Bryan E. Leib, a potential successor to outgoing US Ambassador David Pressman, has voiced sharp criticism on social media of the US administration’s recent sanctioning a key Hungarian politician. Leib expressed optimism for improved ties under Trump’s leadership in his commentary.

Antal Rogán, the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Hungary, has been placed on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list, in the last two weeks of the incumbent Biden administration. US–Hungary relations have severely soured under President Biden.

The first guest of the new edition of the Danube Info podcast was Or Yissachar, a national security researcher and team lead in the Israeli high-tech industry, leading the Israel Defence and Security Forum’s Content Division and Research Department.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founding father of the French right-wing party National Front (now known as National Rally), has passed away at the age of 96. While his career was marked by controversies and scandals, Le Pen will be remembered as one of the first to alert France to the existential threats it faced.

A video shared by American journalist Colin Rugg on X has gone viral, showing a stray being the first to rush across the Hungarian-Romanian border at an event celebrating the full incorporation of Romania into the Schengen Area on 1 January 2025. Romania and Bulgaria became the full members of the Schengen Area under the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU.

Three months after the September 2024 elections Austria now has the opportunity to align with the will of the electorate. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has invited Herbert Kickl, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to form a government after mainstream parties’ talks collapsed.

A recent study by Hungary’s National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) highlights the influence of media, tabloids, and women’s magazines on shaping unrealistic body image expectations for women. The findings reveal troubling trends in content and visual representation.

Donald Trump and Grover Cleveland are the only two presidents in US history to have been elected to non-consecutive second terms. However, as it turns out, it is not the only thing the two statesmen serving in the highest office in the land have in common.

Hungary’s largest career and education event, the EDUCATIO International Exhibition, opens this Thursday, offering students inspiring university exhibits, scholarship programmes, and career opportunities.

As Brazil takes the helm of BRICS in 2025, Indonesia has officially joined the group as a full member, marking a significant milestone in strengthening collaboration among emerging economies and advancing the priorities of the Global South.

In 2024, over 50 films supported by Hungary’s National Film Institute debuted, including 13 in cinemas and more than 40 on television. The NFI-sponsored productions attracted over 575,000 viewers in film theatres.

While 2025 may not rival the election super year of 2024, it still promises a series of pivotal elections for political enthusiasts. In this article we present a non-exhaustive list of key elections to watch, spanning countries from Germany to Canada and Romania to Poland.

To celebrate the reopening of the Hangdóm, Hungary’s House of Music is hosting an audiovisual festival from 14 to 19 January. Featuring premieres, returning favourites, and artist discussions, the programme showcases cutting-edge 360-degree films and installations.

Steve Bannon, former adviser to US President Donald Trump, praised Viktor Orbán in a recent interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Bannon stated that the Hungarian prime minister, due to his special relationship with Trump, could serve as the bridge between the United States and the European Union over the next four years.

Poland has taken over the EU presidency from Hungary, but representatives of the Hungarian government were deemed ‘not welcome’ at the ceremony marking the start of the Polish presidency last Friday in Warsaw.

Starting January, Vodafone Hungary will operate under the new name One Magyarország, marking a major rebranding in the telecom sector. The Vodafone HU network will be renamed One, with integrated services uniting the operations of Vodafone, Digi, and others.

‘As I see it, the problem is always the same across the various minority communities here: there are fewer and fewer participants within them…my view is that even if there are only three or four people involved in specific activities, we should continue the organizing work, so that our communities and their associations continue to exist.’

György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Hungary, talked about the trends in illegal migration across Europe in the past year on the morning show of a major commercial channel. He shared that nearly 16,000 illegal border crossers and 132 human smugglers were apprehended at the border by Hungarian authorities in 2024.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist gymnast and Holocaust survivor Ágnes Keleti was the oldest living Olympic champion in the world. She was awarded the Athlete of the Nation honour by the Hungarian government in 2004. She sadly passed away at the age of 103 on Thursday, just a week before her birthday.

Political Director Balázs Orbán has talked to the Hungarian business site Portfolio.hu. In it, he expressed optimism about the incoming Trump administration ending the war in Eastern Europe, which would be very beneficial for the region’s economy. ‘If there is no threat of war, there is investor interest, there are no sanctions, no energy supply problems, no signs of economic overheating in war zones, but increased production and trade,’ he explained.

According to media reports, Hungary permanently lost access to €1 billion in EU funds at the end of last year. However, Minister of EU Affairs János Bóka of Hungary vowed that ‘as long as Hungary has a national and sovereign government, it will not lose a single euro cent’ and that ‘Hungary will use all legal and political means to obtain the remaining funds’ in a Facebook post.

Conservatives will have the chance to flip the State Supreme Court in the swing state of Wisconsin in April. In addition, two gubernatorial elections will be held in November, in Virginia and New Jersey, two states that moved heavily to the right but were still won by Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.

‘While the world is justly concerned about the acts of jihadist violence, it has been led by neoconservative and progressive politicians and the mainstream media to believe that the acts of terror carried out by Muslims are sparse and provincial. Consequential to this has been the denial of the jihadist doctrine as a juridical development of Islamic sacred texts.’

The old year has just passed, so, in an effort to reflect on all that happened in the eventful year of 2024, here are the stories that you, our readers have found the most compelling based on the amount of traffic they received. We hope you enjoy our year-end compilation, and happy New Year to everyone!

‘Prime Minister Orbán has already demonstrated that strong leadership can make a difference. By uniting in an emergency Coalition of the Willing to Save Europe, championing economic freedom and cultural conservatism, European conservatives can chart a path toward a freer, more prosperous, and more cohesive future. The time to act is now. With Orbán’s leadership, 2025 could mark the beginning of Europe’s renewal.’

President Trump, after overcoming multiple indictments, one conviction, and two assassination attempts, completed the Great American Comeback story and won the 2024 US presidential election, becoming the 45th and 47th President of the United States. He also delivered the first popular vote victory for the Republican Party in a presidential election since 2004.

‘The absolute number of those claiming Hungarian descent in the American censuses, approx. 1.5 million, has remained largely unchanged over the past few decades. Even if the communities dwindle, there will always be those who will do their best to be ‘Hungarian’. Because what does it take for someone to remain Hungarian in the diaspora? You need a Hungarian identity…and a culture you are proud of that you don’t throw away and don’t replace,’ says Kálmán Magyar Sr., conceiver of the Pontozó folk-dance festival.

From the European elections in June to Donald Trump’s historic comeback victory in November, patriotic forces worldwide achieved remarkable successes in 2024. However, the liberal-progressive mainstream continues to cling to power and pursue biased policies, disregarding the will of voters. 2025 should be the Year of Revolution—a turning point where patriots finally gain real power and begin to heal the extensive damage inflicted by progressive forces in the past years, both in Europe and globally.

‘The Danubian Compact could serve as a modern, flexible framework for cooperation, focusing on shared economic interests, energy security, infrastructure development, and more. What if the real future of Central Europe does not lie in resurrecting the past, but in reimagining it for a new era? The pieces are there, the question is whether the leaders of these nations are willing to make that leap.’

The restaurant, established in the 1860s, was taken over In 1910 by János Gundel, a German immigrant from Bavaria, who gave the restaurant the name it is known by today.