The Dispatch

Hungary Halts Work Visas for Citizens of Philippines, Georgia and Armenia

Hungary has stopped issuing work visas to citizens of the Philippines, Georgia and Armenia under new rules that took effect on Friday, as the government moves to tighten controls on…

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Another serious drone incident in Romania

A naval drone exploded in the Romanian port city of Constanta on Friday morning. In a statement, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence said the drone detonated at around 10:30…

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Poland to ban phones in schools, restrict access to pornography

Poland wants to ban under-16s from using mobile phones in schools from September 1 and plans to introduce stricter age verification rules to access pornography, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said…

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Russian Drone Slams Into Apartment Block in Romania, Two Injured

A drone crashed onto the roof of a 10-storey block of flats in the southeastern city of Galati during a Russian overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine on Friday, causing an…

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US sending 5,000 troops to Poland as it draws down forces in Germany

President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, an apparent reversal of his moves to reduce the presence of American forces in Europe…

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Polish PM questions US loyalty in case of Russian attack

Europe's "biggest, most important question" is whether the United States is ready to be a loyal NATO partner in case of a Russian attack, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told…

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Biggest party in Romanian coalition withdraws support for PM, political crisis looms

Romania's ruling Social Democrats voted to withdraw their support for Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Monday and called on him to resign, likely triggering months of instability that will…

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Government crises loom in Romania and Slovenia

Political instability is expected to intensify in Romania and Slovenia, with both countries facing potential government crises in the coming weeks. In Romania, the Social Democrats are widely expected to…

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Orbán era swept away by Péter Magyar’s Hungary election landslide

Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power has come to an end, with a system often labelled an “electoral autocracy” collapsing after a decisive defeat by 45-year-old former insider Péter Magyar,…

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US Ambassador Denies Trump and Vance Interfered in Hungary Election

Returning to Hungary, Donald Trump’s EU ambassador told AFP that neither the former president nor his vice-president were “meddling” in Hungary’s election, despite publicly endorsing nationalist incumbent Viktor Orbán. Speaking…

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From Vietnam to the EU by air: 8 arrested in a migrant smuggling sting across Europe

On 30 March 2026, a coordinated international French-led operation, which was supported by Europol and involved law enforcement and judicial authorities from Germany and Hungary, led to the dismantling of…

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‘At your service’: Hungary’s Orban offered help to Putin, Bloomberg reports

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offered last year to help Russian President Vladimir Putin "in any way", such as by hosting a summit in Budapest to settle the war in…

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Leaked Call Reveals Russia asked Hungary for Help on Sanctions

A newly released recording has intensified scrutiny of Hungary’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Péter Szijjártó, who is already facing backlash over reports that he shared sensitive information with Russia during EU…

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Slovenia set for coalition talks after tight election

Slovenia's political parties looked set for urgent coalition talks on Monday after no clear winner emerged from an election that could ‌sway the Alpine country's domestic and foreign agenda. Prime…

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Tusk warns of real risk of Poland leaving the EU

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that a potential Polish exit from the European Union is now a “real threat,” accusing nationalist President Karol Nawrocki and right-wing opposition parties of…

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Romania Scrambles Jets After Suspicious Drone Activity

Romania scrambled fighter jets on Friday to monitor ‌drones possibly breaching its national airspace, the defence ministry said, adding that it was possible ⁠that drone fragments fell on Romanian territory…

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Hungarian Opposition Claims Kremlin-Backed Smear Campaign Ahead of Election

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar has accused the Kremlin of backing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s election campaign with a series of disinformation videos expected to surface on Thursday. Orbán, the…

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Hungary’s opposition leader Péter Magyar calls on Russia to refrain from election interference

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar has urged Russia to refrain from interfering in Hungary’s parliamentary elections after reports alleged that the Kremlin had deployed a covert team in Budapest to…

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Climber convicted of manslaughter after leaving girlfriend on Austria’s highest peak to seek help

An Austrian court has convicted amateur mountaineer Thomas P, 37, of gross negligence manslaughter for leaving his girlfriend behind on Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner, during a failed climb in…

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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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