On March 15th Hungarians commemorate the Revolution and the War of Independence against the Austrian-Hapsburg rule in 1848–49. Normally, on this day there are commemorations and family programs all over the country and in Hungarian communities all over the world. In Budapest the main event takes place on the steps of the Hungarian National Museum just like on March 15, 1848. Today […]
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s young minister of foreign affairs & trade is responsible for purchasing protective gear for his country’s fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Szijjártó organized an air bridge to China and over 100 WizzAir flights brought back gear for the “battle,” as he calls it. According to government sources Hungary has so far received over 131 million masks, 1,928,695 protective […]
At first glance Wizz Air, Hungary’s low-cost carrier, may appear well-placed to be among those European airlines that survive the pandemic without filing for bankruptcy. In 2019, Wizz Air transported nearly 40 million passengers, making the Hungarian carrier the eighth largest airline or airline holding in Europe. At the start of the pandemic-related lockdowns in March, József Váradi, Wizz Air’s […]
Although the Coronavirus pandemic in Hungary has not yet peaked and with 2,284 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 239 deaths, the Orbán government announced that it will be prepared to begin re-opening the economy soon after May 4th. On April 29th, the government intends to announce its plan on re-opening the economy. The current model predicts that the coronavirus will […]
First, we wish the best to the residents, caretakers and management of the Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and we sincerely hope that the community will fare well with the virus epidemic. On their Facebook page the Communities posted a Happy Easter greeting this year, yet the holiday was not a happy occasion. On April 6 the organization announced that […]
President Trump is advocating the use of a malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus. Scientifically there is no conclusive evidence that the treatment is effective and there are reported cases when it has harmed patients. Yet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized emergency use of the medicine for severely ill coronavirus patients who are already in […]
As of Thursday, there were 585 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Hungary and 21 deaths, so the Orbán government is preparing to have parliament pass legislation attacking the recognition of transgender people and their rights. Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, the leader of the Christian Democratic People’s Party, a phantom party which survives at the pleasure of Prime […]
The Hungarian Parliament recently passed the Enabling Act to extend the Prime Minister’s power. Viktor Orbán is using the coronavirus crisis to grab nearly unlimited power for an indefinite period. The Enabling Act brings up painful memories in Germany. In 1933 the German Reichstag (Diet) passed a similar Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) which enabled Hitler’s government to issue decrees independently of the […]
The party state’s two-thirds majority in parliament meant that with 138 voting for and just 53 against, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has secured the right to rule by decree for an unlimited period of time, and to unilaterally suspend existing laws, ostensibly in an effort to better address the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary. On Monday, the number of Hungarians confirmed […]
We published a piece about Hungarian-language announcements in California that „Slovakia” was organizing a March 25 non-stop charter flight from Washington DC to Bratislava. Stranded Hungarian citizens could also buy one-way tickets for 1,100–2,500 EUR depending on travel class and “Slovakia” would also consider charter flights from Florida and California. (Read here) The announcement also appeared on the website of the […]
