The Dispatch

Photos: Mountains light up in Poland for anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II

The Giewont Mountain in Zakopane, in the Tatra Mountains, southern Poland, on Thursday evening, was lit up in a spectacular light show to commemorate the death of Pope John Paul…

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App in Hungary for nurses to communicate with pregnant women and new mothers during coronavirus pandemic

An employee of the University of Debrecen Clinical Center displays a smartphone application called 'Stefania', developed for nurses to communicate remotely with pregnant women and with mothers staying at home…

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Photo Story: Further curbs on people’s movements in Poland not ruled out

Poland may face a peak in coronavirus infections in April, government spokesman Piotr Muller told state radio on Thursday, adding that further curbs on people’s movements could not be ruled…

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Austrian supermarkets hand out face masks

Austrian supermarkets began handing out basic face masks to largely compliant shoppers before they become compulsory next week, though there remained some confusion about the new measure and uncertainty about…

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Coronavirus in Romania total reaches 2,460

By April 1, a total of 2,460 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed by tests in Romania, which means that 215 new patients tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours…

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Photo Story: Street art honours medical personnel in Warsaw

A mural reading 'Not all superheroes wear capes, Thank you!' adorns the side wall of a tenement house during the coronavirus pandemic in Warsaw, Poland. The number of confirmed coronavirus…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Hortobagy, Hungary

A picture taken with a drone shows geese and swans in the municipality of Hortobagy, Hungary, 27 February 2020. Between October and March, the geese are regular guests of the…

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Poland should consider presidential elections postponement

Poland should consider postponing presidential elections scheduled for May 10 if health and safety conditions can't be guaranteed, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Monday. However he said if it was…

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Czech Republic extends Covid-19 measures till April 11

The Czech government said on Monday it would order most shops and restaurants to stay closed and restrict people's movement until April 11, extending by 10 days measures it has…

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Election plans in Poland amidst coronavirus pandemic cause friction

Opposition candidates for Poland’s upcoming presidential election are squabbling over how to stop the ballot because of the pandemic, but the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party isn't giving ground.…

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Hungary introduces jail terms for spreading coronavirus misinformation

Hungary is set to pass a new law on coronavirus that includes jail terms for spreading misinformation as critics warn that the nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán could be given…

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Lack of testing in Eastern Europe deflating ‘numbers’ of crisis

On the face of it, the map of Europe’s struggle with coronavirus suggests the prospects for the eastern half of the continent are much less grim than for the western…

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Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki has died, aged 86

The classical world has lost one of the great composers, and Poland is mourning one of its most passionate music educators and cultural ambassadors. He was born in Dębica in…

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Photo Story: Silesian University of Technology in Poland produces protective mask

A worker of Silesian University of Technology in the production of a protective masks by 3D printing at the Silesian University of Technology in Zabrze, southern Poland. Reports state…

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Photo Story: Coronavirus cases in Poland increase to 1,244

A soldier of the Territorial Defence Force checks on people placed in quarantine, during the coronavirus pandemic in Jaroslaw, south-eastern Poland, 27 March 2020. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases…

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Romanian Health minister resigns as healthcare system faces meltdown

Romania’s health minister Victor Costache resigned on Thursday, prime minister Ludovic Orban announced in a press statement. The resignation comes in the middle of the biggest medical crisis Romania…

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Hungary imposes lockdown, predicts coronavirus peak by July

Hungary is imposing a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which is expected to peak in the country in June or July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban…

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Coronavirus cases in Poland increase to 1,085

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Poland increased to 1,085, the Ministry of Health said on 26 March morning. To date, 15 people have died in Poland from the…

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Romania full lockdown

A Romanian armed soldier that wears a surgical mask and protection gloves guards a large intersection from his Humvee military vehicle in central Bucharest, Romania, 25 March 2020. Romania on…

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Wizz Air halts operations on three Romanian airports

Wizz Air, the biggest airline in Romania by number of passengers transported, announced that it would suspend all operations from its local bases in Timisoara, Craiova and Sibiu, from March…

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Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Romania continues to grow, eight dead

The number of confirmed Covid-19 infection cases in Romania has reached 762, according to data released by the Strategic Communication Group on Tuesday, March 24, at 13:00. In the last hours, the…

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Polish government launches a Minecraft server for housebound kids

In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, Poland has shut its schools until at least April 10. While online classes are widespread, there's still the problem of keeping…

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Face masks sent to Italy from China end up in the Czech Republic

Thousands of face masks sent by China for Italy's beleaguered hospitals have ended up in the Czech Republic in an apparent cross-border imbroglio as Europe, now the epicentre of the…

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Poland may impose more curbs on citizens

Poland may impose further constraints on citizens to prevent the spread of coronavirus given the likelihood of a sharp increase in the number of infections this week, senior government officials…

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Number of confirmed coronavirus cases exceeds 3,000 in Austria

The amount of people in Austria with confirmed cases of coronavirus crossed the 3,000 mark on Sunday, the Ministry of Health has announced. Compared with figures from Saturday, this is…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

An aerial view of a snow-covered pier at the Solina Lake in the Bieszczady Mountains, south-eastern Poland. Photo: EPA-EFE/DAREK DELMANOWICZ

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Poland declares ‘state of epidemic’

Poland is moving into a "state of epidemic" — which gives central and regional governments greater powers to deal with a crisis — Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a press…

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Photo Story: Military patrols in the streets of Hungary

A soldier and an MP patrol in the main square of Debrecen, Hungary, 20 March 2020. The patrol is deployed to keep up public safety and order during the time…

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Austrian ski town suspected as source of coronavirus across Europe

Politico reports that Tyrolean village of Ischgl in Austria may have been the main source of the outbreak of coronavirus in Europe. Health authorities across Scandinavia have traced several hundred…

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€38 billion relief plan announced by Austria

Austria will spend up to 38 billion euros to secure jobs and keep companies afloat, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Wednesday, joining other European countries providing more funds to limit…

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Rape survivors hold fashion show in clothes they were wearing during assaults

A fashion show in Warsaw (prior to the Covid-19 restrictions) was held, during which rape survivors took to the catwalk in the clothes they were wearing when they were assaulted.…

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Hungary to shut borders, preparing fiscal, monetary response to coronavirus

Hungary will close its borders, postpone cultural and sports events and take fiscal and monetary steps to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said…

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Polish government and Lot Polish airlines organising repatriation operation

In the wake of suspended air connections to and from abroad, the Polish government in cooperation with the state flag carrier LOT Airlines are organising special charter flights to various…

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Polish chemist reported to have made breakthrough discovery in CoVid19 treatment

A Polish chemist from the Wrocław University of Technology, Prof. Maciej Drąg and his team of researchers, together with their counterparts at Lubeck University in Germany have made a breakthrough…

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Austria limits people’s movement nationwide

The Austrian government is limiting people’s movement nationwide. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday that there should be only three reasons for people to leave home: essential work, essential purchases such…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Polana, Poland

An aerial view of snow-covered the Bieszczady Mountains in the village of Polana, southeastern Poland. EPA-EFE/DAREK DELMANOWICZ

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Obuda Danubia Orchestra performs concert without audience due to coronavirus crisis

Hungarian maestro Mate Hamori conducts the Obuda Danubia Orchestra's Kurtag/Haydn/Dvorak concert without audience at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, on the evening of the 13 March…

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Poland shuts borders

We decided to introduce an epidemic emergency. We introduce full controls on all Polish borders. " Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced. In addition to this, Polish citizens will be directed to…

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Czech Republic to lockdown country’s borders as of Monday

The Czech government will be banning foreigners entering the country and Czechs travelling abroad as of Monday, in an attempt to curb the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said…

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Head of Polish public television dismissed

Poland’s National Media Council has announced it recalled Jacek Kurski from the post of president of Telewizja Polska SA (TVP), the country’s public television. Shortly before the announcement, the country’s…

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Romanian government in quarantine after coronavirus contact

Romania’s interim government is self-isolating for 14 days after a senator tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Vergil Chitac was in parliament in recent days while right-wing parties were trying…

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Czech Republic introduces controls on German, Austrian borders

The Czech Republic is introducing controls on its borders with Germany and Austria and banning crossings away from official frontier border posts to help fight the spread of the coronavirus,…

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First death from coronavirus in Poland

A 57-year-old woman infected with coronavirus was reported dead on Thursday. The news was reported by the deputy mayor of the western city of Poznań on Thursday noon. The…

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Austria reports first coronavirus death

A 69-year-old man has died in Vienna after contracting the new coronavirus, Austria’s first death in the rapidly spreading epidemic, city authorities said on Thursday. Austria has confirmed 302 cases…

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Slovenia to close all schools from Monday due to coronavirus

Slovenia plans to close all schools from Monday in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said on Thursday. “This decree is necessary...in this situation,”…

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Polish government closes schools, cinemas and museums over coronavirus

The Polish Government announced that all schools, preschools and nurseries will close from Monday due to the coronavirus. Museums and cinemas will also be shut down, while the health minister…

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Czech Republic closes all schools

As the virus continues to spread across the country, schools are closing their doors in an effort to protect their students. The new measures will close schools and universities, but…

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Hungary declares State of Emergency over coronavirus

Hungary’s government declared a state of emergency to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, closing university campuses and banning large gatherings. “These measures are unprecedented in the three decades since…

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Slovenia to close border with Italy, Bosnia bars entry from coronavirus-hit countries

Slovenia plans to close its border with Italy for non-commercial traffic to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said. He did not say when the decision would…

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Ferenc Liszt Intʼl in Budapest blocks flights from north of Italy

Ferenc Liszt International will stop accepting flights from Milan, Treviso, and Bergamo from Monday because of a lockdown there over the coronavirus, operator Budapest Airport said, according to a report…

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Romania announces unprecedented restrictions to limit coronavirus spreading

The Romanian authorities will close all schools where even one coronavirus infection case is reported, the head of the Emergency Situations Department (DSU), Raed Arafat, announced on Sunday, according to…

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Six killed in avalanches on Austrian Alps

Six people have died after avalanches hit two separate areas of the Austrian Alps on Sunday, according to local authorities. In the central Dachstein area, a location popular with hikers,…

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Poland reports first coronavirus case

Poland has confirmed its first coronavirus infection, Poland’s Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said on Wednesday. Szumowski said the sick man is in hospital in Zielona Gora, western Poland, and…

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Head of Polish drug trafficking group based in Krakow arrested in Slovakia

A Polish woman suspected of being the head of a Polish drug trafficking group based in Krakow was arrested in Slovakia after a collaborative operation by Polish, Hungarian and Slovakian…

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Slovak anti-corruption centre-right party set to win election

Slovak voters handed a resounding victory to the centre-right, anti-graft OLaNO opposition party in Saturday's general election, dominated by an angry backlash over the 2018 murder of a journalist probing…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Tiszacsege, Hungary

A picture taken with a drone shows a ferry on River Tisza at Tiszacsege, Hungary. In the night of 30 January 2000, a dam at the gold mining company Aurul,…

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Hungary to boost border protection

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary would strengthen the protection of the southern border after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan informed him in that Turkey could no longer hold back the…

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