia with a score of 28–27 on Sunday, the 33–25 victory over Iceland on Tuesday marked Hungary’ first continental tournament where the team progressed from the group stage with three wins.

The Jerusalem Post has learned that the Hungarian and German governments have granted citizenship and issued passports to some of the Israeli hostages abducted on 7 October by Hamas. Some of those hostages have since been released, while others remain captive. The Hungarian MFAT has not yet commented on the report.

Speaking at the opening of an MVM customer service office in Nagykáta, Pest County, Zsófia Koncz emphasized that since 2013, the government has considered keeping the utility cost reduction programme in place a top priority.

In a telephone interview with Hungarian state news agency MTI, Judit Varga, referring to Ukraine’s planned EU integration, highlighted that the Western Balkans countries have been waiting for EU membership for two decades, and called for an approach based on merit in the accession process, avoiding double standards and expedited pathways.

Following the meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Szijjártó disclosed that consultations have begun to ensure the success of Hungary’s rotating EU presidency in the latter half of 2024.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Gábor Czepek told former President János Áder in the latest episode of the Blue Planet podcast that the Hungarian government’s goal is to produce at least 50 per cent of electricity sustainably by the early 2030.

The European Parliament is threatening to revoke Hungary’s voting rights, with 120 MEPs petitioning for the launching of the next level Article 7 proceedings against Hungary ahead of a key EU summit in February.

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy of Hungary shared that the countries of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania sent a letter to the European Commission, urging it to intervene and help mediate the effects of the mass quantities of cheap, low-quality grain from Ukraine entering the European market.

While out on bond in August, Lira said in a YouTube video that if he is convicted, he would certainly perish in a Ukrainian labour camp. Tragically, he was wrong—he died while awaiting trial, in the captivity of the Zelenskyy regime.

The transformation of global supply chains has accentuated the importance of the Budapest–Belgrade railway. As a result, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) may become profitable not in the widely reported 979 years, but in only a few years. If the project lives up to expectations, it will not only prove the success of Hungary‘s Opening to the East policy and connectivity goals, but will also position Hungary as a preferable investment destination.

The strengthening of the energy ties between the three neighbouring countries is set to enhance the efficiency and profitability of trading and reinforce Hungary’s energy sovereignty.

Katalin Novák expressed that the greatness of heroes stems from the fact that, in essence, they are not different from us. People who became heroes were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, individuals grappling with the everyday challenges of life. Their exceptionalism arose from their unwavering commitment to making the right decisions even in the most difficult circumstances, the President pointed out.

The new Criminal Code of Hungary is one of the strictest in Europe, leading to more criminals being sentenced to incarceration for longer periods of time, necessitating larger prison capacities.

According to a study conducted by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), printed weekly newspapers have lost the most readers, registering a 25.2 per cent decline in readership. Monthly or periodically published periodicals saw a decrease of 23.5 per cent, while daily newspapers experienced a 5.7 per cent decline.

The governing Fidesz-KDNP party coalition in Hungary has maintained their support, while fewer would vote for the parties of the left-wing alliance than did in 2022, as revealed by a joint political year-opening roundtable discussion organized by five polling institutes on Thursday, 11 January in Budapest.

According to press reports, Giorgia Meloni is in an endeavour to persuade Viktor Orbán to withdraw his veto on the €50 billion EU aid to Ukraine, offering a unique deal in return. Kyiv could soon face severe challenges or even collapse without substantial foreign financial assistance.

Miklós Szánthó announced that the conference will be taking place between 25–26 April, and the keynote speaker will be Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary.

In recent weeks, the Western alliance behind Ukraine seems to have split: one side is beginning to acknowledge the realities and is pushing for peace talks, while the other side wants to keep pouring money and arms into Ukraine.

Bence Rétvári declared that the ‘Brussels bureaucrats’ fear that anti-migration forces will advance in the European Parliament elections. Therefore, ‘in a panic,’ they resurrected previous migration-friendly proposals.

According to the ministry’s statement, the Hungarian Foreign Minister underscored that one of the main priorities of Hungarian foreign policy remains the acceleration of Western Balkan integration. Consequently, Hungary will dedicate particular attention to this goal during its upcoming EU presidency.

Last year, 22,651 vehicles with official green markings were registered domestically, making 2023 another record year, surpassing the nearly 21,000-unit expansion peak in 2022.

In her welcoming speech at the reception of the Ambassadors accredited to Hungary, President Novák addressed the global challenges facing our world, the future of Europe, and Hungary’s role on the international stage.

The university’s public statement recalled that since 2019, researchers have been conducting excavations near the Transylvanian village of Valiora. Their findings include numerous bones from vertebrates that lived at the end of the Cretaceous period. Scientific analyses of the artefacts are still ongoing.

According to the ten-page study by the international credit rating agency, the stable outlook is supported by the region’s expected robust macroeconomic performance. In addition, the economies of the countries in the region have been relatively resilient to the European energy supply crisis.

The Mayor deemed the Transport Minister’s fare community proposal, the acceptance of county and country passes in the capital, and the preservation of the Budapest pass as steps in a positive direction on Tuesday, as conveyed through a post on his Facebook page.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has called for the creation of a common European army. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the question of how Europe can defend itself against the threats it faces has become increasingly pressing.

The winners of the 66th edition of the award show were announced live on air on M4 Sport, at the ceremonial Athletes of the Year Awards show at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest on Monday evening.

Approximately 8.5 billion cubic metres of gas was used, indicating a decrease of 1 billion cubic metres, or 10.9 per cent, compared to the 2022 level, and a substantial 2.5 billion cubic metres, or 23 per cent, reduction compared to 2021, as reported by the Ministry of Energy.

Péter Szijjártó opined that, given all the elections taking place in the world from the United States to Europe, this year will be the political equivalent of the Super Bowl.

This initiative aims to enhance the scientific utilization of data from planetary exploration spacecraft like JUICE. A comprehensive overview of the experiment was recently published in the prestigious Space Science Reviews journal.