Hungary

Hungary's ruling Tisza party, led by pro-EU Prime Minister Péter Magyar, has nominated former supreme court judge András Baka for the largely ceremonial presidency. Baka, 73, was removed from the court in 2012 after criticizing Viktor Orbán’s judicial reforms, which the EU and US deemed illegal. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled in Baka’s favor. Parliament is expected to confirm him due to Tisza’s two-thirds majority, replacing Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán ally. Chess grandmaster Judit Polgár had declined the nomination.

11 reports · 4 sources · Updated Aug 12, 10:45 AM UTC

A severe drought and heatwave have caused record-low water levels in the Danube River, forcing Hungary to completely shut down its Paks nuclear plant (providing ~40% of electricity) and Romania to shut one reactor at Cernavodă. Both countries declared emergencies, with Hungary calling for energy conservation and Romania diverting canal water. The crisis also disrupts Danube shipping, hydropower in Austria, and drinking water supplies, highlighting a broader European energy and water scarcity event.

30 reports · 7 sources · Updated Aug 13, 06:07 PM UTC

Hungary's new government under Prime Minister Péter Magyar has begun dismantling the state media apparatus that supported Viktor Orbán for 16 years. On Tuesday, the M1 news channel was taken off air for several hours, replaced by film classics and an apology message stating that public-service media must not lie and that news coverage is temporarily suspended. This follows the adoption of a new media law on 23 June 2026, which abolishes the Duna Médiaszolgáltató company and the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA). The state news agency MTI has been separated again. Lawyer András P. Horváth has been temporarily appointed to oversee the transition. The move fulfills a key election promise by Magyar's Tisza party to stop propaganda and transform public-service media into an independent and trustworthy institution.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 28, 01:35 PM UTC

Hungary's new government under Prime Minister Péter Magyar has begun dismantling the state media apparatus that supported Viktor Orbán for 16 years. On Tuesday, the M1 news channel was taken off air for several hours, replaced by film classics and an apology message stating that public-service media must not lie. This follows the adoption of a new media law on 23 June 2026, which abolishes the Duna Médiaszolgáltató and the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA). The state news agency MTI has been separated as an independent entity. Lawyer András P. Horváth has been temporarily appointed to oversee the transition. The move fulfills a key election promise by Magyar's Tisza party to stop propaganda and transform public-service media into an independent and trustworthy institution.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 28, 01:35 PM UTC

Zalaegerszeg, managed by Portuguese coach Filipe Çelikkaya, suffered a 3-0 defeat against MTK Budapest in the first round of the Hungarian championship. The match, reported by Portuguese sports newspaper Record on July 27, 2026, marks Çelikkaya's debut in the Hungarian league. The article also briefly mentions other international football news, including French Football Federation support for clubs affected by fires, Benfica departures, Fenerbahçe's interest in Rafael Leão, and Estoril's negotiations with Lyon for Felix Bacher.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 27, 07:47 PM UTC

Lando Norris secured pole position for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, edging Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. However, Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, dropping him to fifth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was also penalized for yellow-flag violations. The reshuffled grid places Charles Leclerc second, Piastri third, and Max Verstappen fourth. Norris’s pole marks McLaren’s first of the season after a major upgrade. The race is set for Sunday, July 26.

18 reports · 6 sources · Updated Jul 27, 08:29 PM UTC

On June 16, 2026, Hungary's parliament passed a constitutional amendment limiting prime ministers to eight years in office, applied retroactively to bar former leader Viktor Orbán from returning. The amendment, pushed by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party, passed 135-50. It also dismantles Orbán-era institutions like the Sovereignty Protection Office and state-funded foundations. Orbán called it a targeted "Lex Orbán." The bill awaits President Tamás Sulyok's signature, but Tisza's supermajority can override any veto.

26 reports · 7 sources · Updated Jul 27, 02:37 PM UTC

German tennis number one Tamara Korpatsch (31) advanced to the final of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open at Rothenbaum, her home tournament, after opponent Mayar Sherif retired injured in the semifinals. Korpatsch credited her seven-month-old Maltipoo dog Stella for emotional support throughout the event. She will face Hungary's Anna Bondar in the final. This marks Korpatsch's third WTA final appearance and her first at this tournament.

10 reports · 2 sources · Updated Jul 26, 04:32 PM UTC

Tamara Korpatsch, a 31-year-old Hamburg native, fulfilled her dream by winning the Hamburg Ladies Open WTA 250 tournament. In the final, she defeated Hungary's Anna Bondar 6:3, 6:3 on the Centre Court. This victory marks the greatest success of her career, earning her €32,520 in prize money and propelling her into the world top 50 for the first time. Notably, she became the first German to win at Rothenbaum since tennis legend Steffi Graf in 1992. Korpatsch started the match strongly, taking a 3-0 lead, and maintained control throughout. The event also featured an exhibition match between former world number one Martina Hingis and tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic, which Hingis won. Additionally, the inaugural Hamburg Wheelchair Open saw an all-Dutch final won by Lizzy de Greef over Aniek van Koot.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 26, 02:37 PM UTC

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his first major appearance since losing the April 2026 election, escalated rhetoric by calling on his Fidesz party to launch a 'national resistance' against the new government led by Péter Magyar. Speaking to thousands of supporters in Băile Tușnad, Romania, Orbán accused Magyar of abuse of power and eliminating opposition through constitutional amendments and investigations. The new government has passed laws limiting prime ministers to two terms and MPs to three terms, and prosecutors seized Fidesz servers on suspicion of illegal campaign financing. Orbán claimed the government lacks competence and will fail by autumn due to energy crises, predicting mass defections from the Tisza Party. He framed Fidesz as a 'nursery' for freedom-loving people. Critics accuse Orbán of dismantling democracy and building a corrupt crony system during his 14-year rule.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 25, 12:22 PM UTC

Egyptian tennis star Mayar Sherif defeated former world No. 2 Paula Badosa in a marathon quarterfinal match at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open in Rothenbaum, lasting 3 hours and 26 minutes. The match was notable because the two players had flown together on a private jet just days earlier after facing each other in a final in Iași, Romania, where Badosa retired. Sherif won 7:6, 6:7, 6:4, praising Badosa's skill and noting they became friends during the flight. Sherif, the first Egyptian woman to enter a Grand Slam main draw in 2020, could become the first Egyptian to reach the Rothenbaum final. The article also covers Hungarian Anna Bondar's semifinal advancement and her love for the tournament.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 24, 04:27 PM UTC

Egyptian tennis star Mayar Sherif defeated Paula Badosa in a marathon quarterfinal match at the Rothenbaum Hamburg Ladies Open, winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 after 3 hours and 26 minutes. The match was notable because just four days earlier, the two had flown together in a private jet from a tournament in Iași, Romania, where Sherif also defeated Badosa after the Spaniard retired. Sherif, the first Egyptian woman to enter a Grand Slam main draw, praised Badosa as a friend and nice person. The article also covers Anna Bondar's success at Rothenbaum, where she reached the semifinals after defeating Alina Charaeva, and notes that top-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova withdrew due to injury, allowing Elina Avanesyan to advance without a fight.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 24, 04:27 PM UTC

The ECB Governing Council published its 2026 Convergence Report on June 24, assessing euro adoption progress in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. On June 18, it approved the 2025 Bank Treasurer Survey Report. On June 24, it decided on eligibility criteria to permanently integrate non-financial corporate (NFC) loan portfolios into the Eurosystem general collateral framework, phasing out temporary measures, with technical implementation planned for November 2027. On June 30, indicative calendars for 2027 and 2028 tender operations were published. On July 9, it decided to reclassify financial subsidiaries of NFC issuer groups into haircut category III, effective November 2026. On July 15, it approved operational parameters for the enhanced Eurosystem repo facility for central banks (EUREP), following a February 2026 decision.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 24, 01:00 PM UTC

Spanish La Liga club Villarreal is in advanced negotiations to sign Hungarian international goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, 36, from RB Leipzig. The deal, reported by Fabrizio Romano, includes a two-year contract with an option for a third season. Gulacsi, who spent 11 seasons at Leipzig and won the German Cup, would replace departing Arnau Tenas and compete for the starting spot at Villarreal.

5 reports · 3 sources · Updated Jul 30, 07:56 AM UTC

EU foreign ministers failed to approve the 21st sanctions package against Russia, stalled by Greece’s rejection of a Russian LNG phase-out and Austria’s demand for Raiffeisen Bank asset access. The package includes freezing the oil price cap, set to rise from $44 to $58 per barrel—above market price. Disputes also involve German fish imports and Bulgarian objections to individual sanctions. EU ambassadors will meet Tuesday for a last-ditch effort, while 250 new individual sanctions were approved separately.

18 reports · 6 sources · Updated Jul 23, 04:25 PM UTC

Hungary's political crisis deepens as former president Tamás Sulyok signs a constitutional amendment terminating his own mandate, which Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán calls 'arbitrary rule.' The Tisza government, led by Péter Magyar, has accelerated the dismantling of the Orbán system: Fidesz's server infrastructure was seized in a corruption investigation, and the prosecutor general resigned. However, Magyar made his first major mistake by prematurely announcing a chess grandmaster as the next president despite promising an open contest, then backtracking. A new poll suggests Fidesz may have lost 900,000 voters and might not survive the crisis in its current form. The article analyzes the strategic trap set for Sulyok and the broader implications for Hungary's political landscape.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 23, 01:58 PM UTC

Portuguese fencers Filipe Frazão and Miguel Frazão have secured their places in the main draw of the men's épée event at the Fencing World Championships in Hong Kong. After advancing through the group stage, both won their preliminary matches on Thursday. Filipe received a first-round bye, then defeated Roman Petrov of Kyrgyzstan (15-7) and Swiss fencer Ian Hauri (15-7) to reach the round of 64, where he will face Hungarian Tibor Andrasfi. Miguel beat Estonia's Oliver Laasik (15-13), Hong Kong's Ho Fung Lau (15-13), and Uzbekistan's Meyirkhan Timurov to qualify, and will face Italian third seed Matteo Galassi. Other Portuguese fencers had mixed results: Max Rod reached the second preliminary round but lost to Hauri (15-8), finishing 135th; Xavier Melo lost in the first round (15-9 to India's Joseph Bennet), placing 173rd. In women's épée, Maria Alvim and Fabiana Bonito were eliminated earlier. Portugal's participation continues with Maria Caride in foil and Gustavo Bonifácio in sabre, plus the team épée competition, reactivated this season for Olympic qualification.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 23, 11:44 AM UTC

Amílcar Gomes, a 40-year-old Portuguese futsal winger, has announced his retirement after a 33-year career. The announcement was made by his last club, Famalicão, where he played the final two seasons, scoring 33 goals in 48 games and helping the club achieve promotion to the first division. Gomes began his career in the youth system of Coimbrões and played for several Portuguese clubs including Sp. Braga, Modicus Bruval, and FJ Antunes. He also had stints abroad in Italy (ASD Cosenza, ASD Salinis), Qatar (Al Gharafa), and Hungary (MVFC Berettyóúfalu). A ten-time Portuguese international, Gomes highlighted his national team appearances as the pinnacle of his career. In his farewell message, he expressed no regrets, emphasized the values futsal taught him, and thanked all clubs, teammates, and staff. He hopes the sport continues to grow and said he will miss the competition and adrenaline of the game.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 10:25 PM UTC

Portugal will compete in the European Junior and U23 Speed Championships with 29 athletes, held in Szeged, Hungary, from July 23 to 26. The squad includes several athletes who recently participated in the Junior and U23 World Speed Championships in Halifax, Canada, notably junior world champions José Matos and Martim Conceição. The article lists all selected athletes by category: Junior Men (including Martim Conceição in K1 1000m and K2 500m, and Duarte Cunha in C1 events), Junior Women (including Lara Martins in K1 1000m and Maria Sousa in C1 500m), U23 Men (including João Duarte in K1 1000m and Tiago Maciel in C1 events), and U23 Women (including Ana Brito in K1 500m and Inês Carapinha in K1 200m). The team will compete in various kayak and canoe sprint distances.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 08:54 PM UTC

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has publicly condemned the new center-right government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar following a raid on a Fidesz party data center. Orbán accused the government of tyranny and politically motivated legal action aimed at incapacitating his party, calling on supporters to resist peacefully. The raid, conducted by the Bács-Kiskun prosecutor's office, involved seizing servers as part of an investigation into embezzlement at the National Cultural Fund, which allegedly funneled funds to Fidesz insiders. Magyar's Tisza party, holding a two-thirds parliamentary majority, has enacted anti-corruption measures and constitutional term limits to prevent Orbán from returning to power. Orbán, who ruled Hungary from 2010 to 2016 and earlier from 1998 to 2002, declared that Hungary is no longer a democracy and that a new 'age of tyranny' has begun. The Tisza party denies authoritarian actions against political opponents.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 04:03 PM UTC

This working paper by the German Marshall Fund analyzes the June 2026 political agreement between Hungary and Ukraine that resolved a nearly decade-long minority-rights dispute. The agreement, reached after the Tisza party's landslide victory in Hungary's April 2026 elections, allowed the EU and Ukraine to formally open the first accession negotiation cluster. The paper examines the substance and origins of the dispute, particularly regarding education, language, and cultural rights in Zakarpattia Oblast. It assesses how the agreement addresses Hungarian concerns, identifies compromises and unresolved issues, and evaluates its significance for Ukraine's EU accession, bilateral cooperation, and minority-rights protection. The strategic value lies in linking minority-rights guarantees to Ukraine's EU accession obligations through its minority-rights action plan, transforming a bilateral dispute into part of EU enlargement conditionality.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 03:53 PM UTC

A European citizens' initiative called the 'Save Europe Act,' launched in May 2026 by Dutch white supremacist Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian neo-Nazi Martin Sellner, has been formally rejected by the European Commission. The initiative sought to halt non-Western immigration and promote 'remigration'—a far-right euphemism for mass deportation of immigrants, including those with European nationality. EU Commissioner for Social Rights Roxana Mînzatu stated the initiative lacked a legal basis and would constitute discrimination based on race and ethnic origin. Despite the rejection, the petition amassed nearly 600,000 signatures, including from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, German far-right politician Björn Höcke, and several far-right MEPs from across Europe. Vlaardingerbroek had staged a publicity stunt outside the European Parliament earlier in July to drum up support.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 03:06 PM UTC

A European citizens' initiative called the 'Save Europe Act,' launched in May 2026 by Dutch white supremacist Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian neo-Nazi Martin Sellner, has been formally rejected by the European Commission. The initiative sought to halt non-Western immigration and promote 'remigration'—a far-right euphemism for mass deportation of immigrants, including those with European nationality. EU Commissioner for Social Rights Roxana Mînzatu stated the initiative lacked a legal basis and would constitute discrimination based on race and ethnic origin. Despite the rejection, the petition amassed nearly 600,000 signatures, including from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, German far-right politician Björn Höcke, and several far-right MEPs from Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Poland. Vlaardingerbroek had staged a publicity stunt outside the European Parliament earlier in July to drum up support.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 03:06 PM UTC

A European citizen's initiative called the 'Save Europe Act,' launched in late May by Dutch white supremacist Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian neo-Nazi Martin Sellner, has been formally rejected by the European Commission. The initiative sought to halt non-Western immigration and promote 'remigration'—a far-right euphemism for mass deportation of immigrants, including EU citizens. EU Commissioner Roxana Mînzatu stated the initiative lacked a legal basis and would constitute discrimination based on race and ethnic origin. Despite the rejection, the petition amassed nearly 600,000 signatures, including from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, far-right German politician Björn Höcke, and several European Parliament lawmakers from Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Poland. Vlaardingerbroek had staged a publicity stunt outside the European Parliament earlier in July to drum up support.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 03:06 PM UTC

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed a desire to execute the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to New York for the UN General Assembly in September 2026. However, a legal review determined that the city of New York has no authority to do so. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza war. The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and is not obligated to execute ICC warrants. Furthermore, US law, specifically the American Service Members' Protection Act, prohibits cooperation with the ICC and grants Netanyahu head-of-state immunity. President Donald Trump stated Netanyahu will not be arrested in the US. The article notes that many ICC state parties, including Hungary, France, Poland, and Germany, have also declined to arrest Netanyahu, highlighting the limited enforceability of ICC warrants against heads of state from non-party nations.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 11:33 AM UTC

The 2026 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, the 11th round of the season, takes place at the Hungaroring from July 24-26. The article details the full weekend schedule, including FP1, FP2, FP3, qualifying, and the 70-lap race on Sunday at 3 p.m. local time. It also provides global TV broadcast start times for multiple time zones. The report updates the championship standings: Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) leads with a 45-point advantage after winning the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and George Russell (Mercedes). Circuit stats include a length of 4.381 km, 14 turns, and Lewis Hamilton holding records for most wins (8) and pole positions (9) at the track. The 2025 winner was Lando Norris (McLaren).

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 22, 02:44 AM UTC

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced the Total Chess World Championship, a new competition combining classical, rapid, and blitz formats to crown the most complete player in both men's and women's categories. The inaugural event will take place in Budapest from November 10 to 21, featuring world number one Magnus Carlsen. This format will only have one edition; starting March 2027, it will become an annual circuit with four stages in different cities involving 24 players per category. FIDE states the tour aims to redefine elite competition by rewarding versatility and consistency. The project has financial backing from Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland and Olympic cross-country skiing champion Johannes Klaebo, and is sponsored by Norway Chess. Budapest was chosen due to Hungary's chess history and the legacy of Judit Polgar.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 21, 04:17 PM UTC

Hungarian investigators and tax authority officials raided data centers housing servers of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The raid is part of a criminal investigation into the alleged embezzlement of approximately 17 billion forints (about 53.5 million USD) from the National Cultural Fund. Six current and former Fidesz officials face charges for allegedly distributing funds opaquely to artists and cultural figures with party ties, some of whom campaigned for Fidesz before the April parliamentary election. Fidesz decried the search as unprecedented in post-communist Hungary. The operation comes under the new government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in April, ending Orbán's 16-year rule. Magyar has vowed to dismantle Orbán's 'mafia system' and recover embezzled funds.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 21, 03:35 PM UTC

Embraer and Anduril have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow to integrate Anduril's Barracuda-500M (B-500M) stand-off cruise missile onto the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft. The collaboration aims to enable palletized launches of the mass-producible cruise missile, allowing the C-390 to deploy dozens of munitions simultaneously for massed stand-off effects. Anduril conducted the first successful flight test of the pallet-launched variant in September 2024, with dozens of subsequent tests validating capabilities including networked autonomy and terminal engagements. The C-390, already in service with Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, and other nations, can carry up to 26 tons of payload. Anduril has also established procurement framework agreements with the US Department of War and a localized production agreement with PGZ in Poland, expanding potential applications for the system.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 21, 03:03 PM UTC

Embraer and Anduril have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow to integrate Anduril's Barracuda-500M (B-500M) stand-off cruise missile onto the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft. The collaboration aims to enable palletized launches of the mass-producible cruise missile, allowing the C-390 to deploy dozens of munitions simultaneously for massed stand-off effects. Anduril conducted the first successful flight test of the pallet-launched Barracuda-500M in September 2024, with further tests validating collaborative autonomy and payload performance. The C-390, already in service with Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, and other nations, can carry up to 26 tons of payload. The partnership expands the aircraft's operational flexibility for modern air forces, with Anduril also having procurement agreements with the US Department of War and a localized production deal with PGZ in Poland.

1 reports · 1 sources · Updated Jul 21, 03:03 PM UTC