The Dispatch

Europol Operation Blocks €1.2 Billion in Fake Banknotes, With China-Linked Shipments Under Scrutiny

Law enforcement authorities from 18 countries have stopped an estimated EUR 1.2 billion in counterfeit banknotes and coins from entering circulation during Operation DECOY III, a Europol-coordinated action led by…

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Filip Turek Controversy: Czechs Rally Behind President Pavel

Tens of thousands of Czechs gathered on Sunday to show their backing for President Peter Pavel, following his decision to block the appointment of a minister to the new eurosceptic…

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Fico’s Adviser Resigns: Fallout from Epstein Documents

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s national security adviser, Miroslav Lajčák, resigned after being linked to documents released by the U.S. Justice Department regarding Jeffrey Epstein. The files included exchanges between…

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Złoty to Remain Poland’s Currency, Finance Minister Insists

Polish finance minister Andrzej Domanski was quoted as saying that that keeping the złoty as the national currency gives the economy greater flexibility at a time of global uncertainty, despite…

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Polish army reports increased small drone activity near Belarus border

Poland said it had detected heightened activity of small drones near its border with Belarus on Wednesday evening, in a further sign of tensions after an airspace violation involving suspected…

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Europol breaks up Europe-wide drugs network based in Poland running 20 illegal labs

European investigators uncovered an international synthetic drugs network run from Poland and have seized more than 9.3 tonnes of narcotics and arrested over 100 suspects, Polish prosecutors said on Wednesday.…

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Orban’s grip on power faces test at Hungary election on April 12

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban will face a strong challenger for the first time in 16 years at Hungary's parliamentary vote on April 12, with the outcome having profound implications…

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Airports close and flights disrupted across Europe due to icy weather

Airports have been forced to close and flights have been disrupted in parts of Europe due to icy weather. Airports in Budapest in Hungary, Bratislava in Slovakia and Vienna in…

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Hungarian president sets April 12 as date for parliamentary election

Hungary's President Tamas Sulyok set April 12 as the date for the country's parliamentary election, the president's office said in statement on Tuesday. For the first time since taking power…

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Hungary will not leave the EU, it will fall apart on its own, Orbán says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán predicted the European Union would "fall apart on its own" due to "leadership chaos" and said Brussels aimed to cut Hungary off from Russian energy…

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Russian Strikes Trigger Polish Fighter Jet Response

Overnight, Russian forces attacked Ukraine, prompting anti-aircraft alerts. In response, Poland activated fighter jets and air defense systems to safeguard its airspace as a precaution. The Operational Command reported that military aviation operated in…

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Poland scrambles aircraft after Russia strikes Ukraine

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Tuesday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, the armed…

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Poland to start producing anti-personnel mines to lay along eastern border – reports

Poland has decided to resume the production of anti-personnel landmines for the first time since the Cold War, with plans to deploy them along its eastern border and potentially export…

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Poland could give Ukraine MiG jets in swap for drone tech

Poland is in talks to transfer MiG-29 jets to Ukraine in exchange for access to Ukrainian drone technology, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on public radio on Wednesday. "In some…

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Berlin deploys fighter jets to Poland after Russian drone incursions

Germany has deployed five Eurofighter jets and some 150 military personnel to the Polish town of Malbork to help secure the country's airspace, the German air force said on Thursday,…

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Tusk’s insistence on reparations from Germany mars overshadows summit

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clashed on Monday over war reparations and restitution for the destruction inflicted by Nazi Germany, overshadowing talks in Berlin that…

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Romanian defence minister resigns after admitting lying in his resume

Romanian Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu resigned on Friday after admitting he had lied about his studies in his resume, saying he did not want his personal "mistakes" to distract from…

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Majority of Slovenians voted against law on assisted dying

As many as 53.43% Slovenians voted against a law that proposed legalising assisted dying for some terminally ill adults, the unofficial partial results by state election commission showed. The parliament…

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Hungary Urges Suspension of EU Funding to Ukraine Amid Corruption Allegations

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Thursday said the European Union should stop sending money to the Ukrainian government after corruption reports. "There's a war mafia, a corrupt system working…

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Poland to close Russian consulate after railway sabotage, urges EU action

Poland said on Wednesday it would close the last Russian consulate in its territory and urged EU allies to restrict Russian diplomats in the bloc's Schengen free-travel area in response…

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UPDATED: Drone Breach in Romania, Airspace Alert in Poland as Russia Targets Ukraine

Romania and Poland both activated high-alert air defence measures on Wednesday as Russian strikes on Ukraine spilled close to NATO territory, prompting rapid military responses on both fronts. Romania scrambled…

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“Unprecedented act of sabotage” on Polish railway line

A railway line linking Warsaw to southeastern Poland was damaged by a weekend explosion that Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an "unprecedented act of sabotage". Tusk, who visited the site…

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Mysterious lights baffle Poland

Polish authorities were working Wednesday to clarify reports of unusual lights seen in the sky over several regions, after a late-evening search found no evidence of a crashed aircraft or…

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Tusk Vows to Down All Hostile Drones as Poland Bolsters Defence Posture

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has declared that any hostile drone violating Poland’s airspace will be shot down, as Warsaw intensifies investment in its military capabilities amid rising tensions on…

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U.S. Adjusts NATO Deployment While Putin Unveils New Nuclear-Capable Torpedo

The United States plans to reduce its troop presence along NATO’s eastern flank, including forces stationed in Romania, even as Russia said it successfully tested its nuclear-capable “Poseidon” super torpedo…

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Gunman who shot Slovakia’s Fico handed 21 years in prison

A Slovak court on Tuesday sentenced Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet and activist, to 21 years in prison for terrorism after he shot Prime Minister Robert Fico. Cintula’s attorney told…

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Putin-Trump summit on hold after Russia rejects ceasefire

A planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold on Tuesday, as Moscow's rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine cast a…

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Poland warns Russia’s Putin against crossing its airspace for Trump summit

Poland warned Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday against travelling through its airspace for a summit in Hungary with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it could be forced to execute…

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Prague bans rental e-scooters from 2026

Prague will ban electric scooter rentals from January 2026, with the Czech capital's deputy mayor criticising the tourist-friendly transport option for causing chaos on sidewalks. City councillors on Monday approved…

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Slovakia and Austria Block EU Sanctions Deal on Russia

Slovakia and Austria have emerged as the main obstacles preventing a new round of European Union sanctions against Russia, ahead of next week’s EU summit. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico…

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Hungarian ‘Master of the apocalypse’ Krasznahorkai wins 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai,won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art".…

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Poland to unveil new citizenship rules by end of October

The Polish ministry's deputy head, Maciej Duszczyk, said the reforms will define a minimum length of stay in Poland - including for those of Polish descent - and introduce requirements…

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Babiš Strikes Pro-European Tone at Launch of Czech Government Talks

Leader of the ANO movement and former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš vowed loyalty to Europe as talks to form a coalition government began. "We were very reliable partner. And…

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Fighter Jets Scrambled as Poland Restricts Airspace Following Russian Offensive

Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed some Polish airspace on Sunday after a Russian attack on Ukraine that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said lasted for more than 12 hours.…

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Poland urges citizens to ‘immediately’ leave Belarus

Poland's Embassy in Minsk called on Polish citizens to "immediately leave" Belarus, amid rising tensions stemming from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "In the event of a drastic deterioration in…

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Missile debris found in Eastern Poland

Suspected fragments of a missile believed to have been used to shoot down a drone may have been found in the eastern Lublin region, Polish military police said, more than…

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Romania condemns ‘irresponsible’ Moscow after Russian drone breaches its airspace

Romania has condemned Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after alleging that a Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets. The Russian drone…

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Russian drones in Poland’s airspace stir worries for Europe’s civil aviation

The incursion of Russian drones in Poland has reignited safety concerns over the vulnerability of civil air transport in Europe, aviation and insurance experts said, the latest upheaval facing airlines…

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Poland vs. Russian Drones — How NATO Articles 4 and 5 Work

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday he had asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4. It comes after Polish forces shot down 19 drones over its airspace,…

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Western leaders condemn Russia over drones entering Polish airspace

Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday, the first time a member of NATO is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine. Here are…

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Poland is at its closest to open conflict since World War Two, Tusk Requests NATO Consultations

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday the country is closer to open conflict than at any point since World War Two after shooting down Russian drones over its territory.…

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UPDATED: Poland shoots down drones in its airspace

Poland said it scrambled its own and NATO air defences to shoot down drones on Wednesday after a Russian air attack on western Ukraine, the first time in the Ukraine…

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Poland says two drones enter airspace

Two incursions of Polish airspace by drones occurred overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, but they were not shot down as they posed no danger, the army said on Thursday. Poland…

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Hungary ready to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks, foreign minister says

Hungary has offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine twice, and the offer still stands, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a podcast broadcast on Facebook on…

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Millions in Forged Banknotes Confiscated in Global Operation

Europol has supported a joint law enforcement operation that disrupted the distribution of counterfeit currency through postal services. The action resulted in the interception of nearly one million items, including…

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White House weighs Budapest for possible Trump, Putin, Zelenskyy summit

The White House is considering Budapest as the site of a potential summit between President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a Trump…

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Polish police bust smuggling networks and seize drugs worth $275 million

Polish police said on Tuesday they had dismantled a number of interlinked drug smuggling networks that operated across Europe, seizing narcotics worth 1 billion zlotys ($275 million). The core of…

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China cuts ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over meeting with Dalai Lama

China says it has suspended all ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over his recent meeting with the Dalai Lama, further straining relations between Beijing and Prague. During a private…

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Russia has won war in Ukraine, Hungary’s Orban says

Russia has won the war in Ukraine, right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir…

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Russian Facility in Królewiec Behind Baltic GPS Interference

Estonian news portal Delfi reports that a covert Russian military installation in the Królewiec region, just east of Poland’s border, is responsible for GPS interference affecting the Baltic states and…

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Polish PM Tusk says pause in Ukraine war could be close

A pause in the conflict in Ukraine could be close, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday after speaking to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump…

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Nationalist Nawrocki sworn in as Polish president, in blow for Tusk

Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and supporter of Donald Trump's MAGA movement, was sworn in as Poland's president on Wednesday, setting the stage for conflict with the centrist government and…

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Former Romanian President Iliescu, who led free market transition, dies at 95

Romania's former President Ion Iliescu, who led its transition from communism and set it on the path to European Union and NATO membership, but faced charges of crimes against humanity…

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The ECB’s banknote design sparks controversy over Marie Curie

A new euro banknote design has reignited a long-running controversy between France and Poland over the legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie (née Skłodowska). Born in Warsaw in…

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Europol-Backed Crackdown Halts Cross-Border ATM Scam

A highly organised criminal group involved in large-scale fraud in Western Europe has been dismantled in a coordinated operation led by authorities from Romania and the United Kingdom (UK), supported…

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Poland Sounds Alarm: New Guide To Tell Citizens How to Survive War, Disaster

Poland is preparing a manual on how to cope in case of war or natural disaster, an interior ministry official told Reuters, aiming to strengthen national resilience amid heightened regional…

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Slovenia passes assisted dying law

Slovenia approved a law to allow assisted dying on Friday, joining an increasing number of countries giving terminally-ill adults the right to end their lives if they face unbearable suffering…

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