Tasting the whole menu with corresponding wines – that is what the Symbol restaurant in Budapest offers to its guests. The 44-course menu is based on a book describing what wine producers cook for themselves.

The Budapest French Institute is here to promote French language and culture, and to encourage cross-cultural exchange. The institution serves as a French hub and a second home for those 2-3,000 French living in Hungary.

Hungarian lawmakers approved a proposal to ban smoking at public places. Doctors called the decision an important and vital first step, while tobacco growers and the catering business pointed to the negative implications of the rigorous law.

There was a slight improvement in the GKI-Erste confidence indices following a plummet observed in March. Business confidence rose palpably while consumer confidence grew only marginally, and both remained below their respective February levels.

Last September saw the old, neoclassical building of the Óbuda Synagogue reborn. Since then, it has been in use on a regular basis, including services and communal gatherings every Friday to Sunday, and further reconstructions during the rest of the week.

Hungary’s state-owned railway company MÁV has signed an agreement with China Railway Construction Coproration to receive technological, construction and financing tools for the modernisation of MÁV from the Chinese company.

The entire management and the offices of Malév Hungarian Airlines will move to Budapest’s international airport. According to plans, three modernized office buildings await the some 600 employees of the company.

A statement by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry accuses Germany of meddling in Hungarian domestic affairs and rejects the statement of the German Foreign Ministry that raises concerns about laws adopted by the Hungarian government.

The Minaret of Eger, the famous 400-year-old prayer tower is up for rent and the asset management Hungarian State Holding Company hopes for at least HUF one million a year (some EUR 3,700) in rental charges.

Hungarian lawmakers have on Monday approved the country’s new constitution that will take effect on 1 January 2012. Passing the bill into law required a two-thirds majority which was provided by the governing force.

A dispenser of pálinka, a special Hungarian fruit brandy, has been set up in the diplomatic lounge at Budapest’s international airport to welcome visitors with a combination of Hungarian flavors and ingenuity.

Stretching across half of South America, the fascinating land of Brazil has enchanted travelers for over 500 years. Alexandre Vidal Porto, Charge d’Affaire at the Brazilian Embassy in Budapest, shares his views on the rise of Brazilian tourism.

Representatives of EU member states and of the United States discussed the forms of combat against cybercrime and the amendment of related co-operation at a ministerial meeting in Budapest, calling for action in this field.

Member States’ ministers for EU affairs have adopted the Council’s conclusions about the Danube Region Strategy. Hungary considers that the first part of the Presidency’s agenda has been reached and preparations can begin for the specific programs.

The Millenaris Park in Budapest will see - between April 14 and 17 - one of the greatest international gatherings of the year: international authors, exhibitions related to Hungary’s EU Presidency and a good glance at the book market.