News

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó voiced his support for the Maldives to be granted visa-free status by the European Union at a meeting with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid in New Delhi on Wednesday. The two ministers noted that Hungary and the Maldives mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of their …

Police have concluded an investigation into two Dutch citizens who were arrested for selling drugs at Sziget Festival in Budapest last summer, the head of the criminal department of the Budapest police headquarters said on Wednesday. Police have raised charges against two aged 21 and 22 for dealing a significant volume of …

A new addition opened at Budapest Airport to serve low-cost airline passengers. The new wing of the Liszt Ferenc Airport was handed over on Wednesday, where low-cost airline passengers can wait before boarding their aircraft. At the same time, the so-called ‘container building’ is being demolished by the airport operator. As we …

Last year was the hottest year in Hungary since 1901, the weather service said, with the national daily mean temperature averaging 12.9 °C, state news wire MTI reports. Of the 10 hottest years, eight have been recorded since 2000 in Hungary, where warming has been slightly above the global average, …

After their local election defeat, the government wants to punish Budapest by not allocating money for the capital in the next EU funding period, leftist daily Népszava writes, referencing government documents. The government denies any allegations, calling it fake news.  Meanwhile, economic news portal Portfolio states that Budapest receiving structural and investment …

Although the Hungarian film close to snagging an Academy Award nomination in 2020, the post-Holocaust drama ‘Those Who Remained’, which has been included in the International Feature Film category, was unfortunately unable to reach the final round, there is still a Hungarian name among the nominees. American-Hungarian filmmaker Steven Bognar could still collect the award …

A Budapest court sentenced one-time Socialist district mayor György Hunvald to one year in prison for misappropriation of public funds in a non-binding ruling of a retrial of his case on Monday. Hunvald, the former mayor of Budapest’s 7th district and a former MP, has faced multiple criminal proceedings over the past …

In recent years, Fidesz has lost much of its popularity among young people. The political leadership sees the problem taking several steps in order to strengthen the party’s position. The situation is worst among the most politically active college students. The future developments of recent and upcoming actions could be …

“A solely values-based foreign policy dispensing with pragmatism … will necessarily lead to a policy unable to broker a compromise,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at his annual international press conference on Thursday, answering a question. Orbán said reaching compromise was the only way in foreign policy to achieve results, adding that …

The Hungarian National Asset Management Inc. (MNV) has announced the sale of the 240-year-old Hollóháza porcelain factory, responsible for the manufacturing of the illustrious Hungaricum, Napi.hu reports. According to the announcement, buyers will have to pay at least HUF 175 million for the 100% holding of the Hollóházi Porcelángyár Ltd. Bidding will be …

Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day, is celebrated on January 6th by the Catholic Church as a holiday, one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian church besides Easter and Christmas. It commemorates three things: the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi (the wise men); the manifestation of his divinity, occurred at …

The Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) announced that there would be restrictions introduced regarding the iconic Chain Bridge of Budapest. From this day on, vehicles above 5 tonnes, such as tourist buses and trucks, will not be allowed to cross the Chain Bridge. The new regulation does not pertain to public …

The Tatra 202-type Gingerbread tram of Miskolc successfully retained its title as Europe’s most beautiful Advent tram. The competition started in the middle of December 2019. Another victory The competition is organised each year by the Czech MHD86 online portal. Twenty-three cars entered the competition this year. The voting period …

Hungary’s two heart transplantcentres performed a record 72 transplants last year, the National Blood Supply Service (OVSZ) said on Friday. Of the operations, 64 were carried out at the Budapest Semmelweis University’s Heart and Vascular Centre and eight at the Gottsegen György National Cardiology Institute. Overall, 440 organ transplants were performed in Hungary …

Deputy Mayor of Budapest Erzsébet Gy Németh, who is a board member of the national opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), said on Friday that independent theatres were fighting for their survival, as the government was intentionally keeping them in a state of uncertainty. Contradicting government resolutions have been published causing uncertainty as to …

Healthy human life depends on the health and completeness of nature, President of the Republic János Áder said in his New Year’s greeting broadcast on public television. “Preservation of the natural world is the responsibility of us all,” Áder said, calling for a national consensus on the matter. He said that humanity …

As the year has ended and everyone is preparing for 2020, we take a dive into Hungary’s most beloved online photo archive, Fortepan.  By collecting the best amateur pictures of the celebration of the end of the year, we are trying to evoke the atmosphere of a typical  20th century Hungarian  …

The minimum wages for both skilled and unskilled workers will rise by 8 percent next year, in line with an agreement reached a year earlier between unions, employers and the government, Finance Minister Mihály Varga announced on Monday. A decree will be published in the official gazette setting the gross monthly minimum …

The current internal control system of the public sector fails to fulfill its purpose and a full review of the system is justified, the State Audit Office said on Monday, citing the results of audits carried out between 2015 and 2018. The office has revealed that internal controls did not work effectively in …

The Mystery Hotel Budapest is full of optical illusions and is designed for likes in social media. According to CNN, there is much more to that boutique hotel than what first meets the eye. For example, there are countless lightboxes on the walls, displaying animated pictures that change several times …

After the handrail of the balcony came out of the structure, two partying foreigners fell off from it in Budapest, District 8, during the night of December 25, around 2 am. HVG reported that the two men stayed in the five-storey house on Harminckettesek tere next to József Boulevard, Budapest. …

At the end of the year, Hungarians spent money like there is no tomorrow. According to the Hungarian Trade Association (OSZK), commercial traffic in Hungary exceeded 3.63 billion Euros. Hungarians spent over 300 million Euros on gifts alone. End-of-the-year sales in Hungary broke every record imaginable, Hvg reports. Hungarians spent …

Some 16 million passengers traveled through the Ferenc Liszt International Airport so far this year, marking a new record, according to a press release by Budapest Airport. The 16 million mark was reached today. In 2018, about 14.9 million passengers traveled through the airport, which was also a record at …

Almost 100,000 families have applied for some kind of subsidy provided via the government’s family protection action plan since it was launched on July 1, the Ministry of Human Resources saidon Friday. Most of the applicants are interested in availing of the state-subsidised prenatal baby support loan or a grant to buy a …

The price of climate protection must be paid by those destroying the climate, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interviewpublished by pro-Fidesz daily Magyar Nemzet on Tuesday. The largest, richest states and the largest international companies are primarily responsible for the climate crisis, Orbán said in his interview. “They must …

“Festivals should make us more appreciative of the little wonders of everyday life: the smile of our children, the gentle gestures of family members, the wisdom of the elderly”, András Heisler, the head of Hungarian Jewish federation Mazsihisz, said late on Monday. Heisler addressed a celebration marking the second day of the …

As Christmas nears, a number of villages have prepared their gingerbread “maquettes.” Perhaps the most “traditional” gingerbread village is Baranya County’s Geresdlak that has once again made its cookie version this year. There are 350 properties in the village, and everyone is responsible to prepare his/her own home which they put together on the …

Hospitals in terrible condition, long waiting lists, and doctors understaffed. These are the most important problem groups of the devastating Hungarian health care system. The French Le Monde magazine did a local report in the issue writing that the health care system got worse in every post-Communist country in Eastern …

The government decided  to provide hospitals with a total of HUF 79.4 billion to implement health improvements and reduce debts, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press conference in Budapest. Gulyás Gulyás explained that the government funding package will include HUF 36.6 bln for healthcare modernization …

The rapid increase in the price of flats in the capital has not stopped for six years. For this reason, recent statistics revealed the current flat prices in Budapest for the last time in 2019. Foreigners buying the most flats in Budapest? Portfólió reported that District 5 is still among …