Hungary’s Media Spending Probe: After a freedom-of-information fight, Átlátszó received documents on HUF 125bn (€345m) in government advertising contracts, showing pro-government media and intermediaries benefited while campaign impact was often barely measured. Regional Security Watch: NATO says it is tracking Russia’s expanding nuclear submarine fleet, delivering the message “we see them” as activity near Europe’s undersea infrastructure raises alarm. Food and Climate Pressure: Drought and heat are crushing maize across Hungary and Romania, with the EU’s corn harvest forecast near a two-decade low and growers increasingly abandoning fields. Energy Markets: European gas prices jumped to the highest since early 2023 as winter storage remains low, leaving markets exposed to global shocks. Defence and Industry: Poland is accelerating domestic defence production, while the U.S. M270A2 live-fire drills in Germany highlight NATO’s push for longer-range precision strikes. Business and Tech: TCS will help Metro AG centralise and simplify its IT across Europe and Asia using AI, and ORLEN is joining a Baltic Energy Initiative spanning offshore wind, LNG, hydrogen and nuclear. Aviation and Travel: Wizz Air plans to challenge Ryanair on 87 Spanish routes, while Wyndham brings its Vienna House brand to India with a first project planned for 2029.