Governor Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial mansion was burned down on Sunday, 13 April in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the Jewish statesman was celebrating passover with his friends and family. Suspect Cody Balmer has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, an out-of-work welder with serious financial problems.
Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession could consume essential resources and undermine Hungary’s strategic position, warned Political Director to the Prime Minister Balázs Orbán, who outlined the financial, geopolitical, and security risks at a Budapest business conference.
During a game between FC DAC 1904 and Slovan Bratislava in the Slovakian football league, the home Slovan fans held up a disparaging banner which referred to Hungary as ‘Mongolia’, along with the message ‘Slovakia is the country of Slovakians and Slovan-fans’. The Dunaszerdahely club has filed an official complaint with the Slovak Football Association (SFZ).
Hungary’s Parliament passed the 15th amendment to the Constitution, reinforcing traditional gender definitions, enshrining the right to pay with cash, and tightening rules on dual citizenship and government powers in emergencies.
In a historic first, Hungary’s defence minister visited Uzbekistan to sign a new agreement marking the start of deeper military cooperation. The visit underscores Hungary’s interest in regional stability and stronger ties in Central Asia.
Over the weekend both pro-government and opposition rallies were held across Hungary’s capital, Budapest. The demonstrations sent a clear message: both sides are preparing for next year’s election with full force, lending the 2026 parliamentary contest a level of significance not witnessed in Hungary’s political history for quite some time—and demonstrating that the country’s democracy is very much alive.
‘The families give our economy its strength,’ Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó has told the press at a joint press conference with Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS) President Tünde Fűrész. Minister Hankó highlighted the specific measures and amount of funding of the Hungarian government’s family support policies; as well as what they have achieved thus far.
The number of regular podcast listeners in Hungary has tripled in just three years, and today, two-thirds of the population listens to podcasts with some frequency, according to a new study commissioned by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority.
‘While already several rounds of negotiations took place between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow, no agreement has yet been reached on a ceasefire. With the Trump administration’s frustration growing with Moscow, Zelenskyy also accused the Kremlin of prolonging the war.’
‘Society thrives as a partnership across generations, with intact families of mothers and fathers raising children as its cornerstone. Post-liberalism taps this spirit and spurns individualism’s drift for a natalism that rebuilds us all. Data screams crisis; incentives like tax credits and vouchers answer it…Hungary’s incentives and Florida’s successes offer a starting point.’
Hungarian research astronaut Tibor Kapu and his backup, Gyula Cserényi, have successfully completed NASA’s astronaut training, marking a significant step forward for Hungary’s HUNOR programme and their upcoming mission to the International Space Station.
Despite shifting its outlook to negative, S&P has reaffirmed Hungary’s investment-grade credit rating. The government emphasizes stability and expects improvement by late 2025, citing strong employment, rising wages, and renewed economic momentum.
After 75 years, Japan is once again hosting the world for six months, as Expo 2025 Osaka opened its gates to visitors over the weekend. The Hungarian Pavilion, inaugurated by Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy on Sunday, offers a deep dive into Hungarian culture and innovation, with the potential to give a significant boost to the country’s growing tourism sector.
‘Applying Christian theology and ethics to international relations is now an acutely important activity. The hopeful realism of Reinhold Niebuhr offers one way of recovering a Christian approach to the crisis that is hurtling towards our civilization at a terrifying speed. Niebuhr’s anthropological pessimism provides a foundation for his notion that nations can, and should, work towards a fragile justice.’
‘I’m proud that they speak two languages fluently. But we cannot take away from them the fact that they also love the place where they grew up, which is a part of their personality. Having an American identity doesn’t mean they lack a Hungarian one. In fact, I believe they are twice as rich, both emotionally and culturally—if we do it right.’
‘Borsa first came to the attention of state security in 1960, and from 1962 onward, he became a target of internal counterintelligence under the code name “Milliomos” (Millionaire). Initially, he was monitored within the group file titled “Együttműködők” (The Collaborators), and later a personal file was opened on him.’
‘It goes without saying that the House of Árpád is the first Hungarian dynasty of rulers. But is this statement really so self-evident?…we cannot rule out the possibility that princes by descent existed already before Levedi. The Árpád and Hungarian attributes, however, deserve some deeper reflection.’
‘Technology is rapidly revolutionizing warfare, fundamentally changing the circumstances in which conflicts unfold. With modern drones and artificial intelligence, a paradigm shift is taking place that fundamentally rewrites our concepts of war. The battlefield no longer necessarily requires human presence…The era of self-sacrificing captains is disappearing, if not already gone.’
‘The emergence of critical historiography, regardless of religious affiliation, from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries onwards, “lifted the veil” on the previously much-appreciated campaign and its leader. Eminent historians read the contemporary chroniclers who were dissatisfied with the King’s departure and reassessed the campaign led by Andrew accordingly.’
‘At the latest event of the Speaker Series organized by the New York Young Republicans Club (NYYRC), Hungarian Minister of Culture and Innovation Prof. Dr. Balázs Hankó spoke about the significant roles that culture, technology, and diplomatic engagements play in shaping Hungary’s international standing and domestic growth…’
Former Deputy Assistant to Donald Trump, Fred Fleitz, writes in Newsmax that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made the right decision in withdrawing from the International Criminal Court last week. Fleitz also urged other countries to follow suit, arguing that the Hague-based court poses a serious threat to national sovereignty due to its politically biased decisions.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is currently in Türkiye, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. One of Orbán’s closest allies in the region, Erdoğan is facing unrest on a scale not seen in years following the arrest of opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu on charges of corruption and alleged links to terrorism.
With the CDU–SPD coalition agreement presented on Wednesday, it has become clear that the new government, under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, will prioritize Ukraine’s interests over those of Germany and its people. Having failed to deliver on his own campaign promises, Merz is already paying the price for his political betrayal: Alice Weidel’s AfD has overtaken the CDU, becoming the largest party in Germany by a margin of one percentage point.
Fourteen people have been indicted for drug trafficking in the city of Szeged, Hungary. Seven of the suspects were allegedly dealing drugs as part of an organized crime group, who delivered the illegal substances disguised as food delivery men.
In a Facebook post, Director General for the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó has pointed out that an image of Alex Soros and Marta Kos shows that Ukraine has not met any of the criteria for EU membership, even by the European Union’s own assessment.
During his official visit to Tokyo, Hungary’s Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy met with top Japanese leaders to strengthen economic, trade, and investment ties, reaffirming Japan’s key role as a strategic partner for Hungary in the Asia–Pacific region.
In a radio interview, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán discussed EU politics, Ukraine’s accession, domestic economic policies, and national values, drawing comparisons between past and present political controversies and defending the government’s actions.
According to a Századvég survey, 72 per cent of Hungarians believe Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession would be more harmful than beneficial to Hungary, citing financial strain and security risks as major concerns.
Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia has announced that his government coalition is proposing a new amendment to the Slovakian Constitution which would dictate that only two genders, male and female, are recognized by the country’s government. This is a very similar amendment that Hungary added to its Fundamental Law in December 2020.
‘Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the most serious constitutional crisis since its inception, and this crisis will be resolved through political and legal means,’ President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik told Hungarian Conservative. In the interview, the Bosnian Serb leader—currently facing two arrest warrants—sets out the lesser-known perspective of the ongoing tensions in the Western Balkans.