As USAID’s activities—and its shady tactics of foreign interference—are increasingly becoming just a bad memory, the European Union is stepping in to bail out the network of NGOs previously funded by the American federal agency. Through a new directive, Brussels plans to establish so-called European Cross-Border Associations, which would provide foreign-funded NGOs with a protective shield.
A coordinated EU-wide consumer protection investigation into mobile and online games will launch this spring, focusing on practices affecting young players. The Hungarian authority joins the international effort targeting deceptive in-game tactics and ads.
In a new trend known as ‘nuisance streaming’, online content creators make a living by broadcasting themselves harassing strangers in public, typically in East Asian countries. However, perhaps the worst offenders of them all, Johnny Somali, is now facing serious criminal charges in South Korea and is likely to get significant jail time, in a case that profoundly angered the South Korean public.
Unusual burial customs and rare Roman-era artefacts have been uncovered in Dunavecse during archaeological digs ahead of a Schneider Electric factory expansion. Among the finds: a Roman gaming die, double burials, and a grave sealed with millstones.
‘Some left-wing think tanks in Poland are even saying we should stop trying to reverse demographic trends and instead “adjust” to depopulation. That’s like admitting defeat. It’s promoting a losing strategy,’ former Polish Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy Barbara Socha highlighted in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
Hungary’s five-day humanitarian mission to Nigeria, led by the Hungary Helps programme, concluded with new aid pledges and key partnerships to support persecuted Christian communities and promote interfaith cooperation, officials announced on Sunday.
‘How does Hungary manage to stay on good terms with both Washington and Beijing, despite their growing rivalry?…Many observers explain this dual alignment as mere pragmatism—ideological kinship with the American right, economic opportunism with China. But that tells only part of the story.’
‘The communist leadership made several attempts to reclaim [the coronation jewels], but the US side was not open to this until 1977. In December of that year, a Hungarian delegation was allowed to travel to the United States to identify the treasures, and in January 1978, the Holy Crown and other insignia finally returned home.’
‘Several countries…were accepting refugees back then. Mózsi was worried about America because of the Vietnam War…In the end, we chose America and arrived on 2 June 1969. Our sponsor was the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Reformed Church of New Brunswick, where Rev. Imre Bertalan, a wonderful man, was the pastor.’
‘Russia occupies a unique…position in Huntington’s system of civilizations and in a broader sense in global geopolitics as well: it is simultaneously Western and non-Western, European yet distinct from Europe. This duality is not merely a philosophical or cultural curiosity but is…seemingly used as a strategic tool that some Russian regimes actively exploit in their international positioning.’
‘I see that more and more people are drinking tea in Hungary, and more and more people are interested in where tea comes from, how it is grown, and how it is prepared. People are open to better quality teas and are also beginning to understand that tea is very healthy. That is why I encourage everyone to drink tea regularly because it is a pure drink full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.’
‘Hazel Erskine…published a series of polls in The Public Opinion Quarterly in 1969 based on previously classified reports from the USIA’s Research and Reference Service. While many of the issues surveyed are no longer politically relevant, they remain of historical interest. Most questions originate from the 1960s, with some earlier data included to examine trends related to NATO and defence.’
‘If we look at the crises that have damaged the EU in recent years, and evaluate them through the lens of the EU’s real interests, it becomes increasingly clear that Viktor Orbán is not the EU’s greatest threat—but its most pro-EU leader. In fact, he might be the only one.’
‘4 April was a day of paying fealty to the “Heroic Army of the Soviets” and celebrating the military force upholding the Iron Curtain. Celebrating the same army that plundered its way through our homeland, and the system that was born from it, be it already watered down by the 70s and 80s: it was a holiday that never quite fit into the organic Hungarian tradition.’
US President Donald Trump has joined the chorus of right-wing leaders around the world in condemning the conviction of French opposition figure Marine Le Pen and calling for a fair trial. What makes the case appear even more politically compromised is the role of Richard Ferrand, President of the French Constitutional Council and a close ally of Emmanuel Macron—who himself has faced legal proceedings related to corruption in the past.
Will Smith is set to return to Budapest with a live concert at Budapest Park on 14 August as part of his Based on a True Story tour. The Grammy-winning artist recently dropped his first new album in two decades, featuring old hits and new collaborations.
‘The UN, unlike the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is a collective security system; the latter is an alliance, which deals with a specific and specified threat and has military forces to address these threats. The UN is juridically neutral, and it is coerced to wait for a threat to emerge before it can consider action.’
Austria has closed down 23 of its border crossings with Slovakia and Hungary, while Hungary has established ‘disinfection points’ where members of its Defence Forces are disinfecting all vehicles entering the country. This is in response to the spread of foot-and-moth disease, a condition than only affects livestock and poses no danger to humans.
Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed in a radio interview. He criticized the ICC as a political tool and outlined Hungary’s 2025 agenda, touching on economic reforms, drug policy, and foreign relations.
A general ceasefire in Ukraine may be possible this year, experts suggest, though peace remains distant. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen faces a prison sentence and a five-year election ban, potentially reshaping the future of France’s National Rally party.
‘If you don’t fight for your national identity, your borders, and your culture, you know that they’re under threat. We don’t feel that threat in the UK and therefore we’ve been really lax and undiligent in thinking about what it means to be British,’ Ms Cates told our site in an exclusive interview that she gave during the Danube Institute’s Family Formation and the Future conference.
‘The proposals of some governments and the thinking behind them may raise questions about the future of the new asylum and migration pact, which is due to enter into force in 2026 and includes the idea of binding quotas. Nevertheless, practice shows that Member States want to see fewer and fewer migrants on their territory.’
The first-ever EU–Central Asia summit has just kicked off as Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa arrived in Uzbekistan. Brussels is now trying to assert its influence over the region, which is widely seen as one of the future economic and trade powerhouses. However, most EU member states lack the deep connections and relationships with the Central Asian republic, except for one: Hungary.
Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó has drawn attention to the hypocrisy that, while the European Parliament is not willing to even discuss revoking the immunity of Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar, who is charged with assault and theft, the EP has already revoked the immunity of two Polish conservative MEPs for standing up against the Tusk administration.
MCC Feszt returns to Esztergom from 31 July to 2 August, offering a mix of thought-provoking discussions and vibrant music performances. This year’s lineup features influential figures like Dominic Cummings and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, alongside popular Hungarian artists such as Irie Maffia and T Danny.
US Vice President JD Vance spoke at a celebratory screening for the documentary series Live Not By Lies, based on our very own Hungarian Conservative contributor Rod Dreher’s 2020 book by the same title, in Washington, DC on Tuesday. The film explores the ‘soft totalitarianism’ of the modern woke movement.
The United States is imposing a 20 per cent import tariff on the European Union and a 34 per cent tariff on China, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Speaking at a White House ceremony, he signed the new trade policy into law, emphasizing the need for reciprocal tariffs to address trade imbalances.
Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, following years of scepticism toward it. The announcement coincided with the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest for talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán.
Interpol has dropped the international arrest warrant for President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, which had been requested by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik welcomed the decision, stating that Interpol is ‘not at the service of Sarajevo’, and expressed his gratitude to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his support.
Addressing climate change requires both global strategies and individual actions, as even small efforts can have a meaningful impact, János Áder, chairman of the Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation, emphasized during a lecture in Budapest. Speaking to university students, the former president of Hungary highlighted the importance of sustainability and the growing environmental challenges driven by human activity.