The Dispatch

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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Slovenia becomes latest EU country to recognise Palestinian state

Slovenia became the latest European Union country to recognise an independent Palestinian state after its parliament approved the move with majority vote on Tuesday, dismissing a call for a referendum…

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Poland to boost cybersecurity after fake news attack

Poland will spend over 3 billion zlotys ($760 million) to boost cybersecurity, the digitalisation minister said, after state news agency PAP was hit by what authorities say was likely a…

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Poland to reintroduce buffer zone at Belarus border

Poland will reintroduce a 200-metre buffer zone at the Belarus border at the beginning of next week, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, after an attack on a soldier at the…

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Polish foreign minister says Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine

Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in comments published on Tuesday, as Kyiv struggles to repel Russian advances, but Sikorski did not…

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Poland Unveils ‘East Shield’ Program to Fortify Eastern Border

Poland fleshed out details on Monday of "East Shield", a 10 billion zloty ($2.55 billion) programme to beef up defences along its eastern border with Belarus and Russia, saying it…

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Slovak prime minister Fico’s health improving

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition after an assassination attempt earlier this month is improving, the government and hospital said on Monday. An attacker hit Fico with four bullets at…

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Poland’s Foreign Minister Urges Long-Term Rearmament of Europe for Countering Russian Ambitions

"A long-term re-armament of Europe is necessary to counter Russian ambitions," stated Poland’s foreign minister. Sikorski emphasized that Poland is now recognizing the need for re-armament by prioritizing the production…

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Slovakia shooting suspect says he wanted to hurt Fico, not kill him

The man detained over the shooting of Robert Fico said he had wanted to hurt the Slovak prime minister because he disagreed with government policies and used a gun he…

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Hungary’s Orban says fears that Russia would attack a NATO member are unfounded

Fears that Russia would mount an attack on any NATO member are unfounded, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, adding that the war in Ukraine that is now…

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Poles support travel ban in case of war

According to an an IBRiS poll conducted for private broadcaster Radio ZET, 54.4% of respondents agreed, with 20.9% strongly supporting the idea of preventing Polish draft-age men from leaving the…

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Slovak PM Fico’s attacker may not have acted alone

The suspect in an assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico may not have been just a "lone wolf" as previously believed, the interior minister said on Sunday, as…

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UPDATED: Fico remains in a serious but stable condition

Slovak doctors will meet on Monday to assess Prime Minister Robert Fico's health and discuss the possibility of transporting him from Banska Bystrica to the capital Bratislava, local media reported…

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UPDATED – Slovak PM Robert Fico Survives Assassination Attempt

Update 1411 Reuters reports that the suspect in Fico’s assassination attempt acted alone and had previously taken part in anti-government protests, according to the country’s interior minister. Matus Sutaj Estok described…

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Poland to boost intelligence spending due to Russian threat

Poland will allocate an additional 100 million zlotys ($25.30 million) to boost its intelligence services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced, as he warned of a rising threat from Russia. Poland…

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Austrian court lets incestuous rapist Fritzl move to regular prison

An Austrian court said on Tuesday the country's most infamous living criminal, incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl, could move to regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit but he was still…

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Europe must increase defence capabilities to be safe, says Poland’s Tusk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that in order for Europe to avoid conflicts and be safe it must increase its defence capabilities, and he repeated his call for the…

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Hungary’s anti-corruption authority wants stronger powers for prosecutions

Hungary's anti-corruption body, tasked with stamping out fraud in the spending of billions of euros of European Union funds, has requested greater powers including for prosecutions, raids and sanctions, a…

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Skeletons missing hands and feet found in Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair

Five human skeletons - all missing their hands and feet - have been discovered at Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s eastern front military headquarters in present-day Poland, buried inside the villa…

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Polish foreign minister advises against assuming that Trump will support Russia

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s stance on Ukraine is “not as black and white as some people” think, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski insisted in an interview. Internationally, suspicions run…

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Poland’s Tusk to reduce public duties following a pneumonia diagnosis

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been diagnosed with pneumonia and will limit his public duties in the next few days, his office announced on Thursday. "In the coming days,…

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Poland prepared to send back Ukrainian military-age men

Poland is ready to help Ukraine in getting military-age male citizens to return and help their home country in fighting in the war against Russia, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.…

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Poland ready to host nuclear weapons

Poland is ready to host nuclear arms if Nato decides to deploy the weapons in the face of Russia reinforcing its armaments in Belarus and Kaliningrad, the country’s president, Andrzej…

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Polish man arrested on alleged plot to kill Ukrainian President

A Polish man has been arrested in Poland on Wednesday on allegations of being ready to help Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,…

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Slovakia will not implement new EU migration rules

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico refused to implement the European Union's new migration system in his country, a sign that tensions around the matter are set to remain high despite…

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Pellegrini wins Slovak presidential election in boost for pro-Russian PM Fico

By Radovan Stoklasa and Jan Lopatka Slovak nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini won the country's presidential election over the weekend, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over…

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Slovaks pick between Fico ally and pro-Western diplomat for president

By Eva Korinkova Slovaks go to the polls on Saturday to pick a new president, choosing between pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok and Peter Pellegrini running for the ruling nationalist…

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Romania says it finds drone fragments near border with Ukraine

BUCHAREST, March 29 (Reuters) - NATO member Romania said it had found fragments of what appeared to be a drone on a farm near the river Danube and the border…

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Poland scrambles fighter jets

Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled Friday morning after Russia launched missile strikes on Ukraine, the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said. “Polish and allied aircraft are operating…

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Poland to send troops to Paris Olympics amid security challenge

Poland said it will join international efforts to help keep the Olympic Games in France safe by sending troops, including sniffer dog handlers, as organizers prepare for the major security…

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Romanian state agency turns to AI to help farmers tap EU funds

A Romanian state agency for rural investments is using artificial intelligence to help farmers apply for European Union funds, it said on Monday, a first in one of the EU's…

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Slovaks vote in presidential election that might bolster PM Fico

March 23 (Reuters) - Slovaks vote in a presidential election on Saturday that could strengthen Prime Minister Robert Fico's grip on power as he seeks more control over public media,…

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Austrian economy to nearly stagnate this year, institutes forecast

(Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to nearly stagnate this year, pressured by a weaker European Union economy and higher interest rates, according to two leading economic institutes which cut…

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After 100 days, Poland’s Tusk faces questions over election promises

By Alan Charlish WARSAW, March 22 (Reuters) - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk hit his first 100 days in office on Friday with solid public support but facing criticism for…

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Exasperated by cost of housing, Salzburg could elect a Communist mayor

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, March 22 (Reuters) - Salzburg, the home of Mozart and "The Sound of Music", is not a place known for radical change. The picturesque Austrian city,…

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Slovakia scraps graft prosecution unit despite EU criticism

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - Slovakia dismantled its dedicated state graft prosecution unit on Wednesday despite European Union concerns, but seemed unlikely to face anytime soon hefty…

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Czech Republic struggles to contain surge of whooping cough

Whooping cough is on the rise in the Czech Republic is no exception. In the first week of January, say the Czech authorities, there were 28 registered cases of whooping…

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Hungary’s Orban ready to ‘occupy’ Brussels to bring EU change

BUDAPEST, March 15 (Reuters) - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he was ready to march to Brussels and "occupy" the European Union's centre in order to "defend…

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Poland’s capital Warsaw earmarks $30 million for bomb shelters and other security

Poland's capital Warsaw will spend 117 million zlotys ($30 million) in the next two to three years on bomb shelters and other security measures, with war in neighbouring Ukraine in…

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Austrian court orders rapist Fritzl must stay put in prison

VIENNA, March 11 (Reuters) - An Austrian court said on Monday it had overturned a lower court decision that 88-year-old incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl be transferred to a regular prison…

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Trump won’t give money to Ukraine if elected, says Hungary’s Orban

BUDAPEST, March 11 (Reuters) - Former U.S. leader Donald Trump will not give money to help Ukraine fight Russia if he wins the presidency again and that will hasten an…

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Hungary’s PM Orban supports Trump after Florida meeting

BUDAPEST, March 9 (Reuters) - Hungary's right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban lent his support to his long-time ally Donald Trump's bid to return to White House after meeting the…

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Hungary opposes Mark Rutte’s bid to run NATO

Hungary is against Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's taking the helm of NATO when the post is vacated later this year, the country's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Tuesday. The…

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Poland urges EU sanctions on Russian, Belarusian farm products

VILNIUS, March 4 (Reuters) - Poland, seeking to meet the needs of protesting farmers, plans to ask the European Union to put sanctions on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products, Prime…

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UPDATED: Hungarian PM Orban to meet Trump on March 8 in Florida

By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST, March 4 (Reuters) - Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet former U.S. President Donald Trump this coming Friday in Florida, shortly after he openly…

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Slovak PM says some Western states consider bilateral deals to send troops to Ukraine

Several NATO and European Union members are considering sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday. Fico, who has long opposed military…

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UPDATED: Hungary will approve Sweden’s NATO bid on Monday, PM Orban says

Sweden to join NATO after Hungary ratification due Monday NATO membership will end long military non-alignment NATO accession spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine Finland already joined NATO last year…

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Hungary buys Swedish fighter jets, prepares to approve NATO bid

By Krisztina Than and Johan Ahlander BUDAPEST/STOCKHOLM, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Hungary said on Friday it had signed a deal to buy four Saab JAS Gripen fighter jets from Sweden,…

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Romania president seeks to challenge Rutte for top NATO job

Romania notified allies that President Klaus Iohannis was considering challenging frontrunner Mark Rutte for the NATO top job. Iohannis' last-minute move comes as the biggest powers in the 31-strong alliance…

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