The Dispatch

Polish parliament backs law allowing election to be held by post

The Polish lower house of parliament, the Sejm, approved on Thursday government-sponsored legislation that would allow the country’s presidential election to go ahead by postal ballot, according to voting records.…

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Austrian Airlines plans to cut 1,100 jobs

Lufthansa unit Austrian Airlines, which has applied for 767 million euros (669.7 million pounds) in emergency aid from the Austrian government, plans to cut 1,100 of its 7,000 staff by…

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Poland postpones presidential election

Poland's governing parties reached an agreement on Wednesday to postpone the country's presidential election, which was due to take place on Sunday. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling nationalist…

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Czech Government to lift ban on international bus and train travel from May 11

The Czech government agreed this week to lift a ban on international bus and train travel from May 11, a member of the government said. The measure was put in…

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Antibody study shows Czech population’s coronavirus immunity low

Immunity to the novel coronavirus is building up very slowly in the Czech Republic and likely does not cover more than 4-5% of the population, the health ministry said on…

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Netflix and the Polish National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers (KIPA) create new assistance fund for the neediest TV and film industry employees

Netflix and the Polish National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers (KIPA) have created a new assistance fund for the neediest TV and film industry employees affected by the suspension of productions…

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Intensive Care – Hungary

A nurse in protective gear strokes the hand of a patient at the Intensive Care Unit for patients with the COVID-19 disease at the National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology in…

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Photo Story: Poland commemorates anniversary of the 03 May Constitution

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows the Royal Castle during the anniversary of the 03 May Constitution in Warsaw, Poland, 03 May 2020. The Constitution of 3…

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Polish government seeks to introduce ‘Netflix’ tax for video-on-demand platforms

The Polish government is seeking to expand its multi-billion-zloty economic support package aimed at easing the burden of the coronavirus crisis on businesses and workers. Notes from Poland reports that…

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Photo Story: Postal voting for Poland presidential election due to pandemic

Post boxes by the national road No. 80 in Pedzewo, north-central Poland. At the beginning of April 2020, Poland's Sejm, lower house, passed a bill envisaging postal voting as the…

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Schools in Hungary to remain closed

Schools in Hungary will remain closed until the end of May and events with more than 500 participants cannot be held until 15 August, prime minister Viktor Orban’s chief of…

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Czech Republic declares coronavirus spread contained

The spread of the novel coronavirus has been contained in the Czech Republic and the government will continue to cautiously open up the economy, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on…

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Photo Story: Drone delivers coronavirus test samples in Poland

A drone in front of the Central Clinical Hospital of Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw, Poland. This week the first drone flight in Poland took place, which…

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Slovenia to ease coronavirus restrictions

Slovenia will from Thursday lift a restriction imposed at the end of March that prohibited citizens from travelling outside their local municipalities, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said. Education Minister Simona…

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Romania to keep flights to several EU countries suspended until May 14

The flights to several EU countries and the U.S. will remain suspended until May 14 while the movement restrictions for senior citizens have been eased, according to the tenth military…

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Tusk urges Poles to shun May presidential vote

Polish voters should boycott a presidential election set for May 10 out of “basic human decency” because of the new coronavirus pandemic, Donald Tusk, leader of the centre-right European People’s…

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Hotels in Poland to open for summer holidays

Hotels in Poland will be open for summer holidays, government spokesman Piotr Muller told state radio on Wednesday, while adding that the novel coronavirus infections were still on the rise…

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Romania relaxes restrictions on the elderly, but schools remain closed until September

All educational institutions in Romania will remain closed until September, including kindergartens and universities. This was announced yesterday evening by President Klaus Iohannis. The President justified this decision by explaining…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Przemysl, Poland

A picture taken with a drone shows a water play ground on a wintery morning in Przemysl, Poland, south-east Poland.E Via EPA-EFE/Darek Delmanowicz

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Hotels in Romania will reopen in May, masks to become mandatory in all enclosed public spaces

The hotels in Romania will reopen after May 15, when Romania will start to ease the restrictions imposed during the state of emergency, prime minister Ludovic Orban said. However, the…

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Budapest makes masks mandatory for public

From today, it is mandatory to cover one’s face in Budapest's shops, stores, markets and taxis, Mayor Gergely Karácsony has announced on the city page. The city council has…

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Protected view…

View of a protective face mask hanging from the rear-view mirror of a car for use during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in Nyiregyhaza, northeastern Hungary, 26 April 2020. EPA-EFE/ATTILA BALAZS

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Prayer….

Holy Mass in the Primate's Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gniezno, Poland 26 April 2020. The Mass is celebrated on the occasion of the annual…

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Photo Story: Romanian transports EU aid to Italy

A C-27 J Spartan aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off on Saturday, April 25, from Otopeni Air Base, to Milan, Italy, with a consignment of 90,000 FFP 2.…

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Polish health minister says presidential vote in two years would be safest option

Poland’s health minister on Friday urged a delay of the presidential election scheduled for May 10, saying postponing it by two years would be the safest option because of…

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Poland says no data to show coronavirus will ease in autumn

Poland’s Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said on Friday that there was no reliable data showing that the new coronavirus will ease in autumn, when asked whether he expected infections to…

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Photo Story: Polish soldiers give a helping hand to local nursing home

Polish Soldiers from the 9th Brigade of Territorial Defense Forces donate potato peeling equipment to one of the nursing home care in Lodz, central Poland, 24 April 2020. Equipment was…

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Alp resort in Austria at heart of Europe’s outbreak reopens

Austria has lifted the strict quarantine on three ski resorts in Tyrol which were coronavirus hotspots. The three include Ischgl, known as the "Ibiza of the Alps", where hundreds of…

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Photo Story: Fire at the Biebrza National Park in Poland

A view on a meadow in flames at the Biebrza National Park, in Wrocen, northeastern Poland, on the evening of Wednesday 22 April 2020. According to reports, about 6,000 hectares…

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Czechs to test 27,000 persons to gauge coronavirus antibodies

The Czech Republic will test 27,000 people for coronavirus antibodies to gain information on how many came into contact with the infection, officials said. The study, wider than others made…

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Photo Story: Starlink satellites above Hungary

A computer-generated image from several long-exposure images shows Starlink satellites (centre) in the sky above the concrete base of a former heating plant in Salgotarjan, Hungary, 20 April 2020. The…

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EU Parliament condemns Hungary and Poland for undemocratic decisions

The European Parliament strongly condemned recent political decisions taken by the Polish and Hungarian Government during the current pandemic, which have been described as "totally incompatible with European values". Hungarian…

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Poland commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

A yellow a daffodil is displayed on the facade of the Presidential Palace to mark the 77th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Warsaw, Poland, on…

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Poland records spike in cases as it prepares to ease some restrictions

Poland saw its biggest spike in coronavirus cases on Sunday with 545 new infections recorded, according to health ministry data, a day before the country plans to ease some of…

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Covid19 will not impede government from fighting corruption – Slovakia PM

The new Slovak government will focus on fighting corruption, improving economic competitiveness and restoring people's trust in the state, the cabinet said in a programme declaration that it approved on…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Budapest, Hungary

A picture taken with a drone shows empty outdoor pools of the Szechenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest, Hungary. The company that manages the capital's spas and hot springs closed all…

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Commemoration of Holocaust victims in Budapest

Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga pays tribute to the victims as she stands next to cast iron shoes, a memorial of Holocaust victims on the bank of River Danube,…

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Slovenia to ease coronavirus lockdown from Monday

Slovenia will from Monday ease restrictions that have been imposed since the middle of March to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, the government said late on Thursday. Slovenia,…

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Poland’s borders to remain closed, first fatality among medical personnel

Poland’s borders will remain closed until at least May 3, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday. Morawiecki said Poland would start easing some coronavirus restrictions from April 20. A…

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Hungary extends national lockdown

Hungary is extending lockdown measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus by one week from Saturday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said at a media conference…

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Poland to start easing lockdown curbs

Poland will reopen parks and forests on Monday and then revise the rules on the number of customers allowed in shops, as the country starts to loosen its coronavirus…

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Photo Story: Poland receives medical protective gear delivery from China

Airport workers unload boxes with medical protective gear delivered from China at the Poznan-Lawica airport amid the coronavirus pandemic in Poznan, Poland, 15 April 2020. Countries around the world are…

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Photo Story: Traditional Easter celebrations in Poland amid lockdown

A Polish boy throws water over a girl on Wet Monday in Szczecin, northwestern Poland, 13 April 2020. Wet Monday is a Catholic celebration held on Easter Monday mostly in…

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Austria set to relax coronavirus lockdown measures

Austria will begin lifting its coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday but this is the first step in a long process, experts say. Austria came to a standstill when it introduced lockdown…

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€3.3 billion in support to Romania’s SMEs approved by EU Commission

The European Commission has approved around €3.3 billion in support to Romania's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State…

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EU, OSCE and Polish electoral commission express concern about Presidential election during Covid-19

Representatives of the European Commission and OSCE have expressed concern at the Polish government’s plans to press ahead with presidential elections scheduled in May amid the coronavirus epidemic, warning that…

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Von der Leyen threatens Hungary with legal proceedings over new Covid-19 laws

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatened Hungary with legal proceedings over their new laws to slow the spread of coronavirus, in comments published on Sunday. Von der…

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Photo Story: Easter solidarity in Koszalin, Poland

Persons dressed as the Easter Bunny delivers food during the initiative 'package to the window', organized by Stefan Romecki, in Koszalin, Poland. Easter food was delivered to needy residents to…

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Photo Story Adapting to the times in Poland

A Catholic priest holds a cross as he rides in a horse-drawn carriage on the street as part of Easter celebrations on Good Friday during the coronavirus pandemic in Zakopane,…

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Romania bans exports of cereals over virus crisis

Romania announced an export ban on certain cereals as part of new measures to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, national media reported. Calling it an “extremely important provision,” the country's…

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Poland to lift some restrictions

In Poland, some measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 will be lifted after Easter, its deputy health minister has suggested. During a news conference, Waldemar Kraska, said some restrictions would…

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“We’re going back to normality” – Czech Health Minister

The Czech Republic has effectively declared victory in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to media reports in the Central European nation's media. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch reportedly…

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Photo Story: Nuns give a helping hand in Poland as cases increase to 5,000

Nuns of the canon of the Holy Spirit de Saxia make face masks in Krakow, Poland. The Sisters of the canon of the Holy Spirit de Saxia are making…

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Romania to host EU stockpile of medical equipment

Romania is the first EU country that volunteered to purchase and host, on behalf of the European Union, a stockpile of ventilators, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the…

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Czech Republic eases lockdown restrictions

The Czech Republic has become the first European country to relax its coronavirus lockdown measures, with a further loosening of the rules to come. As of Tuesday, residents were allowed to…

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World renowned Austrian restaurant now catering for medical staff

The internationally-known restaurants Steirereck and Meierei, owned by Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer, prepare up to 1000 free meals for emergency personals, since the Austrian government has announced measures slowing down…

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Photo Story: Holy Week during the pandemic

A clergyman carrying a cross speaks during the Way of the Cross on Palm Sunday in the center of Zakopane, Poland 05 April 2020. The procession took place without the…

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