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☆ Wagner fighters seek to unsettle NATO's eastern flank, Polish PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Fighters from Russia's private Wagner mercenary force are being moved close to NATO's eastern flank to destabilise the military alliance, Poland's prime minister said on Thursday. Wagner soldiers have begun training with the Belarus national army, prompting Poland to start moving more than 1,000 troops closer to the border. "We need to be aware that the number of provocations will rise," Mateusz Morawiecki said after meeting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in eastern Poland. "The Wagner group is extremely dangerous and they are being moved to the eastern flank to destabilize it." Nauseda said the number of Wagner fighters in Belarus could be higher than 4,000.

Persons: Wagner, Mateusz Morawiecki, Gitanas Nauseda, Nauseda, Vladimir Putin, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: WARSAW, Belarus national, NATO, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Russian, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine

☆ Russian player Zvonareva blocked from entering Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, July 22 (Reuters) - Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva was blocked from entering Poland for reasons of state security and public safety, the Polish interior ministry said on Saturday. "The Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland. Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get into our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw," the ministry said in a statement. Zvonareva, who landed in Poland on Friday, is on a list of people considered undesirable there, the ministry said. "After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Warsaw Chopin Airport and today after 1200 she flew to Podgorica."

Persons: Vera Zvonareva, Zvonareva, Vera, Ukraine's, Anna Wlodarczak, Tommy Lund, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Christian Radnedge, Hugh Lawson Organizations: WARSAW, BNP, Warsaw, Guard, Warsaw Chopin Airport, Tennis Association, WTA, Thomson Locations: Russian, Poland, Polish, Beijing, France, Belgrade, Warsaw, Serbia, Podgorica, Russia, Belarus

☆ Crashed military drone belonged to U.S. army, Polish ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, July 21 (Reuters) - A military reconnaissance drone that crashed in southwestern Poland late on Tuesday was being used by U.S. soldiers for a training flight, the Polish defence ministry said on Friday. "Information obtained shows that during a training flight by U.S. soldiers, contact with the drone was lost and it then fell into a forest area," the defence ministry wrote in an emailed response to Reuters questions. "No one was hurt, and there is no damage as a result of the incident ... The drone was taken over by the American side, which owns the drone." Reporting by Alan Charlish and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: RMF, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Alex Richardson Organizations: WARSAW, U.S, NATO, Thomson Locations: Poland, Trzebien, Ukraine

LOS ANGELES, July 19 (Reuters) - Streaming video pioneer Netflix (NFLX.O) disappointed Wall Street on Wednesday with second-quarter revenue that fell short of analyst estimates, sending shares tumbling nearly 9% in after-hours trading. Netflix has been looking for new ways to make money as streaming competition intensifies and it nears market saturation in the United States. Its nearly 6 million subscriber additions outpaced the 1.9 million that Wall Street expected. Quarterly revenue climbed 2.7% from a year earlier to $8.2 billion, shy of analyst forecasts of $8.3 billion. Netflix said its advertising tier remained a small part of its membership base and that current ad revenue is not material.

Persons: we’ve, Craig Huber, Huber, We've, Spencer Neumann, Jeffrey Wlodarczak, Ted Sarandos, Sarandos, Lisa Richwine, Dawn Chmielewski, Yuvraj Malik, Deepa Babington, Chris Reese Organizations: Netflix, Refinitiv, Huber Research Partners, Research, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, United States, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Polish PM urges Ukraine to allow exhumation of all victims of WW2 massacres
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Poland says over 100,000 Poles were killed in the massacres by Ukrainian nationalists. In 2013, the Polish parliament recognised the massacre by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two as "ethnic cleansing bearing the hallmarks of genocide". Ukraine has not accepted that assertion and often refers to the Volhynia events as part of a conflict between Poland and Ukraine that affected both nations. In 2017, Ukraine banned Polish authorities from searching for victims on its territory. Tuesday's commemorations in Warsaw were attended by Ukraine's parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who moved to defuse tensions in May when he told the Polish parliament that Kyiv understood Poland's pain.

Persons: Ukraine's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andrzej Duda, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Nick Macfie Organizations: WARSAW, Ukrainian Insurgent Army, UPA, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Volhynia, Russia, Warsaw, Soviet Union, Ukrainian, Lutsk

Abortion rights activists have said that there were at least five cases of pregnant women dying whose families came out to the media, blaming the restrictions on abortion for their deaths. Last month, Dorota died of septic shock in a hospital after her water broke in the 20th week of pregnancy. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader said that by law women could have abortions if there was any threat to their life or health. "I hope the law will change and I will not be afraid to get pregnant in Poland," said Joanna Jędrasiak, 36, an economist. Reporting by Karol Badohal, Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Dorota, We've, Izabela, Agnieszka Czerederecka, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, It's, IBRiS, Joanna Jędrasiak, Karol Badohal, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Anna Wlodarczak, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Justice, Radio, Thomson Locations: Europe, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW

☆ Polish president backpedals on law on undue Russian influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, June 2 (Reuters) - Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Friday he would propose amendments to a law on undue Russian influence he signed this week, reacting to criticism that it could result in banning opposition politicians from public office. Duda on Monday signed into law the bill proposed by the ruling party to let a panel investigate whether opposition parties allowed Poland to be unduly influenced by Russia. A spokesman for ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) suggested the amendments could be acceptable for the party. "The amendment proposed by the president as a result of social pressure does not change anything. The entire law establishing this illegal kangaroo court should end up in the trash," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, leader of the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL), wrote on Twitter.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Duda, Monday, PiS, Jarosław Kaczynski, Rafal Bochenek, Wladyslaw Kosiniak, Anna Wlodarczak, Andrew Cawthorne, Emelia, Angus MacSwan Organizations: WARSAW, Constitutional, U.S . State Department, European, Justice, Polish Peasants ' Party, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Poland, Russia, Polish

☆ Poland slams vote questioning Hungary holding EU presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, June 1 (Reuters) - Poland rebuked on Thursday the European Parliament backing a resolution that questions Hungary's ability to hold the European Union presidency next year due to concerns about judicial independence. According to a calendar agreed by all EU governments in 2016, Hungary is to hold the presidency of the bloc between July and December 2024. Hungary and Poland have long been at odds with the EU over multiple issues, such as the rule of law, media freedoms and LGBTQ rights. The EU has frozen billions of euros in funds for Budapest and Warsaw due to its concerns. Hungary has refused to provide any military equipment to its neighbour to help it fight off a Russian invasion, and Hungary has criticised EU sanctions against Moscow.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Viktor Orban's, Balazs Orban, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WARSAW, Parliament, Union, EU, European Union, European Commission, . State Department, Twitter, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Brussels, Moldova, Budapest, Warsaw

☆ EU, US concerned about Polish law that could ban people from public office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS/WARSAW, May 30 (Reuters) - The European Commission and U.S. State Department have expressed concern about a new Polish law they say could effectively ban individuals deemed to have acted under Russian influence from holding public office without providing proper judicial review. The law, which Poland's president on Monday said he would sign into law, was developed by the eurosceptic and nationalist ruling PiS party ahead of parliamentary elections due in October or November. Poland's foreign ministry rejected the criticism, saying the law provided for "due process in a fair procedure". "We have a special concern now about the situation in Poland with the creation by law of a special committee able to deprive citizens, individuals, from their right to be elected to public office," EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said. Any party subject to the commission's decision will have the right to appeal in an administrative court, the ministry said.

☆ Polish president signs 'Tusk Law' on undue Russian influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Opposition figures have nicknamed it Lex Tusk, using the Latin word for law. "In a normal democratic country, somebody who is president of that country would never sign such a Stalin-esque law," PO lawmaker Marcin Kierwinski told private broadcaster TVN 24. CONCERNSThe Polish Judges' Association Iustitia said the law breached European Union values and could prompt more punitive EU measures over democratic backsliding in Poland. Poland's dependence on Russian energy has progressively declined, even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, allowing the import of non-Russian gas, started when Tusk was in power.

☆ Polish president to sign Russian influence bill despite opposition protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, May 29 (Reuters) - Poland's president said on Monday he would sign off on a bill authorising a panel to investigate Russian influence despite opposition criticism it is witch hunt against government opponents in an election year. Opposition figures call a bill to set up an investigative commission the "Lex Tusk", using the Latin term for "law". PO lawmaker Marcin Kierwinski condemned Duda's decision to sign the bill. "In a normal democratic country, somebody who is president of that country would never sign such a Stalin-esque law," he told private broadcaster TVN 24. Reporting by Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Anna Koper; editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB says Hungary government decree has impaired central bank independence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, April 26 (Reuters) - Hungary's government has infringed the National Bank of Hungary's (NBH) independence with a decree restricting access to the bank's discount bill and by extending a cap on large commercial bank deposits until end-June, the European Central Bank said on Wednesday. Hungary's government last month extended a cap on large commercial bank deposits until the end of June and imposed restrictions on the transfer of central bank discount bills to curb "unjust" income earned on central bank facilities. "The decree, including the interest rate cap, interferes with the independence of the (NBH), since it impedes the (NBH) from independently choosing the necessary means and instruments to conduct an efficient monetary policy," the ECB said. "Therefore, the decree infringes the independence of the (NBH) under Article 130 of the Treaty." Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government announced a cap on large commercial bank deposits after the NBH launched a quick deposit facility with an 18% interest rate last October to stem falls in the forint.

☆ Polish 88-year-old takes tilt at world's oldest windsurfer crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GDYNIA, Poland, April 20 (Reuters) - At 88, Polish retiree Piotr Dudek is hoping to officially become the world's oldest windsurfer - still relishing the battle with the wind and waves as he takes to the water and teaches children to enjoy the sport. Dudek has been windsurfing for 40 years and is known by the nickname "Junior", coined for him by his friends when he was around 80. "The challenge is to learn to surf and to control the elements, nature, because it is a struggle with the wind, with water, with a wobbly board. It is a sport that requires a lot of physical fitness," said Dudek, who was a sailor before he retired. But the fact that he could be the world's oldest surfer took him by surprise.

SummarySummary Companies Three EU states have banned Ukrainian grain, food importsRomania looks set to follow suitUkraine also trying to salvage Black Sea grain dealWARSAW, April 18 (Reuters) - Poland agreed on Tuesday to lift a ban on the transit of Ukrainian grain and food products, but Ukraine said a wartime deal allowing it to safely ship grain from Black Sea ports was still under threat. Failure to resume exports into eastern European countries or secure an extension of the Black Sea grain deal would trap large amounts of grain in Ukraine, hitting its exports and causing further economic problems for Kyiv as it battles Russian troops. Large quantities of Ukrainian grain have been trapped by bottlenecks in eastern and central Europe as low global prices and demand mean grain cannot easily be sold on. BLACK SEA GRAIN DEAL IN DOUBTUkraine, which relies on grain and food sales for a significant slice of its gross domestic product, also has concerns about the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered between Moscow and Kyiv by Turkey and the United Nations last July. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the Ukraine Black Sea grain export deal with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York next week, Russia's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.

☆ Polish central bank leaves main interest rate unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, April 5 (Reuters) - Poland's central bank held its main interest rate at 6.75% on Wednesday, as expected, and said it believes weakening gross domestic product growth, together with already implemented rate hikes, would help gradually curb inflation. The central bank's Monetary Policy Council now hopes that the rate hikes it has already implemented will see price growth return to single digits before the end of the year. Central bank governor Adam Glapinski has previously said that he expects inflation to fall to single digits around the beginning of September, paving the way for interest rate cuts in the fourth quarter. Investors are now waiting for more insight into the central bank's thinking when Glapinski holds a news conference on Thursday. On Tuesday, Romania's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 7.00%.

☆ Polish council recommends banning TikTok on public administration phones - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WARSAW, March 27 (Reuters) - A Polish government advisory body has recommended banning the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of public administration employees, Polish media reported on Monday. "The Digitization Council expresses a positive opinion regarding the order to remove the Chinese TikTok application by public administration officials and employees from their work phones," it was quoted as saying in the recommendation by wyborcza.pl website. The recommendations of the Council are not binding for the government. A string of Western governments and institutions have banned TikTok in recent weeks, including the UK parliament, the Dutch and Belgian administrations and the New Zealand parliament. Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Unknown Pollock painting found in Bulgaria police raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - A previously unknown painting by famed U.S. artist Jackson Pollock has been discovered in Bulgaria by police investigating international art smugglers, officials said. The work could be worth up to 50 million euros ($54 million), Bulgarian National Radio reported, citing experts. Several people, including Bulgarian citizens, were arrested in the international operation, state news agency BTA reported on Tuesday. The report did not give a description of the painting or any other details on the work. "This is an international operation with the participation of Europol, Greece and other countries," Petar Todorov, Bulgaria's Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said, according to the Novinite news agency.

☆ Slovakia sends MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Slovakia on Friday became the second of Ukraine's allies to provide MIG-29 fighter jets which Kyiv believes are crucial to repel Russia's year-long invasion. Its fleet of 11 MiG-29 planes was retired last summer and most of them are not in operational condition. On Thursday, Poland announced it would send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. Western countries that have provided Ukraine with arms have so far declined to send fighter jets. Slovakia ordered F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 2018 to replace the ageing MiG-29 planes.

☆ Slovak government to send MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 17 (Reuters) - The Slovak government approved sending MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said on Friday, stepping up its military assistance to Kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion. Slovakia is the second country to send war planes to Kyiv after Poland, which announced on Thursday it would do so. Its fleet of 11 MiG-29 planes was retired last summer and most of them are not in operational condition. On Thursday, Poland announced it would send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. Western countries that have provided Ukraine with arms have so far declined to send fighter jets.

☆ Poland to send Ukraine four MiG-29 jets in coming days
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Polish Air Force MiG-29 aircraft fires flares during a performance at the Radom Air Show at an airport in Radom August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper PempelWARSAW, March 16 (Reuters) - Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, the president said on Thursday, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. One of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, Warsaw has taken a leading role in persuading sometimes hesitant allies to provide Kyiv with heavy weaponry. NATO allies in the former communist east such as Poland and Slovakia have been particularly vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Slovakia has also been considering whether to send MiG-29s to Ukraine but has yet to reach a decision.

☆ Poland may give Ukraine MiG-29 jets in next 4-6 weeks, says PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, March 14 (Reuters) - Poland could give Ukraine MiG-29 fighter jets in the coming four to six weeks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday, suggesting that Kyiv's allies were moving closer to an agreement on the next step in their military support for the country. Poland has said it would be prepared to send Soviet-designed MiG-29 jets to Ukraine as part of a coalition of countries. "That could happen in the coming 4-6 weeks," Morawiecki told a news conference when asked how long it could be before Warsaw supplies the aircraft. Nad said the time had come also for Slovakia to make a decision on whether or not to send jets to Ukraine. Poland has sent 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Polish central bank governor hopes to cut rates in fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, March 9 (Reuters) - The National Bank of Poland could cut interest rates in the fourth quarter of 2023, Poland's central bank governor said on Thursday, adding that he expected inflation to fall into single digits around September. "I hope that it will be possible to cut rates in the final quarter (of this year), but this is my opinion," Adam Glapinski told a news conference. On Wednesday, Poland's central bank slightly lowered its inflation forecasts for the coming three years, reinforcing expectations that interest rates will remain at current levels after it left them unchanged for a sixth consecutive month. Glapinski said he expected inflation would peak in February at around 18.5% and would then fall to single digits at the turn of August and September. Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Alan Charlish; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ War of the worms: Polish politicians give each other a mouthful over edible insects
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, March 3 (Reuters) - Polish voters were given food for thought on Friday, as politicians from the two main parties traded accusations that the other side planned to push meat-loving citizens into eating worms ahead of elections this autumn. "For the upcoming elections, PO politicians should write on each poster 'Instead of chicken eat a worm', because this is their real election programme," PiS lawmaker Bartosz Kownacki told reporters. State-run broadcaster TVP Info accompanied Kownacki's press conference with a news ticker reading "The opposition's proposals for Poles: worms instead of meat". TVP Info has been regularly criticised by the opposition as being a mouthpiece for government propaganda. However, PO politicians and city hall officials say this does not mean proposals to force people to lower meat consumption and eat worms are under consideration.

☆ Poland says Russian hackers attacked tax website
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Western officials say the Russian government is a global leader in hacking and uses cyber-espionage against foreign governments. "Russians are responsible for yesterday's attack, it must be made clear. We have information that makes it very likely that this was the adversary," Janusz Cieszynski, an official responsible for digitalisation, told broadcaster Polsat News. Cieszynski said the attack had consisted of distributed denial of service but that there had been no leaking of taxpayers' data. "This is an attack that blocks access to the site, but does not block security and put our data at risk," he said.

☆ EU top court adviser backs FX borrowers, Polish bank stocks fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Anna Koper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The country's KNF financial watchdog has warned that the banking sector could face a 100 billion zlotys hit in case of an unfavourable ruling. He added that if Polish courts grant remuneration to consumers the additional cost would be similar in the worst case scenario. Hundreds of thousands of Poles took out mortgages in foreign currencies, mainly in Swiss francs, attracted by lower interest rates. Many mortgage holders took banks to court, while banks started offering settlements to find an out-of-court solution. The total stock of foreign currency mortgages in Poland stood at almost 79 billion zloty in December based on the latest available KNF data, with Swiss franc mortgages accounting for over 52 billion zloty.

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