The Dispatch

UPDATED: Austrian president tasks far-right leader with forming government

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Monday with forming a coalition government after a centrist bid to assemble one without…

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Poland introduces mandatory firearms training for schoolchildren

Poland has introduced mandatory Education for Safety lessons for children in schools, which include shooting training and basic first aid. Most countries want their children to be as far away…

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Romanian president tasks Social Democrat with forming new government

Romania's outgoing president Klaus Iohannis designated leftist Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to form a new government on Monday after three pro-European parties agreed details of a coalition that…

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Slovak PM meets Putin in surprise Moscow visit

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin - becoming only the third Western leader to meet the Russian leader since…

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Romanian pro-European parties agree to quickly form broad coalition government

Romania's pro-European parties reached a firm commitment late on Tuesday to form a governing majority that cordons off the hard right and potentially endorses a single candidate for a re-run…

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Romanian police foil armed mercenaries in Jan. 6-style plot

Romanian police stopped 20 people — including the leader of a mercenary group — heading to the capital with an arsenal of weapons, local media reported, as the country remains…

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Austria stops processing Syrians’ asylum applications after Assad falls

Austria's caretaker government said on Monday it had ordered a halt to the processing of asylum applications by Syrians after rebels seized Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia…

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Romania hit by major election influence campaign, amid Russian cyber-attacks

Romanian authorities have disclosed details of what appears to be a significant attempt to interfere in the country’s presidential elections through TikTok and a series of cyberattacks. The domestic intelligence…

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Pro-EU parties secure win in Romania general election

Romania’s incoming parliament and government are set to maintain the country’s strong pro-EU, pro-NATO, and pro-Ukraine stance, despite gains by ultra-nationalist challengers. With over 98% of votes counted from Sunday’s…

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Romanian top court asks for presidential election recount

A Romanian top court will ask for a vote recount in the first round of the country's presidential election, Digi24 TV reported on Thursday citing court sources, after a shock…

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Firearms trafficker supplying contract killers arrested in cross-border operation

Europol has just revealed that it coordinated a successful operation, led by law enforcement from Poland, that resulted in the arrest of a firearms trafficker supplying weapons to criminals across…

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Who is Calin Georgescu, Romania’s surprise hard-right presidential candidate?

Calin Georgescu, a Romanian hard-right NATO critic, appeared in a dead heat with leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu after the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, partial tallies showed,…

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Romanian PM, hard-right candidate in tie after first presidential election round

A Romanian hard-right NATO critic and leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu appeared in dead heat after the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, partial tallies showed, in a shock…

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Hungary to install air defence system near Ukraine border

Hungary is going to install an air defence system in the northeastern part of the country as the threat of an escalation of the Ukraine-Russia war is "greater than ever",…

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Poland’s PiS opposition party sinks deeper into financial trouble

Law and Justice (PiS), the populist right-wing party that ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023, is staring into an ever-deeper financial abyss after the National Electoral Commission (PKW) rejected its…

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Romania planning law to shoot down drones breaching airspace

Romania could shoot down drones illegally breaching its airspace, based on threat levels and risks to human life and property, a draft law published by the Defence Ministry showed. Romania,…

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Over EUR 14 million in counterfeit currency seized in operation targeting postal shipments

Law enforcement agencies from 18 countries have seized over EUR 14 million in counterfeit currency in Operation DECOY, a Europol-coordinated action led by Spain, Portugal, and Austria. This joint customs…

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Viktor Orban claims EU installed ‘puppet government’ in Poland

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has suggested that Poland's government and its prime minister, Donald Tusk, were installed in power by the EU as part of a plot to remove…

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Network smuggling migrants via Belarus busted in Poland

The Polish Border Guard, supported by Europol, has successfully targeted a large criminal network smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia into the EU. The investigation was conducted within the framework…

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Slovak PM Fico says fight against illegal migration an absolute priority

The fight against illegal migration into the European Union is an absolute priority, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Tuesday after meeting Hungarian and Serbian leaders at a summit.…

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Romanian government to raise minimum wage by 9.5% from January

Romania's coalition government will raise the monthly gross minimum wage by 9.5% to 4,050 lei ($884.61) from January, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday after meeting employers and unions.…

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Prague bans night-time pub crawls in bid to attract ‘more cultured, wealthier’ tourists

Prague city councillors have banned night-time pub crawls organised by travel agencies because the city wanted to target “more cultured” tourists. The Czech capital of 1.3 million people has for…

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Poland tightens entry rules after cash-for-visas scandal

An investigation revealed that Poland's former conservative government had pressured its consulates in Asia and Africa to issue visas in exchange for cash, including to Russian nationals. In response, Poland…

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Hungary PM Orban says Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield

Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia on the battlefield, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday, adding dialogue and a ceasefire were needed to save lives. Earlier, Hungary's…

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Austria’s conservatives want far right to be given chance to form coalition

The leader of Austria's conservatives, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, urged President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday to formally task the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) with forming a coalition after it…

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Historic parliamentary election victory for Austria’s far-right FPO

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) must on Monday seek to clear a path to power after its historic parliamentary election victory left the anti-establishment outfit needing a partner to form…

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FPO vs OVP: Who Will Form Austria’s Next Government?

Austria's parliamentary election on Sunday is a tight race between the ruling conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO). The FPO, which is critical of Islam…

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Central Europe flood deaths rise

Volunteers and emergency personnel raced to secure river banks and buildings in Poland and Hungary as flood waters that have wreaked havoc across central Europe began to rise in new…

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Romania says NATO must react to Russian incursions into its airspace

NATO must enact a "robust coordinated" response to incidents in which Russian missiles or drones fired at Ukraine enter the alliance's airspace, Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday.…

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Budapest district narrowly votes to ban short-term rentals from 2026

Residents of Budapest's sixth district have narrowly voted to ban short-term rentals from 2026 in a decision which could have wider ramifications for the housing market in one of Europe's…

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Orbán cancels European Parliament speech due to flooding in Hungary

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán postponed a speech at the European Parliament on Wednesday due to flooding in Hungary. “Due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary,…

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Floods claim more lives as torrential rain pounds central Europe

The death toll from flooding in central Europe rose to eight on Sunday as thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the Czech Republic following days of torrential…

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Hungary ready to sue EU executive over border protection costs, PM aide says

Hungary is ready to sue the European Commission to reimburse the costs of protecting the European Union's external border, which Budapest says has cost it some 2 billion euros ($2.20…

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Poland neutralises sabotage group linked to Belarus and Russia

Polish security services have neutralised a sabotage operation orchestrated by Russia and Belarus that aimed to destabilise Poland, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday. Warsaw has repeatedly accused…

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NATO members Romania, Latvia report Russian drones breach airspace

Romania and Latvia, both NATO members and supporters of Ukraine in its 2 1/2-year-old war with Russia, were investigating instances of Russian drones that crashed after breaching their airspace, authorities…

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Hungary’s Orban says Meloni is ‘Christian sister’ who shares cultural roots

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his close relationship with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Friday, describing her as his "Christian sister", and said cultural identity was playing a growing…

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Poland to charge three Belarusians for diverting Ryanair flight in 2021

Polish prosecutors have enough evidence to charge three Belarusian citizens over the forced landing in Minsk in 2021 of a civilian airliner carrying an opposition journalist, who was then arrested,…

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Budapest district votes on banning short-term rentals

A Budapest district is holding a two-week referendum on a possible ban on short-term rentals, which would be the first of its kind in one of Europe's most popular tourist…

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CIA says Swift concert plotters planned to kill ‘a huge number’

The CIA reported that the suspects in the foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna intended to kill "a huge number" of attendees. The intelligence shared by…

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Object flies into Polish airspace during Russia’s attack on Ukraine

An object flew into Polish airspace during Russia's attack on Ukraine on Monday and probably landed on Polish territory, state news agency PAP reported, citing the army's operational command. PAP…

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Austria battles major flooding

Heavy rains lashed Alpine regions of Austria and left parts of Vienna under water at the weekend, causing severe damage in parts of the country and disrupting road and rail…

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Austria plans tougher counter-terrorism moves after Taylor Swift plot

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he would introduce steps to bolster Austria's counter-terrorism capacity after authorities last week foiled a suspected ISIS-inspired plot against a concert due to be held by…

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Hungary’s white wine under threat

Hungary's hottest July on record has forced some of the country's winemakers to start harvesting grapes in early August, up to a month earlier than usual. Climate change is having…

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Iraqi teen detained in Vienna after Taylor Swift attack plot foiled

Authorities in Austria have detained a third suspect in Vienna connected to an alleged plot to strike a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital, the interior ministry said on…

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UPDATED: Plot to attack Taylor Swift show in Austria linked to Islamic State

The 19-year-old Austrian who masterminded a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift fans at a concert in Vienna with a bomb or knife had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State…

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Poland closer to buying Apache helicopters

Poland's defence ministry signed offset deals with Boeing and General Electric worth nearly 1 billion zlotys ($255 million), bringing it closer to finalising a $12 billion agreement to buy 96…

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Austria nominates Finance Minister Brunner as European Commissioner

Austria's conservative-led coalition government is nominating conservative Finance Minister Magnus Brunner as its next European Commissioner, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media platform X on Wednesday. "Magnus Brunner is…

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Russian drone debris found in Romania, NATO says no sign of intentional attack

Romania said it found Russian drone fragments on its territory on Thursday and NATO said it saw no sign of an intentional attack on the alliance's territory after Moscow troops…

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Slovakia gets first new F-16s to boost air defence

Slovakia received on Monday the first two of 14 new F-16 fighter jets that will replace Russian-made planes it had already donated to Ukraine. Slovakia has relied on central European…

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Andrew Tate banned from leaving Romania

Internet personality Andrew Tate will not be able to leave Romania while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking after a Romanian court of appeal overturned a previous ruling. Tate…

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EU ministers to boycott Hungary’s foreign affairs Summit

European Union foreign affairs ministers are planning their own summit in August, opting not to attend Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s event in Budapest. Hungary, currently holding the rotating presidency of…

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Trump hosts Orban in Florida meeting

Donald Trump met Viktor Orbán in Florida on Thursday night, just weeks after the Hungarian prime minister met Russia's Vladimir Putin. His visit to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach is the…

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Poland very likely to sign security deal with Ukraine before NATO summit, says PM

Poland will almost certainly sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine before July's NATO summit in Washington, the Polish prime minister said on Friday. On Thursday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk…

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Austrian ruling coalition will limp on after clash over EU nature law

Austria's ruling coalition of conservatives and Greens flirted with collapse on Monday after a minister went it alone to tip the balance in the European Union in favour of a…

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Italian woman held in Hungary for alleged assault released after being elected MEP

Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis was released from house arrest in Budapest after she was elected a member of the European Parliament at the weekend, her lawyer Gyorgy Magyar told…

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Slovak PM Fico eyes return to work after shooting

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the man who attacked him an activist of opposition parties, in his first comments since an assassination attempt on his life. Fico was shot…

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Several killed in Czech train crash, dozens injured

Four people died and more than two dozen were injured after a passenger train collided with a freight train late on Wednesday in the Czech city of Pardubice, the regional governor said. "A…

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