A new EU task force met for the first time this week on the fringes of e-Health week in the Hungarian capital to assess the role of information and communications technologies (ICT) in health and social care.

For innovation social trust is needed and in Hungary, especially in a wider European context, it is much harder as this country faces dual challenges - says professor Elemér Hankiss, the founder of the Invent Hungary Again! movement.

In an interview with the web site of the Hungarian EU Presidency, EC President José Manuel Barroso talked about the achievements of the current EU Presidency, the expansion of the EU and the Roma strategy, among other issues

Hungary's Constitutional Court has ruled that the retroactive effect of a 98% tax designed to regain severance pay was unconstitutional. The tax was aimed to cover golden handshakes made up to five years before the law came into effect.

Hungary’s 100 richest people increased their wealth by 12% year on year in 2010 to HUF 2,116 billion (EUR 7.98 bn), according to a list compiled by local business daily Napi Gazdaság. OTP Bank’s Chairman-CEO Sándor Csányi tops the list.

Hungary’s Magyar Telekom, controlled by Deutsche Telekom, has announced on Wednesday that it has embarked on a large scale modernisation of its mobile network with its long-standing partner, Ericsson.

For Diplomacy and Trade, French Ambassador René Roudaut speaks about the realization of his goals, the issue of transparency and the need for stability and predictability in investor relations in Hungary as well as developing cultural relations.

Hungary’s vehicle market has been stagnating for two months now and just like in March, new passenger car registrations have hardly changes in April compared to the same month of 2010, the latest figures of Datahouse showed on Monday.

Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi says the killing of Osama bin Laden a major success, but has not ended terrorism and it is uncertain how people in the Arab world ireact. The U.S. Embassy in Budapest has received special protection.

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.