A founding member of the governing Fidesz party is set to become Hungary’s next president after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán nominated MEP János Áder for the post on Monday. The largely ceremonial office has been vacant since 2 April, when former head of state Pál Schmitt was forced to resign amid an academic plagiarism scandal.… Continue »

Hungary’s commemorations for Holocaust Remembrance Day began on Sunday when a crowd of 10,000 or more gathered to participate in the annual Walk of the Living. The Speaker of the Swedish parliament, Per Westerberg, and Israeli ambassador to Hungary, Ilan Mor, participated, along with representatives of the government and domestic political parties. The following day,… Continue »

French-owned Auchan Magyarország will become Hungary’s fifth-largest retail company based on combined sales after it acquires all Cora supermarket outlets. The European Commission gave the go-ahead on Wednesday for the acquisition under the EU Merger Regulation, saying that the merged entity would continue to face enough competition to allow customers to have continued access to… Continue »

The 19th Titanic International Film Festival largely wraps up on Saturday. Here is the schedule for the remainder of the festival. Films are screened in original language with English subtitles and Hungarian voice-over translation, except when indicated otherwise. The music films are screened in original language. 20-04 Friday A38 Boat 19:30    The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of… Continue »

Reggae can be a way of life, not just a genre of music. The mixture of soul, R&B, mento, ska and many other musical styles evokes a feeling of summer, sand and sea. Fans say the lyrics convey the message of authenticity, love and freedom. Musician and songwriter Gregory G Ras is one of the… Continue »

Traditional Hungarian delicacies prepared from locally sourced artisan ingredients chosen by Executive Chef Roland Holzer and matched with top wines of Hungary. This is the concept behind Winemakers’ Nights at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, where different wine regions in Hungary are being represented every Tuesday by the richness of their flavours. Grape cultivation and wine production… Continue »

In 1979’s top ten hit “Honesty,” Billy Joel crooned the words “Honesty is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue”. Unfortunately, the lyrics still resonate today. Basically, it seems that speaking the truth about anything in our society is just completely optional. From casual conversations to formal agreements the lines of integrity have been… Continue »

I am the first to admit that I will need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the technological 21st century. A toddler picked up my antiquated Nokia phone the other day and couldn’t figure out why the screen wouldn’t change when he brushed it. How far beyond redemption am I when a three-year-old thinks… Continue »