My grandfather was a radio. Standing five foot who-knows-what (but not much), he was an ideal candidate as a “runner” in the First World War. This candidacy took him to the front of the assault on Vimy Ridge. He became a human telephone line between the advancing units. Life expectancy for runners in WWI was measured in days, some saying as few as six. The battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment in Canadian history. It was after this battle that Canada ceased to be seen as a colony of Great Britain and was recognised as a nation unto itself. Continue »

Our annual Service of Remembrance and wreath-laying ceremony commemorating those who have fallen in conflict since the First World War will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Solymár, on Sunday 13 November. All are welcome to attend this ecumenical service. It begins at 10.55am and you are asked to arrive at the cemetery no later than 10.45am. Continue »

Oscar-winning, animated film-maker Ferenc Rófusz shared the Golden Spike prize for best short film at the 56th annual Valladolid Film Festival in Spain on Saturday. The nine-minute film Ticket views the world in animated charcoal sketches through the main character’s own eyes, from the time of his birth to his death. It seeks to answer the question of what life is all about. Continue »

The government’s foreign policy is “shameful” and subservient to “zionist interests”, nationalist Jobbik MP Márton Gyöngy?si told reporters on Wednesday. Gyöngy?si’s assertion was prompted by a two-day meeting of the International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation (IIACF) that opened in Budapest on Sunday. Continue »

Hungary abstained in the vote that saw Palestine granted full membership on Monday of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the Foreign Ministry told state news agency MTI. Continue »

Bulgarian voters elected Rosen Plevneliev to the presidency in a run-off vote last Sunday, after a first vote marred by organisational chaos. Plevneliev, from the ruling centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, won with 52.56 per cent of the vote.  Continue »

Hungary will not have to contribute to eurozone bank recapitalisations, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Wednesday while leaving an EU 27 summit in Brussels that resulted in a late-night deal on measures to tackle the EU’s debt crisis. The agreement includes a boost in the eurozone’s bailout fund, to be used as a last resort by failing banks, but which will not contain contributions from Hungary.  Continue »

A Kyiv court has sentenced former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seven years in jail for abusing her power in a 2009 gas deal with Russia. The conviction and jail sentence come just as Ukraine hopes to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union. Continue »

Slovakia’s centre-right coalition government fell on Tuesday following a vote on the reinforcement of the European Financial Stability Package (EFSF). Slovakia became the last country remaining to vote on a package boosting the eurozone’s bail-out fund after Malta’s parliament agreed in favour on Monday.  Continue »

The expansion of the EU is a great opportunity, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the closing press conference of the EU-Eastern Partnership summit conference in Warsaw last Thursday and Friday. Continue »