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Hungarian PM Orbán: ‘I trust after Donald Trump takes office, we will experience its beneficial effect’

“I trust that on January 20, after Donald Trump takes office, we will experience its beneficial effect,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday in response to a question by the press.

Orbán meets Trump

Orbán said in a video posted on Facebook that he had held a meeting with Trump where he congratulated the president-elect. Talks will be held after Trump takes office, Orbán added.

He said that “these days when two people, two men, sit down to talk either in Europe or America, they can certainly not avoid having a word about peace and about war”.

Orbán said that because of very strict US legal regulations, “the US president is currently not in a position to have talks about a ceasefire”. However, he added that he trusted that on January 20, once Trump takes office, “we will experience its beneficial effect”.

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Brutal accident: Bus crashes into tram in Budapest, many injured – PHOTOS

A tram and bus collision in Budapest’s XIV district early Tuesday morning left seven people injured, including one in critical condition, and caused significant disruption to public transport.

Brutal accident in District 14

As Szeretlek Magyarország reports, a serious accident occurred at dawn on Tuesday in Zugló, at the intersection of Nagy Lajos király Road and Telepes Street in Budapest’s District 14. A tram and bus collided shortly after 6 am, leaving seven people hospitalised, one in a life-threatening condition, according to the National Ambulance Service. The incident disrupted public transport, with tram services on routes 3 and 62 replaced by buses between Bosnyák Square and Mexikói Road, and several bus routes, including 124, 125, 125B, and 277, were rerouted. On-site recovery was completed by mid-morning, and traffic resumed, BKK Info reported.

Bus crashes into tram in Budapest
MTI/Mihádák Zoltán
Bus crashes into tram in Budapest
MTI/Mihádák Zoltán

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Top Hungary news: secret service and the Orbán family, Europol most wanted, mega real-estate deal, Katy Perry, housing, Austria – 9 December, 2024

We’ve rounded up the top Hungary news from today; check them out below!

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BREAKING NEWS! Mega real-estate deal planned at Budapest’s largest railway stations, says Vitézy – details HERE

Katy Perry returns to Budapest after 15 years with a career-spanning concert

Business, economy

Austria’s growing Hungarian population: What’s behind the numbers?

Budapest’s housing crisis in focus: What about the worsening situation in Debrecen?

Hungarian state launches half a billion euro capital programme to support housing, details HERE

Euronews: European Commission critiques Hungary’s fiscal plans for lacking crucial details

Sport

For the first time in 12 years: the Hungarian handball team plays in the semi-finals of the European Championship

Dominik Szoboszlai and Liverpool: a promising season ahead

Culture

Advent traditions: Counting down to Christmas in a unique Hungarian way

Shibuya, the premium pan-Asian restaurant, opens in Budapest

Junior ruling KDNP re-elected Zsolt Semjén as leader

Zsolt Semjén was re-elected for five years as the leader of the junior ruling Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) on Sunday in Budapest at the party’s national caucus meeting.

“If there is no strong KDNP, there is no strong Fidesz-KDNP alliance, and there is no victory in 2026,” Semjén said in a speech.

“If there is no Orbán government in Hungary, then the entire fight against the left-liberal, Brussels world will collapse, because we are the intellectual, central force of the Patriots and the sovereigntist, Christian line,” he added.

Zsolt Semjén KNDP
Photo: FB/Zsolt Semjén

He said KDNP as a party has been able to exist for 80 years because it stands on the spiritual foundations of the founding fathers and represents eternal truth in the everyday world.

On Sunday, János Latorcai was elected president of the national caucus, Csaba Latorcai executive vice president and Imre Vejkey party prosecutor.

Zsolt Semjén KDNP national caucus
Photo: FB/Zsolt Semjén

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  • BREAKING: Mystery Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport, Assad seeking Trump’s help from Budapest? – read more HERE

Top Hungary news: Assad in Budapest, students’ paradise in South Pest, German pensioners – 8 December, 2024

We’ve rounded up the top Hungary news from today; check them out below!

Featured Hungary news

  • Mystery Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport, Assad seeking Trump’s help from Budapest? – read the details in THIS article
  • Chuck Norris joins Hungarian charity drive Good to be Good
  • CNN: U.S. Supreme Court considers legal path for Holocaust survivors to reclaim stolen property in Hungary – read more about the issue HERE
  • Budapest is one of the best destinations for working remotely at Christmas – details HERE
Santa Run in Budapest Hungary news
Santa Run in Budapest. Photo: MTI

Society

Hungarian economy

Peace requires strength, Hungarian defence minister says in Bahrain

Conflicts across the world pose a great security challenge for Hungary, the defence minister said on Sunday, and noted the increased significance of dialogue.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky attended the 20th Regional Security Conference in Bahrain, where he presented the Hungarian position calling for a ceasefire and peace talks in the war in Ukraine.

The war must be stopped and peace achieved, the minister said. “Peace requires strength; we keep working on it,” he added.

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  • CNN: U.S. Supreme Court considers legal path for Holocaust survivors to reclaim stolen property in Hungary

Accelerating EU free trade talks in interest of Hungarian economy

Accelerating EU free trade negotiations and better implementation of existing agreements is important for Hungary’s government, as a pillar of the country’s competitiveness is expanding its exports to non-EU countries, Katalin Bihari, a deputy state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said at a conference in Budapest on Friday.

Addressing the Market Access Day conference organised by the ministry, the European Commission and the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA), Bihari said the EU’s free trade agreements could pave the way for Hungarian companies to reach dynamically growing markets in a predictable manner.

Denis Redonnet, the EC’s deputy director general for trade and chief trade enforcement officer, said the EU had free trade agreements with 76 countries at present. Those trade agreements cover around 70pc of Hungary’s exports to non-EU countries, he added.

The conference aimed to foster an exchange of information and experience for companies seeking to do business on non-EU markets.

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  • Instead of hosting a Chinese university campus, South Pest may become a students’ paradise – read more HERE

VIDEO: Chuck Norris joins Hungarian charity drive Good to be Good

Hollywood star Chuck Norris has again joined the Hungarian public media’s annual charity drive dubbed “Good to be Good” with a donation, Duna TV said on Facebook showing a video message by the actor and his wife.

The 13th donation drive raises money for the construction of a hospice children care home run by the Hungarian Baptist Charity near Budapest. The construction is already under way but the project needs additional donations to be fully completed.

Chuck Norris joins Hungarian charity drive Good to be Good (Copy)
Photo: PrtScr/Duna Tv FB

Norris this time has offered one of his signature cowboy hats for an auctione to be held in a public media programme on Dec 22. A Herendi porcelaine vase he has signed will also be listed among objects up for bidding.

He first joined the charity drive in 2021 offering a book he signed.

Other stars joining the programme before include Bud Spencer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Patric Duffy and Lewis Hamilton.

Here is Norris’s message to the Hungarians:

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  • Finding belonging: In community at the Ark in Hungary – PHOTOS, VIDEO and details HERE

Top Hungary news: Paris Jackson in Budapest, Sri Lankan Hungarian Santa, City Park Ice Rink popular – 7 December, 2024

We’ve rounded up the top Hungary news from today.

Featured Hungary news

  • Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, got betrothed in Budapest! – photos and details in THIS article
  • Hungarian opposition politician teams up with French national TV to film the Orbán mansion – VIDEO and more HERE
  • Heartfelt story: Sri Lankan children receive gifts from Hungarian Santa
  • Fitch credit rating agency shares good news concerning Hungarian economy; will forint strengthen?
Santa Claus in Hungary news
Photo: Santa Claus in Zalaszabar. MTI

Christmas in Budapest

  • Illuminated journeys: Explore Budapest’s festive light trams and buses in THIS article
  • Budapest City Park Ice Rink is Europe’s 2nd most popular! – PHOTOS and more HERE

Sport

Construction of BMW plant in Hungary ‘in full swing’

Construction of BMW plant in Hungary 'in full swing'

Construction of the BMW plant in Debrecen (E Hungary) is “in full swing” and related plans are unchanged, the head of the new base told MTI on Friday.

Capacity has not been reduced and there has been no change regarding the production of the planned models, Hans-Peter Kemser said in a statement.

Pre-production is ongoing and serial production will start in 2025, according to plan, he added.

Serial production of the Neue Klasse’s fully electric X model Sports Activity Vehicle is set to start in Debrecen at the end of 2025. Preparations for production of the Neue Klasse sedan at BMW’s plant in Munich are underway, in line with the original plan.

Kemser noted that the Debrecen plant was planned with a maximum annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. As with all new models or new factories, capacity will be ramped up gradually, he added.

Construction of BMW plant in Hungary 'in full swing'
Illustration. Photo: FB/BMW Hungary

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  • Struggling German carmaking industry may ruin PM Orbán’s economic dreams and election chances – read more HERE

Top Hungary news: Santa in Hungary, cancelled flights, large bear spotted, snowfall – 6 December, 2024

Santa Claus at Budapest Airport hungary news

We’ve rounded up the top Hungary news from today; check them out below!

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  • PM Orbán awards ‘Mr Russia’, Hungary interested in Russia’s new security system – read more HERE
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  • Large roaming brown bear seen in Hungary – check out the details and the VIDEO HERE
  • Budapest named the 5th most beautiful Christmas market in Europe
  • High-tech garbage trucks of MOHU to conquer Hungary’s roads by 2027, MOL’s Christmas fuel truck launched – read more HERE
Santa Claus at Budapest Airport hungary news
Photo: FB/Budapest Airport

Santa in Hungary

Hungary travel

  • Budapest flights cancelled due to horrible weather
  • Santa brought a new flight to Budapest, another may follow

High-tech garbage trucks of MOHU to conquer Hungary’s roads by 2027, MOL’s Christmas fuel truck launched

mol mohu Advent fuel truck

MOHU, which has a nationwide municipal waste management concession, is investing several tens of billions of forints to upgrade its fleet of garbage trucks, the unit of Hungarian oil and gas company MOL said on Thursday.

MOHU said it plans to purchase around 1,000 trucks and will initially take delivery of 165 Mercedes vehicles from Germany. The first new trucks will be put into service in various parts of the country from 2025.

MOHU said that the average age of the 2,000 garbage trucks currently operating in Hungary is 13 years. The average age of the trucks could be lowered below 10 years by 2027 with the new purchases.

MOHU has committed to raising Hungary’s recycling rate from 32pc to 65pc by 2035.

High-tech garbage trucks to conquer Hungary's roads by 2027
MOHU’s Hungarians-developed recycling vehicle. Photo: Instagram/MOHU

MOL launches beautifully decorated Advent fuel truck

MOL’s gas station refuel truck decorated with Christmas lights will travel 5,000 kilometres until 24 December. The attraction will be seen in Budapest and several towns in Hungary, including Tiszaújváros, Százhalombatta, Szolnok, Komárom, Szeged, and Nyíregyháza.

The truck will start its journeys at nightfall to visit busy gas stations all over Hungary. HERE you may check out its schedule.

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  • Hungary deposit-return system reaches half a billion milestone

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Weather Hungary news Budapest winter cold

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Budapest mayor: Domestic violence is a social issue that affects us all

Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony domestic violence social issue

Domestic violence is not a private matter but a serious social problem that affects everyone, the mayor of Budapest said on Thursday. “It concerns us all, not only politicians,” he said.

Gergely Karácsony said on Facebook that every two weeks a woman lost her life as a result of abuse, and every fifth Hungarian woman was the victim of physical violence. “These cases often remain hidden; the violence takes place within the walls of the home and the victims feel lonely and helpless,” he added. “This topic must not remain a taboo,” he said.

Karácsony said a conference Also Safe at Home was organised to discuss with partner organisations and district councils “what more can be done for the victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, and to prevent violence”.

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Paks II nuclear plant upgrade moves ahead under strict international oversight

Paks ii nuclear power plant

The upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant is being undertaken in compliance with the strictest international rules, the head of international relations at project company Paks II said at the Uzatom Expo 2024 industry fair in Samarkand on Thursday.

Participating in a panel discussion, Attila Hugyecz said a number of international nuclear energy organisations were following the Paks II project, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).

Paks nuclear power plant
Photo: FB/Paks NPP

He noted that the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority had cleared the preliminary safety report for Paks II, allowing the first concrete to be poured and the project to be designated officially “under construction”.

Last year, nuclear energy accounted for 45pc of electricity generation and 35pc of consumption in Hungary.

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Budapest court orders extradition in Antifa case to Germany

court antifa case

The Budapest Municipal Court has ordered the extradition of a man sentenced in the so-called “Antifa case” to Germany, where he will be prosecuted for assault committed by a criminal organisation, the court told MTI on Wednesday.

According to the European arrest warrant issued by Germany, the man had been a member of a group aiming “to commit violent crimes with a far-left motivation”, and had participated in an attack with the group, the court said. According to the binding decision, the man will be extradited by expedited procedure, the court said.

The man is currently serving a prison sentence in Hungary, the statement said.

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Top Hungary news: Student suicide attempt, no EU funds, sanctions violated, ice skating rink, Budapest top party city — 4 December, 2024

Budapest autumn Hungary news

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Featured image: depositphotos.com

Hungary prioritises workforce training to address labour market challenges

Guest Worker Labour Workforce Shortage Vendégmunkás labour market

Hungary’s government has made a policy priority of training for people who are out of work with low skills or without qualifications, the state secretary for employment policy said at a conference in Budapest on Wednesday.

Addressing the conference on managing demographic challenges by mobilising disadvantaged groups of people, Sándor Czomba noted that Hungary had a “labour market reserve” of around 200,000-300,000 people who could join the workforce.

He pointed to the need for state or corporate programmes to train or retrain older people, slower to adapt to technological development, in order to stay competitive in the labour market. Workplaces must adapt to the needs of an ageing society, allowing people to work longer, while preserving their health and skills, he added.

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