A Book of Condolence for Lady Thatcher will be open at the British Embassy (1051 Budapest, Harmincad u. 6.) for the general public on Friday, 12 April, from 10.00 until 15.00 hours. For further details please go to the embassy website: https://www.gov.uk/government/world/hungary   PM: “We’ve lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton.”… Continue »

The SOTE II. Department of Paediatrics, Budapest in Tűzoltó Street plays an outstanding role in the treatment of sick children in Hungary: this is where half of the children suffering from leukaemia and tumour-related illnesses, among others, are treated. To ensure proper and high-quality treatment for them, the intensive-care unit of the Clinic needs refurbishing,… Continue »

US-based human rights watchdog Freedom House classified Hungary as a “free” country in its latest global report released on Wednesday, despite slamming it last year for taking a turn away from democracy. The report, Freedom in the World 2013, evaluates the political rights and civil liberties of 195 countries and 14 related and disputed territories… Continue »

The government has cut HUF 70-80 billion (EUR 246.93-282.20 million) from the education budget since its arrival in power, LMP parliamentary group leader András Schiffer told Parliament on Monday, to applause from Socialist MPs. New student loan scheme Diákhitel 2, which is still under discussion, is an inadequate way of tackling the problem of higher… Continue »

Besides the Prime Minister and Rózsa Hoffmann, the other source of continuous amusement for students at the protest was the plagiarism case of Deputy PM Zsolt Semjén. The left-leaning weekly HVG alleged in November that the Christian Democrat politician had copied chunks of a dissertation at ELTE University and a doctoral thesis at Péter Pázmány… Continue »

Renewed protests against the government’s higher education reforms saw several thousand students, parents and teachers march from Budapest’s Technical University to Parliament on Wednesday, demanding reversal of plans to slash state-funded scholarships and introduce tuition fees. Smaller crowds gathered throughout the country in Szeged, Sopron, Nyíregyháza and Gödöllõ, the latest in a wave of more… Continue »

Thousands – some waving Hungarian tricolours, others wearing yellow stars – gathered in front of Parliament on Sunday for an anti-fascist demonstration. They were reacting to a call the previous week by an extreme-right Jobbik party politician for a list to be drawn up of Jews who may present a “security risk” to Hungary. Cross-party… Continue »

Difficult talks to determine the size and composition of the European Union’s next budget for 2014-2020 unsurprisingly broke down little over one hour after the start of the EU’s summit in Brussels last Thursday evening. After a half-hearted attempt to resume negotiations last Friday at midday, the talks have been postponed until early next year,… Continue »

Pollster Tárki reported on Wednesday that the combined support for left-wing and liberal opposition parties would be sufficient for them to form a government. Support for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party stands at 19 per cent. That for the Socialist Party is 14 per cent, the breakaway Democratic Coalition (DKP) has one per… Continue »

The opposition liberal-green party LMP re-elected founding member András Schiffer as its parliamentary group leader on Monday, having failed to decide during a nine-hour session three days earlier. His predecessor Benedek Jávor resigned at a fractious general assembly the previous week, where members voted 84 to 77 against Jávor’s motion that the party should join… Continue »