During the summer’s largest music festival in Hungary, approximately 160,000 foreign guests arrived, spending 10 per cent more nights in Budapest than during last year’s event. Considering foreign travellers, the most visitors once again came from the Netherlands, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain, according to the Hungarian Tourism Agency.
A Syrian migrant due to be deported stabbed three people to death in Solingen, Germany last Friday. On Monday Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the left-wing SPD party visited the site of the tragedy, and vowed to crack down on illegal migration in the country.
Hungary has been proactive in building strong economic ties and investing in energy production in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. Hungarian companies, such as MVM and MOL groups, play a key role in oil production in Kazakhstan and natural gas production in Azerbaijan. Notably, Hungary recently acquired a 5 per cent share in Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz natural gas field. The successful operations of Hungarian businesses in these countries, combined with the development of economic and transit projects, have elevated Hungary’s role within the EU as a bridge to these energy-rich nations, enhancing the EU’s access to diversified energy resources.
At the enlistment event Sergeant Ádám Boncz, a recruitment NCO, recalled to the media that the Defence Forces’ campaign titled ‘I Love It, I Protect It!’ was launched on 17 June and has since attracted continuous interest, with more and more citizens opting to join the reserve service of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
‘It seems to me that Orbán sees his people as having a greater chance of surviving the disintegration of the West by forming ties to China. He might be proven wrong by history. But make no mistake: the dilemma facing Viktor Orbán is a lot like that facing Grand Prince Géza: How to strengthen the position of the small Hungarian nation amid the struggle of powerful states and empires? Géza’s geopolitical decision to baptism his son as a Latin Christian set the course of Hungarian history for a millennium. The stakes may well be as high for Orbán today.’
In a podcast conversation with his daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, Dr Peterson reacted to the court’s dismissal by stating: ‘I’ll be sitting down with an expert, whatever that means, and they’re going to do whatever it is they think they can do to make me into an entirely different sort of creature than I am. And so I’m sort of morbidly curious about that. Yeah, Jordan Peterson’s reeducation is coming to the airwaves soon.’
While posing as made-up personas for his new documentary Am I Racist?, conservative political commentator Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire was able to get in and conduct interviews at a woke group therapy session, and even at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois last week.
‘Christian realism is not unprincipled power politics or mere pragmatism, but the intelligent use of power and politics for the sake of representing Christian ideas and the common good (bonum commune), within the bounds of worldly political constraints.’
The series, organized through the collaboration of the town’s cultural institutions, artistic associations, and businesses, will feature musical programmes, concerts, ballet and belly dance performances, street salsa, and contemporary dance shows.
Whether Pumi or Kuvasz, Wirehaired Vizsla or Mudi, all Hungarian dog breeds make excellent companions or working dogs. Meet the nine unique Hungarian breeds as we mark International Dog Day!
One of Hungary’s largest political festivals, Tranzit, took place again in Tihany over the weekend. Now in its seventh year, the event featured speeches by prominent government politicians such as Péter Szijjártó, Balázs Orbán, and Antal Rogán. While the festival primarily focused on the Hungarian economy, it also addressed crucial issues such as sovereignty, migration, and foreign policy.
The Hungarian prime minister has granted an interview to sports daily Nemzeti Sport to discuss the country’s performance at the Paris Olympics this summer. While he believes that the six gold medals won is a ‘respectable showing’, he also thinks that Hungary’s rightful place is in the top ten in the medal table. Also, while he is proud of his country being the best-performing in Eastern Europe, he thinks that it is the interest of Hungary that other countries in the region be successful in sports as well.
András Halbritter, founder of the foundation promoting school gardens in Hungary, recalled that the movement began in Germany after the Chernobyl disaster and started in Hungary following the regime change, accelerating in the early 2010s. The expert listed several goals of the school garden programme, including instilling a love of the land in children, promoting a focus on sustainability, encouraging young people to consider agricultural careers, and practically imparting ecological literacy.
The escalation has raised concerns of a broader conflict in the region, as Israel declared a 48-hour state of emergency and placed restrictions on public gatherings and transport across the northern regions. Both sides have signalled that further actions may be taken, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to protect the nation at all costs, while Hezbollah indicated that their response to ‘Israel’s provocations’ was only beginning.
The Nézőpont Institute’s survey found that 69 per cent of Hungarians consider Ukraine’s imposed sanctions unacceptable, and only 22 per cent perceive them as acceptable. Strong disapproval of Kyiv’s move seems to be a sentiment shared across party lines in Hungary.
Although it must be acknowledged that King Rudolf of Germany owed his victory primarily to his perseverance and strategic talent, there is no doubt that the Hungarian auxiliaries compensated for the small size of his army and seriously confused the Bohemian King Ottokar II. It is highly probable that without the thousands of Hungarian auxiliaries, the German King would not have undertaken the clash at the time and place he did.
Most pollsters did a lousy job in 2020 in the United States, most often overestimating the popularity of Joe Biden. This year polls have claimed a Kamala Harris surge since Biden withdrew from the race, with many conservatives now fearing that Trump may be defeated after all by the clearly incompetent, but allegedly popular Democratic candidate. But the numbers recorded in the five battleground states that decided the last election seem to suggest otherwise.
An in-depth interview with Erika and József Megyeri, former and current presidents of the Hungarian Communion of Friends, about their families’ emigration to the U.S., their involvement in the life of the local Hungarian community as teenagers, and how and why they decided to play a leading role in community building.
‘Without a sovereign economic policy, Hungary would not be successful,’ Antal Rogán pointed out on the opening day of the Tranzit Festival. The Head of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office discussed the Hungarian family support system, digital citizenship, and the resilience of the Hungarian economy even in times of crisis.
‘The current Embassy has been very active in supporting the retention of the culture and also in organizing community events and film screenings, and joining us in National Day celebrations.’
Hungary’s first smart kindergarten has opened its doors, providing children with the opportunity to learn the skills they need to start school in the most modern conditions. However, the kindergarten is not just smart in terms of its equipment; the education offered is also digitally focused and tailored to meet the demands of the digital age.
The audience in Zsámbék will have the opportunity to see János Lackfi’s play Medveles (Bearspotting) for the first time, thanks to the collaboration between Allee Management and the Zsámbék Summer Theatre. The play will be performed on 24 August on the outdoor stage of the Zichy Castle in Zsámbék. Based on Gyöngyi Porkoláb’s podcast series apamondta.hu, the play explores the fascinating aspects of father-son relationships.
Puskás Akadémia achieved an amazing 3–3 draw away to Fiorentina in the Conference League qualifying round on Thursday. The Hungarian side, relatively new to the European stage, is now in a promising position for next week’s return leg.
In July 2024 the average number of employed persons aged 15–74 increased by 20,000 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH). On the domestic primary labour market, 4.580 million people were employed, 26,000 more than a year earlier.
According to information from the parliament’s press office, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament László Kövér informed his Indonesian counterpart Puan Maharani about the Hungarian government’s commitment to deepening relations with partners in Southeast Asia with the aim of finding joint answers to global challenges.
According to Eurostat’s August report, Hungary was among the top third of member states in terms of emission reductions in the first quarter of 2024. Hungary managed to reduce its GHG emissions while also increasing its economic performance in the first three months of this year.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary upon the recommendation of Viktor Orbán. Under Vučić’s presidency, relations between the two countries have significantly advanced, as evidenced by the improved situation of Hungarians in Vojvodina, substantial infrastructural developments, and close cooperation in the areas of migration and energy.
The campaign remembers the victims of 20th-century totalitarian regimes in Europe, on the 85th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on 23 August 1939.
In 2015 Dániel Balogh followed his dream and moved to Iceland to work. The Hungarian restaurateur, who began his journey in the Northern country as a chef, has now opened his own food truck. Together with his Icelandic partner, he sells lángos in a fairytale setting at the foot of the Sólheimajökull glacier.
At a ceremony welcoming the heads of public education institutions run by district centres Education State Secretary Zoltán Maruzsa highlighted that the government’s new measures are expected to eliminate staff shortages and allow teachers to focus more on their professional duties.