Radovan Stoklasa

Tens of thousands of protesters thronged a central square in the Slovak capital on Friday, waving banners opposing Prime Minister Robert Fico's policy shift closer to Russia, after tensions between the government and the opposition rose.

Slovakia's opposition accused Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday of laying the groundwork to take the country out of the European Union, but dropped its no-confidence motion to dismiss him and his leftist-nationalist government.

Thousands of protesters in the Slovak capital held banners and chanted slogans on Friday accusing Prime Minister Robert Fico of dragging the country towards Russia after he met President Vladimir Putin last month amid a gas dispute with Ukraine.

Volunteers and emergency workers raced to secure river banks in Poland's historic city of Wroclaw on Tuesday, as nearby municipalities advised residents to evacuate and authorities across central Europe tallied the cost of floods that have wreaked havoc and killed at least 22 people.

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.

Farmers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and elsewhere staged protests along Czech borders on Thursday, blocking some crossings as they demanded less bureaucracy and changes to European Union policies.

At least 15,000 people demonstrated in Slovakia's capital on Tuesday as protests grew against plans of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government to fast-track criminal law changes that include scrapping a special prosecutor's office focused on corruption.

Thousands of Slovaks protested across the country on Tuesday against plans of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government to fast-track criminal law changes that include scrapping a special prosecutor's office focused on corruption.

Slovakia moved on Wednesday to impose temporary controls on its border with Hungary over a rising number of illegal migrants, after Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria tightened their own frontiers with Slovakia.

Respected economist Ludovit Odor was made Slovakia’s interim prime minister on Monday and will lead the country until early elections are held in September, after months of political infighting brought down the previous centre-right government.