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☆ Polish police cordon off Warsaw square amid reports of bomb threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Police cordoned off Warsaw's Pilsudski Square and the surrounding area of the Polish capital on Saturday, with local media reporting that a man had climbed onto a monument in the square and threatened to blow himself up. Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that at around 1130 GMT the man surrendered to police. Its footage showed him climbing down from the monument, taking off his jacket and walking away with his hands in the air. PAP said several hundred officers were involved in an operation around the square. A guest at the Sofitel hotel, which faces the square, said they had been told to only leave the building by the back exit.

Persons: Lech Kaczynski, Maria, Thomas Holdstock, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Sharon Singleton, Helen Popper, Mark Potter Organizations: Police, Polsat, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Smolensk

☆ Man surrenders to Polish police after incident that closed Warsaw square
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Polish police negotiators persuaded a man to come down from a monument in a central Warsaw square, a spokesperson said, putting an end to an incident that had seen part of the capital cordoned off amid reports of a bomb threat. Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that at around 1130 GMT the man surrendered to police. Police spokesperson Sylwester Marczak told reporters officers had seen the man climbing onto the Smolensk monument at around 0800 GMT. quoted by the state-run PAP news agency, did not confirm the reports that the man was threatening to blow himself up. A guest at the Sofitel hotel, which faces the square, said they had been told to only leave the building by the back exit.

Persons: Sylwester Marczak, Lech Kaczynski, Maria, Thomas Holdstock, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Sharon Singleton, Helen Popper, Mark Potter Organizations: Polish, Polsat, Police, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, Warsaw, Smolensk, Poland

☆ Role of women in society at stake in Polish election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"PiS doesn't respect women," Magdalena Bojko, a 36-year-old office worker, said during an opposition rally this month. Some surveys show the mainstream opposition could form a majority government even if PiS is in first place. Activists say that's in part because women are scared of having children following a handful of cases when pregnant women died of sepsis in hospitals as doctors waited for the fetus' heart to stop beating. "Women in Poland are terrified." "The opposition says the biggest problem for women is the lack of access to abortion.

Persons: Kacper, Agata, Magdalena Bojko, PiS, Anna Materska, Antonina Lewandowska, Anna Giszczak, Karolina Kowalewska, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna Pawlak, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Law and Justice, Foundation, Civic Coalition, Reuters, Political, Warsaw University, Foundation for Women, Thomson Locations: Europe, Warsaw, Poland

☆ Thousands gather in Warsaw for opposition rally ahead of tight election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Justyna Pawlak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Overview of crowds and city skyline during the "March of a Million Hearts" (Marsz Miliona Serc) opposition rally, two weeks ahead of the parliamentary election, in Warsaw, Poland October 1, 2023. The opposition is hoping Sunday's march becomes the biggest in decades and galvanises voters to participate in the election. Some carried banners saying "PiSexit" or "The cat can stay", referring to the pet animal of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. And we have been denied this money because someone has decided to destroy democracy in Poland," Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski told those at the rally. Reporting by Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki and Kuba Stezycki; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Agencja, Slawomir Kaminski, Donald Tusk, Hanna Chaciewicz, Tusk, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, PiS, Rafal Trzaskowski, Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, Law and Justice, European, TVP, Warsaw, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, EU, Otwock, Public, Brussels

☆ Poland issues environmental permit for first nuclear power plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO-Polish Minister of Climate an Environment Anna Moskwa, speaks during an interview with Reuters at Enviroment Ministry headquarter in Warsaw, Poland, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Poland has issued an environmental permit for the country's first nuclear power plant, state run news agency PAP reported on Friday, citing Climate Minister Anna Moskwa. According to Poland's General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDOS), the building and operation of the plant will not adversely affect the environment, and its impact will be monitored, PAP reported. Warsaw plans to build its first nuclear power plant on the Baltic coast by 2033. The U.S. consortium and Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe are expected to sign an engineering services contract next week, according to Bechtel.

Persons: Anna Moskwa, Kuba, Moskwa, Bechtel, Marek Strzelecki, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Enviroment Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Environmental Protection, Westinghouse Electric Co, U.S ., Polskie, Bechtel, Thomson Locations: Polish, Warsaw, Poland, Baltic

☆ Poland holds huge military parade as voters focus on defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polish soldiers maintain Abrams M1A1 FEP tanks during preparations before National Army Day Parade at Wesola military base, in Warsaw, Poland, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File PhotoWARSAW, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Poland's biggest military parade since the Cold War takes place in Warsaw on Tuesday as the NATO-member country flexes its military muscle in what the government hopes will be both a message to Moscow and to voters ahead of elections in October. "This parade will be different from the previous ones; we will be able to see how the process of modernising the equipment of the Polish Army is progressing," Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Sunday. PiS, in power since 2015, says the parade will demonstrate how it is rebuilding the army after years of under-investment under the previous administration. The party has vowed to double the size of the army and spend around 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence this year.

Persons: Kacper, Mariusz Blaszczak, Michal Szczerba, Alan Charlish, Kuba Stezycki, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Abrams, National, REUTERS, Poland's, NATO, Justice, Polish Army, Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Moscow, Russia's, Ukraine, Soviet Union, United States, South Korean, PiS

☆ Poland plans to send up to 10,000 soldiers to border with Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign is seen near the Bug River at the Poland-Belarus border, near Kostomloty, Poland July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoWARSAW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Poland is planning to move up to 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday. "About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard and 6,000 will be in the reserve," the minister said in an interview for public radio. Deputy interior minister Maciej Wasik said on Wednesday that Poland would send 2,000 additional troops to its frontier with Belarus. The head of the Border Guard, Tomasz Praga, said earlier this week that 19,000 people have tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally this year, up from 16,000 last year.

Persons: Kuba, Mariusz Blaszczak, Blaszczak, Maciej Wasik, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Tomasz Praga, Pawel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Border Guard, Defense, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Kostomloty, Belarusian

☆ Factbox: Resistance to green policies around Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Europe faces growing pushback against policies to address climate change and protect the environment, causing its green agenda to start to fray as severe heatwaves and wildfires rage. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month warned of climate policies that "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs", days after his ailing Conservatives unexpectedly clinched a local election after opposing charges for the most polluting vehicles. Riding a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies, it unexpectedly beat the conservative VVD party in regional elections in March. POLANDPoland's government, long conservative on environmental policies at home and facing elections in October, has gone a step further by suing Brussels. The row has helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany to second place in the polls.

Persons: Kuba, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mark Rutte, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, BRITAIN, Conservatives, Farmer, Movement, Justice, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gryfino, Poland, Europe, ITALY, Italy, BRITAIN Britain, Britain, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, Brussels, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, Bremen, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

☆ Poland to send 2,000 troops to reinforce Belarus border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign is seen near the Bug River at the Poland-Belarus border, near Kostomloty, Poland July 20, 2023. Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. "This reinforcement will be not by 1,000, but by 2,000 soldiers," Maciej Wasik told PAP. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Maciej Wasik, Mariusz Blaszczak, Wasik, Alan Charlish, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Border Guard, Security, Defence, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Kostomloty, WARSAW, Belarusian, Warsaw

☆ Belarus opposition march in Warsaw on anniversary of contested election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marched through the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of their unsuccessful attempt to unseat him in an election they say was rigged. Protests dragged on for months after Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential election. Western countries backed the protesters' demand for a peaceful transfer of power and slapped economic sanctions on Belarus. [1/5]People take part in Belarusians' march through Warsaw on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud, in Warsaw, Poland, August 9, 2023. Exiled opponents of Lukashenko met in Warsaw on Sunday to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Sviatlana Mishurova, Kacper, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Poland, Warsaw

[1/5] Belarus' exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives an opening speech during the New Belarus conference in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiWARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a "New Belarus" movement. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.

Persons: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, New Belarus, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Renewables growth did not dent fossil fuel dominance in 2022, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Energy consumption grew everywhere apart from Europe, including Eastern Europe. Renewables, excluding hydropower, accounted for 7.5% of global energy consumption, around 1% higher than the previous year. The share of fossil fuels in global energy consumption remained at 82%. Most oil demand growth came from revived appetite for jet fuel and diesel-related products. Europe accounted for much of LNG demand growth, increasing its imports by 57%, while countries in the Asia-Pacific region and South and Central America reduced purchases.

Persons: Juliet Davenport, consultancies, Shadia, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Belchatow, REUTERS, Stezycki Companies, World Energy, Energy, Energy Institute, consultancies KPMG, Kearny, BP, Renewables, OECD, Central America, Thomson Locations: Zlobnica, Poland, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, Paris, Eastern Europe, United States, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, South, Central, Japan, China, India, Indonesia

☆ Polish opposition supporters mark 1989 Solidarity win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/8] People carry Polish and European Union flags as they take part in a march on the 34th anniversary of the first democratic elections in postwar Poland, in Warsaw, Poland, June 4, 2023. Crowds stretching for at least a mile marched with banners reading "Free, European Poland", "European Union yes, PiS no", referring to the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Donald Tusk, head of the Civic Platform grouping and a former European Union council chief, welcomed supporters saying that the voice of Poles could not be silenced. On Sunday, hundreds of buses arrived in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witchhunt against political opponents.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, I've, Jacek Gwozdz, Mateusz Morawiecki's, Donald Tusk, Tusk, I'm, Andrzej Duda, Andrzej Majewski, Marek Strzelecki, Nick Macfie, Susan Fenton, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Justice, Police, Law and Justice, Kremlin, European Union council, Solidarity, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Poland, Warsaw, WARSAW, Nowy Sacz, Ukraine, Europe, it's, United States, Slupca

☆ Pro-Kyiv group reports second day of fighting in Russia's Belgorod
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Alexei Baranovsky, spokesperson for the political wing of the Freedom of Russia Legion, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Warsaw, Poland June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiJune 2 (Reuters) - A group of pro-Ukrainian forces said on Friday they were fighting Russian troops on the outskirts of a village just inside Russia's western border, a day after Moscow said it had repelled three cross-border attacks. "We have active fighting on the outskirts of the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka (in Belgorod region). Unfortunately, there are wounded legionnaires, but freedom is won through blood," the Freedom of Russia Legion said in a statement. "One of our tactical aims is to draw Russian troops from other parts of the Ukrainian front," he said in an interview in Warsaw on Thursday.

Persons: Alexei Baranovsky, Kuba, Vladimir Putin's, Tom Balmforth, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: of Russia Legion, Reuters, REUTERS, Russian, Russian Volunteer Corps, Russia Legion, Renault, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Russian, Moscow, Russia's, Belgorod, Ukraine, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Belgorod region, Russia, Russia's Belgorod, Ukrainian

[1/7] A woman prays as she participates in a march, in defense of pope John Paul II on his death anniversary in Warsaw, Poland, April 2, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper PempelWARSAW, 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 years ago, as allegations the late pope concealed child abuse deepen rifts in the predominantly Catholic country. "John Paul II had done nothing wrong. Earlier in the day, workers of the state-owned railway company PKP gave out cream pies favoured by the late pope to train travelers heading to Warsaw. The Polish Catholic church urged Poles to respect the late pope's memory, saying a review of its archives did not confirm the accusations against the church hierarchy, adding that some files could be opened in future.

☆ Sweet-toothed Poles shrug off inflation bellyache on 'Fat Thursday'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Doughnuts are displayed during Fat Thursday, traditional celebrations when Poles eat doughnuts marking the last Thursday before the start of Lent, at a bakery in Warsaw, Poland February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper PempelWARSAW, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Poles formed long queues to buy doughnuts on their "Fat Thursday", piling in for the sugary treats even though double-digit inflation has taken a bite out of their income. On the last Thursday before Lent, the period when Christians traditionally fast before Easter, Poles stuff their faces with doughnuts in a festival of calorific indulgence. "Last Fat Thursday, doughnuts cost 3.50 zlotys ($0.78) each," said Syliwa Tomaszkiewicz, 45, owner of the Zagozdzinski Confectionery Workshop. For 73-year-old pensioner Jadwiga Staniewska, it was important to keep the tradition of Fat Thursday alive.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

WARSAW, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Poland aims to get training time on Leopard 2 battle tanks down to five weeks at a centre where Ukrainian soldiers are likely to be taught how to operate the Western battlefield workhorse against Russia's invasion. The village of Swietoszow in western Poland, near the German border, hosts one of just three Leopard training centres in Europe - the others are in Germany and Switzerland. "If we intensify training (by maximising the number of) instructors, our time and our weekends, we can train an entire crew in five weeks," Major Maciej Banaszynski, Poland's Leopard training centre commander, told Reuters on Tuesday. "Leopard tanks are third-generation tanks. Banaszynski said Polish instructors were running Leopard training courses for tank crews and for drivers.

☆ Former NATO general, ex-prime minister seen leading Czech presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Czech presidential candidate and former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee and Czech Army General Petr Pavel casts his ballot during the country's direct presidential election in the village of Cernoucek, Czech Republic, January 13, 2023. The post does not carry executive authority but has significant powers in appointing prime ministers, central bank chiefs and nominating judges for the constitutional court. Pavel, 61, and Nerudova, 44, are strongly pro-Western and support further military aid for Ukraine as well as adoption of the euro. They would not have decision-making power in those affairs but could set the agenda in public and political consultations. Babis has also spoken against more Czech military aid for Ukraine.

Lignite contains several times more sulphur and ash, and five times more mercury, than black coal, and provides three times less energy. It also loosened restrictions on selling coal waste, which can be highly polluting, taking Poland back to the days before 2018, when the rules for coal were tightened to fight smog. In September, PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski even told residents of Nowy Targ, the town with the lowest air quality in Poland in 2020, to burn pretty much whatever they wanted. Smog has been intense over the past days and we have a lot of children in need of intensive treatment," she said. COAL RUSHAbout 80% of the coal used by European Union citizens to heat homes is burned in Poland.

☆ NATO troops hold drills in Poland's Suwalki Gap
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Kuba Stezycki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KLUSY, Poland, Nov 25 (Reuters) - NATO forces took part in drills in northern Poland on Friday, an area of crucial significance to the security of the alliance's eastern flank. "As part of these drills there were exercises that... were formulated based on our experience and observation of the battlefield in Ukraine," said Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. The TUMAK- 22 exercises involve 2,000 soldiers from land and air forces, the Polish Ministry of Defence said. On the snowy day, drills included practicing crossing water and landing. The drill saw dozens of Polish and allied soldiers cross the water with military vehicles on amphibious transporters, while U.S. troops in Abrams tanks simulated chasing the enemy.

☆ Polish villagers bury man killed in blast near Ukrainian border
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Kuba Stezycki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Poland and other Western states have said the missile that landed in Przewodow, a village near the border with Ukraine, was a Ukrainian air defence missile that went astray in pursuit of a Russian missile. For the village itself, the blast plunged residents into mourning for two of their neighbours. [1/3] A military member carries a picture of one of two victims of a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village near the border with Ukraine, during his funeral in Przewodow, Poland November 19, 2022. The man buried on Saturday, named in most Polish media only as 62-year-old Boguslaw W., was working at a grain-drying facility in the village when the missile struck. "We learned that we live under stress, we know that we live close to the border with Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday that access to the site of the explosion would require the agreement of both countries leading the investigation, Poland and the United States. "The Ukrainians asked for access to the site of the investigation. You see shots over Ukraine, fighting over Ukraine, and at some point, in a very short time, you see a certain sequence of events," he added. Police officers walk near the site of an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, November 16, 2022. Przewodow is less than 10 kilometres away from one of the two power lines linking Poland and Ukraine.

[1/4] Police officers walk near the site of an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, November 16, 2022. If this is an a mistake of the Ukrainians, there should be no major consequences, but I'm not an expert here." After a sleepless night, Byra decided to keep her school, situated some 300 metres from the blast site, open on Wednesday. "I told the parents I see no grounds to close the school but kids haven't shown up. "Since the start of the war we keep analysing the danger, it has quieted down recently, but here we are today," she said.

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