The Dispatch

Cartoon exhibition on Brexit opens in Bulgaria

A picture shows art works from the cartoon exhibition 'Brexit Forever' organized by the Union of Bulgarian Artists, in Sofia, Bulgaria. In addition to works by Bulgarian authors, the exhibition…

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Search ends for survivors of Albanian earthquake as death toll reaches 51

Albania ended its search on Saturday for survivors of a powerful earthquake that killed 51 people, and buried more victims of the disaster including toddler twins and their mother. The…

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Death Toll Rises in Albania, Prime Minister’s future daughter-in-law among victims

The death toll in earthquake-ravaged Albania is set to surpass 50, after more bodies were pulled from the rubble and hope faded for finding additional survivors from Tuesday's earthquake as…

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Rescuers keep working in Albanian town as death toll hits 40

Rescue teams desperately sought survivors under rubble in Albania’s western town of Durres on Thursday hoping to pull out toddler twins alive, two days after a 6.4 magnitude quake killed…

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Albania rocked by another earthquake as rescue efforts continue

Albania was rocked by a 5.5-magnitude tremor on Wednesday, a day after its strongest earthquake in decades killed at least 26 people and injured over 650 more. The latest quake…

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Rescuers search into the night after deadly Albanian earthquake, at least 20 dead

Rescuers are searching the rubble of buildings into the night in Albania, where a strong earthquake killed over 20 people and injured 600 on Tuesday. Hours later, another quake rattled…

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Photo Story: Holiday decorations in Pristina, Kosovo

Workers install decorations on a Christmas tree at the main square in Pristina, Kosovo. Kosovars are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December and Christmas on 25 December…

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Turkey ‘bans cyanide’ after spate of mass suicides linked to poverty

Responding to a wave of mass suicides by cyanide over alleged economic troubles, Turkey’s minister of environment and urbanisation, Murat Kurum, took steps to ban sales to the public of the…

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Teacher avoids massacre in Serbian school

A shooting in Serbian high school saw a gym teacher confront and disarm a rifle-wielding assailant, allowing the students to escape. Witnesses cited by the daily Blic said the shooter…

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Serbia’s president accuses Russia of spying

Serbia's president confirmed a video of a Russian spy bribing a former Serbia officer is authentic but said that the espionage scandal would not impact close bilateral relations. President Aleksandar…

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Presidential election in Croatia to be held on December 22

Croatia will hold the first round of its presidential elections on December 22, the country's prime minister has said. Andrej Plenkovic made the announcement on Thursday during a government session.…

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Turkey will begin sending ISIS fighters back to Europe ‘from Monday’

Turkey has vowed to make good on its promise to send foreign Islamic State fighters back to their home countries as soon as Monday, warning European nations that it does…

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Serbia set to buy sophisticated Russian missiles

Russia will deliver a sophisticated anti-aircraft missile system to Serbia even though the U.S. has warned of possible sanctions against the Balkan country in the event of such purchases. Russia’s…

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EU to pay Turkey millions to boost its coast guard

The European Union is preparing to pay Turkey tens of millions to help bolster its coast guard, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as increasing numbers of migrants and refugees…

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International community urged to deliver on promise for better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Current trends and public pronouncements by some political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina indicate an effort to roll back reforms implemented since the end of the Balkan wars two decades…

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Turkey detains dead ISIS leader’s wife

Turkey has captured a wife of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. On Tuesday Turkey said it had detained Baghdadi's sister in Syria. Speaking in…

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Bulgaria and Ukraine issue formal protest over Macron’s migration remarks

Bulgaria and Ukraine issued diplomatic protests over remarks by Emmanuel Macron about migrants coming to France from those countries. In an interview published Thursday in conservative weekly magazine Valeurs Actuelles the…

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Turkey threatens to send ISIS fighters back to home countries

Turkey will send captured Islamic State members back to their home countries, Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Saturday. Soylu lashed out at European governments for their refusal to take…

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Blast in Syrian town held by Turkey-backed gunmen kills 13

A car bomb exploded in a northern Syrian town along the border with Turkey on Saturday killing 13 people, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said. The ministry said about 20 others were…

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Earthquake of 4.7 magnitude shakes Bosnia

An earthquake of the 4.7 magnitude has shaken the Balkan country, damaging some buildings and rattling residents but causing no victims. The earthquake’s epicentre on Saturday afternoon was near the…

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Bulgaria prepares to vote in run-off local elections

A woman passes in front of campaign posters of Sofia's major candidate of Bulgaria's centre right ruling GERB party, Yordanka Fandakova (R), in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Saturday 02 November 2019.…

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Implementation of EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey: EU mobilises €663 million in humanitarian assistance

The European Commission is mobilising €663 million in humanitarian aid to continue major projects under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey. €600 million will ensure the continuity of the…

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Turkey, Russia start joint patrols in northern Syria

Turkish and Russian troops are jointly patrolling a Syrian region under a deal that halted a Turkish incursion against Kurdish fighters. The patrols aim to check that all fighters have…

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Strong earthquake rattles Albania

Early Friday morning an earthquake with the intensity of 4.7 rocked the southern part of Albania. The tremors were felt mostly in the city of Korca where initial reports indicate…

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U.S. ambassador in Turkey summoned over House votes on sanctions, Armenia

The U.S. ambassador in Turkey was summoned on Wednesday after the House of Representatives voted to recognize mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and called for sanctions…

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Photo Story: Turkey celebrates Republic Day

Fireworks explode over the Bosporus during a ceremony to mark the 96th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in Istanbul, Turkey on the evening of Tuesday 29 October 2019. Republic Day…

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Bulgaria’s Ruling Party Leads In Major Cities For Local Elections

Exit polls in Bulgaria indicate that the ruling center-right GERB party will maintain its nationwide dominance but with less support than four years ago, following the October 27 municipal and…

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visits Turkey

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press office shows German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shake hands during their…

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Photo Story: A room with a view

The fuselage of a 1991-made former SunAdria Holland Fokker-100 airplane sits in Robert Sedlar's garden in Strmec Stubicki, Croatia. Robert Sedlar put this disused airplane in his garden with the…

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Additional €2 million in humanitarian aid from the EU for refugees and migrants in Bosnia

With winter approaching and thousands of migrants and refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina living outside of adequate facilities, the European Commission has today announced an additional €2 million in humanitarian…

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Russia sends state-of-the-art air defence system to Serbia

Russia's defence ministry announced that it has sent its advanced air-defence S-400 missile system to Serbia for a joint exercise. The S-400 and a Pantsir anti-aircraft gun and missile system will be deployed at Batajnica base outside…

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Albanian police say they foiled Iranian ‘terrorist’ plot

Albanian police said they had thwarted a planned attack by a Tehran-backed “terrorist cell” against opponents of the Tehran regime in the Balkan country last year involving three Iranians…

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Trump lifts Turkey sanctions after deal

The US is lifting sanctions imposed on Turkey nine days ago over its offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, President Donald Trump announced. His decision came after Russia agreed…

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Turkey, Russia broker deal on further withdrawal of Kurdish YPG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a joint news conference with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the two leaders had agreed to a further withdrawal of Syrian…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Budva, Montenegro

An aerial view of Sveti Stefan island on Adriatic coast in Budva, Montenegro. Sveti Stefan (Saint Stephen) is a small islet and 5-star hotel resort on the Adriatic coast of…

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U.S. troops cross into Iraq from Syria

United States troops have crossed into Iraq from Syria through the Sahela border crossing in the northern province of Dohuk. Witnesses saw more than 100 vehicles crossing. U.S. Defence Secretary…

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Kurdish forces pull out of besieged town

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have withdrawn from the besieged border town of Ras al-Ayn, fulfilling part of a fragile US-brokered deal with Turkey. On Sunday, dozens of vehicles…

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Turkey and Russia to discuss removal of Kurdish militia from Syrian towns

Turkey and Russia will discuss the removal of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia from the northern Syrian towns of Manbij and Kobani during talks in Sochi next week, Turkish Foreign…

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North Macedonia calls snap election after EU talks setback

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has called snap elections following a decision by EU leaders to postpone opening membership talks with his country and neighbouring Albania. French President Emanuel…

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Ceasefire on edge as Turkish, Kurdish fighters clash in Syria

Turkey's Defence Ministry said it was "completely abiding" by a US-brokered ceasefire in northern Syria and accused Kurdish fighters of carrying out 14 "attacks" over the past 36 hours, mostly…

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Photos from the frontline

A series of photos taken by EPA-EFE photographers of the current Turkish incursion into northern Syria against Kurdish-led forces. There are fears that the destabilisation of northern Syria could lead…

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Turkish president Erdogan ‘threw Trump’s Syria letter in bin’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put US President Donald Trump's letter "in the bin", the BBC has been told. In the letter dated 9 October and sent after US troops…

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Erdogan rejects calls for ceasefire in Syria

US Vice President Mike Pence is heading to Ankara on Wednesday in a bid to negotiate a cease-fire deal in northeastern Syria, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejecting any truce in the region. "They say 'declare…

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VW postpones final decision on Turkey plant

Volkswagen Group has postponed the final decision whether to build a car plant in Turkey, a company spokesman said, amid international criticism of the country's military operation in Syria and…

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US charges Turkey’s Halkbank with violating Iran sanctions

US prosecutors filed criminal charges against Turkey's state-run Halkbank for allegedly taking part in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade sanctions on Iran. The indictment is the latest development in a…

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Syrian army units enter Tal Tamr on border with Turkey

Handout photos made available by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows civilians welcoming Syrian army soldiers arriving at Tal Tamr town, in the northwestern Hasaka, Syria on Monday…

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WHO gravely concerned about humanitarian situation in northeast Syria

WHO is gravely concerned about the humanitarian health situation in northeast Syria, where up to 200,000 people have been displaced as a result of increased military operations since 9 October,…

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Kurds reach deal with Syrian army to resist Turkish offensive

The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey's offensive against them. Syrian state media earlier…

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Turkish forces capture key Syrian border town

Turkey says its military offensive has taken central Ras al-Ayn, a key border town in northeastern Syria, and its most significant gain since its cross-border operation began against Syrian Kurdish…

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Refugees bury 10-month-old boy killed by rocket in Turkish border town

People carry the coffin of nine-month-old child Mohammed Omar, who killed in a mortar attack in Akcakale near northern Syria, during funeral ceremony in Akcakale district in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The…

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US builds pressure to halt Turkish incursion against Kurds

Pressure is building in the US to stop Turkey continuing its offensive against Kurdish-held areas in Syria. Defence Secretary Mark Esper warned of "serious consequences" while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin…

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US troops in Syria come under fire, 100,000 flee homes as assault continues

As Turkey intensified its ground and air offensive on Kurdish positions in northern Syria, the Pentagon said that Turkish artillery fire landed near a United States military observation post located…

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Photo Story: International Sofia Motor Show 2019

A Jeep Renegade (L) and a Jeep Wrangler are on display during the media day of the International Sofia Motor Show 2019 in Sofia, Bulgaria, 11 October 2019. The Sofia…

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First Turkish soldier killed in Syria

Turkey has suffered its first military casualty since launching its controversial cross-border offensive in north-eastern Syria. The Turkish defence ministry said on Friday that a soldier was "martyred" in the…

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Tens of thousands fled Turkish offensive in less than 24 hours

More than 60,000 people have already fled areas in northeast Syria, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday, less than 24 hours after Ankara launched an offensive in…

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Divided UN fails to agree on Turkey’s Syria offensive

A split UN Security Council on Thursday night failed to agree on Turkey's offensive in northeast Syria, with European members urging a halt to military action. But Syria's ally Russia urged "restraint" and "direct dialogue" between…

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Heavy fighting on second day of Turkish assault in Syria

Turkish forces are stepping up air strikes and a ground offensive, as their incursion into Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria enters a second day. Turkey's military said it had seized…

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