The Dispatch

Serbia and Montenegro expel respective ambassadors

Montenegro declared Serbia’s ambassador persona non grata for interfering with the country’s internal affairs, the ministry of interior said in a statement. Following the announcement, Serbia declared persona non grata…

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Germany is failing EU leadership test – Greek Foreign Minister

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias accused Germany of failing to live up to its leadership role in the EU by rejecting pleas from Athens to impose an arms embargo on…

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Turkey issues life sentences over failed 2016 coup

A Turkish court handed down dozens of life sentences on Thursday for some of the nearly 500 defendants, including army commanders and pilots, accused of carrying out a 2016 coup…

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Germany, Turkey trade accusations over interception of Turkish vessel

Turkey and Germany traded barbs on Tuesday after German soldiers boarded a Turkish vessel on behalf of an EU military mission in the Mediterranean, with Berlin calling its NATO ally's…

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Turkish court adds new Saudi defendants in Khashoggi trial

A Turkish court on Tuesday added new defendants to the case against Saudi officials charged over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, state media reported, in a trial that Ankara…

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Turkey sees itself an inseparable part of Europe

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that his country, an official candidate for European Union membership, sees itself as an inseparable part of Europe but will not give in…

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Thousands turn out to mourn Serbia’s Patriarch

Several thousand worshippers and clergy, some without face masks, filed steadily into a Belgrade church on Saturday to pay their respects to Patriarch Irinej, the head of the Serbian Orthodox…

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Turkey’s Erdogan, Saudi king agree to solve issues through dialogue – Turkish presidency

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz agreed in a phone call improve bilateral ties and solve outstanding disputes through dialogue, the Turkish presidency said early…

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Turkey extends seismic survey work in disputed Mediterranean area to November 29

Turkey said it was extending the seismic survey work of its Oruc Reis ship in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Nov. 29, in a move that could…

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Turkey must stop provocations in eastern Mediterranean – Germany

Turkey has to cease provocations in the eastern Mediterranean if it wants to avoid new discussions about European Union sanctions against Ankara at an EU summit in December, German Foreign…

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Patriarch of Serbian Orthodox Church dies of COVID-19 aged 90

Patriarch Irinej, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, has died aged 90 after contracting COVID-19, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday. Church bells tolled in Belgrade and many people…

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25 years after peace deal, Bosnia endures division and stagnation

Mirsad Zahirovic is a university-educated journalist and activist who moonlights as a waiter because he is not a member of one of the ruling political parties, which is almost the…

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Turkey’s behaviour ‘widening its separation’ from EU, Borrell says

Turkey's rhetoric on Cyprus is aggravating tensions with the European Union and Ankara must understand that its behaviour is "widening its separation" from the 27-nation bloc, EU foreign policy chief…

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Turkey to buy 20 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses from China, also talking to Pfizer

Turkey will sign a contract within days to buy some 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told parliament. The government is also…

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UPDATED: Turkey to imposes new measures to fight coronavirus surge

Turkey's government urged "tight discipline" on Wednesday as the country prepared for new weekend curfews, online schooling and limits on restaurants and cafes that are to begin Friday evening and…

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Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks with North Macedonia

Bulgaria has refused to approve the European Union's negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of accession talks with its smaller Balkan neighbour, its foreign minister said…

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Bulgaria to block EU accession talks with North Macedonia

Bulgaria plans to voice its opposition on Tuesday to starting European Union accession talks with neighbouring North Macedonia as the two countries have yet to settle disputes over history and…

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Local elections in Bosnia Herzegovina

A Red Cross volunteer (L) measures the temperature of women before entering the polling station during the local elections in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 November 2020. More than three…

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Montenegro introduces curfew, Serbia to issue fines to counter coronavirus

Montenegro introduced a two-week overnight lockdown from the begining of the weekend to rein in a major spike in coronavirus infections, while neighbouring Serbia began fining people who fail to…

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Spin the rain – F1 in Turkey

Rain on a slippery track turned Saturday's final practice for the Turkish Grand Prix into the equivalent of driving on an ice rink with cars sliding and spinning and lap…

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Turkey bans smoking in public areas amid surge of COVID-19 patients

Turkey banned smoking in crowded public places to slow a recent surge in symptomatic coronavirus patients, the Interior Minister said, as the government warned citizens to abide by protective measures.…

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Turkish Finance Minister resigns

Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Sunday he was resigning for health reasons, in an Instagram statement confirmed by an official, marking a second weekend surprise after the central…

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Erdogan tells Putin that Armenia must negotiate over Nagorno-Karabakh

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Armenia must be convinced to negotiate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan and called for a peaceful resolution,…

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Erdogan replaces Turkey’s central bank chief

President Tayyip Erdogan replaced Turkey's central bank chief over the rapid depreciation in the lira and discomfort with the bank's policy steps not yielding results, three officials told Reuters on…

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Turkey says it begins drilling in second Black Sea borehole

Turkey began drilling at a second borehole in a Black Sea natural gas field where it made its largest ever discovery earlier this year, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on…

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Croatia government proposes income, profit tax cuts amid pandemic

The Croatian government on Thursday proposed cutting income and profit taxes from the beginning of next year in an effort to boost the business environment and consumer spending amid the…

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Kosovo president resigns to face war crimes charges

Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci, a guerrilla leader during Kosovo's war for independence from Serbia in the 1990s, resigned on Thursday in order to face charges for war crimes and crimes…

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Patriarch of Serbian Orthodox Church tests positive for COVID-19

Irinej, the ageing Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the country’s largest Christian denomination, was hospitalised on Wednesday after testing positive for the coronavirus, his office said. Irinej, 90, was…

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Aegean quake toll rises to 116 as Turkey ends search

Turkey on Wednesday ended search and rescue efforts in the rubble of buildings that collapsed as a result of Friday’s strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea, after the death toll…

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Three-year-old rescued from rubble in Turkey, quake death toll hits 85

A three-year-old girl was rescued from a collapsed building in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Monday, nearly three days after a powerful earthquake in the Aegean Sea that…

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Concern after mourners kiss and touch coronavirus infected bishop at Montenegro funeral

Mourners "largely ignored" safety rules, said Montenegro's daily newspaper Vijesti, reporting on last rites for Bishop Amfilohije Radovic that culminated at his funeral in Podgorica's Serbian Orthodox cathedral on Sunday. The…

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Turkey continues rescue work after quake, death toll hits 81

Rescue efforts continued in eight buildings in western Turkish city of Izmir on Monday, authorities said, as the death toll from Friday's powerful earthquake in the Aegean Sea region rose…

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Man rescued from rubble as Turkey quake death toll hits 62

A 70-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in the Turkish city of Izmir on Sunday, after being buried for 33 hours following a powerful earthquake…

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Photo Story: Scenes of the aftermath of 7.0 earthquake in Izmir, Turkey

A photo made with a drone shows rescue workers and people searching for survivors at a collapsed building after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake originating in the Aegean Sea, hit the…

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Bulgaria says North Macedonia must address historical issues or face delay on EU path

Bulgaria has threatened to block North Macedonia’s path towards European Union membership and said it should recognise that both its national identity and language have Bulgarian roots, its foreign minister…

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70-year-old pulled alive as Turkey earthquake death toll hits 51

Rescue workers extricated a 70-year-old man from a collapsed building in western Turkey on Sunday, some 34 hours after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea struck Turkey and Greece,…

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6.6-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Greece death-toll reached 35

Rescue workers on Saturday fought their way through the rubble of eight buildings which collapsed in Turkey's western city of Izmir, where a 6.6-magnitude earthquake killed at least 35 people. Three…

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Turkish and Greek leaders exchanged solidarity messages after powerful earthquake kills 27

Turkish rescue workers searched through rubble for survivors on Saturday, as the death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit the Aegean Sea the previous afternoon rose to 27. Officials…

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Update: Strong earthquake kills 19 people in Turkey and Greek islands

Nineteen people were killed in Turkey and Greece after a strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea on Friday, bringing buildings crashing down and setting off tidal waves which slammed into…

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UPDATED: Six dead after powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Greece

Update - 1700h Six people were killed in Turkey after a strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea on Friday, bringing buildings crashing down and setting off tidal waves which slammed into coastal…

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Serbia’s parliament appoints new government

The Serbian parliament appointed a new government on Wednesday that will have to lead the country toward recovery after the novel coronavirus pandemic and steer it closer toward membership in…

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Turkey hits at “Crusades” against Islam in cartoons row with France

Turkey's president said on Wednesday that Western countries mocking Islam wanted to "relaunch the Crusades", heightening a confrontation with France over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that have stirred anger…

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Bulgaria shuts high schools, nightclubs as COVID cases surge

Bulgaria is closing nightclubs and discos and students from high schools and universities will study online for two weeks as of Oct. 29 as it grapples to contain a surge…

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Relations between France and Turkey continue downhill slide

Top Turkish officials condemned a caricature scorning President Tayyip Erdogan in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, calling it a “disgusting effort” to “spread its cultural racism and…

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Erdogan files criminal complaint against Dutch politician Wilders

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has filed a criminal complaint with Turkish authorities against prominent Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders saying that he had insulted him on social media, state-owned Anadolu…

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Erdogan backs boycott of French goods – European countries rally behind Macron

Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan asked his compatriots to stop buying French goods on Monday in the latest expression of anger in the Muslim world over images being displayed in France…

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Photo Story: Saype’s Beyond Walls Project landart in Istanbul

The giant biodegradable landart painting by French-Swiss artist Saype, the 8th step of his worldwide Beyond Walls Project on a floating barge at Halic Bay near the Bosporus in Istanbul.…

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Croatia, Slovenia toughen anti-coronavirus measures

Croatia has tightened measures this week to fight the coronavirus after exceeding 2,000 daily cases over the weekend, by ordering the use of masks outdoors and recommending work from home…

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Bulgaria to allow schools to teach online as COVID cases surge

Bulgarian schools will be allowed to switch to online studies, the education ministry said on Monday, as the Balkan country struggles to contain a new surge in coronavirus infections. Bulgaria,…

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Bulgarian PM tests positive for coronavirus

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Sunday he had a "general malaise" after testing positive for coronavirus and would stay at home for now for any treatment, as recommended…

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Greece calls Turkey’s move to extend east Med survey ‘illegal’

Turkey said it was extending the seismic survey work of its Oruc Reis ship in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Nov. 4, and Greece responded on Sunday…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says French Macron has ‘lost his way’ in second verbal attack

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday Emmanuel Macron had "lost his way", in his second sharp criticism of the French leader in two days over the treatment of Muslims.…

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Turkey extends exploration in disputed Mediterranean area to Nov. 4

Turkey said it was extending the seismic survey work of its Oruc Reis ship in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Nov. 4, taking a step which was…

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France recalls Turkish envoy

France on Saturday said it was recalling its envoy to Turkey for consultations after comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggesting French counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed a mental health…

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Sofia to shut down nighclubs in bid to control infections’ surge

Bulgaria capital Sofia has announced the closure of discos and nightclubs as from tomorrow, in an effort to contain a surge in coronavirus infections straining its health system. The city's hospital,…

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Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia report record daily cases

Croatia reported its biggest rise in daily new COVID-19 infections on Thursday with 1,563 cases, nearly half of which were in its capital Zagreb, where they more than doubled. Zagreb…

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Turkey extends exploration in disputed Mediterranean waters to Oct. 27

Turkey announced it extended the stay of its Oruc Reis survey vessel and two other ships in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Oct. 27, in a move…

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