When the Music Brings Back the Punches To mark the tenth anniversary of Bud Spencer’s death, the Italian brothers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, better known as Oliver Onions, will give a concert in Budapest. The duo wrote the music for many of the most beloved Bud Spencer and Terence…

Documents That Put the Case Back in the Spotlight Today, parts of the official files related to Hungary’s presidential pardon scandal were made public, reopening one of the most serious political and moral crises of recent years. The documents were released after the change of government and offer the public…

The Attack That Prompted an Immediate Response from Budapest On 13 May, a Russian drone attack hit Transcarpathia, the western Ukrainian region bordering Hungary and home to a significant Hungarian minority. The strike caused strong reactions in Hungary because Transcarpathia has been relatively rarely targeted directly since the beginning of…

A Diplomatic Signal Before the First Visit to Warsaw Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán has announced that Hungary is recalling its ambassador to Warsaw. The timing of the decision is especially significant: Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s first official foreign visit is to Poland, where he is travelling together with several…

Standing side by side in Budapest’s Castle District, Sándor Palace and the Carmelite Monastery offer visitors a remarkable journey through two centuries of Hungarian history—and two very different ideas about political power. On St. George Square in Budapest’s historic Castle District, two neighboring buildings have become some of the most…

New and serious allegations have emerged, this time concerning the operations of Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration, known as NAV. Lajos Tiszolczi, a former criminal investigator at the authority, has once again spoken publicly, claiming that he was removed from the tax office for political reasons after a nearly…

A Press Conference in the Shadow of a National Origin Story The first press conference after the new Hungarian government’s inaugural meeting was held in an unusual setting: Ópusztaszer, beside the Feszty Cyclorama. The choice of location carried clear symbolic weight. One of the first major public appearances of the…

The End of an Exceptional Era After six years, Hungary’s state of danger has come to an end. This is not merely a technical legal change, but the closing of a significant period in Hungarian public life. Since March 2020 — with only brief interruptions — the country has lived…

After Years of Silence, a Name Behind the Pseudonym For a long time, he was one of the most talked-about anonymous figures in Hungarian public life. He was known only as Vidéki Prókátor — roughly, “the provincial lawyer.” Now, after years of writing under this name, he has revealed who…

A Transfer of Power — and a Test of Strength The past two days in Hungary have not simply been about the formation of a new government. They have also shown how quickly new political frontlines can emerge after an election victory. The newly formed Parliament, the hearings of ministerial…