Mid-Week Briefing: When Did the Mayor of Szekszárd Stop Beating His Dog?

• The mayor of the south-central town of Szekszárd has filed a police report against an unidentified individual who is allegedly spreading the rumor that the local dog shelter would be closed and the animals in it killed. An e-mail has recently gone around saying that the town would be icing its unwanted mutts, while Mr. Mayor says the truth is that the shelter is only moving to a new location because the area it is occupying became an industrial park. Until today, however, no one has suggested that the mayor was having the dogs killed so he could sell them for meat pies, or just for the heck of it. [hirtv.hu]

• Veterinarians at the Szeged Wildlife Reserve successfully treated a White-tailed Eagle that was gunned down on the territory of the Kiskunság National Park on January 22. The bird will be released at the location where it was found Thursday morning. Police are investigating. [objektivhir.hu]

• Layla, the newest addition to Budapest's rhinoceros population, celebrated her first birthday last week. Famous for being the world's first artificially-conceived rhino - or at least the first rhino artificially-conceived outside of Ohio - Layla is weighing in at around 750 kilograms now, up from 58 kilograms when she was born. She received a "birthday cake" made with the vegetables and fruits she likes the most, which seems real nice, especially compared to being shot or put to sleep because the zoo was about to be moved. [storyonline.hu]

• "The toilet of a shopping centre in Gyor (W) has been selected as the best of such facilities in Hungary. [mti.hu]

• According to a survey made by the Nonprofit Informational and Educational Center (NIOK), "70% of Hungarians" help the needy in some way. Budapest habitants and women tend to provide money for those in need, while countryside residents and men prefer to do some community work. NIOK has also created a website at www.adhat.hu where data about 10,000 charity organizations is collected, so the 30% of us thoughtless shits can have a good laugh. [inforadio.hu]

• A statue will be erected in a few months in Győr for young footballer Miklós Fehér, who died tragically four years ago after collapsing at the end of a match while playing for Portugual's Benfica football team. In their stadium in Lisboa there is already a statue of him, and in Győr memorial sports events are held in every three years celebrating his memory. [hirszerzo.hu]

• The investigation into the case of a man who deliberately starved himself and his family has been closed. The wife of the 38-year old man had died, and their daughter had been brought into hospital in a serious condition. She did not have a birth certificate, and had never received any medical care since she had been born. According to a medico-legal opinion, the man is completely nuts and had no idea what was going on, unlike that awful dog-killing mayor. [hirszerzo.hu]

• It is time to click for Hungary again. This time, enough clicks will secure a place for Budapest in the "Monopoly World Edition," a version of the popular board game that will feature cities of the world. The official website lists 68 cities, including Budapest, from which the 20 that get the most "votes" before February 29 will be included in the game. In addition, anyone can nominate other cities, and the most popular of these will be included in another round of voting during the first week of March. The two cities with the most votes from this group will also be featured in the Monopoly World Edition. We would obviously suggest Szekszárd, if it weren't for you-know-what. [index.hu]