The Dispatch

Greece and Turkey engage in strong exchange over conversion of Hagia Sophia

Greece and Turkey had another acrimonious exchange on Saturday over the conversion of the former church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque. eKhatimerini reports that the Turkish Foreign Ministry…

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Bosnian Serbs ask Vucic to tie their region’s independence to Kosovo talks

As Western diplomats try to revive stalled talks on normalising ties between Serbia and Kosovo, Bosnian Serb leaders this week put pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to include the…

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Photo Story: COVID-19 testing amid rising cases in Bulgaria

People wait in line to be tested for COVID-19 at Pirogov hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, 24 July 2020. Bulgaria’s Chief State Health Inspector declared on 24 July that the country…

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Turkey to distribute masks to students when schools reopen

Mask will be distributed when schools in Turkey are reopened as planned, the national education minister said. “We created an epidemic board in every school for daily cleaning of school…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria says top official who attended EU summit tested positive for COVID-19

The head of the political office of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Denitsa Zheleva, who had tested positive for coronavirus late on Thursday, was on the Balkan country's team at…

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Hagia Sophia opens for Muslim worshippers

Friday prayers are to be held at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia building for the first time since the celebrated museum was turned back into a mosque. "Muslims are excited, everyone…

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Bulgaria parliament approves govt reshuffle amid protests

Bulgaria's parliament on Friday appointed Kiril Ananiev as the new finance minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, in a reshuffle following a wave of anti-corruption protests in…

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Croatia parliament approves new centre-right government

The Croatian parliament on Thursday approved the new centre-right cabinet led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic whose Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won the most parliamentary seats in the general election…

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Bulgarian PM overhauls government to quell protests

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov replaced his finance and other ministers on Thursday in a reshuffle designed to quell a wave of anti-corruption protests that have called for his resignation.…

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Bulgaria signs concession deal for Sofia Airport

Bulgaria's transport ministry on Wednesday signed a deal with a consortium led by asset manager Meridiam to run and operate Sofia Airport, the Balkan country's main air transport hub, for…

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Coronavirus cases in Turkey reach 221,500

The last 24 hours up to Tuesday, Turkey saw 928 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the tally to 221,500, said Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Twitter. Over…

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Turkey rejects Greek claim over Mediterranean seismic survey

The eastern Mediterranean region where a Turkish ship will carry out a seismic survey is part of Turkey's continental shelf, Ankara said on Wednesday, rejecting Greece's accusation that the ship…

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Turkish defence industry says it can support Azerbaijan

Turkey's defence industry chief said that his sector was ready to help Azerbaijan, which has seen border clashes with Armenia in which 16 people have been killed. Turkey has strong…

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Serbia accuses Kosovo of ‘blackmail’

Face-to-face talks between Serbia and Kosovo got off to a bumpy start in Brussels on Thursday as Belgrade accused Pristina of being unrealistic in its demands. More than two decades after clashing…

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North Macedonia holds election

North Macedonia holds a parliamentary election on Wednesday that may decide the pace of the country's bid for European Union membership, with the governing pro-EU Social Democrats and the main…

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EU removes Serbia and Montenegro from safe list of ‘non-essential travelling’

The European Union has decided to drop Serbia and Montenegro from its safe list of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed, and did not even discuss including the United…

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Vienna Airport to suspend flights from 18 countries

Austria is expanding a list of countries from which planes won’t be allowed to land to include six nations in the western Balkans, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and…

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Photo Story: Early voting gets underway in North Macedonia

Workers put the ballot material in the distribution truck in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, 13 July 2020. The Balkan nation conducts three days of early general elections voting in…

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ECB calls on Croatia, Bulgaria to do more before joining euro

Bulgaria and Croatia still have work to do in fixing their economies and improving their institutions before joining the euro, European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta said today. The reforms undertaken…

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Photo story: Lavender fields in Turkey

A newly married couple walk inside a lavender field in Kuyucak Village, near Isparta Province, Turkey. Kuyucak village produces 93 per cent of all lavender produced in Turkey. Lavender comes…

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World Council of Churches “dismayed” at Hagia Sophia shift

The head of the World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s president expressing his “grief and dismay” over Turkey’s decision to change the status of Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia…

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Serbia, Kosovo resume ‘very difficult’ talks on normalising ties

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo at the beginning of the weekend held their first talks in 18 months on resolving one of Europe's most intractable territorial disputes, agreeing to…

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Bulgaria’s president calls on ‘mafia’-style government to resign

Bulgarian President Ruman Radev urged for the country's center-right government to step down on Saturday, accusing them of corruption and of having a "mafia character." In a nationally televised speech,…

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Thousands join anti-government protest in Serbia

Several thousand people gathered in front of the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade on Saturday for a fifth consecutive night of protests against government policies, including measures to contain the…

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Remembering what humans can do to others… Srebrenica

A Bosnian Muslim woman mourns while touching a gravestone during a funeral ceremony at the Potocari Memorial Center and Cemetery, in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 July 2020. The burial…

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Bulgaria and Croatia enter last phase pre-Euro zone membership

Bulgaria and Croatia took a big step toward adopting the euro currency, potentially becoming the newest members to the bloc after years of economic crises and shocks. The European Central…

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25th Anniversary of Srebrenica Genocide

The funerals of nine people killed in the July 1995 genocide will be held on Saturday at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre as the 25th anniversary of the massacres of more…

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Hagia Sophia declared a mosque after Turkish court ruling

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia a mosque on Friday with the first Muslim prayers to begin in two weeks, after a top court ruled the ancient building’s conversion…

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Serbia scraps curfew plan for Belgrade after protests

The Serbian government has scrapped a plan to impose a weekend coronavirus curfew in Belgrade after two nights of protests in the capital. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic announced more limited…

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Bulgaria introduces restrictions as coronavirus cases surge

Bulgarian night clubs and indoor discos will close, spectators will be banned at all sports events and public gatherings will be limited to 30 people as new cases of the…

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Protests continue in Serbian capital

Serbian police fired tear gas at anti-government protesters after being pelted with flares and stones on Wednesday as thousands protested in front of the Belgrade Parliament despite warnings that such…

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Protestors storm Serbian parliament against Coronavirus lockdown

A group of opposition supporters stormed the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade on Tuesday in a protest against a lockdown planned for the capital this weekend to halt the spread…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Istanbul, Turkey

An aerial view of people sitting in a circle marked by the municipality with social distance, because of the pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in…

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302 new cases of coronavirus in Serbia over the weekend

According to the latest information, 302 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Serbia over the weekend. The Serbian news site B92, five more people died, and there are 81…

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25th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre

A quarter of a century ago, the world witnessed the worst mass murder on European soil since World War II. Some 7,000-8,000 Bosnians were slaughtered and 20,000 civilians were forcibly…

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Croatia’s ruling HDZ wins parliamentary vote

Croatia’s ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) convincingly won a parliamentary election on Sunday, held at a time of rising coronavirus infections and a sharp economic downturn due to the…

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Croatia’s ruling centre-right party set to win election

Croatia's ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) is set to win a parliamentary election on Sunday, held at a time of rising coronavirus infections and a sharp economic downturn due…

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Croatia’s parliamentary election underway

Croatia held an election on Sunday at a time of rising coronavirus infections and a sharp economic downturn from the pandemic, with the outcome likely to lead to political negotiations…

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Croatia to hold parliamentary vote amid economic, COVID-19 uncertainties

Croatians vote on Sunday to choose a government whose abiding challenge will be to haul the economy out of recession triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, with an awkward ruling coalition…

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Serbia declares emergency in capital Belgrade as coronavirus infections rise

A fresh state of emergency was declared in the Serbian capital Belgrade, with a number of restrictions restored after a new increase in coronavirus infections in the Serbian capital. Local…

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War time Ratko Mladic diary highlight of exhibition in Belgrade

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Serbian artist Vladimir Miladinovic has transformed the war diary of former Bosnia Serb commander Ratko Mladic - the military leader convicted…

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Turkish Khashoggi murder trial opens

Twenty Saudi nationals have gone on trial in absentia in Turkey over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October…

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Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation.…

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Germany tells Turkey travel warning will be regularly reviewed

Germany will keep reviewing travel advice for Turkey, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told his Turkish counterpart on Thursday, saying any decisions were coordinated with the EU and based on reliable…

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Turkish business group plans Libya trip to set post-war plan

A Turkish business delegation is set to visit Libya within two weeks to assess how Turkey's companies and banks can help rebuild the war-torn country and secure its energy needs,…

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Turkish company prepping offer to supply Libya power

Turkish power-ship operator Karadeniz Holding is preparing a bid to supply up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity to conflict-hit Libya and will submit it soon, the company said on Monday.…

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Croatia to finance shorter work week for coronavirus-hit companies

The Croatia government will finance a shorter working week for coronavirus-hit companies whose turnover fell at least 20% from the same month last year, the prime minister said on Monday.…

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Leaders of Greece, Turkey discuss COVID-19 in rare call

The leaders of Greece and Turkey held a rare phone conversation, after months of increasing tension between the two neighbouring countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep…

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Croatia introduces border restrictions for the citizens of several other Balkan countries

Croatia announced border restrictions for the citizens of several other Balkan countries after a spike in cases of the coronavirus and an outbreak at an exhibition tennis tournament organized by…

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Kosovo President Hashim Thaci indicted for war crimes

Kosovo’s president and nine other former separatist fighters were indicted on a range of crimes against humanity and war crimes charges, including murder, by a court investigating crimes against ethnic…

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Vojovodina Novi Sad win Serbian Cup after beating Partizan Belgrade on penalties

Vojvodina Novi Sad won the Serbian Cup on Wednesday as they beat Partizan Belgrade 4-2 on penalties after the clash ended 2-2 following regular and extra time in the Balkan…

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Bulgaria to extend coronavirus state of emergency until mid-July

Bulgaria will extend a state of emergency declared in response to the coronavirus outbreak until July 15 after another jump in new registered cases, Health Minister Kiril Ananiev said on…

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Turkey says Macron suffers “eclipse of the mind” over Libya

Turkey hit back at French criticism of its intervention in Libya, saying President Emmanuel Macron must have suffered an "eclipse of the mind" to oppose Ankara's support for the internationally…

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France will not tolerate Turkey’s “dangerous games” in Libya – Macron

France will not tolerate Turkey's military intervention in Libya, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday (June 22), accusing Ankara of playing "a dangerous game". Turkey has intervened decisively in recent weeks in Libya, providing…

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Turkey’s lonely tourist attractions face make-or-break week

Turkey's Mediterranean coasts and historic attractions face a critical week as the government presses to open borders and salvage at least part of a tourist season already battered by the…

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Ruling party led by President Vucic set to win Serbian parliamentary vote

Serbia's ruling conservative party led by President Aleksandar Vucic is set for a landslide win in Sunday's parliamentary election, results projected by Ipsos and CeSID pollsters showed. The projection shows…

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Serbia votes in national elections – Conservatives expected to win

Serbians went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament in Europe's first national election since coronavirus lockdowns took effect three months ago, with the ruling conservatives expected…

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