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As part of a review of the EU's 2021-2027 budget, the European Commission in June proposed 50 billion euros in grants and loans for Ukraine to keep Kyiv financed as it fights off Russian aggression. This year, the EU will pay out 18 billion euros to Ukraine in highly concessional loans, but, if the proposed 50 billion total stays, Ukraine will only get 12.5 billion annually from 2024 to 2027. She said the EU budget review should also add money for military mobility -- roads, ports, bridges and airports that allow armed forces to move around quickly -- as the 1.7 billion euros originally allocated for the purpose was insufficient. "We see the need for military mobility infrastructure increasing. It exceeds one billion euros just for Lithuania," she said.

Persons: Gintare Skaiste, Skaiste, Jan Strupczewski, Jason Neely Organizations: Infantry Brigade, Armed Forces, SANTIAGO DE, European, European Commission, Ukraine, Kyiv, Reuters, Eurostat, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, SANTIAGO, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain, Lithuania

Hungary imposed a national import ban on 24 Ukrainian agricultural products, including grains, vegetables, several meat products and honey, according to a government decree published on Friday. Slovakia's agriculture minister followed suit announcing its own grain ban. EU PLEAEU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday countries should refrain from unilateral measures against imports of Ukrainian grain. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia previously said they may extend the restrictions unilaterally while Bulgaria on Thursday voted to scrap the curbs. In August, about 4 million tonnes of Ukraine grains passed through the Solidarity Lanes of which close to 2.7 million tonnes were through the Danube.

Persons: Cernat, Mateusz Morawiecki, Waldemar Buda, Valdis Dombrovskis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Julia Payne, Alan Charlish, Jan Lopatka, Karol Badohal, Boldizsar, Luiza Ilie, Nina Chestney, David Evans, Alistair Bell, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, EU, EU Commission, Ukraine, Farmers, Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Black, Constanta, Romania, Ukraine, BRUSSELS, WARSAW, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Elk, Russia, EU, Russian, Romanian, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest

But the flood of grains and oilseeds into neighbouring countries reduced prices there, impacting the income of local farmers and resulting in governments banning agricultural imports from Ukraine. The European Union in May stepped in to prevent individual countries imposing unilateral bans and imposed its own ban on imports into neighbouring countries. Under the EU ban, Ukraine was allowed to export through those countries on condition the produce was sold elsewhere. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday countries should refrain from unilateral measures against imports of Ukrainian grain, but Poland, Slovakia and Hungary immediately responded by reimposing their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports. Farmers in the five countries neighbouring Ukraine have repeatedly complained about a product glut hitting their domestic prices and pushing them towards bankruptcy.

Persons: Cernat, Valdis Dombrovskis, reimposing, Terry Reilly, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Robert Telus, Julia Payne, Alan Charlish, Jan Lopatka, Karol Badohal, Boldizsar, Pavel Polityuk, Luiza Ilie, Tom Polansek, Nina Chestney, Simon Webb, David Evans, Alistair Bell, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, EU, Ukraine, Facebook, EU Commission, Farmers, Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Black, Constanta, Romania, Ukraine, BRUSSELS, WARSAW, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, EU, Bulgaria, Russian, Romanian, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Kyiv, Bucharest, Chicago

Prince William will touch down in New York on Monday for a two-day visit – primarily to attend the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit. William and Kate visit Câr-Y-Môr Seaweed Farm, a key partner of 2022 Earthshot Prize winner Notpla, in St. Davids, Wales on September 8, 2023. “In addition to unveiling this year’s Earthshot finalists next week, you’re also going to see Prince William sitting down with the UN Secretary-General and other world leaders… This really is the evolution of Prince William as the global statesman,” a close aide said. This trip’s timing also appears to be quite fortuitous, in that it comes weeks after Prince William topped a new poll as America’s most popular public figure. A huge crowd of well-wishers greets the Prince of Wales while in Massachusetts last December.

Persons: London CNN —, Prince William, –, Prince of Wales, William, Kate, Câr, Notpla, Arthur Edwards, Queen Elizabeth II, ”, you’re, “, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, King Charles, Biden, Donald Trump, Prince, David L, Ryan, Duke of Cambridge, King, “ You’ve, Andrzej Duda Organizations: CNN’s Royal, London CNN, CNN, UN, Assembly, Royal Foundation, Boston, Gallup, Republicans, Boston Globe, British Locations: London, New York, Singapore, St . Davids , Wales, “, Beantown, Wales, Massachusetts, Boston, Poland, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Poland's CD Projekt to release Cyberpunk 2077 update on Sept. 21
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Boxes with CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 are displayed in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGDANSK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Poland's biggest video game developer CD Projekt (CDR.WA) will release an update to its flagship game Cyberpunk 2077 on Sept. 21, a company representative said on Thursday during a livestream on YouTube. The update will launch just a few days before the premiere of Phantom Liberty, a highly-anticipated expansion of Cyberpunk 2077, set for Sept. 26. Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. In September last year, CD Projekt said it had sold 20 million copies of the game.

Persons: Kacper, Phantom Liberty, Adrianna Ebert, Susan Fenton, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, YouTube, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, GDANSK

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

☆ 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

While a civil suit lodged against KLM (AIRF.PA) in the Netherlands is one of the most prominent, complaints and cases against other airlines have been mounting. Lockwood said the ASA would use machine learning tools to scan online advertising to catch potentially misleading wording. Separately, the Austrian advertising watchdog told Lufthansa's Austrian Airlines arm last year to stop making claims about a carbon neutral flight using biofuel. The lawsuit alleges that carbon offset programmes don't work as advertised and the company misled consumers. The company is investing in newer planes and sustainable fuel to "decarbonise" its operations, the person added.

Persons: Miles Lockwood, Lockwood, Joanna Plucinska, Mark Potter Organizations: KLM Airlines, Fossielvrij, Dutch, KLM, Airlines, Ryanair, Lufthansa, Etihad, Standards Authority, ASA, Reuters, Lufthansa Group, Austrian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Delta, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Austrian, Los Angeles

"The only way to fly responsibly right now is not to fly," said Hiske Arts, who is leading the campaign by Fossil Free Netherlands. In preliminary hearings, its lawyers argued "fly responsibly" ads were well-intentioned. KLM says it has already discontinued 19 communications it says form the core of the Fossil Free suit. Its "fly responsibly" web page now re-routes customers to a message that reads: "Air travel is currently not sustainable. While advertising authorities have banned some ads, they say airlines should be allowed to discuss improvements in order to prevent "greenhushing", or allowing the issue to disappear from discussion.

Persons: BEUC, Dimitri Vergne, Laurent Donceel, Lucas Boudet, Toby Sterling, Joanna Plucinska, Mark Potter Organizations: Hiske, Fossielvrij, Dutch, KLM, Fossil, Hiske Arts, Fossil Free Netherlands, European Commission, Air France, Schiphol Airport, Airlines, Advertising Standards Association, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Europe, AMSTERDAM, LONDON, Brussels, London

☆ Romania says possible drone fragments found on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Elements of a possible drone were identified on NATO-member Romania's territory, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, following Russian drone attacks on Izmail in southern Ukraine, just across the border. If confirmed, it would be the third time that such fragments have been found on Romanian territory in recent days. "The crew of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter of the Romanian Air Force ... (identified) fragments that could have come from a drone, dispersed over an area of several dozen metres," the defence ministry said in a statement. It said that the fragments were seen in the area of the towns of Nufarul and Victoria, in Tulcea county. Earlier, the defence ministry had said emergency services had received calls about possible cases of drones coming down in the area.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, Puma, Romanian Air Force, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Romanian, , Nufarul, Victoria, Tulcea county, Warsaw

☆ Arms maker says interest in its weapons 'largely' driven by Ukrainians using them to fight Russians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Polish arms maker says customers are flocking to weapons systems used in Ukraine. The state-owned PGZ said it has fielded two new orders for portable rocket launchers. Ukrainian forces have used such portable rocket launchers, or MANPADS, to challenge Russia's air supremacy. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile providing Ukraine with arms serves Warsaw's national security interests, it is also proving a boon to its defense sector. Other arms makers have also used Ukraine as a selling point — Ukrainian firms, especially.

Persons: PGZ, Patryk Brzeziński, SIPRI, Oleg Skillar, cdavis@insider.com Organizations: Russia, Service, Defense, Russian, Defence and Security, International, United, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, National Defense Magazine Locations: Polish, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, London, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Poland, Stockholm, Europe, Balkans, Estonia, Baltic, Abu Dhabi

☆ I became a nomad in my 60s and have traveled to 37 countries. I want to show others that international travel is not something to fear in your 60s.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

His fear during that trip inspired him to travel abroad more often, and encourage others, too. "Regardless of your age, you are not too old to travel," he said. I was born and raised in the Philadelphia area but have lived in California for most of my adult life. Courtesy of Norman Bour)Since 2019, my wife Kathleen and I have lived in and traveled to 37 different countries. The dollars we spend go towards lodging, travel, and food.

Persons: Norman Bour, Kathleen Plumley, Kathleen, we've, We're, Katheen, we're Organizations: Service, Social Security Locations: Wall, Silicon, California, Europe, Philadelphia, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Prague, Romania, Southern California, Costa Mesa, Bour, Plumley, Egypt, London, Paris, Stockholm, Balkans, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, United States, Auschwitz

Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo plane, the world's biggest aircraft, flies during the Independence Day military parade in Kyiv, Ukraine August 24, 2021. Antonov did not respond to requests for comment on the centre and expansion plans in the drone sector. Under Ukroboronprom, Antonov has designed and built drones in the past, including the Horlytsia model, but cargo planes have long been its primary focus. Antonov's expertise in cargo planes could also be applied to long-distance drones, the source added, giving Ukraine's armed forces the capability to strike deeper into Russian territory. LIVE TESTINGKyiv has used aerial drones to attack airfields and Russian troops and aquatic drones against ships and a bridge.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Antonov, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukroboronprom, inefficiently, Tom Balmforth, Tim Hepher, Mike Collett, White, Alexander Smith Organizations: world's, Independence Day, REUTERS, Reuters, Washington , D.C, Vehicle, Russia, Strategic Industries, Thomson Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, KYIV, Washington ,, Soviet, Russia

☆ Polish filmmaker brings struggle of Ukrainian evacuations to TIFF
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jenna Zucker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polish filmmaker Maciek Hamela speaks to Reuters about his new documentary "In the Rearview", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Dennis Porter Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - Days after Russia launched its war on Ukraine, Polish filmmaker Maciek Hamela left his home in Warsaw, bought a van, and began transporting evacuees to safety. Hosting its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, Hamela hopes the audience can put themselves in the refugees’ shoes. “Many of these people, especially in the first weeks of the war, they just wanted to get out,” Hamela said. “I'd like people to come and see this film not just because it's about the war in Ukraine,” Hamela said.

Persons: Maciek Hamela, Dennis Porter, Hamela, ”, ” Hamela, ‘, We’ll, “, Jenna Zucker, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Russia, American, Toronto, UNHCR, “, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Ukraine, Polish, Warsaw, Europe

☆ Putin: sending Soviet tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia was a mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a report presentation on the development of Russia's far eastern regions held via a video link in Vladivostok, Russia, September 11, 2023. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the Soviet Union's decision to send tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia to crush mass protests during the Cold War was a mistake. "It was a mistake," Putin said when asked about perceptions of Russia as a colonial power due to Moscow's decision to send tanks into Budapest in 1956 and into Prague in 1968. The 1956 Hungarian Uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Washington, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Rights, Soviet, Czechoslovak, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Rights VLADIVOSTOK, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Budapest, Prague, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Soviet Union, Soviet, Warsaw, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czech

☆ Putin: Sending Soviet Tanks Into Hungary and Czechoslovakia Was a Mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the Soviet Union's decision to send tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia to crush mass protests during the Cold War was a mistake. "It was a mistake," Putin said when asked about perceptions of Russia as a colonial power due to Moscow's decision to send tanks into Budapest in 1956 and into Prague in 1968. Putin said the United States was making the same mistakes as the Soviet Union. The 1956 Hungarian Uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Washington, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Soviet, Czechoslovak Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Budapest, Prague, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Soviet Union, Soviet, Warsaw, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czech

☆ In Ukraine, Mathematics Offers Strength in Numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Siobhan Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a Saturday evening in August, two Ukrainian mathematicians, Maryna Viazovska and Masha Vlasenko, set out on a 19-hour train trip from Warsaw to Kyiv. They were en route to a conference titled “Numbers in the Universe: Recent Advances in Number Theory and Its Applications.” Symbolically, the journey served to plant a flag. The event marked the opening of the International Center for Mathematics in Ukraine, or I.C.M.U., which was established on paper in November. “The goal is to bring the world of mathematics to Ukraine and open, or reopen, Ukrainian science for the world,” said Dr. Viazovska, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. She won a Fields Medal in 2022 and serves as scientific lead on the center’s coordination committee.

Persons: Maryna Viazovska, Masha Vlasenko, “, ”, Viazovska, Jean, Pierre Bourguignon Organizations: International Center for Mathematics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, European Research Council Locations: Warsaw, Kyiv, Ukraine, Lausanne, London

☆ EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast as Germany in recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | Thomson Reuters | Jan Is The Acting Bureau Chief In Brussels. He Has Been Covering European Union Policy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Commission forecast euro zone consumer inflation of 5.6% in 2023 and 2.9% in 2024, both well above the European Central Bank's target of 2.0%. Inflation this year is to be lower than the 5.8% forecast in May, but higher than previously forecast in 2024, as the May forecast was for 2.8%. The ECB has been rapidly raising rates since the middle of 2022 to stem record price growth, making credit for the economy more expensive - a factor that hit the growth forecast. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, will shrink 0.4% this year, the Commission forecast, revising down a 0.2% growth prediction from May. But France and Spain will grow faster than previously expected in 2023 , the Commission said, projecting 1.0% and 2.2% growth respectively instead of the previously seen 0.7% and 1.9%.

Persons: Jan Strupczewski, Philip Blenkinsop Organizations: ECB, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Germany, Europe, Europe's, Italy, Netherlands, France, Spain

U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Union Ursula von der Leyen attend the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 9, 2023. The summit declaration avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to use force to grab territory. A failure to agree on a summit declaration would have signalled that the G20 was split, perhaps irrevocably, between the West on one side and China and Russia on the other, analysts said. Diplomats have said negotiators from India, Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa drove the consensus in the summit document. Despite the lack of concrete progress, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India's chief G20 coordinator, said the meeting did take the group forward.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Ursula von der Leyen, Evelyn Hockstein, Michael Froman, Svetlana Lukash, Lukash, Patryk Kugiel, ” Kugiel, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, India's, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Vardhan, ”, Michel Rose, Aftab Ahmed, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indian, European, REUTERS, Diplomats, African Union, India, Foreign Relations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Russian G20, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Xinhua, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Russia, York, U.S, China, Beijing, Russian, Warsaw, Delhi, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Britain

☆ US OKs potential sale of air and missile defense system to Poland -Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Serviceman patrols in front of the Patriot air defence system during Polish military training on the missile systems at the airport in Warsaw, Poland February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of an Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System to Poland for an estimated cost of $4 billion, the Pentagon said on Monday. As it upgrades its air defenses, the Pentagon said NATO-ally Poland had requested to buy phase two of a two-phase program for the command system enabled PATRIOT Configuration-3+ with modernized sensors and components. The sale would include 93 of the system's engagement operation centers, 175 fire control network relays and other related equipment, the Pentagon said. The principal contractor for the missile defense system will be Northrup Grumman (NOC.N), the Pentagon said in a statement.

Persons: Kacper, Northrup, Eric Beech, Katharine Jackson, Caitlin Webber Organizations: Patriot, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . State Department, Integrated Air, Missile Defense, Pentagon, Northrup Grumman, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, NATO

☆ Strabag maps out next step to decrease Russian investor's stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Logo of the construction company Strabag is seen at a construction site in front of the Supreme Court in Warsaw, Poland September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 11 (Reuters) - Austrian construction group Strabag (STRV.VI) set out details on Monday of a planned capital reduction in its latest step aimed at decreasing the stake held by a company belonging to sanctioned Russian shareholder Oleg Deripaska. The move will decrease MKAO Rasperia Trading Limited's stake in Strabag from a current 27.8% to below 25%, ridding the company of its blocking minority, the Austrian firm said. Free reserves will be distributed to existing shareholders, who have the choice between a share option at a ratio of one new share per four already held or a cash option of 9.05 euros per share. Reporting by Tristan Veyet in Gdansk Editing by Miranda Murray and Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kacper, Oleg Deripaska, Strabag, Vladimir Putin, Tristan Veyet, Miranda Murray, Rachel More Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Strabag, Austrian, Ukraine, Gdansk

☆ In J.M. Coetzee’s New Novel, Love Awakens an Austere Soul
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Dwight Garner | More About Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE POLE, by J.M. Coetzee’s novels are slim, and so, by and large, are his characters — they’re Modiglianis, not Boteros. The most wraithlike, a saintly hunger artist, is the protagonist of his novel “The Life and Times of Michael K,” which won the Booker Prize in 1983. When an ample person does show up in Coetzee’s work, moral stigma is often attached. Lurie takes her fleshiness as a sign she’s fled the strictures of civilized intellectual life.

Persons: J.M . Coetzee, J.M, — they’re, Michael K, John Lurie, ”, Lurie, she’s, Coetzee isn’t, Witold Walczykiewicz, I’ve, It’s, Witold, Hulked, Max von Sydow, “, Beatriz, Dante, She’s Organizations: South, Deutsche Grammophon Locations: She’s, Warsaw, Barcelona

☆ 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

☆ Romania summons Russian charge d'affaires over drone fragments -Agerpres
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A crater visible at the presumed crash site of a Russian army drone, close to charred tree trunks and a blast area, near Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, September 7, 2023. Inquam Photos/Ovidiu Micsik via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Romania's foreign ministry summoned the Russian charge d'affaires after the discovery on Romanian soil of new fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military, the Agerpres website reported on Sunday. On Saturday, Romanian authorities found the second set of drone fragments to have crashed in the NATO member state in a week, amid Russian attacks on Ukraine's river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border. On Saturday, President Klaus Iohannis said the discovery of the fragments pointed to an unacceptable breach of Romania's air space. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian strikes near the border were "destabilising" even if there was no indication Russia intended to hit Romania, a NATO member state.

Persons: Micsik, Strategic Affairs Iulian Fota, Klaus Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Alan Charlish, Elaine Hardcastle, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Embassy of, Russian Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs, Thomson Locations: Russian, Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, Romanian, Bucharest, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine's, Constanta, Warsaw

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

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