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☆ Ukraine ally Poland is moving to the political center. And that's bad news for Russia's Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It has taken in more than a million refugees from its close ally Ukraine since the start of the war, with many more millions passing through it. Its relations with Ukraine have soured in recent months, partly because of a dispute over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on local farmers. Tian also expects the result to "reposition Poland as a staunch supporter of Ukraine" and for Tusk to push for EU accession for Ukraine. "The big thing to bear in mind when looking at Poland and Ukraine is they have an overarching strategic common interest [challenging Russian aggression], and this supersedes everything. So it will be difficult to restore relations to how they were in the first 18 months of the war, regardless of what Poland does."

Persons: Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk —, —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Tusk, Tian, Aleks Szczerbiak, Szczerbiak Organizations: Civic, Getty, EU, Justice, CNBC, NATO, World Trade Organization, Law, Nurphoto, European, Economist Intelligence Unit, University of Sussex, Confederation, Soviet, Russia Locations: Warsaw, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, China, India, Poland, Warsaw's, Krakow, Central Europe, Hungary, Slovakia, Berlin

☆ Freeze! Polish cops snag thief who pretended to be mannequin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A Polish man has been arrested after he pretended to be a mannequin in front of a store window before stealing from a shopping centre after it closed, police in Warsaw said. "A 22-year-old with a bag in his hand froze motionless, pretending to be a mannequin in front of a shop window," police said in a statement. After the shopping centre closed the man on one occasion robbed a jewellery stand, according to police. According to police, the man is also accused of stealing from another shopping centre, where they allege he took money from cash tills and tried to steal other items after it closed. Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Alex Richardson Organizations: Thomson Locations: WARSAW, Warsaw

☆ Polish president to consult with party leaders on forming govt
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Poland's President Andrzej Duda prepares to cast his ballot during the parliamentary election in Krakow, Poland, October 15, 2023. "The meetings will be held separately with each of the election committees, in the order in accordance with the results achieved by these committees in the elections." Duda said before the vote that he would give the first shot at forming a cabinet to the group or party that won most ballots. "The president knows his responsibilities and will not give in to pressure," aide Malgorzata Paprocka told Rzeczpospolita daily. This means the process of forming a new government in Poland, the largest country in the EU's eastern wing, could take weeks or even months.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Jakub Porzycki, Wyborcza.pl, Duda, Michal Kobosko, Duda's, Malgorzata Paprocka, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Union, Law and Justice, Rzeczpospolita, Thomson Locations: Krakow, Poland, Brussels, Republic of Poland

☆ Discord expands online marketplace as it tries to justify $15 billion valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Discord app is seen on an iPhone in this photo illustration in Warsaw, Poland on April 3, 2021. Two years ago, during the height of tech market froth, Discord was valued at $15 billion, more than doubling in a matter of months. But Discord has stood pat, avoiding a return to the capital markets, even as public funds have reduced the value of their shares. Discord, which ranked 18th on this year's CNBC's Disruptor 50 list, is now pushing into a new business as it seeks to justify that lofty valuation. Within the new marketplace, Halloween-themed avatar decorations, including a black cat resting on a gravestone, will be available to users for $8, Sellis said.

Persons: Peter Sellis, it's, Sellis Organizations: CNBC Locations: Warsaw, Poland

"Whenever we come up against Wizz, we tend to have significantly lower fares and have much lower costs," he said. As an example of the strategy, he cited Albania, where Ryanair plans to open 25 new routes this winter to take on Wizz (WIZZ.L) in its eastern European heartland. According to data analysis firm IBA, low-cost carriers have over 59% of the aviation market in Poland, up from 31% in 2021. He added that Buzz and Ryanair were mainly focused on regional airports, like Modlin outside Warsaw or Katowice near Krakow. Poland and eastern Europe's lighter regulatory requirements, lower environmental scrutiny and poor rail connections make them appealing markets by comparison.

Persons: Wizz, Michael O'Leary, Jozsef Varadi, Varadi, Jamie Lindsay, Michal Kaczmarzyk, Buzz, Dan Taylor, Kaczmarzyk, O'Leary, Tim Hepher, Mark Potter Organizations: Ryanair, WARSAW, Wizz Air, Reuters, Wizz, Artemis Investment, LLP, Chopin, IBA Insight, Thomson Locations: Poland, PRAGUE, Europe, Ireland, Italy, Albania, Hungary, Warsaw, Modlin, Katowice, Krakow, Polish, France, Ukraine, Poland's

☆ Momentous Shift Looms for Poland as Governing Party Looks Set to Be Ousted
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Andrew Higgins | More About Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It boiled down to a choice between two different visions of the future: one dominated by nationalism, traditional Catholic norms and the defense of Polish sovereignty; the other by promises to “bring Poland back to Europe” and the liberal democratic values espoused by the European Union. In the end, after a long, vicious election campaign in a highly polarized country, opponents of the nationalist governing party won a clear majority of seats in a pivotal general election held on Sunday, according to final official results Tuesday. That victory opened the way for a potentially drastic shift away from Poland’s deeply conservative policies at home and its role abroad as a beacon for right-wing groups and politicians opposed to liberal values. The prospect of an end to years of testy relations between Warsaw and Brussels delighted Polish liberals and those elsewhere worried by what had, for a time, seemed like a rising tide of right-wing, and sometimes left-wing, populism in Poland and across Europe.

Persons: “ Organizations: European Union Locations: Poland, Europe, Warsaw, Brussels, Polish

☆ Poland's ruling nationalists lose majority in election, final results confirm
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Leader of Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party Jaroslaw Kaczynski, holds flowers during a speech after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won most votes in Sunday's national election but fell short of a majority, final official results showed on Tuesday, confirming that the liberal, pro-EU opposition is on track to form the next government. The official results from 100% of voting districts gave PiS, a nationalist, socially conservative party, 35.38% of the vote, while the liberal Civic Coalition (KO) was in second place with 30.70%. The Civic Coalition, New Left and Third Way have said they are ready to form a coalition government and that they will start talks once the official results are published. KO and its allies are also set to win a clear majority in the 100-seat upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, elected on a first-past-the-post system, the official results showed.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Aleksandra Szmigiel, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Anna Wlodarczak, Karol Badohal, Gareth Jones Organizations: Law, Justice, REUTERS, Rights, liberal Civic Coalition, New Left, Civic Coalition, New, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland

The conservative Law and Justice party, which has governed the country for eight turbulent years, won slightly over 35% of the votes, making it the single party with the most votes. But the party and its leader Jarosław Kaczyński lost their majority in parliament and appeared to have no way to hold onto power. The official ballot announced by the National Electoral Commission aligns closely with an exit poll released after voting ended Sunday. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe result was a huge victory for Donald Tusk, the head of the largest opposition group, Civic Coalition. The National Electoral Commission said that Law and Justice won slightly over 35% of the votes, and the far-right Confederation, a possible ally, about 7%.

Persons: Jarosław Kaczyński, Donald Tusk Organizations: Justice, National, Commission, Law, Civic Coalition, European Council, European Union, Electoral Commission, Left Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Poland election: Donald Tusk's pro-European opposition seems set to oust populists, but tense days lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

PiS finished ahead of opposition party Civic Coalition (KO), led by former Polish Prime Minister and European Council President Donald Tusk, on 30.7%. Tusk had promised to restore democratic norms in Poland and cooperate with Western European allies, among whom Warsaw was fast becoming a pariah. Poland’s PiS-aligned President, Andrzej Duda, is expected to give the PiS every chance to form a government before turning over proceedings to Poland’s new block of opposition lawmakers. According to the Polish constitution, the president must call a new parliamentary session within 30 days of the election. Tusk had painted the election as a last chance to save Polish democracy.

Persons: CNN —, PiS, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Poland’s, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Organizations: CNN, Justice, National Electoral Commission, Civic Coalition, Polish, European, Tusk’s, Western, Confederation, Democracy, European Union Locations: Warsaw’s, Poland, Warsaw, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Polish stocks rise in first session after parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Main WSE index WIG20 is seen through the WSE (GPW) logo at the Stock Exchange in Warsaw, Poland June 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGDANSK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Polish stocks rallied on Monday after the ruling nationalists looked to have fallen short of a parliamentary majority in Sunday's election, potentially opening the way for the opposition to form a government. The WIG index (.WIG) rose 2.9%, while the blue-chip WIG20 (.WIG20) was up 3.3%, led by banks. The Warsaw WIG bank index (.BNKI) jumped 5.7%. Reporting by Mateusz Rabiega; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kacper, Mateusz Rabiega, Alex Richardson Organizations: Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, GDANSK

☆ Poland's ruling nationalists ahead in election but short of majority -late poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Leader of Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party Jaroslaw Kaczynski, holds flowers during a speech after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party was ahead in a national election, an late exit poll showed on Monday, although it would fall short of a majority. The IPSOS late poll publish by Polsat News gave PiS 36.6% of votes, while the liberal Civic Coalition (KO) was in second place with 31% the centre-right Third Way was third with 13.5%, New Left had 8.6% and the far-right Confederation were on 6.4%. Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz and Alan CharlishOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Aleksandra Szmigiel, Pawel Florkiewicz, Alan Charlish Organizations: Law, Justice, REUTERS, Rights, Polsat News, liberal Civic Coalition, New, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), speaks after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. A late Ipsos exit poll published early on Monday gave PiS 36.6% of the vote, which would translate into 198 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. RECORD TURNOUTThe late exit poll had been delayed, and some commentators linked this to a record turnout of nearly 73%, the highest since the fall of communism in 1989. Tusk, 66, was jubilant following the announcement of the first exit poll results on Sunday. This is the end of the PiS government," he told party members.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Tusk, Donald Tusk's, Cezary Tomczyk, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudzinski, Brudzinski, Wladysław Kosiniak, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Lidia Kelly, Alan Charlish, Shri Navaratnam, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, EU WARSAW, European Union, Law, Justice, European, EU, TVN, Polish Peasants's Party, Local, Democracy, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Brussels, Europe, Wrocław, Gdansk, Melbourne

[1/4] People walk into Jerusalem's Old City via Jaffa Gate, as the conflict wreaks havoc across the tourism sector October 11, 2023. Now they are empty after a devastating attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7. InterContinental Hotels (IHG.L) said two of its hotels, Six Senses Shaharut and Hotel Indigo Tel Aviv – Diamond District, were temporarily shut. Australian tour operator Intrepid Travel has called off tours to Israel and Palestinian territories until the end of the year. Odysseys Unlimited has suspended its Israel trips until March 31.

Persons: Sinan Abu Mayzer, Abu Dawoud, Khader Hussein, Jesus, That's, Elias al, Dan Hotels, Isrotel, Dan, Israel, Joanna Plucinska, Steven Scheer, Doyinsola, Yadarisa, Josephine Mason, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Hamas, West Bank, Virgin, European, InterContinental Hotels, Indigo, Aviv, Diamond, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Arab Hotel Association, Intrepid, Odysseys, NEW, Thomson Locations: City, Jaffa, Rights BETHLEHEM, JERUSALEM, Bethlehem's, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, United States, European Union, Britain, Europe, Bethlehem, Tel, U.S, West, Australian, Egypt, Jordan, LONDON, Bengaluru

☆ Why Poland's election swing is not so clear cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsWhy Poland's election swing is not so clear cutPostedPolish voters have turned out in record numbers and seem to have ousted the country’s ruling nationalist party. It opens the way for opposition parties to take control of Warsaw and repair Poland's relationship with the European Union. But those who voted for change could have to wait until next year for it to happen. Sean Hogan explains.

Persons: Sean Hogan Organizations: European Union Locations: Warsaw

☆ Analysis: EUphoria! Poland election surprise spurs investor hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), delivers a speech after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. As Europe’s sixth-largest economy, a revitalised pro-EU attitude in Poland would be particularly welcome. The 66-year old Tusk and his pro-EU coalition allies may still have to wait weeks or even months though before getting a turn at forming a government. Duda has referred the issue at the heart of that row to a constitutional tribunal in Poland. The central bank though has slashed interest rates at its last two meetings as the election campaign burst into life.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Poland's, Daniel Moreno, Mirabaud, PiS, Moreno, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Robert Fico, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Viktor Szabo, Fitch, Szabo, Adam Glapinski, PiS ., Simon Quijano, Evans, Libby George, Karin Strohecker, Josie Kao Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, European Union, Law and Justice, European, EU, Brussels, PiS, Gemcorp, Ukraine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Brussels, Europe, EU, Slovakia, Britain, London

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), speaks after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. The incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over the rule of law, media freedom, migration and LGBT rights since it swept to power in 2015. An Ipsos exit poll published early on Monday gave PiS 36.6% of the vote, which would translate into 198 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. On Monday, Duda urged patience until the full election results were known. However, with the far-right Confederation seen winning just 6.4%, below expectations, according to the exit poll, PiS will struggle to forge a new government.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Donald Tusk's, Tusk, Lee Hardman, Andrzej Duda, Duda, PiS, Wladyslaw Kosiniak, Kamysz, beholden, Iga Frackiewicz, Lidia Kelly, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, EU, Justice, European Union, European, Polish Peasants ' Party, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Brussels, Europe, Polish, Wrocław, Gdansk, Melbourne

Partial results with two-thirds of the voting districts reporting their results also showed the opposition parties with a clear lead. The earlier results tend to come from rural areas and small towns, with large cities where opposition parties do better reporting their results later. The Ipsos poll showed that three centrist opposition parties that campaigned on a promise to reverse the illiberal drift of the government had together secured 249 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, or Sejm, a clear majority. “No matter how you look at it, we won,” Law and Justice campaign manager Joachim Brudziński said Monday in an interview on RMF FM radio. Even if the opposition parties take power, they will face difficulties in putting forward their agenda.

Persons: Ipsos, Viktor Orbán, Robert Fico, “, Magdalena Chmieluk, ”, Douglas Wake, Jacek Kucharczyk, ” Kucharczyk, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudziński, Andrzej Duda, Duda, haven't, Kamysz, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Elżbieta, Cezary Tomczyk, ” Tomczyk, Kucharczyk, Pietro De Cristofaro, Kwiyeon, Raf Casert Organizations: European Union, Law, Justice, Russia's, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Institute of Public Affairs, Associated Press, ”, RMF, Third Way, Civic Coalition, European, Third, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Poland's, Ukraine, Wroclaw, EU, Brussels, Berlin, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, Europe, Warsaw, Rome, Belarus

The Ipsos exit poll suggested that the opposition together has likely won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm. Law and Justice, according to the projection, obtained 200 seats, while the far-right Confederation got 12 seats. Votes were still being counted and the state electoral commission says it expects to have final results by Tuesday morning. Law and Justice won nearly 44% of the vote in 2019, but has been polling in recent weeks at more than 30%. In a sign of the emotions generated by the vote, more than 600,000 Poles registered to vote abroad.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Tusk, Jaroslaw Kaczynski Organizations: Justice, Law, Democracy, Poland, ”, Tusk's Civic Coalition, European Union, Votes, EU, Senate, Foreign Ministry Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Polish

☆ Poland votes in high-stakes election, as populist ruling group looks to cling to power
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

PiS has been accused by the EU and Polish opposition figures of dismantling Poland’s democratic institutions during its time in power. High inflation and the security of Poland’s borders have been front of mind for voters during the campaign. Developments will be closely watched in Kyiv, after a tense period that saw relations between the two close allies sour. Voters are electing members of both houses of Poland’s parliament, with 231 seats in the Sejm – Warsaw’s lower house – needed for a party to clinch power outright. But any messy power-sharing pact could ultimately increase the likelihood of another election being called in the near future.

Persons: Donald Tusk, PiS Organizations: CNN, European Union, Populist, Justice, EU, Soviet Union . Law, European, Confederation Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Soviet, Polish, Brussels, Berlin, Kyiv, Warsaw, Poland’s

☆ The Ukrainian draft dodgers who don't want to go to war against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukrainian men cannot leave the country under martial law and face being drafted into war service. He told Insider he's desperate to leave Ukraine to escape being drafted and had already attempted one escape. Bohdan's unit suffered significant casualties while stationed near Svatove and the Serebryansky forest, he told Insider, and he was one of the few who survived without injuries. "Young men at a checkpoint near the border told me not to bother trying," Artem told Insider. 80,000 Ukrainian men have crossed over to PolandA Ukrainian soldier who lost her leg in the fighting near Kherson.

Persons: —, Artem, Bohdan, didn't, he's, — it's, hasn't, Ukrainska, Anna Michalska, Odesa, Borysov, Costa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mytkalyk, Bolhan, Euronews Organizations: Service, National Guard of, AP, Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainska Pravda, The New York Times, Armed Forces, Poland's Border Guard, Polish Border Guard, Kyiv Post, Business, New York Times, The, Kyiv Independent, Times, Getty, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, National Guard of Ukraine, Svatove, Bohdan, Romania, Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro, Moldova, Poland, Ukrainian, Kherson, Verkhovna, Ukraine's, Polish, Marbella, Costa del Sol, London, Russia, Warsaw

☆ Poland holds high-stakes election amid rows over democratic rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Justyna Pawlak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Robert Biedron, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, Anna Maria Zukowska, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Adrian Zandberg and Magdalena Biejat of the New Left (Nowa Lewica) alliance gesture during the final day of campaigning for the parliamentary elections in Warsaw, Poland, October 13, 2023. Opinion polls suggest PiS will come out ahead but could lose its majority amid intensifying discontent over its democratic record, which has cost Poland billions of euros in EU aid, and concerns over women's rights and the cost of living. "This election will show whether Poland will be governed by Poles, or by Berlin or Brussels," PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told supporters at the party's last campaign rally on Friday. It has built its support on generous social handouts, which it says rival parties will stop. Tusk says his party would maintain social support.

Persons: Robert Biedron, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, Anna Maria Zukowska, Joanna Scheuring, Adrian Zandberg, Magdalena Biejat, PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Rafal Trzaskowski, Pawel Florkiewicz, Giles Elgood Organizations: New, Law and Justice, European Union, EU, NATO, liberal Civic Coalition, European, Warsaw, Confederation, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Slawomir, WARSAW, Ukraine, Washington, Kyiv, Berlin, Brussels, Skarzysko Kamienna, Kalisz

☆ Poles Are Voting in What Could Be Europe’s Biggest Election This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Thomas Grove | Karolina Jeznach | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WARSAW—Poles are set to head to the voting booths Sunday in what is likely to be Europe’s most important election this year—one in which a smaller upstart party has pulled the debate to the right by questioning how much longer Poland can throw its full support behind its neighbor Ukraine.

Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine

☆ 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

"Public media are paid for with our taxes in order to give citizens access to fair information. And that's particularly important at... election time," said Joanna Krawczyk from the German Marshall Fund, a think-tank. PiS says private media outlets such as Warner Bros' (WBD.O) TVN often distort public debate by representing foreign interests. This perceived bias in public broadcasting has exacerbated political divisions in Polish society. "When she watches TVP, he goes to the kitchen."

Persons: Kacper, TVP, Szalai, RSF, Joanna Krawczyk, KRRiT, PiS, Grzegorz Lewandowski, Donald Tusk, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Telewizja Polska SA, REUTERS, Sunday Government, WARSAW, Law and Justice, Media, German Marshall Fund, European Union, Civic Coalition, Reuters, Warner Bros, TVN, European Centre for Press, Media Freedom, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, TVP, Sochaczew, Hungary, Turkey, Russia

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