Extra powers for government
Hungary's parliament approved a bill on March 30 giving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government extraordinary powers during the coronavirus pandemic, and setting no end date for them.
Coasts are clear for big year
This year's two European Capitals of Culture are both coastal towns: the Croatian port of Rijeka alongside the Adriatic Sea and the Irish harbour Galway in the west of the country where the River…
Spiced up with music
"If music be the food of love, play on." One of William Shakespeare's most famous lines has been adopted as a catchphrase at Aria Hotel Budapest, and we will soon find out why. Theatregoers hungering…
Tourism ready to take off in Ukraine's east
It was a real pleasure to finally visit Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, albeit at a weekend glance. Since this January it has finally become possible to fly there low-cost from Budapest, thus…
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900 pages of fame
"Warhol. A Life as Art" by Blake Gopnik (published by allen lane)All biographers should have it so "easy": Andy Warhol was a lifelong hoarder and…
Music, sport join to battle coronavirus
LaLigaSantander Fest broadcast on March 28Football-starved fans kept home due to COVID-19 will welcome LaLigaSantander…
Debauchery 'too wonderful to deny'
"She's A Rainbow: The Extraordinary Life of Anita Pallenberg" by Simon Wells (published by Omnibus Press)The opening sequence alone was too much for many in the audience. A Rolls-Royce…
Get your green on
The capital with the eye of an expatSt Patrick's Day 2020 falls on a Tuesday. In countries where it's a national…
Aiming for the stars
Big names new and old, amusing and musicalA galaxy of international entertainers is booked in for Budapest as 2020…
Digging among the isotopes and radionuclides
"Manual for Survival. A Chernobyl Guide to the Future" by Kate Brown (published by Penguin Books)Even to unscientific minds, the numbers just don't add up: the worst disaster in…
Every picture tells its story
Budapest Photo Festival in fourth yearThe Budapest Photo Festival, running now at Műcsarnok until April 20, is an…
Farewell to the family
Clannad drawing curtain on 50-year careerClannad derives from the word clan meaning "family" in Gaelic, and the three…
Better late Lara than never
Fabian reschedules called-off concert appearanceLara Fabian's shows originally planned for Eastern Europe last November but…
Have storm, will travel
Enthusiasts who love to get the wind upWhen Gyula Bondor says that his hobby is hunting, he does not mean shooting…
A credit to the country
Hungarians have least debt relative to income in Europe: surveyHungarians have the lowest amounts of debt relative to their incomes in a…
Opposition unity conquers
Joint candidate wins by-election in DunaújvárosGergely Kálló, the joint candidate of the opposition Jobbik, Democratic…
Green house in order
Orbán lays out climate protection action planPrime Minister Viktor Orbán in his state-of-the-nation address laid out in…
Coronavirus curbs hit even harder
New restrictions from governmentPrime Minister Viktor Orbán announced new, strict restrictions from midnight on…
Serendipity on Sunset Strip
"Blues From Laurel Canyon, My Life as a Bluesman" by John Mayall with Joel McIver (published by Omnibus Press)
From businessman to spy
"Our Man in New York" by Henry Hemming (published by Quercus)The Budapest Times first came across author Henry Hemming in 2017 when we read…
Bulgaria celebrates 142 years of liberty
Historical, political and cultural links with HungaryBulgaria's Ambassador to Hungary, Ulyana Bogdanska, has hosted a reception at…
Important artists brought modernity to art
Exhibition of Miroslav Kraljević and three other CroatiansMany of the most important paintings of Miroslav Kraljević, a prime figure in…
A life at the drawing board
"My Town. An Artist’s Life in London" by David Gentleman (published by Particular Books)Sprawling, packed, exciting, overwhelming, transitioning: London is all these…
Capturing the glory of somewhere special
"Vienna. Portrait of a City" (published by Taschen)How many weekends have we spent in Vienna now? How many day trips? It is so…
Leonard lets the light in
Cohen came and he captivated"Thanks for the dance." It’s 2019, and my dancing partner is Leonard Cohen, dead…
Marriott restaurants benefit needy children
HUF 11 million-plus collected for SOS Children's VillagesFour Marriott hotels in Hungary used their restaurants to raise HUF 11.3 million…
Cups and character
"The Three Kings" by Leo Moynihan (published by Quercus)It's a famous quote by Liverpool Football Club manager Bill Shankly but it…
Three occasions to celebrate
Kuwait’s 'growing cooperation' with HungaryThe Embassy of the State of Kuwait held a reception at the Kempinski Hotel…
Curious ventures await in shadowy Istvántelek
Ghost trains, spooky suburb so near but so far from spotlightNo offence to those from Istvántelek, as life and daily routine in this District…
'Beautiful harmony' reaches a highlight
Emperor of Japan's birthday celebratedThis year's celebration by Japan of the Emperor’s Birthday was the first in…
Second to none in its idiosyncratic way
"Wicked City, The Many Cultures of Marseille" by Nicholas Hewitt (published by Hurst)Hands up if you have been to London but not Birmingham, to Istanbul but not…
A momentous 12 months
"Rolling Stones 69" by Patrick Humphries (published by Omnibus Press)The Rolling Stones made their lout-like breakthrough in 1964 and still draw tens…
The Celtic Barber
The capital with the eye of an expatI'm having flashbacks to 1994 and the birth of the term "metrosexual". The…
The what and the where
Párisi Passage Café and Brasserie in District VSometimes, it may not be so much what you eat and drink when you go out but…
50 years treading the boards
Carlos Santana's Miraculous 2020 World Tour in Budapest on March 19Iconic guitarist Carlos Santana is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album…
For the heart and head
James Blunt's 2020 European tour in Budapest on April 1Following his sixth studio album, "Once Upon A Mind", released in October, James…