Katalin Novák reminded that in the last 30 years, the population of Hungary has decreased by more than 700,000, and the ethnic Hungarian population of the neighbouring countries has also significantly diminished. However, she said, that decline is not something that cannot be stopped. ‘Let the Carpathian Basin be the source of passing on life,’ she declared.

Today’s Budapest was created on 17 November 1873 by the merger of Pest on the left bank of the Danube and Buda and Óbuda on the right bank. The rich and tumultuous history of these settlements has been documented since the 11th century.

On the basis of the ten-point proposal developed by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Hungarian government is launching a 2.9 billion forint Automotive Supplier Development Programme to enhance the role of Hungarian businesses as suppliers of multinationals in Hungary.

The festival’s highlighted theme is the world of historical comics. Enthusiasts can hear from renowned experts and practitioners in a roundtable discussion about the depiction of past events in comic panels. Attendees can get a glimpse into the world of French historical comics, engage in exciting discussions about the symbolism of swords in mythology and comics.

Minister of EU Affairs János Bóka of Hungary told reporters in Belgium on Wednesday that the EU’s policy of sending excessive military aid to Ukraine should be critically re-evaluated. The minister also declared that the EU must demand that the hostages held by Hamas be released immediately and unconditionally.

Speaking at the MEDays Forum international conference, the Hungarian foreign minister stressed that as a result of mistaken immigration policies, parallel societies have emerged in Western Europe. He remarked that what Europeans are seeing is ‘loud minorities exerting pressure on those who have lived there for centuries…and the threat of terrorism intensifying’.

The rise in reported incident numbers does not necessarily indicate a real increase in the number of attacks, as more cases come to light partly due to regulatory reporting obligations, it was revealed in the organization’s annual report.

16 November marks the day when Rear Admiral, and later Regent, Miklós Horthy marched into Budapest in 1919, symbolically ending the Hungarian Soviet Republic. This remains a controversial event to this very day: while on the one hand, it ended a period of chaos and dictatorship, on the other hand, it bolstered the so-called White Terror.

Although Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen was acquitted by a court of second instance, the legal battle, unfortunately, may not be fully won. As Räsänen wrote in a press release, she hopes ‘the prosecutor will be satisfied with the decision, but if not, I am ready to defend freedom of expression and religion also before the Supreme Court of Finland, and if necessary, even before the European Court of Human Rights.’  It soon turned out that the prosecutor is considering turning to the Supreme Court.

Although the synods, as we have seen above, have sought to act against excesses in the clothing of preachers, several sources attest that, in many cases, it was the deacons who had to discourage pastors from the temptations of fashion.

The new national stadium opened its door exactly four years ago today—its inaugural game was an international football friendly between Hungary and Uruguay. Since then, it has seen many great clashes and has routinely been filled to the brim with fans in the past few years.

Alongside the distribution of laptops that started last year, more than 4,000 locations have been equipped with wireless internet access, and with a budget of 10 billion forints, the electrical networks of the relevant institutions have been renovated.

‘We are very lucky to have a building, a home, which belongs to every Hungarian person and organization. I started to encourage the small communities to participate in our events or use the building for theirs. We aim to become a community centre, a hub for all Hungarians and friends of Hungary.’

One of the star players of the Israeli national team brought with him the boot of a kidnapped football player, which he showed reporters at the press conference in Felcsút.

If the draft law is adopted, guest workers in Hungary will be employable only under the strictest rules, and foreigners will be allowed to work in Hungary only if no Hungarian workers are available for the vacancies they seek to fill.

There is a group of people who will demand photos of Jewish victims and then, when they get them, rejoice in the fact of the killings. Meanwhile, one cannot forget that there is obviously a benign, uninformed majority that can be persuaded by either side, and Israel must not give up the possibility of persuasion.

In a bizarre speech, Canadian Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen alleged, with no basis whatsoever, that the Conservatives in parliament oppose the modernized trade deal with Ukraine because one of them had a trip to London paid by the Hungarian Danube Institute last summer.

Hungary’s economy expanded by 0.9 per cent in the third quarter of this year compared with the previous quarter, adjusted data show, and contracted by 0.4 per cent year on year, based on unadjusted data, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Tuesday.

The government aims to have the closest possible ties with the motherlands of Hungary’s ethnic communities, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said, adding that even when there are disagreements, they must not have any negative consequences for national minority groups.

The German version of the travel blog Weloveholidays has compiled the nine most popular castles in Europe, based on Instagram posts and TripAdvisor reviews, for the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company’s foundation. The Buda Castle ended up being ranked #8.

During a joint press conference with Alexey Likhachev, the head of the Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom, Péter Szijjártó welcomed the start of the construction of new reactors in Paks. He pointed out that the expansion is currently the largest nuclear project on the continent with a construction permit.

The Austro–Hungarian Empire was not a colonial empire in the traditional meaning of the word—however, there were a number of attempts on the part of the Dual Monarchy to establish overseas territories, some of which even had moderate success.

The objective of the exercise is to test the military’s readiness for and response to an imagined situation threatening Hungary’s security. Another goal is to test the capabilities of the civilian public administration when it comes to troop movements and logistics, the Hungarian Defence Minister noted.

The 31-year-old former crypto entrepreneur, who was the second largest donor to the Democratic Party in the 2022 midterms election cycle only behind George Soros, was convicted on fraud charges for embezzling about $8 billion of his customers’ deposits.

‘If you are a Hungarian, then I think you have a duty to conserve Hungarian culture. And there is certain music that is native to Hungary. If you’re an Austrian, or a German, then really the most important people in your musical culture are Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, these names.’

According to the PM, while ‘lost sovereignty was in the focus of the last century’, Hungary regained its sovereignty at the end of the 20th century, so ‘this decade is about retaining that sovereignty’. The lesson that can be learned from the dissolution of the Socialist bloc and of the Soviet Union, Viktor Orbán suggested, is that ‘it is worth being radical, recalling the activism and courage of the system-changing Fidesz politicians.

The school places the emphasis on teaching children to be able to speak, read and, to some extent, write in Hungarian, as well as introducing them to Hungarian culture, history, and geography. Many of the students visit Hungary regularly.

Following an accident on Friday, where two actors were injured, the director of the National Theatre officially resigned. However, Minister of Culture János Csák did not accept the resignation, and stated that Vidnyánszky will carry on with his duties as director until the investigation into the accident is closed.

On Saturday, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations Sebastian Coe planted the first sapling for a legacy forest of 2023 trees in Budapest’s Újpest district in the company of Gábor Schmidt, the Deputy State Secretary responsible for sports management and development, and Gábor Reinitz, the CEO of Pilisi Parkerdő forest manager.

The charity event was organized by the Bread of Hungarians Foundation, the National Chamber of Agriculture, and the Hungarian Association of Farmers’ Circles and Agricultural Cooperatives, reaching 19 counties and 15 organizations beyond the borders, with nearly 500 organizations receiving flour donations. Representatives of the beneficiaries also received certificates of support and symbolic sacks of the Bread of the Hungarians flour.