The government will not revise the new and recently approved national curriculum despite heavy criticism from six Jewish organisations and federations over “anti-semitic” writers being included, education state secretary Rózsa Hoffman said on Tuesday. Several organisations have called for a change in the curriculum, including the Victims of Nazism Committee, to remove four “anti-semitic” writers.… Continue »

Over 100 judges cooperating with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee have turned to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to challenge a provision of the new basic law that would force them to take early retirement at age 62. They say the provision, which must be applied by the end of this year, violates… Continue »

Hungary was the fourth-cheapest country in the European Union (EU) last year, according to a recent report from Eurostat statistical office. Only Bulgaria, Romania and Poland had lower consumer prices for food and services. As for alcoholic beverages and tobacco, the lowest prices among all countries were found in Hungary. Goods and services’ prices differed… Continue »

Wine connoisseurs and those still working their way up (or down) can enjoy the 16th edition of the Egri Bikavér wine festival in Eger from 5 to 8 July (next Thursday through Sunday) when some of the best wineries in the region will uncork the region’s renowned offerings. Entry is free to the festival grounds… Continue »

As of September, Hungary’s youth will have to endure daily sessions of physical education, the government announced on Tuesday. Initially the rule applies only to pupils in grades one, five and nine. From next year there will be no exemptions. “Our aim, in the shortest possible time, is to see Hungarian schoolchildren taking part in… Continue »

The government is drafting legislation to ensure that a church cannot run a number of schools out of proportion with the size of its Hungarian congregation. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made the announcement on Monday, in the wake of reports that the evangelical church Hit Gyülekezet was taking over the running of several schools from… Continue »

The chief of disaster management has ordered a complete investigation into a fire caused by the explosion of a bitumen storage tank in the Zalaegerszeg oil refinery of MOL on Tuesday because it was the second such incident in a month. The investigation began on Wednesday. Fire services put out Tuesday’s fire in ten minutes.… Continue »

Parliament passed on Monday a proposal to cancel supplementary state pension payments to participants in communist-era activities deemed “irreconcilable with democratic values”. The proposal, submitted by governing Fidesz MPs Mária Wittner and Iván László and opposition far-right Jobbik MPs Tamás Sneider, Elõd Novák, Levente Murányi, György Szilágyi and Enikõ Kovács, also got the support of… Continue »