Hungary is emerging as a top European tourist destination, with 8.2 million visitors in H1 2025 generating 18.9 million nights, as reported by the tourism industry news site Travel and Tour World. Budapest draws crowds with its baths and nightlife, while rural areas and wine regions grow.
‘According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, the conflict is a religious war against radical Islamist ideology, not a territorial one. Western leaders like Macron, she said, fail to grasp this. In her view, Hamas fights against universal Western values, leaving Israel with no choice but to defend itself.’
As peace talks gain momentum, Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees from global powers, including UN Security Council members. China, despite denying plans for peacekeepers, remains open to diplomatic involvement, aligning with Xi Jinping’s earlier principles for ending the war.
According to the Cook Political Report, the Republican Party is favoured in many more Congressional races in the 2026 midterm elections than the Democrats, 215 against 202. If President Trump’s party were to be able to hold onto their majority in the House, it would defy the trend for midterm elections in the 21st century.
Hungary’s growing electricity demand and the need for stable, round-the-clock energy production make nuclear power indispensable, argued former President János Áder in his latest podcast, joined by energy expert Attila Aszódi.
A young American was stabbed in the face early Sunday in Dresden after intervening during harassment on a tram. Police briefly held a Syrian man before releasing him for lack of evidence, while the attacker remains at large. The case fuels controversy amid Germany’s migrant crime debate and AfD’s rise.
Hungary is not in a dead end, but outdated foreign policy thinking has reached one, Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political advisor, argued. He rejected claims that opposing Brussels has left Hungary isolated within the EU.
Tensions escalated after Zelenskyy warned that the ‘fate of the Druzhba pipeline’ hinges on Hungary’s stance toward Ukraine’s EU bid. FM Szijjártó hit back on X, urging Kyiv to stop ‘threatening Hungary,’ while Ukrainian FM Sybiha told Budapest to ‘diversify’ and not lecture the president.
‘A diplomatic solution is necessary to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. While the specifics are not yet fully developed, some plans are already publicly known.’
Budapest’s Keleti Railway Station will undergo a four-week renovation starting Monday, described as this year’s largest maintenance project. The works will cause major traffic changes, with trains rerouted to other stations.
‘Hungary, too, was forced to be part of the Soviet bloc when Soviet troops entered the country in 1945. Three years later, the future Cardinal and Primate of Hungary, József Mindszenty, opened the Marian Year to entrust, like King St. Stephen, the fate of Hungary to the intercession of the Blessed Mother…’
‘We are very much aware that Hayekian ideas must be articulated and defended in contemporary language—otherwise, they risk being confined to the seminar room or misunderstood as mere nostalgia for the past…The aim is not to create an elitist in-house journal, but to establish a lively forum for debate, analysis, and pointed interventions…’
‘Liberalism…had reached its full potential by the twentieth century. It has achieved its highest goals and, in doing so, has cut the human person off from tradition, religion, and natural communities. The struggles of the first progressive ideology seem to continue to this day, but they are clearly a substitute for action.’
‘Even iron cannot resist time, and so it is with man. If put to work, it wears down; if left lying on the ground, rust consumes it. Since we must perish either way, it is a hundred times better to wear out than to rust away.’
‘“The person of Zoltán Liska, chaplain serving at the Castle parish, has for some time been of interest to the state security organs…The wording of his speeches violates the agreement between church and state.” It is beyond doubt that the priest’s messages sometimes encouraged his faithful toward active, courageous ways of keeping strong Christianity forced underground.’
On 23 August, Europe observes the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes. The European Network Remembrance and Solidarity’s (ENRS) campaign ‘Remember. 23 August’ highlights intergenerational trauma and courage in the face of oppression, offering expert insights, short films, and educational resources.
In its ‘Beyond the Óperencia’ series, Magyar Krónika is looking at the meeting points of America and Hungary, and at Hungarians in America, from penniless peasants to political emigrants and soldiers of fortune. In this part, let us continue the story of Joseph Pulitzer, who, as a press magnate, considered education, opinion-forming, and influence to be his primary goals.
‘He emphasized that the goal of military operations, however, is not bloodshed, but to eliminate armed threats with as few civilian casualties as possible. Yet, according to the panellists, Western media often distorts this, replacing the complex reality of war with oversimplified narratives.’
A Russian missile strike on Mukachevo (Munkács) on 21 August injured 23 and marked the first hit on Transcarpathia in the war’s three years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pledged medical support from Hungarian hospitals and stressed that peace efforts must continue to protect ethnic Hungarians.
Hungary and Slovakia have urged the European Commission to act after repeated Ukrainian strikes hit the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia, a key supply route for both countries. The latest attack has halted deliveries for at least five days.
‘Dukai’s work is rooted in modernist movements such as constructivism, op art, minimalism, and the Bauhaus, yet it remains deeply personal. He frequently works with natural hand-woven linen, rusted metal, and reclaimed fabrics, employing traditional graphic techniques such as silkscreen, woodcut, and collography, alongside unconventional processes like plant-based tanning.’
Budapest’s St Stephen’s Day celebrations drew a record crowd, with over 798,000 visitors detected via mobile data—a 12.5 per cent rise from last year. The fireworks alone attracted more than 450,000 people, including nearly 89,000 foreign tourists, marking a 27 per cent surge compared to 2024.
Hungary’s oil and natural gas production continued to rise in the first half of 2025, easing reliance on imports and marking some of the strongest results in decades, according to the Energy Ministry and the Regulatory Authority.
Bryan Leib, Senior Fellow at the Center for Fundamental Rights, has recently posted to X, advocating that the proposed trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and President Putin of Russia should take place in Budapest, Hungary.
Debrecen Zoo joins the nationwide Night of Zoos with a programme highlighting wildlife conservation, responsible animal care, and the wonders of nocturnal creatures, offering families a unique nature experience after dark.
Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday that Hungary is ready to host potential Putin–Zelenskyy talks to end the war in Ukraine. With Trump’s administration eyeing Budapest as a possible location, the city has emerged as a strong contender—but also a divisive one, drawing a sharp rebuke from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who warned against repeating past failures.
On 20 August, Hungary marked its 1025th anniversary as a state, commemorating St Stephen’s foundation of the Christian kingdom. Leaders worldwide—from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU Council President António Costa to Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Gulf partners—extended congratulations.
Fidesz Budapest leader Alexandra Szentkirályi slammed the city’s opposition leadership over bus safety. Her comments came after, remarkably, three buses burst into flames during a recent heatwave in the Hungarian capital.
After 33 years, Hungary once again hosts a MotoGP World Championship round this weekend at Balaton Park in Balatonfőkajár. All eyes will be on Spain’s six-time world champion Marc Márquez, the runaway leader of the season.
After months of search, it seems that the Democratic Party has found its leader to help them through the second Trump administration. California Governor Gavin Newsom is clearly gearing up to get himself his party’s nomination for President in 2028—should Republicans be worried or relieved?