The Dispatch

Bulgaria’s daily coronavirus infections at record high

SOFIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Daily coronavirus infections in Bulgaria reached a record high of 7,062 on Wednesday, largely fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant, official data showed. New…

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Stop secessionist rhetoric or face sanctions, EU tells Bosnian Serb leaders

The Bosnian Serb leadership risks sanctions and a loss of aid should it continue to incite tensions among Bosnian communities with inflammatory rhetoric as used during the celebrations of its…

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Bulgaria sees its population decline by 11.5% in a decade

Bulgaria’s population has declined by 11.5% in the past decade, according to first results from the 2021 census. The National Statistical Institute said that the nation has shrunk by 844,000…

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Defense minister warns Greece not to test Turkey’s patience

Greece should refrain from testing Turkey’s patience with provocations, including with a threat to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean, Turkey’s defense minister warned. Speaking to a group of…

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Albanian police fire tear gas as protesters storm party offices

TIRANA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas and water cannon in Tirana on Saturday as stone-throwing protesters stormed into the headquarters of Albania's opposition Democratic Party in a…

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U.S. to open Special Operations Forces base in Albania

The United States Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) will open a forward-based headquarters in Albania on a rotational basis, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama announced. SOCEUR, based in Stuttgart, Germany,…

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Croatia reports record 8,587 new COVID-19 cases in sharp daily rise

SARAJEVO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Croatia reported 8,587 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a 47% rise from the 5,845 recorded a day earlier, with 32 reported deaths amid the spread…

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Djokovic will defend Australian Open title after exemption from vaccination

Novak Djokovic ended speculation over his Australian Open title defence byannouncing on Tuesday that he would compete at the season's opening Grand Slam event after receiving a medical exemption from…

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Turkey inflation surges 36% amid lira crisis, highest since 2002

ISTANBUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's annual inflation jumped far more than expected to 36.08% year-on-year in December, the highest since September 2002, data showed on Monday reflecting a plummet…

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Bulgaria detects first cases of Omicron coronavirus variant

Bulgaria has detected its first 12 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Balkan country's chief health inspector Angel Kunchev said. "We have confirmed the new variant in…

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Bulgaria hikes natural gas price by 30.4%

SOFIA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's energy regulator said on Saturday it has approved a 30.4% increase of the wholesale natural gas price for this month, following a request by…

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Erdogan calls on Turks to keep all savings in lira

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turks should keep all their savings in lira and that recent exchange rate volatility was largely under control after the lira weakened sharply…

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Turkey’s COVID-19 cases surge to near 40,000

Turkey recorded 39,681 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest number of daily infections since April 28, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned about the growing prevalence of the Omicron…

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Kosovo reports first cases of COVID-19 Omicron

Kosovo's health ministry said it had registered its first nine cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the Balkan country. The ministry said that out of 22 people who tested…

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Turkish unit of crypto exchange Binance fined

Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) imposed an 8 million lira ($751,314) fine on the local unit of cryptocurrency exchange Binance over violations found during liability inspections, the Anadolu news…

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Turkey freezes assets of 770 individuals and a U.S.-based foundation

ANKARA, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Turkey has frozen the assets of a total of 770 people and a U.S.-based foundation on the grounds of terrorism financing, a ruling published in…

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Denmark to rent jail cells in Kosovo to ease prison overcrowding

Kosovo has agreed to rent 300 prison cells to Denmark to ease overcrowding in the Scandinavian country's jails. Denmark will pay an annual fee of €15m (£12.8m) for an initial…

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Bulgaria offers cash reward to boost vaccination rates among pensioners

SOFIA, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Thursday that elderly people who get a COVID-19 shot will be eligible for a cash reward as part…

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Fitch puts 13 Turkish banks on downgrade warnings

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Fitch has put 13 Turkish banks on downgrade warnings following a similar move on the government's sovereign rating last week. The moves…

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Serbs vote to start quitting Bosnia’s key institutions in secessionist move

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Serb lawmakers voted on Friday to start work on pulling their autonomous Serb Republic out of Bosnia's armed forces, judiciary and tax system,…

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Serbia gov’t bows to protesters’ demands, changes two laws

Serbia's ruling coalition moved on Wednesday to change two laws critics say would let foreign companies exploit local resources, bowing to demands by anti-government protesters who had blocked roads throughout…

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Croatia lawmakers adopt 2022 budget targeting euro zone entry

ZAGREB, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The Croatian parliament approved on Wednesday a 2022 budget targeting a general deficit of 2.6% of gross domestic product as a key criteria for the…

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Bulgaria’s PP party expects to forge coalition government soon

Bulgaria's largest political party, We Continue The Change (PP), expects to forge a coalition government with three other parties soon and put an end to a political deadlock, PP leader…

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Bulgaria’s PP party expects to forge coalition government soon

SOFIA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's largest political party, We Continue The Change (PP), expects to forge a coalition government with three other parties soon and put an end to…

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Thousands block roads across Serbia in anti-government protest

BELGRADE, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Thousands of people blocked roads across Serbia in an anti-government protest against two new laws that environmentalists say will let foreign companies exploit local resources.…

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Croatia’s tourism sector short of one-third of workforce for next year

ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Croatia's tourist facilities face a shortage of up to one-third of their workforce next year, head of the national association of biggest tourist firms Veljko…

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Updated: Council of Europe notifies Turkey of planned action over Kavala

ANKARA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A European human rights watchdog told Turkey on Friday it was preparing "infringement proceedings" over its failure to release imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala, a move…

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Croatia unveils heavy fines for failure to apply COVID certificates

Croatia's government on Thursday proposed heavy fines for heads of public institutions or municipalities who fail to enforce digital certificates for their employees or visitors designed to help curb a…

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Turkey’s Erdogan names Nebati as new finance minister as lira skids

ISTANBUL, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed Nureddin Nebati as minister of treasury and finance on Thursday after the resignation of Lutfi Elvan, the last top official…

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Turkey slams Cyprus over exploration license for Exxon, Qatar Petroleum in Mediterranean

ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Turkey on Thursday accused Cyprus of violating its continental shelf by awarding an exploration license in the Mediterranean to Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum, adding…

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Croatia’s top food retailer introduces payment in cryptocurrencies

ZAGREB, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Croatia's largest food retailer, Konzum, said on Wednesday that from this month it had introduced an option of paying with cryptocurrencies in its online shops…

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Photo Story: Aftermath of heavy storm that hit Istanbul

People take pictures of a cargo ship that was damaged by a storm, near the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey . According to the Istanbul governor's office, at least four people…

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Investigators say human error likely cause of deadly Bulgaria bus crash

FIA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Bulgarian investigators said on Thursday that human error was the most likely cause of a bus crash that killed more than 40 people. The bus…

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Turkish Lira eases back from record low as Turkey stumbles into unknown

ISTANBUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Turkey's lira clawed back some losses on Wednesday after a 15% crash to record lows a day earlier driven by President Tayyip Erdogan's defence of…

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Turkish trial in Khashoggi killing “nearing deadlock” -journalism watchdog

A Turkish court resumed a trial over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, as a journalism watchdog described the case as "nearing deadlock" and said the hearing needed to…

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Turkish lira in historic 15% crash after Erdogan stokes fire sale

Turkey's lira nose-dived 15% on Tuesday in its second-worst day ever after President Tayyip Erdogan defended recent sharp rate cuts, and vowed to win his "economic war of independence" despite…

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Microsoft to employ more than 40 software engineers in Development Center in Serbia

Microsoft Development Center in Serbia has opened more than 40 new job positions in the field of software engineering. The Development Center in Belgrade continues to grow after experiencing expansion…

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Promise EU membership to Western Balkan countries to solve Bosnia impasse, German MEP proposes

Bosnia Herzegovina and other Western Balkan countries should be given a credible promise of EU membership, German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer said on Monday. The European Parliament is expected to discuss…

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UPDATED – Flaming bus crash in Bulgaria kills 45 North Macedonian tourists

SOFIA (Reuters) -At least 45 people, including 12 children, died as a bus carrying mostly North Macedonian tourists crashed in flames on a highway in western Bulgaria on Tuesday, officials…

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Turkey repatriates seven citizens held in eastern Libya

ISTANBUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Seven Turkish citizens who were being held in eastern Libya have been brought back safely to Turkey, the country's foreign ministry revealed. The seven people…

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Bulgarian President Radev wins second term on anti-corruption ticket

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev won a second term in office by a wide margin on Sunday as voters in the European Union's poorest country backed his strong anti-corruption message, exit…

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Tired of rampant graft, Bulgarians vote in presidential election

SOFIA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Bulgarians are voting on Sunday to choose the country's next president in a run-off election, weary of widespread corruption in the European Union's poorest member…

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Croatia’s eurosceptics fail in bid on referendum to block euro

Croatia's right-wing eurosceptic Hrvatski Suverenisti party acknowledged it had failed in an initiative to force a referendum to block the planned adoption of the euro currency. The centre-right government of…

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Deaths 50% above normal in Bulgaria, EU’s least vaccinated country -Eurostat

More than 50% more people died in Bulgaria than usual during September, official data showed, making the European Union's least vaccinated country its hardest-hit during a resurgence of coronavirus cases over the…

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Update: Petkov scores high in Bulgarians vote in third election this year

Update Entrepreneur and political newcomer Kiril Petkov scored unexpectedly strongly in Bulgaria’s election on Sunday, according to exit polls that suggested he was running close to winning the vote and…

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Fire at hospital in Bulgaria kills three COVID-19 patients

SOFIA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Three men died when a fire broke out in a COVID-19 ward of a hospital in the southern Bulgarian city of Sliven early on Sunday,…

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Turkey working to get out of FATF ‘grey list’, minister says

ANKARA, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan said on Friday Turkey was working with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to get out of a grey list for…

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Morgues fill up in Romania and Bulgaria amid low Covid vaccine uptake

Romania and Bulgaria are recording the EU’s highest daily death rates from Covid-19, after superstition, misinformation and entrenched mistrust in governments and institutions combined to leave them the least vaccinated…

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Bulgaria’s GERB with strong lead for Nov. 14 election, opinion poll shows

SOFIA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party kept a substantial lead over its rivals before Sunday's parliamentary election that will be the country's third this year, an opinion…

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Serbia’s police detain activist over war crimes protest

The Serbian police late on Tuesday briefly detained a local opposition activist after she threw eggs at a downtown Belgrade wall painting of Ratko Mladic, a convicted war criminal and…

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Bulgaria’s daily COVID-19 deaths rise to record high

Bulgaria reported a record number of daily coronavirus deaths on Tuesday as the European Union's least vaccinated country grapples with a fourth wave of the pandemic, official data showed. New…

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EBRD pledges 600 million euros for women-led firms in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is making 600 million euros ($693 million) in new financing available for Turkish women entrepreneurs, it said…

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Bulgaria reports African swine fever outbreak at industrial farm

SOFIA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Bulgarian veterinary authorities on Monday reported a new outbreak of African swine fever at an industrial farm that has a total of 180 pigs in…

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Serbia eyes 17 bln euro investment in renewable energy in next 20 years

Serbia must invest 17 billion euros ($19.6 billion) in renewable energy sources like hydro and solar over the next 20 years to replace ailing coal-fired plants and secure supply to…

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Croatia tightens measures to fight spreading of COVID-19

ZAGREB, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Amid new record-high COVID-19 daily infections Croatia decided on Friday to tighten measures against the spreading of the disease, including introducing obligatory digital certificates for…

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Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia hit highest number of daily COVID-19 infections

Croatia reported on Thursday 6,310 infections of COVID-19 which is the highest daily number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic, the national health authorities said. At the moment…

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Bosnia’s peace deal at risk of unravelling – envoy warns the U.N

The U.S.-sponsored peace deal that ended war in Bosnia in the 1990s is at risk of unravelling unless the international community takes measures to stop Serb separatists, a peace envoy warned in…

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