French protests turn violent as Ukraine faces renewed attacks and sanctions pause

Violent demonstrations over living costs spread across France, with Limoges’ historic city hall badly damaged and hundreds detained. Ukraine warned that suspending new US sanctions could encourage further Russian attacks, while Romania reported drone incursions and Slovakia and Hungary said they would not join an EU loan program for Kyiv. Hungarian news included a major tax-fraud investigation, a forecast of population decline and debate over the country’s 2027 budget.

1. Protesters set fire to 143-year-old Limoges city hall, clock tower collapses — Protests over the cost of living across France brought clashes, arson and looting, with about 400 people detained, while Limoges’ city hall was largely destroyed after its clock tower collapsed and Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence.
   Original (Hungarian): Tüntetők gyújtották fel a 143 éves limoges-i városházát, összeomlott az óratorony
2. Zelensky responds to Trump’s suspension of sanctions package against Russia — Volodymyr Zelensky called the suspension of new US sanctions a “sanctions blackout” and warned it could encourage further Russian attacks, after Russia struck more than 15 Ukrainian energy facilities.
   Original (Hungarian): Zelenszkij reagált arra, hogy Trump felfüggesztette az Oroszország elleni szankciós csomagot
3. Romania shoots down two drones over the Black Sea — Romanian F-16s shot down two Geran-type attack drones after they briefly entered Romanian airspace, amid repeated detections near the border and more than 50 airspace violations recorded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
   Original (Hungarian): Két drónt lőttek le a románok a Fekete-tenger felett
4. Fico: Slovakia and Hungary will not join EU loan program for Ukraine — Robert Fico said Slovakia and Hungary would not participate in the EU’s planned €90 billion loan for Ukraine, though he said Slovakia could support the country through other projects.
   Original (Hungarian): Fico: Szlovákia és Magyarország nem vesz részt az Ukrajna megsegítésére szánt uniós hitelprogramban
5. Tax authority: 46 suspects in major gas-trading tax fraud case, investigation spans 17 countries — Hungary’s tax authority said 46 people are now suspects in a €67 billion VAT fraud case involving gas trading, with more than €41 billion secured or seized and further interviews expected.
   Original (Hungarian): NAV: Már 46 gyanúsítottja van a gázkereskedelemre épülő óriási adócsalási ügynek, 17 országot érint a nyomozás
6. Masked Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in the West Bank — Masked Israeli settlers threw stones at a delegation of European diplomats and church representatives near Taybeh, damaging a consular car and injuring French mayor Bernard Baudoux, prompting condemnation and an Israeli investigation.
   Original (Hungarian): Álarcos izraeli telepesek támadtak európai diplomatákra Ciszjordániában
7. Washington Post photographer brutally beaten by Israeli settlers in Palestinian village — Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters near Abu Falah, set olive groves on fire and severely injured Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, while the Israeli military said it had opened an investigation.
   Original (Hungarian): Brutálisan megverték a Washington Post fotósát izraeli telepesek egy palesztin faluban
8. Protests across France, more than 150 people detained — Nearly 33,000 people took part in 140 protests across France against rising fuel prices and living costs and deteriorating public services, with 166 detained and clashes reported in Paris and Marseille.
   Original (Hungarian): Országszerte tüntetnek Franciaországban, több mint 150 ember őrizetben
9. Polish foreign minister says money transfers and recordings prove Orbán’s government cooperated with Russia — Radoslaw Sikorski said financial transfers and audio recordings showed cooperation between the Orbán government and Moscow, though it was unclear whether he meant previously undisclosed recordings and no details of the alleged financial evidence had been reported.
   Original (Hungarian): A lengyel külügyminiszter szerint pénzutalások és felvételek bizonyítják, hogy Orbánék együttműködtek az oroszokkal
10. Andrej Babiš’s populist governing party suffers heavy defeat in Czech Senate election — Babiš’s ANO party and its coalition partners won no Senate seats, while the opposition STAN won ten, marking Babiš’s first major electoral defeat since returning to power in 2025.
    Original (Hungarian): Nagy verést kapott Andrej Babiš populista kormánypártja a cseh szenátusi választáson
11. Chinese kindergarten owner gets life sentence after more than 200 children poisoned with lead — A Chinese kindergarten owner was sentenced to life in prison after lead-contaminated food caused abnormally high blood-lead levels in 247 children and staff, and five employees also received prison sentences.
    Original (Hungarian): Életfogytiglant kapott egy óvodatulajdonos Kínában, miután ólommal mérgezett meg több mint 200 gyereket
12. New spyware could infect phones without users clicking — Citizen Lab said spyware called Controlium may have reached devices through apparently harmless ads on Israeli platform Discover-Tech, potentially collecting sensitive data and exposing millions of users since 2024.
    Original (Hungarian): Kattintani sem kellett, hogy az új kémprogram megfertőzze a telefonodat
13. Péter Magyar to present 2027 budget in parliament on Monday — Péter Magyar said the 2027 budget would prioritize fairness and development, with savings in state operations and funds redirected from billionaires and polluting companies to families, businesses and public services.
    Original (Hungarian): Magyar Péter hétfőn a parlamentben bemutatja a 2027-es költségvetést
14. Hungary’s population could fall by nearly one million by 2050, Eurostat forecasts — Eurostat projects Hungary’s population could decline to 8.6 million by 2050, with the working-age population falling by 18 percent and the largest population loss expected in Békés County.
    Original (Hungarian): Fogy a magyar: majdnem 1 millióval leszünk kevesebben 2050-re az Eurostat szerint
15. Hole found in security fence at Leipzig Airport — Police said a large hole in Leipzig Airport’s security fence was probably caused by a vehicle, but found neither a vehicle nor an unauthorized person, and the airport’s northern runway remained closed on Sunday morning.
    Original (Hungarian): Lyukat találtak a lipcsei repülőtér biztonsági kerítésén
16. Dead and injured after fire breaks out near Canadian military base — A fast-spreading fire near the Wainwright military base caused deaths and injuries, though authorities did not disclose the toll or cause and asked residents to avoid the area.
    Original (Hungarian): Halálos áldozatai is vannak egy kanadai katonai bázis közelében kitört tűznek
17. Zsófia Koncz to sue social and family affairs minister over claim that HUF 600 million in public money went to her campaign — Zsófia Koncz said she would sue Vilmos Kátai-Németh for defamation after he alleged that more than HUF 600 million in public funds may have gone to her election events, a claim Koncz and Viktor Orbán’s former office called false.
    Original (Hungarian): Koncz Zsófia bepereli a szociális és családügyi minisztert, amiért azt állította, hogy 600 millió forint közpénz ment el a kampányára
18. New director of Nyírő Gyula psychiatric institute surprised by severity of its problems — Enikő Váradi said a review of the Nyírő Gyula institute found serious infrastructure problems and a shortage of psychiatrists, requiring reorganizations as the ministry expects her to stabilize services.
    Original (Hungarian): A Nyírő Gyula pszichiátriai intézet új főigazgatóját is meglepte, mennyire súlyos problémák vannak az intézetben
19. Bear attacks woman walking her child to school in Székely Land, leaving her with serious injuries — A woman in Zalán suffered a fractured pelvis and serious wounds in a bear attack while accompanying her son to school, and the bear had not been found.
    Original (Hungarian): Gyerekével iskolába tartó nőre támadt a medve a Székelyföldön, az asszony medencetöréssel és súlyos sebekkel került kórházba
20. Pope may leave hospital after Tuesday surgery for malignant lung tumor — Pope Leo XIV may leave Rome’s Gemelli clinic following Saturday examinations after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung because of a malignant tumor, and he was due to deliver the Angelus from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square.
    Original (Hungarian): Elhagyhatja a kórházat a pápa, akit kedden műtöttek rosszindulatú tüdődaganattal
21. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi: Hungary will have a laser weapon — Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said the Hungarian Defence Forces could add a laser weapon within a year, with the system designed to destroy different types of drones.
    Original (Hungarian): Ruszin-Szendi Romulusz: Lesz Magyarországnak lézerfegyvere
22. Attila Holoda says to forget about energy being cheap — Energy expert Attila Holoda said energy prices may remain higher than before and urged Hungary to secure supplies from multiple sources through long-term contracts, while warning of funding problems for district heating.
    Original (Hungarian): Holoda Attila szerint felejtsük el, hogy olcsó lesz az energia
23. Piroska Visi, formerly backed by the Dog Party and later opposed to Mayor Gergely Kovács, proposes dissolving Hegyvidék council — District XII councillor Piroska Visi proposed dissolving the council, citing stalled development and budget work, inadequate information and unimplemented decisions; the motion needs at least ten votes to pass.
    Original (Hungarian): A korábban Kutyapárt által támogatott, majd Kovács Gergely polgármesterrel szembefordult Visi Piroska a hegyvidéki képviselő-testület feloszlását javasolja
24. Vitézy Dávid’s team would ban electric scooters below a certain age — A survey found that 94 percent of respondents wanted stricter e-scooter rules, with new regulations expected within weeks and a minimum age still under discussion.
    Original (Hungarian): Bizonyos kor alatt megtiltanák az elektromos rollerek használatát Vitézy Dávidék
25. 17-year-old calls bomb threat to school from Zugló phone booth — A 17-year-old admitted making a false bomb threat against a Budapest school from a public phone on October 16, saying he was angry at students who mocked him; no explosive device was found.
    Original (Hungarian): Egy zuglói telefonfülkéből hívta a segélyhívót egy 17 éves fiú, hogy bomba van egy iskolában
26. Two young people ride on top of metro between Puskás Stadium and Pillangó Street — Two masked young people rode on top of a Metro Line 2 train, an incident captured on video that police are investigating following a report.
    Original (Hungarian): A metró tetején utazott két fiatal a Puskás stadion és a Pillangó utca között, a rendőrség vizsgálja az ügyet
27. Actor Károly Kuna, recipient of the Jászai Mari Award, dies — Károly Kuna, a 69-year-old actor and member of Székesfehérvár’s Vörösmarty Theatre company, has died, and the theatre said it would honor him as one of its own.
    Original (Hungarian): Elhunyt Kuna Károly, Jászai Mari-díjas színművész
28. The lead-up to 1956: war propaganda was used to divide Hungarian society — The article describes how the Rákosi regime invoked fears of a third world war to justify arms spending and forced industrialization, shifting costs onto the public through pressure to buy peace bonds, heavier workloads and shortages.
    Original (Hungarian): 1956 előzményei: háborús propagandával riogatva facsarták szét a magyar társadalmat
29. Protests also turn violent in Italy, with Milan’s Cathedral Square becoming a battleground — Protests against rising consumer prices led to clashes in Milan, Bologna and Turin, with police using water cannons and tear gas as demonstrators threw stones and damaged property.
    Original (Hungarian): Olaszországban is eldurvultak a tüntetések, csatatérré változott Milánóban a Dóm tér
30. Arrests and investigations show what kind of system we lived under — The article reviews arrests, investigations and public changes since the fall of the NER, presenting them as consequences of the former intertwining of the state and Fidesz and asking whether this year brought a change of government or a change of system.
    Original (Hungarian): Letartóztatások és nyomozások mutatják meg, milyen rendszerben éltünk
31. Hankó Balázs appears behind bars in money-rain projection on a college wall — An unidentified artist projected an image of Hankó Balázs behind bars amid falling money onto the Kármán Tódor college building, while the KDNP held a prayer service that evening for Hankó and others it called political prisoners.
    Original (Hungarian): Rácsok mögött, pénzesőben tűnt fel Hankó Balázs egy kollégium oldalát díszítő fényfestésen
32. Gryllus Dorka’s apparent illness was part of a campaign — Gryllus Dorka’s apparent illness on RTL’s morning show was part of a dm campaign about menopause, and RTL apologized after acknowledging that the execution caused confusion and disappointment.
    Original (Hungarian): Csak egy kampány volt Gryllus Dorka rosszulléte
33. Gryllus Dorka, dm and RTL took viewers for fools — The opinion article criticizes a dm campaign in which Gryllus Dorka acted out what appeared to be a menopausal episode on RTL before revealing it as advertising, arguing that it misled viewers and raised questions about clear ad labeling.
    Original (Hungarian): Gryllus Dorka, a DM és az RTL hülyének néztek minket
34. Quiz: Which politicians had to appear in court as suspects, and in what cases? — The quiz tests readers’ knowledge of criminal proceedings involving politicians since 2010, noting that despite promises of accountability no senior politician has gone to prison.
    Original (Hungarian): Kvíz: melyik politikusnak milyen ügyben kellett bíróság elé állnia gyanúsítottként?
35. Borízű hang #290: Never search for hair transplants! — The podcast episode discusses political and economic issues including land in Rácalmás, the Sukoró land swap and the pension system, before turning to hair transplants, beauty-industry advertising, music and public affairs.
    Original (Hungarian): Borízű hang #290: Soha ne keress rá arra, hogy hajbeültetés!
36. Barbara Palvin returns to the runway six weeks after giving birth — Barbara Palvin is set to walk in Victoria’s Secret’s weekend fashion show six weeks after the birth of her daughter.
    Original (Hungarian): Palvin Barbara hat héttel a szülés után újra a kifutón

Machine-written English summaries of Hungarian articles. Links lead to the original Hungarian articles on 444.cafe, where you can read and comment.