Two pro-Hamas protests were also banned in Budapest last week. PM Viktor Orbán has vowed not to allow any ‘pro-terror demonstrations’ in Hungary.

The ceremony was attended by President Katalin Novák, former Presidents János Áder and Pál Schmitt, House Speaker László Kövér, several members of the government, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives of churches and parliamentary parties, and several justices of the Constitutional Court.

According to Mercedes-Benz Chairman Ola Källenius, the company’s Kecskemét plant is a crucial part of their global production network. He stated that the future is being built in Kecskemét, and this is not mere flattery, especially after the first EQB compact SUV model rolled off the production line in the plant in the autumn of 2021.

The minister explained that the negotiations’ next phase, according to plans, will commence this Thursday. The goal of the government is to start the financing of EU projects as soon as the negotiations regarding the authorizing of the release of the funds are completed.

US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman was quick to condemn PM Viktor Orbán’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on the social media platform X., suggesting the Hungarian prime minister was ‘pleading for business deals’. In response, Balázs Orbán pointed out that the US has in fact doubled its import of enriched uranium from Russia since the start of the war.

At the exhibition organized in collaboration with the National Hungarian Beekeeping Association, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy emphasized that currently only 0.1 per cent of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy budget is allocated for supporting the beekeeping sector.

The National Assembly of Bulgaria passed a new, €10.2 per megawatt-hour tax on Russian gas coming through the TurkStream pipeline. President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary have condemned the decision.

Hungarian President Katalin Novák hosted a gala dinner on Monday in Budapest to honour the two new Hungarian Nobel Laureates: Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz.

Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin last met in person on 1 February 2022 in Moscow, before the outbreak of the war on Ukraine. This time the two leaders discussed energy matters and bilateral cooperation. During their meeting, the Hungarian PM also emphasized the need to put an end to the fighting and achieve peace.

Programme participants can choose from e-learning courses that run for four or eight weeks, covering subjects like modern history, economics, psychology, law, literature, and international relations. There is also a Hungarian and English language writing skills development course. The programme’s goal is to educate and nurture secondary school students for the long term.

Viktor Orbán stated in Beijing that during President Xi Jinping’s tenure, Chinese–Hungarian relations have reached ‘unprecedented heights,’ which is extremely beneficial for Hungary. Orbán expressed gratitude to his host for the constant and unwavering support that Xi Jinping has provided for the development of bilateral relations.

In an interview with feol.hu, President Novák stressed that the success of Hungary’s recent Nobel laureates is further proof that Hungary had and still has excellent teachers. She added that the country must create the conditions for both the moral and financial appreciation of educators and acknowledged that ‘we’re not doing well’ in that respect.

The prime minister emphasized that China is Hungary’s ninth most significant trading partner, and in 2023, China became Hungary’s largest foreign direct investor once again. Companies with Chinese ownership provide employment to nearly 20,000 people in Hungary.

‘Just as a mother clings to her children, the Motherland also clings to her children, connecting Hungarian communities within and beyond our borders as if by an umbilical cord,’ President Novák emphasized in her remarks.

Jarosław Kaczyński, the PiS leader, described the results as a great success, emphasizing that his party has now won parliamentary elections for the fourth time in its history and the third consecutive time. He added, however, that whether PiS will be able to form a government remains a question.

The most important feature of the programme announced with a five billion forint budget is that state support will reach innovative startups through incubators. Incubators support early-stage startups in bringing their products based on new technologies to the market and in acquiring the necessary additional financing.

In his regular Friday morning interview, Orbán said the situation in Israel was a stark reminder of the value of peace and stability, and that elected leaders had a duty to protect it. Hungary, he said, had always opposed terrorism irrespective of which country was being targeted.

Hungarian director Béla Tarr is set to be honoured with the Honorary Award by the President and Board of the European Film Academy at the 36th European Film Awards in Berlin on 9 December.

In his regular Friday morning radio interview, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán noted that sympathy protests for terrorists are taking place throughout Europe. By contrast, he declared, Hungary will not allow such demonstrations.

In a recent op-ed published on NewsMax, CASEPAC Executive Director Bryan Leib expressed his conviction that support for Israel and the Jewish people ‘starts at the top,’ reminding that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán tweeted his condemnation of the brutal attack by Hamas as soon as news of it broke. Orbán also stood up for Israel’s right to self-defence, he noted, stressing that all of this is refreshing, especially when he sees antisemitism growing in America, and thousands of Americans taking to the streets to support Hamas.

As a result of a series of government initiatives, both households and institutional players have significantly increased their holdings of government bonds. In an unprecedented manner, households now hold a larger amount of government bonds than bank deposits.

Magyar Vagon Ltd. is affiliated with the President and CEO of MOL, Zsolt Hernáda, who, as of the 2023 edition of the list, is the seventh most influential individual in Hungary.

Viktor Orbán met the Georgian prime minister this week. He is expected to also attend a forum in China, where Vladimir Putin will also be present. This could be the first time the two meet since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

In a recent Facebook post, Péter Szijjártó informed that he had a phone conversation with the South Korean Foreign Minister Park Joo, in which they discussed not only issues of bilateral cooperation but also the significant challenges facing international security.

From 1 January, a new beverage packaging return system will be introduced in Hungary, where all beverage packaging labelled for return, including single-use glass, metal, and plastic bottles, will be eligible for return. When purchasing, customers will pay a uniform return fee of 50 forints per bottle, which will be reimbursed in the form of vouchers upon return.

Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s recent capacity expansion investment in Bük is set to create 280 new job opportunities, marking yet another milestone in Hungary’s impressive year of record-breaking investments, exports, and employment, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó made the announcement at the project’s inauguration ceremony.

Airlines are systematically cancelling or suspending their flights to Israel since the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas launched a comprehensive attack on the Jewish state on Saturday morning, resulting in hundreds of casualties. This resulted in significant drops in the companies’ share prices.

Minister Szijjártó expressed Hungary’s deep concern over the Israel terrorist attacks and their potential consequences, which could easily lead to one of the largest humanitarian disasters in history. He believes that this tragedy occurred at the worst possible time, as the process of normalizing the situation had just begun, and significant steps had been taken towards peace, which now could be jeopardized and rendered null.

Szili, who has participated in the commemoration event in previous years, recalled the inhumanity of the displacements and discussed the lasting consequences of the Beneš Decrees, the necessity of retaining ethnic-based politics, as well as the current state of national minorities and their possibilities for improvement in connection with the upcoming European Parliament elections next year.

‘The first thing we can wish for Israel in the current situation is that it should regain control over the entire territory of the state of Israel and establish the security guarantees needed to prevent similar bestial attacks from happening in the future,’ Gulyás said.