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☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Stops Over in Poland to Award Two Volunteers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy awarded two Polish volunteers state awards during a stopover on Saturday, but did not meet any officials as relations between the two countries are strained over grain imports. Poland decided last week to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, shaking Kyiv's relationship with a neighbour that has been one of its staunchest allies since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Poland's prime minister told Zelenskiy on Friday not to "insult" Poles, maintaining harsh rhetoric towards Kyiv ahead of elections on October 15. Zelenskiy thanked all Poles who "from the first days opened their families, their homes, opened themselves up and helped". One of the award recipients, Duda, told Reuters that Zelenskiy was very informal at the meeting like an old friend.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Bianka, Damian Duda, Duda, Marcin Przydacz, Onet.pl, Zelenskiy's, Anna Wlodarczak, Lewis Macdonald, Elaine Monaghan, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Justice, United Nations General Assembly, Kyiv, Reuters, Polish Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, New York, Moscow, Warsaw, Gdansk, Washington

“Green Border” won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. Government officials in Poland have harshly criticized the film for weeks, although most of them acknowledge not having seen it. He said he believed that Poland's border guards, army and police “were portrayed shamefully." Polish officials say security personnel have risked their lives to protect Poland from an attack they view as directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. She and producer Marcin Wierzchoslawski issued a statement Friday saying “Green Border” shows that all humans, whether uniformed officers, refugees or helpers, can behave in different ways in different situations.

Persons: Agnieszka Holland, “, Border ”, Holland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Vladimir Putin, Kaczynski, Putin’s, ” Holland, Marcin Wierzchoslawski, Wierzchoslawski, Kaczynski's, Zbigniew Ziobro, Andrzej Duda, Ziobro, Poland, Russia's Organizations: Border, Venice Film, Government, Roman Catholic, Interior Ministry, European Union, EU, of America Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Belarus, Venice, France, Russian, “, Holland, Asia, Africa, Nazi, East, Polish

☆ Polish PM tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy 'never to insult Poles again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Alan Charlish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Polish President Andrzej Duda commemorate victims of World War II at the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lutsk, Ukraine July 9, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Poland's prime minister told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday not to "insult" Poles, maintaining harsh rhetoric towards Kyiv after the Polish president had sought to defuse a simmering row over grain imports. "I... want to tell President Zelenskiy never to insult Poles again, as he did recently during his speech at the U.N.," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told an election rally. Slovakia, Poland and Hungary imposed national restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports after the European Union executive decided not to extend its ban on imports into those countries and fellow EU members Bulgaria and Romania. "In defence of the Polish farmer I will never hesitate to take such a decision."

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andrzej Duda, Saint Peter, Paul Cathedral, Alina Smutko, Zelenskiy, Mateusz Morawiecki, PiS, Duda, Zbigniew Rau, Rau, Morawiecki, Alan Charlish, Pawel, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations General Assembly, Kyiv, Law and Justice, Analysts, Politico, NATO, European Union, EU, Warsaw, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Lutsk, Poland, Russia, New York, Moscow, Kyiv, Polish, Ukrainian, UKRAINE, Warsaw, EU, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania

☆ Poland says it will stop arming Ukraine. How did we get here – and what does it mean for the war?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Poland’s decision was both sudden and predictable, coming after months of tensions over a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports to a number of European Union countries. “We no longer transfer weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a blunt social media statement on Wednesday. But three nations – Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – said they intended to defy the change and keep the restrictions in place. They are particularly suffering in their stronghold rural regions in eastern Poland, where agriculture is an important economic pillar. The urgency of the war to Poland has also slipped over the course of year.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, Piotr Muller, CNN Muller, Slovakia –, Alexander Ermochenko, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, Mateusz, Beata Zawrzel, PiS, Vladimir Putin Organizations: London CNN, European Union, NATO, Ukrainian, CNN, EU, European Commission, Reuters, UN, Assembly, Ukraine, Law, Justice, Confederation, Kyiv Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Poland’s, Poland, Ukraine, Polish, United States, Soviet, Warsaw, Slovakia, Hungary, Europe, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, New York, Moscow, Ukrainian, Germany, Ukraine’s

☆ Poland's Govt to Run Ad Defending Migrant Policy Before Screenings of Critical Movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's government plans to run adverts ahead of some screenings of the prize-winning refugee drama "Green Border" to defend its treatment of migrants crossing the frontier from Belarus, a minister said on Thursday. Directed by veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, the film has drawn a furious response from conservatives in Poland ahead of its release in Polish cinemas on Friday. It says the film's depiction of what happens to migrants crossing into Poland from the east dishonours those who are protecting their country. "In arthouse cinemas throughout Poland, screenings will be preceded by a special ad about elements missing in the film", he told reporters. Director Holland has previously rejected criticism of the film, saying that it is "an attempt to give voice to those who are voiceless".

Persons: Agnieszka Holland, Blazej Pobozy, Holland, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Toby Chopra Organizations: Law and Justice, Migrants Locations: WARSAW, Belarus, Poland, Syria, Afghanistan, Russian, Europe, Brussels, Venice

☆ Poland No Longer Arming Ukraine, Says PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland is no longer arming Ukraine as it is focusing on building up its own stocks of weapons, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as Warsaw's stance towards Kyiv shifts just weeks before an election. "We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons," Mateusz Morawiecki told Polsat News. Morawiecki's words came after Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to the foreign ministry to protest against comments made by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following Poland's decision to extend the grain ban. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced curbs on grain imports from Ukraine on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend a ban on sales into five EU states, including Romania and Bulgaria. Ukraine's foreign ministry called for calm in the dispute on Wednesday, with a foreign ministry spokesman urging the Poles to "put aside their emotions".

Persons: Ukraine's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Alan Charlish, Pawel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Polsat, United Nations General Assembly Kyiv, European Commission, Law and Justice Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Warsaw, Ukrainian, Moscow, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria

☆ Poland no longer arming Ukraine, says PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Poland is no longer arming Ukraine as it is focusing on building up its own stocks of weapons, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as Warsaw's stance towards Kyiv shifts just weeks before an election. "We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons," Mateusz Morawiecki told Polsat News. Morawiecki's words came after Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to the foreign ministry to protest against comments made by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following Poland's decision to extend the grain ban. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced curbs on grain imports from Ukraine on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend a ban on sales into five EU states, including Romania and Bulgaria. Ukraine's foreign ministry called for calm in the dispute on Wednesday, with a foreign ministry spokesman urging the Poles to "put aside their emotions".

Persons: Ukraine's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Alan Charlish, Pawel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Polsat, United Nations General Assembly Kyiv, European Commission, Law and Justice, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Warsaw, Ukrainian, Moscow, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria

Polish leaders have compared Ukraine to a drowning person hurting his helper and threatened to expand a ban on food products from the war-torn country. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that EU allies that are prohibiting imports of his nation’s grain are helping Russia. All the EU countries will keep allowing Ukrainian products to move through their borders to world markets. Russia dealt a huge blow by withdrawing in July from a wartime agreement that ensured safe passage for Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Ukraine also threatened this week to ban some Polish food items, but appeared to back off that.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “ Alarmingly, they’re, ” Zelenskyy, Pawel, “, Vasyl Zvarych, Jablonski “, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Morawiecki, Nikolai Denkov, Veselin Toshkov Organizations: Union, EU, World Trade Organization, General, Polish Foreign Ministry, Law, Justice, Croatia, Kyiv, General Assembly, Russia, Confederation, Polsat, Russia Socialist Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Kyiv, Warsaw, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, New York, EU, Ukrainian, Bulgaria, Sofia

The legislation now requires approval from Parliament's upper house and half of the country’s 28 state legislatures, which is considered likely. Shah said it will be implemented in the 2029 national elections following a new census and an adjustment of voting districts after next year’s elections. Under the legislation, the reservation of seats for women would continue for 15 years and could be extended by Parliament. It covers the elected lower house of Parliament and state legislatures, in which only women will be allowed to contest 33% of the seats. In India's state legislatures, women hold about 10% of the seats.

Persons: Droupadi Murmu, Narendra Modi's, Amit Shah, Shah, India’s, Sonia Gandhi, ”, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Modi, God, “, Modi's, unrepresented, Ram Gopal Yadav, Dolly Verma Organizations: DELHI, —, Wednesday, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party . India Locations: Lok Sabha, India's, India, Bihar

☆ Analysis-Poland's PiS Faces Far-Right Challenge Over Ukraine Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

While Poles' overall attitudes to Ukrainian refugees remain positive and support for Kyiv's war effort is almost unanimous, research shows that critical views are becoming more widespread. SHIFTING VIEWSA survey last month showed that the number of Poles who support allowing refugees from Ukraine in has fallen to 69% from 91% just after the war started. Other research has shown a higher level of aversion to Ukrainian refugees among young women than in other demographics. POLISH PUSHBACKIt is against this political backdrop that PiS decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports in response to rising anger in the party's rural heartlands. "When it was necessary, we opened our hearts, we opened our homes for refugees from Ukraine," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki WARSAW, Slawomir Mentzen, Piotr Muller, CBOS, Anna Brylka, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Marek Strzelecki, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russia, Justice, Confederation, Reuters, EU, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Warsaw, heartlands, Kyiv, Western

☆ Seven Charged in Polish Visa Irregularity Probe - Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Seven people have been charged over alleged irregularities in the granting of Polish work visas, a prosecutor said on Wednesday, amid a deepening scandal on the hot-button subject of migration ahead of Oct. 15 elections. On Wednesday opposition lawmakers said knowledge about the irregularities was widespread in government, stretching as far as Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau. The opposition has said the irregularities could concern hundreds of thousands of visa applications, but prosecutors have said that their investigation concerns several hundred. Deputy coordinator of special services Stanislaw Zaryn said that none of the visa applicants concerned by the investigation posed a security threat to Poland. According to Eurostat data cited by Rzeczpospolita daily on Wednesday, Poland issued almost 2 million work visas over the past three years, including 600,000 in 2020, more than a quarter of the EU total that year.

Persons: Daniel Lerman, Piotr Wawrzyk, Wawrzyk, Lerman, Zbigniew Rau, PiS, Rafal Bochenek, Stanislaw Zaryn, Alan Charlish, William Maclean Organizations: Law and Justice, Department for, National Prosecutor's, Corruption Bureau, Union, Rzeczpospolita, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) —Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Thursday he was awaiting the results of an investigation into allegations that Polish consulates sold temporary work visas to migrants for thousands of dollars, just weeks before the strongly anti-migration ruling party seeks re-election for a third term. Media reports allege Poland’s consular sections issued some 250,000 visas to migrants from Asia and Africa since 2021 in return for bribes. Prosecutors and the state Anti-Corruption Office said Thursday that seven people — none of them state officials — had been detained on suspicion of corruption in the process of issuing a few hundred temporary work visas. According to Onet.pl, a news website, Wawrzyk personally insisted that temporary work visas be issued to groups of people from India, who posed as crews working for the Indian movie industry, popularly known as Bollywood. The allegations could seriously hit the conservative ruling party ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.

Persons: —, Andrzej Duda, Duda, “, ”, Piotr Wawrzyk, Donald Tusk, Poland's, Wawrzyk, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Mateusz Morawiecki, Onet.pl Organizations: Media, Prosecutors, Law, Justice Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Asia, Africa, India, Belarus, East, Ukraine

☆ Catholic Church beatifies Polish family for sheltering Jews
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Clergy attend the beatification ceremony of the Ulma family, who were murdered by German Nazis for sheltering Jews in Markowa, Poland September 10, 2023. Patryk Ogorzalek/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Catholic Church beatified on Sunday a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War Two for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis described the Polish family as a "ray of light" in the darkness of World War Two and said they should serve as a model for others to follow. Polish President Andrzej Duda thanked the Catholic church for the beatification on behalf of the nation. HOLOCAUSTSome three million Jews who lived in pre-war Poland were murdered during the Nazi German Holocaust, accounting for about half of all Jews killed during World War Two.

Persons: Patryk, Wyborcza.pl, Jozef, Wiktoria Ulma, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Pope Francis, God, fearlessly, Pope, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Dariusz Libionka, Libionka, Jan Grabowski, Michael Schudrich, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Catholic, Poland's, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Law and Justice, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland's Institute for National, Thomson Locations: Markowa, Poland, Nazi, Polish, St Peter's, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor

☆ Catholic Church honors Polish family persecuted for sheltering Jews in unprecedented beatification
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Catholic Church beatified on Sunday a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War Two for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. Vatican media have noted that it is the first time that an entire family has been honored together in this manner. Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis described the Polish family as a “ray of light” in the darkness of World War Two and said they should serve as a model for others to follow. Polish President Andrzej Duda thanked the Catholic church for the beatification on behalf of the nation. Bartosz Siedlik/AFP/Getty ImagesHolocaustSome three million Jews who lived in pre-war Poland were murdered during the Nazi German Holocaust, accounting for about half of all Jews killed during World War Two.

Persons: Jozef, Wiktoria Ulma, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Pope Francis, God, …, fearlessly, Pope, Andrzej Duda, ”, Bartosz Siedlik, PiS, Patryk, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Dariusz Libionka, Libionka, Jan Grabowski, Michael Schudrich Organizations: CNN, Catholic, Poland’s, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Getty, Law and Justice, Reuters, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland’s Institute for National Locations: Nazi, Polish, Markowa, St Peter’s, AFP, Poland, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, St Peter's

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s conservative governing party and the opposition showered potential voters with promises on Saturday as the country's political parties revealed their campaign programs before the Oct. 15 parliamentary election. The nationalist ruling Law and Justice party, which took power in 2015, wants to win an unprecedented third term. The government's tenure, however, has been marred with bitter clashes with the European Union over the government's rule of law record and democratic backsliding. At a party convention, leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is Poland's most powerful politician, made promises of new spending on social and military causes for the nation living in the shadow of Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The government has already largely increased the state budget deficit with spending on benefits for large families and retirees, its own voter base as well as on purchasing armament.

Persons: —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Donald Tusk Organizations: Law, Justice, European Union, Civic Coalition, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine, Brussels

☆ Polish ruling party figures would face state tribunal after election, opposition says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-Poland's central bank governor-designate Adam Glapinski speaks during a hearing at a parliamentary panel at the Parliament in Warsaw, Poland May 20, 2016. Agencja Gazeta/Kuba Atys via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Poland's main opposition party said on Saturday it would convene a state tribunal if it wins October's national election to consider allegations against ruling party figures and their allies, including the president, prime minister and the governor of the central bank. The central bank said that it "never comments on statements from politicians". It also says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki should face a state tribunal for giving the order to attempt to hold the presidential elections by post in 2020. Most polls for the national election show PiS with more than 35% of the vote, while the KO grouping has around 30%.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Atys, KO, Donald Tusk, Tusk, PiS, Glapinski, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, Alan Charlish, Mike Harrison Organizations: Agencja Gazeta, REUTERS, Rights, liberal Civic Coalition, Justice, National Bank of Poland, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Germany, Russia

☆ Transgender film looks to win hearts and minds in conservative Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gosia Wojtunik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Premiere for the film "Kobieta Z..." (Woman Of) in competition - Red Carpet - Venice, Italy, September 8, 2023 - Directors Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert pose with Agnieszka Holland, director of "Zielona Granica" (Green Border). REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane Acquire Licensing RightsVENICE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The makers of "Woman Of", which follows a man transitioning to a woman in socially conservative Poland, hope their film will help ease deep-rooted prejudices in the Roman Catholic nation. Critics have accused the party of fanning anti-LGBTQ sentiment, but Szumowska said she wanted "Woman Of" to change the debate around transgender issues. What we've been trying to do, we've been trying to unite," Szumowska told Reuters TV. "Woman Of" is one of 23 films competing for Venice's Golden Lion award which will be announced on Saturday.

Persons: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert, Agnieszka Holland, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Szumowska, we've, We've, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Malgorzata Hajewska, Alan Charlish, Crispian Balmer, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Roman Catholic, Law and Justice, Reuters, Venice's, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, Zielona, Poland, Roman

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Film director Agnieszka Holland demanded an apology from Poland's justice minister after he compared her latest film, which explores the migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border, to Nazi propaganda. Holland said Wednesday that she planned to bring defamation charges against Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro unless she receives an apology within seven days. Holland’s feature film, “Green Border,” explores a migration crisis that has played out along Poland’s border with Belarus over the past two years. Holland said the comparison to Nazi propaganda was offensive because of what Poland suffered under Nazi occupation during World War II and given her own background. Holland's film dramatizes the migration tragedy that unfolded in the “green border” of swamps and forests between Belarus and Poland.

Persons: Agnieszka Holland, Holland, Zbigniew Ziobro, Ziobro, ”, Poland, ” Holland Organizations: —, Reich, Venice Film, Nazi, Law, Justice Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Belarus, East, Africa, Russia, Venice, Warsaw, Polish, Ukraine

☆ Polish central bank stuns with 75 bps rate cut, zloty plunges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anna Koper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Poland's central bank cut its main interest rate by 75 basis points to 6.00% on Wednesday, in a shock decision ahead of October elections that sent the zloty currency tumbling against the euro. The National Bank of Poland (NBP) said it took the decision because it expects inflation to return to target faster than originally expected. It said that the adjustment to interest rates would be "conducive to meeting the NBP inflation target in the medium term". NBP Governor Adam Glapinski had previously signalled that a rate cut could come in September if inflation fell to single digits. "We have already said that it is too early for a rate cut, and certainly such an aggressive rate cut, when the prospects (of a slowdown) in inflation are still distant," said Piotr Bielski, director of the economic analysis department of Santander Bank Polska.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Piotr Bielski, J.P, Morgan, Wojciech Paczos, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Karol Badohal, Marc Jones, Justyna Pawlak, Nick Macfie, Sharon Singleton, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Reuters, National Bank of Poland, Santander Bank Polska, Cardiff University, Justice, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, NBP, Poland, Pawel

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's central bank lowered its interest rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday despite the country's double-digit inflation rate. The National Bank of Poland's monetary policy council announced that it was cutting the reference rate from 6.75% to 6%, and other interest rates by the same amount. Economists had been expecting a rate cut, but not such a large one. In conditions of high inflation, central banks tend to raise interest rates, a move that can help bring down inflation over time by discouraging consumption. Interest rate cuts, on the other hand, make financing cheaper and tends to encourage consumers and businesses to spend more.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Marek Tatala, “, Ryszard Petru, ” Petru Organizations: National Bank of, Law, Justice, Freedom Foundation, Twitter Locations: WARSAW, Poland, National Bank of Poland, Warsaw, Ukraine

☆ Pakistan's president refuses to sign new national security laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi speaks with Reuters in an interview after Pakistan's presidency was recognized as the world's first presidential secretariat running on clean energy, in Islamabad, Pakistan October 27, 2021. "As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws," Alvi said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he had asked his staff to return the bills unsigned to the legislature within the stipulated time to make them ineffective. The ministry of law and justice said the president's decision was of "grave concern". "As the president didn't sign and return the bill within 10 days, it became a law," caretaker law minister Ahmad Iran told a news conference.

Persons: Arif Alvi, Pakistan's, Saiyna Bashir, Imran Khan's, Alvi, doesn't, didn't, Ahmad Iran, Murtaza Solangi, Solangi, Ariba Shahid, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Pakistan, Twitter, Caretaker, Thomson Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Rights KARACHI, Alvi, Imran Khan's Pakistan

☆ Poland to hold biggest military parade in decades, as its clout in Europe grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Kacper Pempel/ReutersPolish military vehicles are seen during a Saturday rehearsal for this week's parade in Warsaw. “Nobody is going to say that military security is not an important issue and that we shouldn’t be strengthening the military. With the UK out of the European Union and Germany still hesitant to take on a leadership role on Ukraine, Poland has sensed its opportunity. In November, two people were killed in eastern Poland, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border, by a Ukrainian missile defending against incoming Russian fire. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked the group to help train his country’s military, and earlier this month the two forces held joint training exercises near the Polish border.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Kacper Pempel, Pawel Supernak, ” Edward Arnold, Arnold, Aleks, ”, Jamie Shea, Putin, ” Arnold, ” Shea, Abrams, “, Dominika, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Blaszczak, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, NATO, Poland’s Defense Ministry, Polish, Russia’s, Abrams, University of Sussex, University of Exeter, Chatham House, Eastern Europe …, European Union, Ukraine, United Nations, “, Polish Army, Getty, Kremlin . Locations: Poland, Belarus, Korean, Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, Kaliningrad, Warsaw, Russia, Polish, Soviet, North Korea, Iran, Communist Poland, England, East, Afghanistan, Central, Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Washington, Ukraine Poland, South Korea, Italy, Polanka Wielka, Ukrainian, Minsk

☆ 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

WARSAW, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The Polish government wants to pose questions to voters during a Oct. 15 election that will include whether Poland should take in "thousands of illegal immigrants", a move rivals say aims to swing the vote by misleading voters about opposition policies. The centrist Civic Platform (PO), the main opposition party which is running neck and neck with PiS according to some polls, says the questions are designed to sway voters by distorting the opposition's stance on these sensitive issues. PiS, seeking a third term in power, has put opposition to migration at the centre of its campaign and says the opposition would hurt the economy by selling state assets and endanger security amid Russia's war in Ukraine. "When we propose a question so that we don't sell out Poland's wealth, the opposition gets furious. The PO says it does not have an open-door migrant policy and says none of the questions represent their policies.

Persons: PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Malgorzata Kidawa, Blonska, Mariusz Blaszczak, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Edmund Blair Organizations: WARSAW, Law and Justice, European Union, Twitter, Defence, Thomson Locations: Polish, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, East, Africa, Europe

☆ Poland to vote in privatisation referendum, likely alongside October election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"For us, the voice of ordinary Poles is always decisive," PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in a video posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He said that the first referendum question would be: "Do you support the sale of state-owned enterprises?". "The Germans want to embed Tusk in Poland to sell off common property, his background shows it directly," Kaczynski said. Another state-run broadcaster, Polskie Radio 24, reported that there would be four referendum questions in total. Poland's lower house of parliament will deal with legislation concerning the organisation of the referendums at its sitting on Aug. 16-17.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Kacper, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Kaczynski, Marcin Kierwinski, Alan Charlish, Toby Chopra Organizations: Justice, National Army, REUTERS, Law, Former European, PO, Polskie Radio, Polskie, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Germany

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