The Dispatch

Croatia’s PM Plenkovic seeks 3rd term amidst corruption scandal and opposition

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will bid for a third term in Croatia's parliamentary election next week but polls indicate his conservative HDZ party will lose its majority after a welter…

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Bulgaria’s president calls snap parliamentary election for June 9

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, and set June 9 as the date for snap elections, the president's office said…

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Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party's defeat in Turkey's local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist…

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Turkey’s resurgent opposition thumps Erdogan in pivotal local elections

Turks dealt President Tayyip Erdogan and his party their biggest electoral blow on Sunday in a nationwide local vote that reasserted the opposition as a political force and reinforced Istanbul…

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Bosnia’s peace envoy imposes ‘integrity package’ to reform election law

Bosnia's international peace overseer on Tuesday imposed changes to the country's election law to ensure its integrity, including barring convicted war criminals from running, ahead of a vote in October.…

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New fish invade the Adriatic Sea, threatening local species

DUBROVNIK, Croatia/KOTOR, Montenegro Reuters) - For decades, Croatian fisherman Marko Kristic has cast his nets in the sparkling waters of the Adriatic Sea. Now an invasion of the Mediterranean parrotfish…

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Croatian President Milanovic barred for running for PM while still in post

Croatia's Constitutional Court on Monday barred President Zoran Milanovic from running for prime minister in elections next month while still in office and said he would have to resign first.…

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Bulgarian foreign minister Mariya Gabriel agrees to form new government

SOFIA, March 18 (Reuters) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel of the center-right GERB party agreed on Monday to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Nikolai…

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Croatia’s president sets April 17 as date for parliamentary election

BELGRADE, March 15 (Reuters) - Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic on Friday set April 17 as the date for a parliamentary election, after Thursday's dissolution of the parliament of the European…

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European Commission to recommend EU membership talks with Bosnia, says EU’s Von der Leyen

The European Commission will recommend to the European Council to start accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU's Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday during a speech in the European Parliament.…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says March election will be his final

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said local elections scheduled for March 31 would be his last vote, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Erdogan, modern Turkey's most successful politician, has led…

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Albania, wary of Russia, reopens Soviet-era air base to NATO

KUCOVA, Albania, March 4 (Reuters) - NATO member Albania, which has no fighter jets of its own, opened a rebuilt Soviet-era air base to serve NATO aircraft on Monday amid…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy arrives in Albania for southeastern Europe summit

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in the Albanian capital of Tirana, where he will attend a summit with countries of the Western Balkans and hold bilateral…

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Turkey’s KAAN fighter jet conducts first flight

ANKARA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Turkey's KAAN, its first national combat aircraft, completed its first flight on Wednesday, part of the country's efforts to upgrade its air force. NATO member…

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Opposition protesters hurl petrol bombs at Albania government building

Opposition protesters pelted Albania's government building with petrol bombs and rocks late on Tuesday, accusing state officials of involvement in organised crime and corruption after their leader was placed under…

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Kosovo Serbs carry on using dinars as government allows transitional phase

Kosovo Serbs in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica carried on using Serbian dinars this week after the government allowed a transitional phase before the currency is fully outlawed under…

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Shock after masked gunmen kill one person in Istanbul Catholic church

Turkish authorities have captured two gunmen who shot one person dead on Sunday during a service at a church in Istanbul and who are believed to be tied to Islamic…

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West urges Kosovo to reverse decision to ban Serbian dinar

PRISTINA, (Reuters) - Four European countries and the United States urged Kosovo to suspend a decision banning Kosovo's Serb minority from using the Serbian dinar, a move which could fuel…

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Turkey moving swiftly toward final step on Sweden’s NATO bid

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden's NATO membership to Washington within days, now that President Tayyip Erdogan signed it off, in…

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Turkey’s Edrogan signs off on Sweden’s NATO membership

Turkey's president finally approved Sweden's bid to join NATO on Thursday, ending months of delay and leaving only Hungary standing in the way of Stockholm's membership of the military alliance.…

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Crypto lender Nexo seeks $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over aborted investigation

Cryptocurrency lender Nexo is seeking $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over an aborted criminal investigation that the company alleges scuppered its plans for a U.S. stock market listing and…

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Turkey set to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid after long delay

Turkey's parliament is widely expected to approve Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of delays. Turkey's…

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Bulgarian PM hints country may miss eurozone entry date

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said his country may fumble the January 1, 2025, target date to join the EU’s currency zone. The country’s target date to adopt the euro…

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Turkish strikes hit water, power infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-held northeast

BEIRUT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Turkey has carried out a wave of air strikes on electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast that has put several power stations out…

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US fighter jets to fly over Bosnia in warning to ‘secessionist’ Serbs

SARAJEVO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Two F-16 fighter jets will fly over Bosnia on Monday to underline U.S. support for its territorial integrity against "secessionist activity" by Serbs at odds…

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Turkey says it rounds up 33 suspected spies for Mossad

Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service and of targeting foreigners living in Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.Last month, Turkish officials…

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Kosovars celebrate joining Europe’s visa free Schengen zone

Hundreds of Kosovars rushed to Pristina airport to travel to EU countries on Monday after visas for Europe's open-borders Schengen zone were waived.Kosovo was the only country in the Western…

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Turkey detains 29 people with suspected Islamic State ties planning attacks, says minister

ISTANBUL, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained 29 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across nine provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said…

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Eight police injured, 38 detained in Serb opposition protest over election

Eight policemen were injured and 38 people detained during and after an opposition protest over election results, Serbia's police said on Monday. Thousands gathered in the centre of Belgrade on…

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Kosovo says gunmen from Serbia are planning more attacks

By Fatos Bytyci Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that armed men supported by Serbian security agencies were being trained to launch new attacks in his country after a September…

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Turkey detains 304 people over suspected Islamic State ties

ANKARA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained 304 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across 32 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said…

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Albanian opposition leader faces arrest after immunity lifted

TIRANA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Albania's parliament voted on Thursday to lift the immunity of opposition leader Sali Berisha after his indictment on corruption charges, a decision expected to lead…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says EU will ‘stall’ Ukraine, Moldova accession

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was on Tuesday cited as saying the European Union would stall Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU, adding that Ankara had long earned the right…

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Serbian elections marred by president’s involvement, vote buying – observers

Serbia's snap elections have been marred by "unjust competition" by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the presence of President Aleksandar Vucic in the campaign, media bias and vote buying, an international…

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Turkey saves $2 billion on Russian oil as imports soar despite sanctions

Turkey and Turkish companies have saved around $2 billion on energy bills in 2023 by raising imports of discounted Russian oil and refined products, Reuters calculation based on LSEG data…

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Bosnian cities top world air pollution charts but no quick fix in sight

Bosnian towns have topped the world air pollution charts since last weekend, with the capital Sarajevo declaring an air quality warning and experts blaming residential solid fuel burning and transportation…

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Serbian ruling party faces snap Sunday vote after outrage over shootings

By Ivana Sekularac and Aleksandar Vasovic Poll sees President Vucic's SNS party as frontrunners He conducts folksy campaign after mass shootings shake grip on power Opposition accuses SNS of pressuring,…

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EU Most Wanted drug trafficker arrested in Bosnia

Law enforcement authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, supported by Europol, have arrested a fugitive featured on the EU Most Wanted list. The suspect, who held nationalities from Bosnia and Herzegovina…

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Albania’s top court suspends ratification of migrant pact with Italy, citing constitutional review

By Florion Goga TIRANA, (Reuters) - The Albanian parliament will have to suspend ratification of a migrant pact agreed with Italy after a top court on Wednesday endorsed an opposition…

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Turkey arrests alleged British crime boss in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Wednesday it had captured the leader of a British gang involved in drug smuggling, illegal gun trade and robbery in an operation…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says Israel’s Netanyahu ‘will be tried as war criminal’

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive…

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OSCE limps through another year as Russia relents on veto

SKOPJE, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should continue to function for another year as frequent holdout Russia joined others on Friday in…

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Turkey freezes assets of 82 organisations, people for alleged ties to Kurdish militants

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey froze the local assets of 20 organisations and 62 individuals based in various European countries, Australia and Japan, citing alleged ties with Kurdish militant group PKK,…

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Erdogan tells UN chief Israel must be tried in international courts for Gaza crimes

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for what he called war crimes it committed…

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Tensions rise over future of the OSCE, Reports Russia blocked appointment of Malta as OSCE chairman

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is at a standstill as Russia is blocking Estonia and now Malta from taking over as chair. Since 2021, the Organization for…

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Montenegro court approves extradition of ‘cryptocurrency king’ Do Kwon

SARAJEVO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A court in Montenegro said on Friday it had approved the extradition of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon, leaving a minister to decide if he will…

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Serbia buys Cypriot helicopter gunships to bolster air force

BELGRADE, (Reuters) - Serbia has acquired 11 Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships from Cyprus as it seeks to bolster its air force and maintain regional military supremacy, country's President Aleksandar Vucic…

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Turkey tells NATO that Sweden won’t join by next week’s meeting

By Jonathan Spicer and Sabine Siebold ANKARA/BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - Turkey has informed NATO that ratification of Sweden's membership bid will not be completed in time to allow the country's accession…

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Nine dead amid storm in Turkey; 11 missing from sunken ship

ISTANBUL, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Turkish rescue teams searched on Monday for 11 missing crew members of a cargo ship which sunk off the Black Sea coast amid storms that…

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NATO’s Stoltenberg says concerned with secessionist rhetoric in Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday the alliance was concerned by "secessionist rhetoric" in Bosnia as well as by foreign interference including Russia.…

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EBRD backs 4 bln euro plan to wean North Macedonia off coal power

Deal set to be announced at COP28 climate talks in Dubai Would see country's two coal-fired power plants close EBRD would help fund 1.7 GW of renewable energy By Libby…

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Sweden’s NATO bid delayed in Turkish parliament

By Huseyin Hayatsever The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid on Thursday in a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining…

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Turkey says EU is ‘unjust and biased’ on membership bid

The European Commission's annual report on Turkey's long-stalled EU membership bid is "unjust and biased", the Turkish foreign ministry said. The report by the European Union's executive arm on Wednesday…

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Croatian authorities rule out Coca-Cola poisonings

Coca-Cola drinks are safe to consume and haven't been poisoned, Croatia's health minister said, following a spate of reported illnesses over the past week. Croatian Minister for Health Vili Beroš…

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Coca Cola HBC withdraws some drinks in Croatia while illnesses investigated

Coca Cola HBC said it was temporarily withdrawing batches of two soft drinks from sale in Croatia while the authorities there investigate cases of illness suspected to have been caused…

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Serbia’s police detain over 4,500 migrants, seize weapons

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian police have detained thousands of migrants in two weeks of daily raids in northern and eastern areas of the Balkan country, as part of a nationwide…

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Albania to host no more than 3,000 migrants under deal with Italy

ROME, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Albania will hold no more than 3,000 migrants at any one time under a deal announced this week allowing Italy to build two migrant reception…

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