Hungary's national football side lost 3-0 away to Romania in Europe's qualifying Group D of the 2014 football World Cup. This defeat significantly reduces Hungarian chances to finish at least second in the group, a place in the play-off stage.

Whereas 18% of Hungarian secondary school graduates have applied to college or university abroad, 36% of 9-11th graders are now planning to study outside the borders, a survey by the Institute for Economic and Enterprise Research (IEER) revealed.

A Swiss-Hungarian model project has been launched to improve and expand basic services in Hungary’s underdeveloped regions. The program, announced this week in Budapest, also aims to involve Roma residents in public health programs.

An exhibition opened in the Hungarian National Gallery on June 27, presenting paintings and drawings by French and Hungarian impressionists and post-impressionists, including Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Pál Szinyei-Merse and József Rippl-Rónai.

A press conference at the British Embassy in Budapest this Tuesday announced the launch of the latest project 'Roma law enforcement community tour' supported by the Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers.

Sales by Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Ltd. were close to EUR one billion in its first partial year of production. According to company court data, only a fraction, EUR 2.5 million, was realized from the Hungarian market.

The Hungarian-Israeli Joint Economic Committee met for the second time in Jerusalem on May 29 to discuss the possibilities of developing cooperation between the two countries. The first meeting of this Joint Commission was held in 2009, in Budapest.

Portuguese soccer club SL Benfica lost the Europa League final this Wednesday night to English side FC Chelsea and the superstitious believe this loss – and the six defeats in European cup finals before – is due to a curse by legendary Hungarian coach Béla Guttmann.

The Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources (EMMI) has issued a statement on Minister Zoltán Balog’s trip to China this week. Minister Balog signed a bilateral cultural cooperation agreement with in the Chinese capital, Beijing this Tuesday.

The Hungarian Minister of National Economy Mihály Varga announced that in order to ensure that the European Commission’s excessive deficit procedure against the country is lifted, the government will freeze HUF 92.9 billion in the 2013 budget.

Diplomacy & Trade regularly prints the accounts of personal experiences and thoughts by Ambassadors accredited to Budapest. This time, we publish the piece written for us by the Korean ambassador to Hungary, Gwan-Pyo Nam.

Life is very short, so you should see the good things in life and be optimistic. This is the motto of Swedish Ambassador, Karin Olofsdotter who has been in Hungary since the fall of 2011. Her interview appeared in a recent issue of Diplomacy & Trade.

The Diplomacy & Trade Business Club (The Club) presented the Croatian focus of Diplomacy & Trade at the residence of the Croatian in Budapest with diplomats, businesspeople and members of the Croatian community in Hungary attending.

On the occasion of Hungary’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorations including exhibition openings, conferences and history lessons were held on Tuesday throughout the country with the participation of politicians and civilians.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister sent a letter of condolence to the US Secretary of State condemning the bomb blasts on April 15 and expressed his deep sympathy to the victims of the tragic attacks, their families and the people of Boston.