The Dispatch

Polish president withdraws law on undue Russian influence

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish court ruled on Friday that the president was within his rights to pardon a government minister found guilty of abuse of power in a previous…

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Austria not liable for Ischgl ski resort COVID outbreak

Austrian state cannot be held liable for the Ischgl crisis that saw thousands catch COVID-19, a court has ruled, rejecting the plaintiff's claims of "catastrophic mismanagement." Vienna's Supreme Court of…

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Poland slams vote questioning Hungary holding EU presidency

WARSAW, (Reuters) - Poland rebuked the European Parliament backing a resolution that questions Hungary's ability to hold the European Union presidency next year due to concerns about judicial independence. Despite…

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Polish president to sign Russian influence bill despite opposition protests

WARSAW, May 29 (Reuters) - Poland's president said on Monday he would sign off on a bill authorising a panel to investigate Russian influence despite opposition criticism it is witch…

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Poland to raise minimum wage twice in 2024

WARSAW, (Reuters) - Poland plans to raise the minimum wage twice in 2024 to help people cope with high inflation, Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Malag said, as the…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Castle Kornik, Poland

A picture taken with a drone of Castle Kornik, in the Polish town of Kórnik, which was constructed in the 14th century. Magnolias are in bloom in the castle's Arboretum.…

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Austria to summon Hungarian ambassador over migration spat

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Reuters) - Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Monday said his ministry would summon the Hungarian ambassador over a dispute linked to the release of people he…

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Anger after Slovak court acquits businessman in murder of journalist Jan Kuciak

By Robert Muller and Jan Lopatka (Reuters) - A Slovak court on Friday cleared a businessman for the second time of orchestrating the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist, in…

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Polish news websites hit by DDoS attacks

WARSAW, (Reuters) - Several Polish news websites were hit by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that the government said could be the action of Russian hacking groups, the digitalisation minister was…

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Photo Story: Hungary’s newly opened Balaton Park Circuit

A picture taken with a drone shows the newly constructed Balaton Park Circuit at Balatonfokajar, near Lake Balaton, southwest Hungary, 18 May 2023, two days after its official inauguration. The…

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Poland says object likely to be observation balloon entered airspace from east

WARSAW (Reuters) -An unidentified object that entered Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus was probably an observation balloon, Poland's defence ministry said on Saturday on Twitter. NATO-member Poland is…

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Czech president: Ukraine could have our L-159 jets

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic could give Ukraine some of its L-159 fighter jets to support its planned counter-offensive, Czech President Petr Pavel was quoted as saying. Prague has…

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Kremlin calls Polish decision to rename Kaliningrad ‘hostile act’

May 10 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Poland's decision to rename the Russian city of Kaliningrad in its official documents was a "hostile act", as bilateral ties…

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Military object found in Polish forest was Russian missile

WARSAW, May 10 (Reuters) - The military object found in a Polish forest in April was a Russian CH-55 missile, Polish private media outlets RMF FM and Polsat News reported…

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Teenage girl killed after knife attack at Polish orphanage; 9 hurt

WARSAW, May 10 (Reuters) - A man gained access into an orphanage in Poland, killing a teenage girl and injuring nine other people in a knife attack late on Tuesday,…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Siekierki, Poland

The bridge connecting Polish Siekierki and German Neurudnitz, has been put into operation in Siekierki, Poland.The bridge, located on the border of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship and the German…

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Photo Story: Train derails in Hungary

A picture taken with a drone shows rail workers assessing the damage caused by the wagons of a derailed cargo train near Hajduhadhaz, eastern Hungary, 08 May 2023. Nine wagons…

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Slovakian president picks technocrat government after prime minister quits

By Radovan Stoklasa and Jason Hovet BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak President Zuzana Caputova picked central bank Deputy Governor Ludovit Odor to lead a technocrat government after caretaker Prime Minister Eduard…

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Polish EU border patrol plane avoids collision with Russian jet

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish border guard aircraft on patrol for the European Union's border agency Frontex over the Black Sea near Romania narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian…

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Poland may extend zero VAT on food into 2024 if inflation persists

WARSAW, May 6 (Reuters) - Poland may extend zero VAT rate on food staples into 2024 if inflation persists, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday. Poland slashed taxes on…

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Slovak foreign minister quits in fresh blow to ailing cabinet

Slovakia's foreign minister offered his resignation on Friday, the president said, dealing a fresh blow to the centre-right cabinet which has already been serving in a caretaker capacity ahead of…

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Photo Story: Demolishing of a Red Army Monument in Glubczyce in Poland

Workers demolish the Red Army Monument in Glubczyce, Poland, on Friday 05 May 2023. The dismantling of the monument in Glubczyce, near Opole, is being conducted under a 2016 law…

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Fire in building containers kills eight people in Czech city of Brno

PRAGUE, May 4 (Reuters) - Eight people who were most likely homeless were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday night in construction containers in the Czech city of…

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Poland strengthens its border fence with Russia to keep migrants out

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the razor wire fence along the border with the Russian exclave Kaliningrad would be reinforced again. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced that…

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Don’t shut door on foreigners, migrants, Pope Francis says in Hungary

BUDAPEST, April 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday presided over a big outdoor Mass where he urged Hungarians not to close the door on migrants and those who are…

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Russia pledges harsh response after Polish ‘seizure’ of embassy school

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia promised it would respond harshly to what it said was Poland's illegal seizure of its embassy school in Warsaw, an act it called a flagrant violation…

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Eye In The Sky: Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck seen from the Hafelekar, at 2.256 m (approx. 7,000 ft) above sea level, on a warm winter day, Austria. Photo: EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

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Pope Francis heads to Hungary with Ukraine, migration top of the agenda

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day trip to Hungary, where the war in Ukraine, migration and Europe's Christian roots are expected…

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Czechs put Russian Patriarch Kirill on sanctions list over Ukraine

PRAGUE, April 26 (Reuters) - The Czech government has made the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, the first person on its national sanctions list due to his…

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UPDATED: ‘Military object’ found in northern Poland, reported to be possible missile

WARSZAWA, April 27 (Reuters) - The remains of a "military object" were found in a forest in northern Poland on Thursday, which a broadcaster said authorities believed could be part…

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Ukraine, migration, to top agenda as Pope Francis visits Hungary

Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day trip to Hungary, where the war in Ukraine, migration and Europe's Christian roots are expected to top the agenda in his public addresses…

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Roma pilgrims seek just ‘one glimpse’ of Pope Francis at Hungary Mass

BUDAPEST, April 24 (Reuters) - When Pope Francis visited Hungary two years ago, Roma pilgrim Csaba Kovesi, accompanied by a cross blessed by Francis and Pope John Paul II, drove…

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Polish economy to grow about 1% this year – finance minister

WARSAW, April 24 (Reuters) - Poland's economy will grow by around 1% in 2023, the finance minister said on Monday, after statistics office data showed bigger-than-expected drops in retail sales…

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Polish wages rise 12.6% y/y in March, above forecast

(Reuters) - Polish corporate sector wages rose by an annual 12.6% in March to an average of 7,508 zlotys ($1,784.31) per month, above analysts' expectations of 12.4%, statistics office data…

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UPDATED: Hungary bans import of honey, certain meat products from Ukraine

By Boldizsar Gyori and Krisztina Than BUDAPEST, April 20 (Reuters) - Hungary has banned imports of honey and certain meat products in addition to grains from Ukraine until June 30, the prime…

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Slovakia hands over all 13 promised MiG fighter jets to Ukraine

April 17 (Reuters) - Slovakia has handed over all 13 MiG-29 fighter jets it had pledged to Ukraine, the Slovak Defence Ministry said on Monday. Slovakia joined Poland in promising…

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Romania aims to buy F-35 fighter planes to boost air defences

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania aims to buy the latest generation U.S. F-35 fighter planes to boost its air defences, the country's supreme defence council (CSAT) said in a statement this…

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Slovak PM calls on central bank Governor Kazimir to resign

April 13 (Reuters) - The Slovak prime minister urged Peter Kazimir to resign as central bank governor in a Facebook post on Thursday after a court said it had convicted…

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Austrian trains running again after technical failure

VIENNA, April 13 (Reuters) - Trains in the east of Austria, a swathe of the country that includes its biggest rail hub, Vienna, are running again after a technical disruption…

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Austria to extend checks at Hungarian, Slovenian borders

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria plans to extend checks at its borders with Slovenia and Hungary by another six months from May 11, when the current six-month suspension of free travel…

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EPA’S Eye In The Sky: Debrecen, Hungary

An aerial picture taken by a drone shows a snowy rooftop in Debrecen, Hungary, during the Easter holidays. Photo: EPA-EFE/ZSOLT CZEGLEDI

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EPA’s Eye In Then Sky: Lake Czarne, Poland

A aerial photo taken with a drone shows Lake Czarne on the border of the municipalities of Miedzyrzecz and Trzciel in western Poland. The small-sized water reservoir lake is characterized…

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Austrian banks unaffected by banking turmoil – finance minister tells NZZ

ZURICH, April 8 (Reuters) - Austria's government is monitoring the global banking turmoil although there are so far no signs of it spreading to the country's financial sector, Finance Minister…

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Photo Story: Blessing of Easter baskets on Holy Saturday in Krakow

Marek Jedraszewski, archbishop of Krakow, blesses Easter baskets on Holy Saturday at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 08 April 2023. On Holy Saturday people traditionally bring baskets with…

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Ukraine, Poland to produce Soviet-era tank shells together

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's state arms producer said it would launch joint production of 125-mm rounds for Soviet-era tanks with Polish arms producer Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ). Ukroboronprom said Poland…

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Photo story: Snowfall in Przemysl, Poland

Snowfall in Przemysl, southeast Poland, on Thursday. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management has issued second-degree warnings of heavy snowfall for parts of the Podkarpackie province. Via EPA-EFE/Darek Delmanowicz

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Sweden-Hungary ties at low point, Orban aide says, amid Stockholm NATO bid

BUDAPEST, April 6 (Reuters) - Relations between Sweden and Hungary are at a low point, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday, calling on Stockholm to take…

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Polish agriculture minister resigns amid anger over Ukrainian grain imports

WARSAW, April 5 (Reuters) - Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk resigned from his post on Wednesday amid rising anger among farmers over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on prices.…

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UPDATED: Ukraine’s Zelenskiy visits Poland as allies step up military aid

Heavy fighting reported around Bakhmut Zelenskiy visits Poland, Macron to press China Washington pledges billions more as Ukraine readies offensive By Pavel Polityuk KYIV, April 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President…

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NATO needs bigger presence in Black Sea, Romania’s president says

NATO needs a bigger presence in the Black Sea, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday (April 3) after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “The Black Sea is now, more…

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Hungary’s booming wedding market doused by soaring inflation

By Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Fenyo Wedding boom, fuelled by government handouts, fizzles Surging inflation boosts wedding costs, devalues benefits Some couples scaling back or even scrapping wedding feasts January…

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Poles march to honour Pope John Paul II on anniversary of his death

WARSAW, April 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Poles marched through Warsaw and other cities in Poland on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the death of John Paul II 18…

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Hungary to phase out some of its price caps as inflation comes down -PM Orban

BUDAPEST, March 31 (Reuters) - Hungary's government aims to phase out price caps on basic food and mortgage rates gradually as inflation slows, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday,…

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OECD sees Czech economy stagnating this year, tight monetary stance needed

PRAGUE, March 30 (Reuters) - The Czech economy will stagnate this year due to shocks from Russia's war in Ukraine that have boosted inflation, and tight monetary policy needs to…

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Meeting EU green targets would cut Polish power prices by half – think-tank

WARSAW, March 30 (Reuters) - Poland can cut wholesale electricity prices by a half and save over $8 billion between 2026 and 2030 if it meets European Union renewable energy…

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Photo Story: The International Space Station (ISS) passes in front of the Moon

The International Space Station (ISS) passes in front of the Moon as captured near Buzitka, southern Slovakia. Via EPA-EFE/Peter Komka

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Austrian economy set to pick up next year – economic institutes

BERLIN, March 30 (Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to pick up starting next year, once price pressures that are set to slow growth this year should begin easing in…

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