During the reconstruction of the Buda Hospital, archaeological finds from Roman times were unearthed. Civil engineering works were done by the same company that will be responsible for groundworks related to the Paks nuclear power plant expansion.
Continue readingValuable archaeological treasures were demolished under a priority construction of the Hungarian government
Huawei is slowly pushed out from European 5G networks but the Orban government still supports them
5G rollout has finally started in Hungary during the pandemic. Telenor, the partly state-owned mobile operator could be the lifeline for the beleaguered Chinese company.
Continue reading
“Mr. Russia” is now helping Viktor Orbán’s government to nurture German relations
Klaus Mangold, an influential German businessman with links to the European and Russian business elites has been advising the Orbán-government for many years. His consultancy contracts obtained by Direkt36 show that Mangold has been recently focusing on deepening Hungarian-German industrial relations.
Continue reading
Tens of thousands of forgotten Hungarians on the frontlines of the coronavirus
While the conditions in nursing homes for elderly have become the number one political issue in Hungary, there has been little talk of homes for the disabled and psychiatric patients, or the social workers who provide care to them. Their problems are almost invisible.
Continue reading
Nuclear power plant Paks 2 rescheduled to favor the Russians
After two years of negotiations, the Hungarian government adopted during the epidemic an important legal modification related to the Paks nuclear expansion. From now on, the position of the Russians will be stronger and the Hungarian state will bear higher risks.
Continue reading
People close to Orban’s advisor appear in controversial Russia-connected megaproject
Preparations for a megaproject in which a Russian-Hungarian company will supply 1300 rail cars to Egypt seem to have accelerated. Simultaneously, people close to Arpad Habony, the PM’s chief advisor, and Zsolt Hernadi, CEO of MOL have appeared inside the firm which co-owns the winning company.
Continue reading
How the epidemic disrupted Orbán’s machinery
While in the past ten years the government seemed to operate with almost military-style discipline, the last few weeks brought several U-turns from the Orbán administration. Here’s what happened behind the scenes.
Continue reading
China suspended the export of some COVID-19 tests in April. The Hungarian government had already stocked up on them
Hungarian paramedics are still using tests whose exports were suspended in April. This week, China again loosened export requirements, and it seems that the Hungarian government also managed to find a reliable supplier.
Continue reading
„By now, no one can give even a piece of bread”
For Hungarians living in deep poverty, the world has turned upside down since the coronavirus lockdown. Although poor rural communities have not yet seen a breakout but most jobs are gone and with no savings and barely enough food left, people cannot afford to buy even disinfectants. So far, the government has failed to take action, leaving thousands of starving families without help.
Continue reading
Hungarian ministerial adviser searched for coronavirus masks. He found them at a company where his father is a senior manager
Tons of medical masks and other personal protective equipment are arriving to Hungary almost every day. One of the big winners of the state orders is a little-known Chinese-Hungarian company with family ties to the ministry that handled the procurements.
Continue reading
How once cherished Iranians became coronavirus scapegoats in Orban’s Hungary
Hungary saw great business opportunities in Iran and the Orban government tried to strenghten relations through university scholarships and residence permits. Then the course of world politics and the coronavirus changed everything.
Continue reading
After 15 years of constant reorganization, Hungarian epidemiology was hit hard by coronavirus
Socialist governments crippled the network of state laboratories, Fidesz cut the epidemiologists’ central institution into pieces before trying to reverse the restructuring. Hungarian epidemiology struggles with the pandemic in a weakened state.
Continue reading
God sent this investment. Or the Devil
Tricksters from a Kyiv-based call center have defrauded vulnerable people from all around the world, luring them with empty promises of profitable investments. Direkt36 has found several Hungarian victims who talk about the psychology of the online fraud machine and what hurts the most.
Continue reading
Businessman linked to the Orbán family has expanded his footprint in city of Hungary’s nuclear plant
Roland Sebestyén has business relations with the family of Anikó Lévai, the wife of PM Viktor Orbán. Companies linked to him received contracts in the value of 6.2 million euros in Paks.
Continue reading
„Sold her home to pay, no money, crying”
More than a thousand victims from over 50 countries of the world, among them dozens of Hungarians, were ripped off by sales managers of a company in Ukraine where the boss is known as the ‘Wolf of Kyiv’. The lucrative business was uncovered by an international investigation in which Direkt36 took part from Hungary.
Continue reading
Orbán’s media machine in the Balkans investigated for suspicious transactions
A Hungarian businessman close to the government has expanded his media empire to the Balkans. However, a high-value contract between his Slovenian and North Macedonian companies raised the attention of local authorities.
Continue reading
Hungary pressured by diplomats to stop blocking NATO-Ukraine talks
There is growing pressure on Hungary’s government to stop blocking high-level Ukraine-NATO meetings. They are accused of doing a favor to Russia, while Hungary says “we’re not blocking just for fun”.
Continue reading
Hungarians could live 5 months longer, but government halts program tackling air pollution
Pollution from fine particulate matter is very high in Hungary, among the worst in the EU and the OECD. The government is aware, a solution has been prepared, but the plans were eventually halted.
Continue reading
U.S. is still trying to push out the Russian-led bank from Hungary
American and British diplomacy are upset that the International Investment Bank has relocated its headquarters to Budapest. The bank’s employees were supposed to receive wide diplomatic immunities, but the Orban government seems to be backtracking on issuing them.
Continue reading
Companies close to Orbán’s allies will operate Hungarian trading houses in the Balkan
The Hungarian government started to rebuild its controversial trading house system on the Balkans – once again, with the old local partners that have good political connections.
Continue reading