Budapest will host major US franchise brands on 16 September, with Olive Garden, Wendy’s, Pizza Inn and others seeking to expand in Hungary. Organized by the US Embassy, the seminar highlights the growing American appetite for the Hungarian market, just days after Popeyes announced its first Budapest restaurant.
At the SCO summit in Tianjin, leaders from Russia, China, India and beyond gathered to deepen trade ties, challenge Western influence, and promote a new Eurasian vision. With Europe largely absent, and figures like Modi, Putin and Xi taking centre stage, the summit signalled a significant shift in global power dynamics.
‘Pope Pius X, for us Catholics, is perhaps best remembered for his battle against modernism within the Church when he promulgated his Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907). He is also considered the “Pope of the Eucharist”…Yet, less well known is his crusade for peace and his remarkable political insight, through which he foresaw the outbreak of World War I…years before it erupted.’
‘For American and Hungarian conservatives, Louis Sarkozy should move from curiosity to priority. He marries a US-honed operating style with a surname that still opens doors from Budapest to Paris, and he is testing both in a consequential border city.’
At a campaign event, TISZA Party Vice Chair Zoltán Tarr said: ‘I won’t tell you everything, because if I did, we would fail,’ referring to the party’s plans. TISZA’s PM candidate, Péter Magyar, urged journalists to hear the full context—then admitted he hadn’t listened to the full discussion himself.
‘Historians believe that the find indicates the important role of the region in Central European trade in the Middle Ages, and that the treasure could have been the savings of a merchant who buried it during a time of crisis.’
Western media suggest Viktor Orbán could ‘climb down’ from Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s EU bid after alleged pressure from Donald Trump. Yet officials stress the call itself is disputed—and insist accession would drag an open war into the EU, a step Hungary refuses to take.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have travelled to Beijing to attend China’s 3 September World War II victory parade, where they will be the only EU representatives alongside leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Szijjártó stressed Hungary’s interest in ‘civilized East–West cooperation’ and in deepening Chinese investment ties.
Hungary launched its Home Start home ownership programme, offering fixed 3-per-cent mortgages with just a 10-per-cent down payment required. Eligible first-time buyers rushed to apply, with thousands filing on day one. Officials hailed the record demand, as banks competed with discounts and extended hours to meet the surge.
Is Hamas defeatable? What military methods can a regular army use against a guerrilla-style enemy? Could an independent Palestinian state be formed? We spoke at MCC Feszt with former British Army commander Richard Kemp who has been in Israel during all previous wars in Gaza.
The Minnesota Catholic school massacre was not just another senseless tragedy—it was the brutal outcome of woke ideology. The transgender shooter, who admitted in his manifesto he had been ‘brainwashed’ into transitioning, killed two children and injured 18. His story exposes the deadly consequences of radical laws like Minnesota’s ‘trans refuge’ bill.
Another AfD candidate has died ahead of NRW’s local elections—the fourth such case in recent months. Ralph Lange’s sudden death in Blomberg has fuelled speculation, after economist Stefan Homburg called the coincidences ‘statistically almost impossible’, a view amplified by Elon Musk.
Robert Brovdi is no hero for Hungary. His drone strikes on Druzhba threaten Hungarian families’ energy security and mock treaties and the international law. Some may call him a hero, but in truth, he serves only Kyiv—and his own words make that painfully clear.
At the Tranzit Festival, Director General for the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó and Hungarian Ambassador to the United States in Washington, DC Szabolcs Takács have discussed opposition leader Péter Magyar’s candidacy for Prime Minister in Hungary; as well as US–Hungary relations under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Foreign tourism at Lake Balaton rose 17 per cent after Hungary’s state holiday, boosted by the return of MotoGP. The race weekend brought fans from across Europe, driving record guest nights and hotel revenues alongside the Zamárdi Strand Festival.
Hungarian National Team captain Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning free-kick goal from 32 yards out for Liverpool in a crucial league game against Arsenal in the English Premier League over the weekend. That goal ultimately decided the game for defending champions Liverpool, who won 1–0.
Hungary’s largest military exercise since the regime change, Adaptive Hussars 2025, begins on 1 September. The nationwide drill will bring troop movements, heavy traffic, and loud helicopter flights, testing both national defence and allied cooperation.
Budapest renewed its roads, bridges, tram lines, and public transport fleet over the summer. Mayor Gergely Karácsony said the works had been scheduled during the school break to minimize disruption and ensure smoother operations by autumn.
‘Through Japan’s growing business and cultural ties with Hungary, the Hungarian–Japanese relationship is poised to grow at an exponential rate in the coming years. Japan’s use of Hungary as a central manufacturing hub for vehicles and electronics equipment is only going to grow as a result of increased defense industry cooperation between NATO and Tokyo.’
‘It should be kept in mind that Serbia’s close relations to Russia had been forged over centuries—through a shared Slavic heritage, Orthodox traditions, and mutual political support. This bilateral relationship has proven remarkably resilient in view of recent shifting geopolitical realities…Serbia’s close relations with Russia cannot simply be undone through external pressure.’
‘It is not an easy task to clean the concept of democracy from the secondary meanings that have been imposed on it during more than two centuries of modern usage. I will not attempt to solve this task; instead, I will undertake a brief interpretation of a very simple principle, the principle of quantity, and its role in modern democracy, in relation to political religion and rationality.’
‘No Western country has found a lasting way out of demographic winter. France, once considered the European model for its family-friendly cultural and social policies, has nonetheless seen a decline from 2.0 children per woman in 2010 to around 1.7 in 2023. Sweden and the Nordic countries, long heralded as champions of work–life balance and gender equality, are following the same path…’
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 section, let us continue the story of Joseph Pulitzer, whose creative press campaign helped Grover Cleveland become President of the United States.
‘Europe is unfortunately not competitive in terms of society, economy, innovation, or energy. These are the harsh realities that European decision-makers must take into account when shaping political relations…A useful step in this direction would be to rethink the EU budget and shape and strengthen it in the interests of the Member States, as well as to rethink financial support for Ukraine.’
‘Gábor had mentioned that Pontozó is not about point-based scoring. Melinda added: “The festival is not about the competition—it’s about the opportunity to perform and the joy of being together. There will be no rankings, only evaluations, ensuring every participant receives recognition.”’
France has summoned US Ambassador Charles Kushner after he publicly accused President Macron’s government of failing to stem a dramatic rise in antisemitism. In his letter, he spoke of street assaults, vandalized synagogues, and defaced schools—echoing data showing roughly 1,570 acts in 2024, a historic surge.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Hungary’s decision to ban a Ukrainian commander tied to Druzhba strikes, accusing Budapest of hypocrisy in a rare Hungarian-language post. Lithuania and Poland joined Kyiv in denouncing the ban, calling it a shameful act.
Hungary’s solar power share has reached 25 per cent, making storage capacity a strategic priority. At the opening of E.On Hungária’s new Soroksár facility, officials stressed that expanding energy storage is key to national sovereignty and grid stability.
‘With external balances improving and domestic demand reawakening, Hungary couples a steady 6.50 per cent base rate with 3 per cent Home Start mortgages to support growth without losing discipline. Clear communication has kept the forint resilient near 400, while Euro adoption remains a realistic, albeit longer-term objective.’
Israel has recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, a 56-year-old hostage of Hungarian origin, from Gaza. Weiss was killed defending Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. His wife and daughter, once hostages themselves, were freed last November and later visited Hungary.