The Dispatch

Plane carrying evacuated Afghans in transit to U.S. arrives in Albania

A plane carrying 121 people evacuated from Afghanistan and in transit to the United States arrived in Albania’s Tirana airport early of Friday. Passengers included babies, children and people in…

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Turkey reinforces border to block any Afghan migrant wave

Afghans who manage to make the weeks-long journey through Iran on foot to the Turkish border face a three-metre high wall, ditches or barbed wire as Turkish authorities step up…

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Turkey sees more than 8% economic growth in 2021 – finance minister

Turkish Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan said on Friday he expected Turkey's economy to grow more than 8% in 2021, and added that he expected the current account deficit to be…

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New election likely after Bulgaria’s GERB party fails to form government

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party on Friday became the second political party to give up trying to form a new government since last month's inconclusive parliamentary poll, bringing the Balkan country…

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Photo Story: Flags festival in Zagreb

Two Segway drivers talk to each other at the installation of art flags during International art flags festival in the downtown Zagreb, Croatia, 19 August 2021. Croatian tourists’ association organises…

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Airlifted Afghans to receive temporary shelter in Albania

Yuri Kim, ambassador of the United States to Albania, has revealed that a contingent of Afghans will be arriving in the Balkan country, without giving a precise figure. "We do…

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Photo Story: Ashura Day in Istanbul

A believer woman attend the mourning ceremony with her boy, ahead of Ashura Day, in Istanbul, Turkey, 18 August 2021. Ashura day commemorates the death anniversary of the third Shiite…

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Turkey offering extra Pfizer shots for those wanting to travel

Turkey is allowing people who were inoculated with Sinovac's coronavirus vaccine to take an additional Pfizer dose as it looks to ease travel to countries that have not approved the…

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Serbia authorises third shot of COVID-19 vaccine, minister says

The Serbian health authorities authorised a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people with compromised immune systems, health workers and anyone vaccinated at least six months ago, country's labour minister…

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UPDATED: Death toll rises to 70 from Turkey floods, 47 reported missing

Flash floods that swept through towns in Turkish Black Sea provinces have killed 70 people and emergency workers continue to search for 47 missing people, authorities said on Monday. The…

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Russia says firefighting aircraft crashes in Turkey – Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens were on board a Be-200 firefighting aircraft that has crashed in Turkey, Interfax…

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UPDATED: At least 44 killed in Turkey flood as search for missing continues

Families of those missing after Turkey's worst floods in years anxiously watched rescue teams search buildings on Saturday, fearing the death toll from the raging torrents could rise further. At…

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Photo Story: Perseid meteor shower over Kuklice, North Macedonia

Two hundred stacked digital images of long exposures show Perseid meteors crossing the sky over the stone pillars in Kuklice, near the eastern city of Kratovo, Republic of North Macedonia.…

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Death toll from northern Turkey floods rises to 27

Flash floods which have swept through towns in the Turkish Black Sea region have killed 27 people, the country's emergency management agency said on Friday, in the second natural disaster…

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Flash floods sweep through northern Turkey in new natural disaster

Seventeen people were killed in flash floods in Turkey's Black Sea region that sent water and debris cascading through streets, damaged bridges and ripped up roads in the second natural…

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Elections loom as Bulgarian lawmakers allow anti-elite party to withdraw proposed govt

Bulgarian lawmakers voted on Thursday to allow the anti-establishment There Is Such a People (ITN) party to withdraw its proposed government, bringing the European Union's poorest country closer to its…

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Photo Story: Heavy flooding in Northern Turkey

An aerial view of flooded buildings due to heavy rains in Bozkurt district of Kastamonu, Turkey. At least one person was killed and several are missing due to flooding in…

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#HelpTurkey under investigation for ‘spreading fear’ about wildfires

Prosecutors in Turkey have launched an investigation into a social media hastag critical of the government’s allegedly bungled response to the country’s devastating wildfires, accusing it of spreading “anxiety and…

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Photo Story: Fatal traffic accident in Turkey

Medical teams and people wait near crash site after truck and a passenger bus collided in Soma district in Manisa city, in Turkey, 06 August 2021. Six people died and…

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Turkey spent only fraction of forest protection budget before wildfires erupted

Turkish authorities battling the country's worst ever wildfires have been accused of failing to prepare for the threat after official data showed they spent only a fraction of the modest…

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Wildfire put out at Turkish power plant

Flames that threatened a coal-fired power station in Turkey's fire-ravaged southwest have been extinguished, local authorities said on Thursday after workers and residents were evacuated overnight by ship when fire…

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Erdogan tells Tunisia’s Saied that Tunisian Parliament’s work ‘vital’ -Turkish presidency

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied in a phone call on Monday that the continuation of the Tunisian Parliament's work was important for the region, his office said,…

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New peace envoy gets hostile reception from Bosnian Serb leaders

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - German politician Christian Schmidt took up the post of Bosnia's international peace overseer on Monday after a hostile reception by Bosnian Serb leaders who want the Office…

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Turkish fires sweeping through tourist areas are the hottest on record

The heat intensity of wildfires in Turkey on Thursday was four times higher than anything on record for the nation, according to satellite data passed on to the Guardian. At…

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Turkish foreign visitor arrivals surge to 2.05 mln in June

ISTANBUL, July 30 (Reuters) - The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey jumped to 2.048 million in June, data showed on Friday, nearly 10 times the level a year…

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Croatia plans to reduce budget gap in time for euro adoption in 2023

The Croatian government said it planned to reduce its budget deficit next year to 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) from this year's 3.8%, to bring it line with requirements…

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Death toll in Turkish wildfires rises to four, blazes rage on

The death toll from wildfires on Turkey's southern coast has risen to four and firefighters were battling blazes for a third day on Friday after the evacuation of dozens of…

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UPDATED: Three dead as wildfire in south Turkey rages on

Three people were found dead as a massive forest fire burned for a second day in southern Turkey on Thursday, the country's AFAD disaster agency and agriculture minister said, with…

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Turkey’s daily COVID-19 cases surge above 20,000

Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped to 22,291 on Wednesday, the highest since early May, according to health ministry data that also showed the daily death toll reached a six-week high…

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Turkey detains 200 Afghan migrants en route to Italy

Turkish authorities detained a boat carrying more than 200 Afghan migrants in the Aegean sea heading for Europe, Turkey’s coastguard and the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday. The…

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Turkey’s COVID-19 cases surge above 14,000, triple early July level

Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped to 14,230 on Sunday, more than triple the amount three weeks earlier and reaching levels last seen in the first half of May, according to…

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10 killed, 45 injured in a bus crash in Croatia

Ten people were killed and 45 injured when a bus driving from Germany to Kosovo slipped off the road near the Croatian city of Slavonski Brod on Sunday, police said.…

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Turkey’s daily coronavirus cases jump to 11,094, highest since May

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's new coronavirus cases climbed above 10,000 for the first time since mid-May on Friday and hit a level of 11,094, according to health ministry data which…

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Turkey’s coronavirus cases back up to mid-May levels

Turkey's new coronavirus cases have doubled in just over two weeks to 9,586, its highest since May 19, with 52 related deaths according to an official tally that prompted a…

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Migrant boat carrying 45 people sinks south of Turkey

A migrant boat carrying 45 people has sunk to the south of Turkey, and Turkish naval ships and an aircraft are carrying out search and rescue operations, the defence ministry…

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Croatia tightens controls on Adriatic coast to safeguard tourist season

Croatia has decided to tighten controls against the spread of COVID-19 along its Adriatic coast in an effort to safeguard its economically vital summer tourist season, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic…

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Bulgaria’s interim government offers to revamp budget and raise pensions

Bulgaria's interim government proposes to amend the 2021 fiscal budget and use surplus revenue to boost state pensions and prepare the Balkan country for any upsurge in the COVID-19 pandemic,…

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Belgrade residents tell rights court of nightlife noise ‘torture’

Serbia's capital is vibrating with nightlife again after over a year of pandemic restrictions. Cafes, bars and fun-hungry customers are celebrating a summer boom in business and entertainment options, but…

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Cyprus talks can resume only on two-state basis, Erdogan says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday peace talks on the future of ethnically divided Cyprus can take place only between "the two states" on the Mediterranean island. In a…

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Turkey condemns EU court ruling on headscarf ban as violation of freedoms

Turkey slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a "clear violation of religious freedoms", adding the move would exacerbate…

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Bulgaria faces instability as poll suggests razor-thin win for GERB

Bulgaria faced prolonged political instability on Monday after a national election appeared to result in a razor-thin victory for the anti-establishment There Is Such a People (ITN) and no clear…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB just ahead in election, unlikely to form government

The centre-right GERB party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov has a narrow lead in Bulgaria's parliamentary election, partial official results showed on Monday, but it is unlikely to be…

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Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB party seen narrowly leading in general election-exit polls

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centrе-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was seen winning Sunday's national election with around 22-23% of the vote, exit polls by Gallup International…

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Bulgarians vote in second national election in 3 months amid anger over corruption

Bulgarians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday that will decide whether protest parties can form the next government after a decade of political dominance by long-serving premier Boyko Borissov.…

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Turkish company applies to explore for oil in east Mediterranean

Turkey's state-owned energy company TPAO has applied for a licence to explore for crude oil in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Energy Ministry said in a statement in the country's…

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Bulgaria’s new anti-establishment party nearly tied with GERB in polls before Sunday vote

Bulgaria's new anti-establishment party There Is Such a People (ITN) is almost tied for support with the centre-right GERB, which has been in power for most of the past decade,…

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Slovenia pushes for Albania and N. Macedonia EU membership

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union should let Albania and North Macedonia move ahead with membership talks by October before a special Balkans summit organised by Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, its…

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Merkel sees strategic case for Balkan states joining EU

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she sees the six Western Balkan states as future members of the European Union for strategic reasons. "It is in the European Union's very own interests to drive…

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Bulgaria considers incentives to boost COVID-19 vaccinations

Bulgaria is considering offering incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev said. Bulgaria is one of the few countries where people can choose…

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Turkey to carry on searching for gas in Mediterranean

Turkey will carry on exploring for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdogan said in comments that may revive tensions with the European Union and Greece amid…

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Serbia confirms cases of COVID Delta variant

The Serbian health Ministry revealed that two people in Serbia have been diagnosed with the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant, the country's first such cases. The ministry said the "two…

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Photo Story – Women protest against Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention

Turkish police block women as they demonstrate against Turkey's decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, in Istanbul, Turkey, 01 July 2021. The Turkish President pulled Turkey out of the…

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Bulgaria sticks to plans to adopt the euro from Jan 1, 2024

Bulgaria is sticking to its target to adopt the euro currency from January 1, 2024 and plans to start payments in euros without any transitional period once it joins the…

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U.S. adds Turkey to list of countries implicated in use of child soldiers

The United States added Turkey to a list of countries that are implicated in the use of child soldiers over the past year, placing a NATO ally for the first…

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Supports for Turkish workers expire as COVID-19 measures lifted

Turkey's pandemic-era ban on layoffs and a government wage support system, both adopted in early 2020, expired on Thursday as most remaining coronavirus restrictions were also lifted, setting the stage…

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Serbia borrows 200 million euros from EIB to aid COVID-19 recovery

Serbia borrowed 200 million euros ($237 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB) on Wednesday, and will use the money to help small and medium-sized enterprises recover from the COVID-19…

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UPDATED: Erdogan defends Turkey’s withdrawal from violence against women treaty

Turkey's withdrawal on Thursday from an international treaty to prevent violence against women is not a step backwards, President Tayyip Erdogan said, defending a move which has drawn condemnation from…

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