The Dispatch

Bulgaria’s GERB party wins most seats in parliament

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party won 68 seats in the 240-seat parliament on Sunday and will need at least two coalition partners to form the cabinet, state election commission results on…

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Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB seen leading in snap national election

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party was seen in the lead after a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, an exit poll showed, but will have to find a coalition partners to form…

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Bulgaria holds another snap election to end political instability

Bulgarian voters head to the polling stations on Sunday for the sixth snap parliamentary election in three years, but analysts see little chance of it producing a stable coalition that…

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Serbia’s ruling SNS party wins elections in capital Belgrade

Serbia's ruling party defeated the opposition on Sunday in a vote for Belgrade city council and partial local elections across the country, marked by scuffles between opposition supporters and those…

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UN approves resolution to commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica genocide annually over Serb opposition

The United Nations approved a resolution Thursday establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs, a move vehemently opposed by…

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High winds and flash floods bring chaos to Serbia

Strong winds, hail and flash floods caused havoc across Serbia on Tuesday, with one person killed when a tree toppled on to her car. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said the…

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Turkey convicts former pro-Kurdish party officials over protests

A Turkish court handed down convictions to former prominent officials of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, including co-leader Figen Yuksekdag, for their alleged role in inciting protests in 2014 following an…

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Right-wing opposition makes big gains in North Macedonia election

North Macedonia's right-wing opposition won big in parliamentary and presidential elections on Wednesday, on a night that saw the Balkan country also elect its first female head of state. Hundreds…

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North Macedonia votes in elections crucial for EU accession

North Macedonia will head to the polls on Wednesday in parliamentary and presidential elections in which the rightist opposition is expected to gain ground against a ruling party that has…

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Mladic defence seeks his release to Serbia on health grounds

Defence lawyers for Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the bloody 1992-95 war in Bosnia, are seeking his urgent release to…

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Turkey halts all trade with Israel

Turkey stopped all exports and imports to and from Israel as of Thursday, the Turkish trade ministry said, citing "worsening humanitarian tragedy" in the Palestinian territories. "Export and import transactions…

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Turkey backs Rutte as next NATO chief

Turkey has told allies that it will back the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to be NATO's next secretary-general, a Turkish official said on Monday, an important step…

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Turkish kebabs turn to Europe for protected status

Turkey has filed an application to grant its best-known foodstuff the same EU protection as Neapolitan pizza and Spanish jamon serrano. Germany's most eaten street food the Turkish döner kebab…

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Croatia’s President can’t be Prime Minister – Court

The Constitutional Court of Croatia said that its President Zoran Milanović cannot become prime minister, after national elections handed him a potentially influential role in forming the Balkan country’s next…

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Ruling conservatives win Croatia election

The Croatian Democratic Union won parliamentary elections on Wednesday, however they will need support from the far right to stay in power. Croatia's governing conservatives won a sharply competitive election…

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Croatian ruling party wins election without majority

Croatia's ruling HDZ party won Wednesday's parliamentary election but with fewer seats than before and without a majority, according to preliminary results. The HDZ was won 60 seats in the…

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Croatia votes in popularity test for the long-ruling HDZ

Croats cast their votes on Wednesday in a parliamentary vote that will test the popularity of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his ruling conservative HDZ party, accused by opponents of…

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Croatia’s PM Plenkovic seeks 3rd term amidst corruption scandal and opposition

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will bid for a third term in Croatia's parliamentary election next week but polls indicate his conservative HDZ party will lose its majority after a welter…

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Bulgaria’s president calls snap parliamentary election for June 9

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, and set June 9 as the date for snap elections, the president's office said…

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Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party's defeat in Turkey's local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist…

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Turkey’s resurgent opposition thumps Erdogan in pivotal local elections

Turks dealt President Tayyip Erdogan and his party their biggest electoral blow on Sunday in a nationwide local vote that reasserted the opposition as a political force and reinforced Istanbul…

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Bosnia’s peace envoy imposes ‘integrity package’ to reform election law

Bosnia's international peace overseer on Tuesday imposed changes to the country's election law to ensure its integrity, including barring convicted war criminals from running, ahead of a vote in October.…

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New fish invade the Adriatic Sea, threatening local species

DUBROVNIK, Croatia/KOTOR, Montenegro Reuters) - For decades, Croatian fisherman Marko Kristic has cast his nets in the sparkling waters of the Adriatic Sea. Now an invasion of the Mediterranean parrotfish…

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Croatian President Milanovic barred for running for PM while still in post

Croatia's Constitutional Court on Monday barred President Zoran Milanovic from running for prime minister in elections next month while still in office and said he would have to resign first.…

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Bulgarian foreign minister Mariya Gabriel agrees to form new government

SOFIA, March 18 (Reuters) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel of the center-right GERB party agreed on Monday to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Nikolai…

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Croatia’s president sets April 17 as date for parliamentary election

BELGRADE, March 15 (Reuters) - Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic on Friday set April 17 as the date for a parliamentary election, after Thursday's dissolution of the parliament of the European…

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European Commission to recommend EU membership talks with Bosnia, says EU’s Von der Leyen

The European Commission will recommend to the European Council to start accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU's Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday during a speech in the European Parliament.…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says March election will be his final

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said local elections scheduled for March 31 would be his last vote, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Erdogan, modern Turkey's most successful politician, has led…

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Albania, wary of Russia, reopens Soviet-era air base to NATO

KUCOVA, Albania, March 4 (Reuters) - NATO member Albania, which has no fighter jets of its own, opened a rebuilt Soviet-era air base to serve NATO aircraft on Monday amid…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy arrives in Albania for southeastern Europe summit

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in the Albanian capital of Tirana, where he will attend a summit with countries of the Western Balkans and hold bilateral…

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Turkey’s KAAN fighter jet conducts first flight

ANKARA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Turkey's KAAN, its first national combat aircraft, completed its first flight on Wednesday, part of the country's efforts to upgrade its air force. NATO member…

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Opposition protesters hurl petrol bombs at Albania government building

Opposition protesters pelted Albania's government building with petrol bombs and rocks late on Tuesday, accusing state officials of involvement in organised crime and corruption after their leader was placed under…

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Kosovo Serbs carry on using dinars as government allows transitional phase

Kosovo Serbs in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica carried on using Serbian dinars this week after the government allowed a transitional phase before the currency is fully outlawed under…

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Shock after masked gunmen kill one person in Istanbul Catholic church

Turkish authorities have captured two gunmen who shot one person dead on Sunday during a service at a church in Istanbul and who are believed to be tied to Islamic…

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West urges Kosovo to reverse decision to ban Serbian dinar

PRISTINA, (Reuters) - Four European countries and the United States urged Kosovo to suspend a decision banning Kosovo's Serb minority from using the Serbian dinar, a move which could fuel…

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Turkey moving swiftly toward final step on Sweden’s NATO bid

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden's NATO membership to Washington within days, now that President Tayyip Erdogan signed it off, in…

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Turkey’s Edrogan signs off on Sweden’s NATO membership

Turkey's president finally approved Sweden's bid to join NATO on Thursday, ending months of delay and leaving only Hungary standing in the way of Stockholm's membership of the military alliance.…

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Crypto lender Nexo seeks $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over aborted investigation

Cryptocurrency lender Nexo is seeking $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over an aborted criminal investigation that the company alleges scuppered its plans for a U.S. stock market listing and…

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Turkey set to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid after long delay

Turkey's parliament is widely expected to approve Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of delays. Turkey's…

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Bulgarian PM hints country may miss eurozone entry date

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said his country may fumble the January 1, 2025, target date to join the EU’s currency zone. The country’s target date to adopt the euro…

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Turkish strikes hit water, power infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-held northeast

BEIRUT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Turkey has carried out a wave of air strikes on electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast that has put several power stations out…

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US fighter jets to fly over Bosnia in warning to ‘secessionist’ Serbs

SARAJEVO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Two F-16 fighter jets will fly over Bosnia on Monday to underline U.S. support for its territorial integrity against "secessionist activity" by Serbs at odds…

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Turkey says it rounds up 33 suspected spies for Mossad

Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service and of targeting foreigners living in Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.Last month, Turkish officials…

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Kosovars celebrate joining Europe’s visa free Schengen zone

Hundreds of Kosovars rushed to Pristina airport to travel to EU countries on Monday after visas for Europe's open-borders Schengen zone were waived.Kosovo was the only country in the Western…

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Turkey detains 29 people with suspected Islamic State ties planning attacks, says minister

ISTANBUL, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained 29 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across nine provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said…

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Eight police injured, 38 detained in Serb opposition protest over election

Eight policemen were injured and 38 people detained during and after an opposition protest over election results, Serbia's police said on Monday. Thousands gathered in the centre of Belgrade on…

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Kosovo says gunmen from Serbia are planning more attacks

By Fatos Bytyci Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that armed men supported by Serbian security agencies were being trained to launch new attacks in his country after a September…

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Turkey detains 304 people over suspected Islamic State ties

ANKARA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained 304 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across 32 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said…

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Albanian opposition leader faces arrest after immunity lifted

TIRANA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Albania's parliament voted on Thursday to lift the immunity of opposition leader Sali Berisha after his indictment on corruption charges, a decision expected to lead…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says EU will ‘stall’ Ukraine, Moldova accession

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was on Tuesday cited as saying the European Union would stall Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU, adding that Ankara had long earned the right…

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Serbian elections marred by president’s involvement, vote buying – observers

Serbia's snap elections have been marred by "unjust competition" by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the presence of President Aleksandar Vucic in the campaign, media bias and vote buying, an international…

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Turkey saves $2 billion on Russian oil as imports soar despite sanctions

Turkey and Turkish companies have saved around $2 billion on energy bills in 2023 by raising imports of discounted Russian oil and refined products, Reuters calculation based on LSEG data…

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Bosnian cities top world air pollution charts but no quick fix in sight

Bosnian towns have topped the world air pollution charts since last weekend, with the capital Sarajevo declaring an air quality warning and experts blaming residential solid fuel burning and transportation…

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Serbian ruling party faces snap Sunday vote after outrage over shootings

By Ivana Sekularac and Aleksandar Vasovic Poll sees President Vucic's SNS party as frontrunners He conducts folksy campaign after mass shootings shake grip on power Opposition accuses SNS of pressuring,…

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EU Most Wanted drug trafficker arrested in Bosnia

Law enforcement authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, supported by Europol, have arrested a fugitive featured on the EU Most Wanted list. The suspect, who held nationalities from Bosnia and Herzegovina…

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Albania’s top court suspends ratification of migrant pact with Italy, citing constitutional review

By Florion Goga TIRANA, (Reuters) - The Albanian parliament will have to suspend ratification of a migrant pact agreed with Italy after a top court on Wednesday endorsed an opposition…

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Turkey arrests alleged British crime boss in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Wednesday it had captured the leader of a British gang involved in drug smuggling, illegal gun trade and robbery in an operation…

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