The US Senate has broken the months-long stalemate by voting in favour of the Ukraine aid bill. The political significance of this decision is indisputable, but what implications does it hold for the course of the war?
For the first time in the 2024 primary season, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in turnout in a swing state. President Trump also got a substantially lower vote total than President Biden. However, Pennsylvania was the only state in which President Trump was polling behind President Biden to begin with, and he can still win in November by taking states where he has been performing better, both in the polls and in the primaries.
Among others, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Parov Stelar, Thievery Corporation, Yungblud, Body Count featuring Ice-T, Take That, Scooter, Bring Me The Horizon, Carl Cox, Rise Against, and Thomas Anders are featured in the Budapest Park’s lineup this year.
‘Last week in the United States, President Joe Biden released new rules governing Title IX, a part of American civil rights law governing its application to discrimination against women. With no participation of Congress, Biden’s administration declared that the Title IX rules now generally apply to transgendered people. The meaning of this cannot be understated. The civil rights law passed to protect women now protects men who declare themselves to be women.’
An independent exhibition focusing on Hungarian design was presented at one of the world’s largest design events, Milan Design Week, at the Triennale Milano Museum building earlier this week.
‘Hungary has the ability to initiate some proposals to its neighbours regarding what steps to take to reduce the harmful effects of the war. The region needs to agree on what the long-term interests of its countries in the region are in the shadow of the war in Ukraine,’ China’s foremost political scientist holds.
‘On average, women hold one third of managerial positions in the EU. In Hungary, the figure has been 39–40 per cent since 2010, and although it dropped a little during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still among the top member states. ILO, the UN’s labour organization, also has a rate for senior and middle management positions in its databases, which is also above 35 per cent in Hungary.’
The Chinese scholar observed that whereas technological advancement—from the telegraph and 5G or from the industrial revolution to the digital age—progresses linearly, global politics exhibits ‘retrogressive’ dynamics or regression. The First World War was a regression in comparison to the calm times of before it began; the interwar years were a period of growth, while the Second World War was also a regression. In his view, the current era also represents a step backwards.
The Ukrainian government is working on blacklisting 14 products by the Hungarian pharmaceutical company Richter. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó believes that this has no professional basis, only political, and spoke up against the planned bannings at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg.
Six direct flights will connect Hungary and China starting this summer, following Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó’s announcement in Beijing on Tuesday of a new service from Budapest to Xi’an. Direct connectivity plays a vital role in Sino–Hungarian economic and trade relations.
While one might envision the European right as a cohesive entity, significant differences exist between the two prominent EP political groups, ECR and ID, particularly on crucial issues such as the war in Ukraine. As the summer EP elections draw nearer, the pressing question revolves around whether and how the conservative forces across the continent can be unified in the new parliament.
After years of negotiations and legal battles, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill passed on the floor of Parliament, with 240 members voting ‘content’ and 211 voting ‘not content’. Welcoming the passing of the bill, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that planes with migrants on board will be ready to take off and fly to Rwanda in East Africa in 10–12 weeks.
Conservatism is different in every nation, and so is approach to energy solutions. In this interview, Arvid Hallén, the founder of the only Swedish conservative think tank, Oikos, addresses these topics and also provides some background on Sweden’s NATO accession.
In the first two phases of the nationwide laptop programme launched in 2022, 260,000 portable computers were provided free of charge to upper-grade students, teachers, and educational institutions. From this week until the beginning of the summer break, an additional nearly 194,000 devices will be distributed, while starting from autumn 2024, current fourth and eighth graders will be next in line.
‘First, cannabis was licensed for medical use, then legalization became more widespread. It is the typical slippery slope. In fact, there are doors that, once opened, cannot be closed. Society-shaping (disruptive) philanthropists like George Soros, who have been at the forefront of making drug use easier for decades, know this all too well.’
The minister underscored that strengthening ties with the United Arab Emirates, a significant economic and military power in the Gulf region, can complement Hungary’s defence development programme, whether it involves defence-oriented research, innovation, or the manufacturing of military equipment.
In a February episode of the Reflections from Budapest podcast the Director-General of the Tikvah Fund highlighted the neo-Marxist narrative in the West which holds that ‘weak is just’, and since the Palestinians are presented as weak, Israel is portrayed as their oppressor.
Since Hungary joined the European Union, Fidesz has emerged victorious in every European election. Analysts predict that this trend will continue this year, with Fidesz expected to maintain its winning streak.
‘The apocalyptic notion of overpopulation, which is taught in grade schools, instilled in centers of higher education, and pushed by NGOs, has even drawn together conservative politicians with their left colleagues, though for different motives. The latter sustain the pretext of saving the environment at all cost, even at the cost of human beings themselves. The former, instead, argue on the vitality of offsetting the growing fertility among immigrants with that of their decreasing indigenous population.’
‘I agree with those who think that historical authenticity should not be scrutinized in a historical adventure movie, because it should primarily work with exciting characters and a story that simply draws from historical events but does not aspire to document them. I still wonder where the vision of the course of history and its essential moments, mentioned by the producer, are to be found in the movie?’
Semjén stressed the importance of getting ethnic Hungarian representation in the European Parliament from Romania, and therefore urged everyone to vote for the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania’s (RMDSZ) ticket.
Prime Minister Orbán spoke to Yoram Hazony at a panel discussion at NatCon 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. A two-minute clip of the interview, in which he discusses illegal migration and Hungary’s approach to it, went viral on X, receiving over 40,000 likes.
In the absence of any condemnatory reaction from the European Parliament regarding the surreal events that occurred at last week’s National Conservatism Conference, seven MEPs have drafted an open letter to EP President Roberta Metsola, calling on her to denounce this significant infringement of freedom of expression.
The bill will now go to the Democratic-majority Senate, where it is not expected to face any obstacles and could be signed by President Joe Biden within a week. Hard-line Republicans have again vowed to impeach House Speaker Mike Johnson for bringing the proposal to the House floor.
About 5 per cent of the Hungarian GDP is generated by the auto industry, therefore, initially, the EU’s decision to ban the sale of all new combustion-engine cars in 2035 was met with resistance in Hungary. Due to the ban, it is expected that from 2035 on practically only electric vehicles will be allowed to be sold in the European single market, which could have left the Hungarian economy that was dependent on the old technology vulnerable. Fortunately, however, Hungary showed a remarkable ability to adapt to the changing circumstances. In the past two years since the ban was proposed electric battery manufacturers have been engaged, which helps facilitate the green transition of the Hungarian car industry.
In a recent op-ed John Bolton argues that the White House failed to recognize that the real conflict in the region is not between the Palestinians or Arabs and Israel, but Iran’s war against Israel.
‘Like many, I still cannot believe that Wilders could become prime minister, given his years of demagogic outbursts and his abysmal reputation among the parts of the nation that ‘matter’. He shocked polite society with condescending statements about Dutch Muslims and unworkable, discriminatory policy proposals.’
Ilaria Salis, the Antifa member who is being tried for brutally beating up a Hungarian man with her accomplices in Budapest in February 2023, accepted her candidacy for a seat in the European Parliament by the Italian far-left Greens and Left Alliance party. Her lawyer argues that this grants her immunity automatically, without having to actually win a seat in the elections in June.
The modern reader might scoff at the medieval chronicler’s words about divine assistance, even dismiss it as gibberish, as he rather tries to find rational reasons for military victory. This attitude, however, fit in perfectly with medieval thinking, and the protagonists were fully convinced that their success or failure was due to the gaining or lack of heavenly support.
NATO accession, defending the countries of Central Europe, success in academia and standing up for one’s heritage. These topics interest many these days, and Joanna Siekiera is an expert on them. In this interview she discusses the ‘blocking’ of Swedish NATO accession, the influence of smaller EU countries globally, academia and cybersecurity.