Hundreds of Czechs attended the funeral of Milan Paumer, who achieved fame as a member of a group whose members shot their way out of Czechoslovakia in the 1950s, Radio Prague reported last Wednesday
Berlin’s famous polar bear Knut was alone again last week after his girlfriend returned to her zoo in Munich, Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported last Tuesday citing German media.
A Russian rapper was last week serving a 10-day jail sentence after being convicted of hooliganism following comments about corrupt local police, the Moscow Times reported last Tuesday.
A 16-year-old schoolgirl required emergency surgery last week after receiving a knife wound to the chest while allegedly haranguing a 34-year-old English teacher at the window of her ground-floor flat in the industrial city of Dunaújváros. Police said the girl had persistently demanded to speak to the teacher, named as Alexandra K., in the early hours of 31 July. The teacher had called the police, whereupon the girl left, only to return after officers had visited the flat and driven away.
Tamás Tóth, the recently appointed Budapest police chief, promised a more effective force in an interview with the daily newspaper Népszabadság last week. The commissioner repeated his intention to review the effects of reforms introduced in past years.
Budapest’s new smog rule that came into effect last Friday will reduce the number of cars by only 15 per cent in case of a smog alert, according to vehicle testers and a civil organisation polled by news portal hirszerzo.hu.
The German CEO of the recently re-privatised national airline Malév has escaped the government’s apparent drive to replace the heads of all state firms and bodies with its own appointees.
The admittedly populist Two-Tailed Dog Party (MKKP) is seeking financial contributions from the public and the help of activists in order to achieve its goal of nominating a mayoral candidate in the cities of Budapest and Szeged in the upcoming municipal elections.
The government continued last week with its apparent determination to demonstrate that two former prime ministers are guilty of corruption. Gyula Budai, commissioned by conservative prime minister Viktor Orbán to dig into a scandal over a dubious land deal on the shores of Lake Velence, presented two audio recordings that he claims proved the complicity of the previous Socialist government and its prime ministers Ferenc Gyurcsány and Gordon Bajnai.
Austrian paramedics discovered a man “eaten alive” by maggots after they responded to a call from a woman who said her elderly partner was having trouble breathing, the Austrian Times reported last Wednesday.
Poland’s foreign minister has confirmed plans to put up a portrait of the country’s new president in every Polish embassy after he is sworn in on 6 August, Radio Poland reported last Thursday.
Two Russian men were jailed last Wednesday for holding homeless people prisoner, using them as slave labour and only paying them with alcohol, the Moscow Times reported.
Industry representative group Mabisz last Tuesday warned that many insurance firms could be forced to pull out of Hungary because of the recently introduced extraordinary tax on the financial sector.
The National Inspectorate for Environment, Nature and Water last week overruled a December 2009 decision by the local environment agency (KDVKTVF), which refused to issue a permit to build a HUF 40 billion (EUR 141.06 million) power plant near Mátraterenye, north Hungary.
An insolvency procedure against Szeviép Construction will begin because negotiations with creditors ended without agreement, bankruptcy trustee Gyula Tímár said last Tuesday.
The Socialist mayor of Miskolc called on President László Sólyom to suspend local government elections, recently scheduled for 3 October. Sándor Káli accused the chief notary of Borsod County, in the northeast, of redrawing constituency boundaries with the help of “several local Fidesz representatives”.
A Bentley Interior car owned by Inter Milan star striker Samuel Eto’o and stolen from Milan in March was discovered in Hungary’s southern border town of Röszke last Monday.
A total of 71 Russians drowned last Monday while seeking relief from a heatwave that hit the country, Russia Today reported citing emergency officials.
A German teacher lost a defamation case after she accused a schoolgirl of spreading a vicious rumour that she was frightened of rabbits, news weekly Der Spiegel reported last week.
A new regulation means contractors must prove in future that any Russian porn supplied to the US government does not involve children, the Moscow Times reported last Wednesday.
The government will provide an additional HUF 100 million (EUR 352,200) of subsidies from the budget reserve for the Hungarian Swimming Association (MUSZ) to organise August’s swimming European Championships, cabinet press secretary Anna Nagy announced last Wednesday.
After more than a year’s hiatus with a hoof injury, Hungary’s most famous quadruped, the five-year-old stallion Overdose, has continued his unbeaten streak in Bratislava.
Prime ministers Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Jadranka Kosor of Croatia said after meeting last week that Hungary’s southwestern neighbour should join the EU as soon as possible.
One of the main sponsors of this year’s Sziget Fesztivál, mobile provider Vodafone, will offer a free phone and special tariffs for ticket and weekly pass holders to the event.
Pest County Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a police investigation into the allegedly intentional practice of retail chain Tesco not paying overtime wages. Tesco spokeswoman Judit Csató-Iglódi admitted to problems with the application used for payroll calculation but said the issues will be fixed and the workers will receive their pay.
The main governing and opposition parties have agreed on a formula for cooperation in the run-up to Hungary’s European Union presidency in the first half of 2011, parliamentary officials said last Wednesday.
The next Budapest leaders will have to think about whether to take back ownership of public utility companies, as happened in Pécs last year, Christian Democrat council member Zsolt Wertán said last week regarding complaints about the Csepel sewage purifying plant and the Budapest artificial ice rink.
The pilot of the Polish president's plane, which crashed killing everyone on board in Russia in April, was under pressure to land despite the adverse weather conditions, evidence released last week by Polish investigators suggests.
Review: Kredenc Borbisztró, Balatonfüred. Strolling through the elegant quarter of Balatonfüred built during the Reform period (beginning of the 19th century), visitors will come across the Kredenc wine…
Interview with master sushi chef Nobu “They are acting as though I were a film star!” joked Nobuyuki Matsuhisa at a press conference in the Kempinski Hotel ahead…
Review: Hotel President’s Panorama Terrace, District V. The Hotel President’s glamorous helipad restaurant above the rooftops of Budapest can hardly be beaten as a venue for a romantic dinner.…
Review: Café Briós on Pozsonyi út. Brioche is traditionally eaten for breakfast in France. In Budapest it can also be enjoyed at the recently-opened Café Briós (briós is…
Review: “bq” Beer & Barbecue Grill Terrace and Fashion Lounge on Fashion Street. It is well known that cafés and restaurants near the main tourist streets in big…
Café Eckermann closes. For some 11 years Café Eckermann had been a fixed point on Budapest’s cultural landscape, attracting students, tourists and intellectuals. The café made…
Review: Corinthia Hotel Budapest Sunday BrunchThe Corinthia Hotel Budapest located on the Nagykörút (Grand Boulevard) not far from Oktogon is rightly lauded as one of the capital’s most…
Since the beginning of the year Pécs, the European Capital of Culture 2010, has been the focus of attention. Now alongside the large-scale festivals, exhibitions, concerts and other events,…
Review: Café A.P.A. Cuka, District VIII. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, one might think when it comes to the ruin pubs in Budapest. In addition…
Few have the drive & dollars to chase a Michelin star. According to the Michelin Guide exceptional, innovative cuisine is rare in Hungary. One exception is the…
Review: Part II – Peppers! Mediterranean Grill in the Marriott Hotel. Entering the lobby of the Marriott Hotel you could wonder whether you are still in Budapest. Palm…
Review: Chef's table at Peppers! Mediterranean Grill in the Marriott Hotel. A special menu was served to ten select guests on 22 April in the Hotel Marrriot's Mediterranean…
Review: Culináris restaurant, District V. Anyone wanting to buy international gourmet products in Budapest should visit one of the three Culináris shops, in Perc utca (District III), on…
Review: Vakvarjú, District VI. Vakvarjú on Paulay Ede utca sees its role as a restaurant as much more than simply preparing and serving meals. It sets out…
Russian weeks at the Mirror Café & Restaurant. A few years ago Budapest boasted a number of Russian restaurants. Of those only Arany Kaviár (“Golden Caviar”) in…
Review: Zsivágó Café, District VI. It would be possible to while away whole days in the Zsivágó Café in the manner of an Anton Chekov character, laughing through…
Review: Poncichter. On Friday at 10pm the noise level is considerable. There is discussion, debate and laughter. Young and old, regulars and first-time guests speak above each other…
Relaxed, not rushed. The Café Jubilee opened a stone’s throw from Jászai Mari tér on Szent István körút at the end of February. Its owner Alex Scicluna hopes…
After two successful years in Bécsi utca, the German-Italian fast food chain Vapiano opened a new branch in Budapest on Bécsi út at the end of last year.…
Spájz is a Hungarianised abbreviation of the German Speisekammer, meaning larder. Árpád Horváth gave that name to his pub/restaurant in Lázár utca, evidently in reference not to the…
Sercli’s name translates as the “bread crust”, but this attractive restaurant serves a far greater range of food. Situated near Ferenciek tere in Veres Palné utca in a…
Olíva, which opened in 2003, is centrally located on the corner of Bajcsy Zsilinszky út and Lázár utca. The warm, dimmed lighting, an abundance of wood and rustic,…
The lengthy queues outside the cellar restaurant in Vigyázó Ferenc utca every lunchtime must say something: the small self-service restaurant Govinda offers one of the most authentic experiences…
On entering Master Wang’s Kitchen (Wang mester konyhája) customers can happily throw away any preconceptions they had of Chinese gastronomy in Eastern Europe. Tucked away in the rather…
Even in winter Szentendre is worth the trip. Anyone who loves hearty dishes such as pork knuckle will be in their element at Erm’s restaurant. Jazz fans will…
