Katinka Hosszú, Hungary’s ‘Iron Lady’ and three-time Olympic swimming champion, announced her retirement at age 35. Reflecting on an extraordinary 30-year career, she shared her journey’s highlights and the lessons learned from her life in the pool on social media.
‘A Hungarian grand strategy for the 21st century must be based on principles that go beyond the question of Eastern or Western orientation.’
Poland took over the presidency of the EU from Hungary on 1 January. The ceremony launching the presidency, however, was conducted without the Hungarian ambassador to Poland, as the Polish Foreign Ministry declared he would not be welcome at the event. Political Director for the Prime Minister of Hungary Balázs Orbán commented on the incident and its context in an interview with wPolityce.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that it will cease working with third-party fact-checking services on its social media sites Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Instead, it will rely on user-submitted ‘community notes,’ popularized on major Trump supporter Elon Musk’s X.
Former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro gave an interview to the Hungarian outlet Mandiner, in which he discussed, among other topics, the political asylum granted by Hungary to his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, the deterioration of the rule of law in Poland under Tusk, and the European Union’s complicity.
‘Elon Musk is dismantling one of the most powerful weapons progressives have wielded: the deliberate silencing of opposing voices. Musk is countering this strategy by simply allowing right-wing forces to voice their opinions. In other words, he is upholding their most fundamental democratic right: the right to freedom of expression.’
Companies in the hospitality industry can now apply to the Hungarian Tourism Agency’s Priority Partners programme, organized by Visit Hungary. Successful applicants will receive valuable perks, such as a 50 per cent discount on the application fee for tourism sales programmes run by Visit Hungary; and participation in B2B activities such as webinars, roadshows, and workshops. Applications are open until 27 January.
A recent survey by the Mária Kopp Institute reveals widespread public support for Hungary’s new economic action plan. Policies like housing assistance, a permanent 13th month pension, and doubled family tax benefits are seen as vital by the majority of respondents.
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.