Germany's Knorr-Bremse Group, the world’s leading manufacturer for braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, has laid the foundation stone of a new manufacturing and development base in Kecskemét, east-central Hungary.

"This is a country where people are friendly, they are open, and this is also a country that is never boring and this is a country that you have to visit,” says Foreign Minister János Martonyi in an interview he recently gave to Diplomacy & Trade.

A mini Hungary model park has opened in the local arboretum in Szarvas, east-central Hungary. The new tourist attraction of the town comprises of miniature replicas of most famous building complexes of Budapest and the countryside.

Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, arrived on an official visit to Hungary Tuesday. He was received in Budapest by his Hungarian counterpart János Áder. Topics discussed included Bulgaria's intention to join the Schengen zone as well as energy issues.

"The Government of Hungary’s decision to award a national prize to Ferenc Szaniszló, an individual who has publicly engaged in hate speech, is deeply disappointing," according to the American ambassador to Hungary, Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis.

“I am partially Irish, partially Hungarian. I grew up in Ireland with a Hungarian father and an Irish mother and with a Hungarian name that nobody could pronounce.” Nick Kós, Country Managing Partner of PWC Hungary told Diplomacy & Trade.

Deputies of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party approved a set of changes to the country's constitution which critics, including the European Union's executive and several member-state foreign ministers, say pose a danger to democracy and the rule of law.

Hungary may re-open its embassy in Nigeria later this year as part of the country’s opening towards sub-Saharan Africa, according to an interview with Deputy State Secretary Szabolcs Takács of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.

The Hungarian government is planning to impose a new tax, according to a bill on meteorology. The ‘service fee’ would be 0.5% of the annual advertising revenues of any media - irrespective of whether they broadcast weather forecasts/reports or not!

Japanese car parts maker TS Tech Co. Ltd. is setting up a plant in Százhalombatta, south of the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The Hungarian subsidiary, TS Tech Hungary Ltd., is to be established with a capital of EUR 3 million.

Within the framework of the SymbioCity 2013 program, the Smart City conference took place in the ‘Green House’ in Budapest this week focusing on sustainable urban environment with the participation of Swedish and Hungarian experts.

German car manufacturer Opel is expanding its engine factory in Szentgotthárd, southwestern Hungary. The project is worth EUR 130 million, which will create 160 new jobs and increase production space by 1600 square meters.

The Advisory Board of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) admitted Hungary as a new member at its annual meeting on February 5-6 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Russian officials have denied the validity of a report by the online version of the Hungarian business weekly HVG that it would buy a huge Hungarian FX bond package at a favorable interest rate to help finance Hungary’s state debt without the IMF.

24-year-old Hungarian tennis player Ágnes Szávay, has announced her retirement from competitive tennis due to a vertebral injury she has long been suffering from. She hopes to capitalize on her experience in teaching tennis to children.