OECD reading performance has fallen to its lowest level since PISA began, while Hungary’s 452-point result is the country’s worst on record. The deeper problem may not be educational alone, but how long children can stay with demanding material, as digital stimulation and weaker family support reshape attention—leaving parents and a generation that knows both worlds with growing responsibility.

Vienna says it never complained to the European Commission about Hungary’s emergency riverbed sill at Paks, contradicting Péter Magyar’s repeated claims that Austria had taken the matter to Brussels. The denial comes as the project faces genuine international scrutiny from the Danube Commission over navigation, while also becoming caught up in controversy surrounding the procurement.

Hungary’s women’s basketball team is back among the World Cup’s final eight for the first time since 1986 after defeating Japan 84–63 in Berlin on Tuesday. Réka Lelik led the way with 23 points, but the next challenge could hardly be tougher: the United States, unbeaten in 33 World Cup games, though Italy has already shown that disciplined defence can make the champions uncomfortable.

Britain’s asylum system is under fire after UNHCR warned that weak interviewing creates a real risk of granting asylum to applicants who are not entitled to it. The findings resurfaced alongside a Home Office whistleblower’s claim that only ‘one in 100’ applications are genuine, prompting outrage and ridicule from both politicians and ordinary citizens.

Hungary has ordered ten Russian diplomats to leave the country over activities deemed incompatible with diplomatic status, prompting Moscow to vow a ‘harsh and painful’ response. The expulsions mark the sharpest move against Russia since the new government took office, as ties deteriorate and Budapest’s new foreign-policy doctrine labels Moscow a ‘threat to Hungary’.

Around 30 humanoid and quadruped robots marched outside Poland’s Digital Affairs Ministry on Monday in what organizers called the world’s first protest by humanoid robots, demanding protections for workers threatened by AI and automation. The unusual demonstration comes as Warsaw pursues an ambitious AI strategy that the World Bank estimates could lift real GDP by 1.3–12.1 per cent by 2035.

Rigged election allegations have erupted after official Saxony-Anhalt data showed AfD on 51.2 per cent among in-person voters but just 24.3 per cent by post. Yet even that sharply reduced postal share still matched the CDU and outpolled every other party, driving demands for a full recount, investigations, and renewed calls to restrict or abolish postal voting.

The Trump administration is preparing a major childcare policy shift that would let some married couples receive federal subsidies when one parent stays home to care for their child. The proposal, backed by JD Vance and rooted in a broader pronatalist agenda, draws heavily on conservative ideas long associated with Hungary’s Orbán-era family policy model.

Hungary’s industrial recovery strengthened in July, with output up 4.7 per cent year on year and 1.7 per cent from June, reinforcing hopes that manufacturing can again support GDP growth. The rebound remains concentrated in the automotive and electronics sectors, while analysts expect a weaker August mainly due to energy constraints related to the Paks crisis.

Social Democrats’ Magdalena Andersson is trying to turn Sweden’s final campaign week into Russiagate, accusing Ulf Kristersson of failing to address security concerns surrounding the Sweden Democrats. The attack comes as the so-called Tidö coalition has moved within the margin of error and Kristersson is preparing to bring SD into government for the first time.