Poland’s GDP beats forecasts

Poland’s GDP growth rate has beat forecasts and was 1.7 percent in 3Q, according to the Central Statistical Office (GUS). more

Poland to send 1000 soldiers to Afghanistan

Poland is planning to increase troop deployment in Afghanistan by one thousand. more

Ukraine struggles to meet UEFA deadline ahead of Euro 2012

Ukraine's golden opportunity to host Euro 2012 comes with great expectations and high pressure from UEFA. But will the country be able to meet UEFA's looming deadline? more

Long lost film masterpiece discovered

A lost silent movie made in 1913 about the 1794 uprising has turned up in a house in Krakow. more

Ukraine famine documents released

Ukraine’s security services and the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) have released an English language collection of documents on the 1930s Great Famine in Ukraine. more

Patriot agreement to be signed Dec 10

An agreement to station Patriot missiles in Poland will be signed with the US on December 10 in Warsaw. more

Pole gets budget portfolio in Brussels

he EC has announced that Janusz Lewandowski will be the new Budget Commissioner in Brussels as of January next year. more

Russia decides who gets awards in Poland?

Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, can decide who Poland’s president is allowed to give awards to, it has been revealed. more

Will Belarusians destroy Polish heritage in Grodno?

Local government Grodno plans to raze about 200 historic buildings in the district of New World.

Who will force the Lithuanian-Poles to remove Polish signs?

Lithuanian bailiffs are to force the local authorities to remove the signs with names in Polish. An appropriate government regulation for the Solecznicki district is already signed. In this district Poles constitute about 80 percent of the total population.

Polish shop in Bristol attacked with acid

A Polish food shop, ‘Sklep Polski’, in Whitchurch, Bristol, had butyric acid thrown into it by hooligans on Tuesday. more

‘Stolen’ Christmas carol premiers in Sweden

A 17th century Christmas carol stolen by Swedish troops premieres in Stockholm. more

Polanski granted bail

A court in Zurich has granted Polish-French director Roman Polanski bail, reportedly set at three million euros. more

Brussels starts work on new 10-year economic plan

Don't they know how well 5-year and 10-year plans worked in Soviet Union and other communist countries? Isn't that a sign of a return of socialism?

The European Commission launched a public consultation period on Tuesday (24 November) on a new 10-year economic plan for the European Union. more

Polish Defense Minister to the Caucuses

Defense Minister Bogdan Klich is visiting the Caucuses region today, with stops in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. more

Apel o uhonorowanie polskich zakonnic ratujących Żydów

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EU-Ukraine summit to mark new chapter in relations

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU aims to give Ukraine a stern warning about financial and political reform at an upcoming summit, as the two sides head into a new, more pragmatic chapter in bilateral relations. more

Joint Polish-Ukrainian University

Poland and Ukraine have polished the details of a deal to be signed before the end of this year on a joint university. more

Poles want to elect their president

It is good to know that Poles do want to have a direct influence on their government. The big question is: will political "elite" listen? The current government seems to be more focused on changing the constitution then ... governing.

The vast majority of Poles do not want to give up the right to choose their president, rejecting Constitutional reforms suggested by Prime Minister Tusk, says a new opinion poll. more

Russia 'is now a criminal state'

Russia has now turned into a "criminal state", according to the man who was once its leading foreign investor. more

Rich Xmas in Poland, poor in Europe

The economic crisis has reduced Christmas spending throughout Europe, except Poland, where people plan to spend even more money on food and gifts than a year ago. more

NATO Secretary General in Warsaw

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is paying an official visit to Warsaw today, where he will meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and National Defence Minister Bogdan Klich. more

Poles protest US Stalin memorial plan

The Polish community in the United States is outraged by a plan to honour Josef Stalin by placing his bust on a pedestal at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. more

WWII vets, kin up in arms over display of Soviet dictator Stalin's bust at National D-Day Memorial

Polish investigators want Turkish JP II sniper

Polish investigators from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) are planning to interrogate Ali Agca, the Turkish citizen who is in Italian custody for the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. more

Moscow calls Poland’s foreign minister “a dwarf”?

Russian NATO ambassador Dmitry Rogozin says that Poland’s foreign minister has tried to halt closer cooperation between Moscow and the West and implied that Minister Sikorski is a “political dwarf”. more

The fact that Russia cares so much what minister of several times smaller country has to say means that it is very inconvenient to them. Russia's exercises of a nuclear strike on Poland should shock everybody. Also, it puts current NATO secretary in bad light.

Call for demolition of Polish palace

This building is not only an eyesore it is also a chip on our collective shoulder (I would prefer to say "chip on my b&$"). I would never miss this horrible building. What our liberal friends think? Is demolition of the "Palace of Culture" a politically correct thing to do?

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has repeated a call for the Palace of Culture and Science to be demolished. more

Polish Post Office issues Lost Masterpieces collection

Poland’s postal service has issued a series of stamps showing reproductions of famous paintings stolen from Poland during WW II. more

PGE, France cooperate on nuclear energy

The Polish Energy Group (PGE) has announced the signing of an agreement to cooperate on nuclear energy with Electricite de France (EdF). more

Putin to meet Tusk at Katyn site

Another friendly gesture toward the least deserving Russian politician who most likely will use this event to shift the blame most likely toward Poland.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is most likely to accept an invitation by PM Donald Tusk to visit the site in Russia of the 1940 Katyn massacre of Polish officers. more

Wystawa w Izraelu ma pokazać prawdę o Polakach

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New exhibition in Israel about Polish aid to the Jewish population in Małopolska

The aim of the presented in the Massuah Institute exhibition "Poles saving Jews during the Holocaust. Polish aid to the Jewish population in Małopolska, 1939-1945" is to present the profiles of the Poles who in 1939-1945, risking their own lives, helped Jews to escape death at the hands of Germans. more

Electric cars: Made in Poland

I was actually waiting to see a final product. I am disappointed. The car doesn't look good enough to spend 18,000 euro. [link]

A factory manufacturing electric cars has opened in Pruszkow, on the outskirts of Warsaw. The factory will produce a small, three-wheeled two-passenger vehicle called SAM. more

Poland gears up for EU summit

President Lech Kaczyński will participate in Thursday’s European Union summit, to decide on who will fill new key posts, created by the soon to be introduced Lisbon Treaty. more

Slovenia signs Russian gas deal

Slovenia has signed a deal with Russia for a massive gas pipeline from Russia to Europe to run through its territory. more

Soros tells EU to step up support for eastern states

Billionaire investor George Soros has said the European Union must do more to help its struggling eastern region, including a fast-tracking of member state applications to join the euro currency. more

Eastern states counter EU's secretive nomination process

As I said before (yesterday, day before ...) this process is bad. To say that "the process was being conducted with Soviet-style secrecy and contempt for the public" is to call it for what it is.

Eastern Europe is chipping away at the secretive nomination process for new EU posts created under the Lisbon Treaty, with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves formally throwing his name into the ring on Thursday. more

Health minister to be sued over swine flu jab?

Arrogance of the "political class" does not have any boundaries. It is scary to know that government official allows her opinions cloud her judgment.

Poland’s Ombudsman for Citizen’s Rights, is threatening to sue Health Minister Ewa Kopacz (right) for not providing anti-swine flu vaccines. more

Thumbs down Poland’s EU presidency proposal

The first real test for "new" EU is coming, and it doesn't look good.

Poland’s proposal for candidates for president of the EU to submit policy plans in advance have been rejected by the Swedish PM. more

Poland worried by Russian exercises

Poland has asked NATO to condemn recent Russian-Belarusian military maneuvers near the border. more

Sikorski alarmuje NATO ws. rosyjskich manewrów

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EU to name first permanent president on 19 November

It took just 2 weeks since last state signed Lisbon Treaty and France, Germany and UK are already trying to push through their vision of future EU. The one with back-room deals under cover of the night.

The Swedish presidency has called an EU summit on 19 November to decide on the bloc's new top appointments, with a Polish proposal to hold candidate hearings gaining limited acceptance. more

Polska przeciwna "koronacji" prezydenta UE

Poland: Independence Day

November 11 is Independence Day and a national holiday when Poland remembers gaining her independence in 1918 after over a century of partition. more

Uroczystości z okazji Święta Niepodległości

USA: Prasa krytykuje gazociąg "Ribbentrop-Mołotow"

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WSJ: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pipeline

The biggest political scandal of modern Europe is in the making. To Germany this project is more important then political and economic unity of EU. And where are Eco activists?

The Nord Stream project is part of an exclusionary agreement between Moscow and Berlin—nicknamed in circumvented Warsaw the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact." Russia's geopolitical message here is clear. But what sort of message does Germany intend to send to its neighbors? more

Obama nie chciał świętować zwycięstwa Republikanów???

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UE: Polska sprzeciwia się największym

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Interfax przeprosiła Sikorskiego za "błąd"

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Poland calls for job interviews for EU top appointments

Poland has made a bid to give smaller EU countries more power in the EU president selection process by calling for candidates to hold job interviews in front of the 27 EU leaders.
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Walesa for EU President?

While this commentary is not in any way friendly toward Lech Walesa I think the idea is excellent. I am tired of reading about back room dealings and grand standing by French, Brits, Germans and Italians. This man is a living legend. True, he was not the greatest president Poland ever had. Actually, he was disappointing. But, he also led his country in very difficult times without major failures. He has my vote.

Poland Hits Odd News Section by Proposing Walesa for EU President

Walesa starts the Berlin dominoes falling

I repoerted yesterday that Lech Walesa will be a part of Berlin's celebrations and that he will start a domino fall of a symbolic wall. So, yes he did, but I cannot find one picture from that moment. The only picture I found using Google News was on ... Chinese website (AP Photo). I did find plenty of pictures of Gorbachev, Brown and Sarkozy.

Former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa tipped the first large foam block in Berlin, Monday evening, unleashing a cascade of giant dominoes to symbolise the fall of the wall, twenty years ago. more

But I found something even better. See next post.

Interfax apologizes to Foreign Minister

Russia's Interfax news agency has apologized to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski for improperly citing the politician regarding alleged “Russian aggression.”
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History of Berlin Wall collapse on video

Thanks to Jim Vicevich who found it and posted it on his website we can show you this short video from ABC.

How a blunder finished off the Wall

Even after events in Poland, the fall of the Wall seemed unthinkable for most of 1989.

And the decision itself was an accident - intended neither to happen the way it did nor to spark off the tumultuous changes that followed. more

Timeline 89 - it began in Poland

As all eyes are on Germany today for the Berlin Wall celebrations, here is a timeline of events of the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, 20 years ago, which starts in Poland. more

Walesa to tip the first domino in Berlin

It is a nice gesture toward a leader of Polish freedom movement. Too bad president Obama derided to sit this one out, his presence would give those commemorations even grander scale.

Solidarity icon Lech Walesa will tip the first of a thousand of dominoes later today, lined up to symbolize the Berlin Wall. more

Polish voters in the US, Polonia, should ask their representatives why President of United States did not see those celebration as more important then selection of the venue for the next Olympic Games.

Poland should be warried and Russia should not be "bewildered"

Almost every news outlet reports that Russia is "bewildered" by Polish NATO statement. If you read the report you may even think that they may be right until you come to the line buried somewhere toward the end that tells you how big were the military games Russia and Belarus staged near Poland's border. 900 tanks. If that doesn't sound big, let me tell you that entire Polish military has 946 tanks.

Shifting the force of this size to the neighborhood of Poland should worry everybody!!! Especially since Russia doesn't border with Poland, only small enclave, Kaliningrad. Why would Russia do that? Last time I remember the "games" of this size near Poland was in 1980, SOLIDARITY, when they seriously considered invasion.

RFE/RL: Russian Deputy Says Polish Comments Could Hurt Relations more

Good, maybe relations Russia-NATO should also be revised.

Thompson 'talked out of support for Polanski' by 19-year-old student

When one of her fans realised that Thompson had signed a petition calling for the release of Roman Polanski – the film director recently arrested in Switzerland for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 – she was determined to talk the actress out of it.
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Emma Thompson już nie popiera Polańskiego wiecej

Poland may build missile shield with...France?

Right now it is a proposal of Polish and French arms manufacturers, but if it was approved it would be ironic to say the least. Both countries were lately snubbed by Obama administration and both try to build new alliances. Not long ago that would be almost impossible, for several reasons. But if it materializes that would mean that Poland finally lost its trust in the US.

Polish daily Polska: Missile shield built by Poles and French? Why not. The idea of such a shield has been submitted to the defense ministers of the two countries. The idea still needs to be translated into a specific project - explains in an interview Polish Defense Minister, Bogdan Klich.
Polish company Bumar and French MBDA are the authors of the project called "Polish Shield" that heralded the creation of medium-range anti-missile system, which, according to Klich could be an alternative to the Patriot missile system and complementary to the SM3 anti-missile shield.
According to Bumar's spokesman, the system is ready in 60%. Shield is composed of three layers: the medium-range missiles Aster 30, produces by French MBDA, a set of short-range missiles VL Mica also made by the French and Polish set of close range missile defense. Bumar needs two more years to complete its part of the production.
This would be more in line with the principle: more European in Europe, for the armed forces to be more efficient.

Poland votes against Israel war crimes investigation

Poland has joined the United States in voting against a UN resolution to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip
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Minister Sikorski powiedział otwarcie sojusznikom, co nam leży na sercu

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Russian politician slams Polish Foreign Minister

In light of the revelations that Russian practiced nuclear attack on Poland one would think that Polish government will react with harsh words. So, Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, asked for “strategic reassurance” from Washington. Now Russian propaganda is attacking him for things he supposedly said but I can't find reported anywhere except in Russia.

Konstantin Kosachev, a Russian MP, said that Radoslaw Sikorski’s statement about deployment of NATO troops in Poland is “unacceptable.” more

Tusk will join Berlin celebrations

Prime Minister Donald Tusk will go to Berlin on 9 November for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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Nord Stream – a threat to Poland?

Poland faces difficult times now that Finland and Sweden have green-lighted the planned Nord Stream Pipeline, says head of the Presidential Chancellery, Wladyslaw Stasiak.
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Sarkozy warns Visegrad countries not to make a habit of pre-summit meetings

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a swipe at Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who last week met ahead of the EU summit to talk through their positions on the topic of the day.
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In other words EU's big members (France, Germany and UK) are still angry about not being able to make those 4 countries, and few others from Eastern Europe, to pay substantially more then their share to fight global warming (in Africa).

Polish government greets GM announcement with relief

The Polish government has welcomed General Motor’s decision not to sell Adam Opel GmbH to the Canadians and Russians. more

US taxpayers should be happy too. The sale of Opel, GM division, to the Canadian-Russian group was in fact a sale to the Russian government. It also meant a massive transfer of advanced US technologies to that country.

French-Polish summit, Paris

Poland is rebuilding its alliances. It seems that after repeated snubs from Obama administration both Poland and France reached out to each other.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, accompanied by six ministers and two secretaries of state are in Paris today for a Polish-French inter-governmental summit. more

Sarkozy is increasingly reaching out to non-aligned states in an effort to extend France’s international influence. Poland is trying to find its place in Europe in face German-Russian political and economic alliance.

Poland urges EU meeting on Ukraine flu threat

Poland has asked the Swedish EU presidency to call an emergency session of EU health ministers to discuss help for Ukraine amid an explosive outbreak of flu.
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Klaus signature completes EU treaty ratification

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has finally signed the Lisbon Treaty, ending a highly drawn out ratification process that left many wondering whether the document's provisions would ever see the light of day.
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Sikorski's last day in Washington

On the last day of his visit to the United States, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is to meet with the national security adviser James Jones and, most probably, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
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Czech court gives green light to EU treaty

The Czech Constitutional Court has rejected a challenge to the EU's Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.
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Putin calls on EU to help Ukraine with gas bill

If anybody has any doubts that energy independence is important please read about Putin's new, we can now call it "annual", gas threat:

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the European Union to "open its wallet" and help Ukraine pay its gas bills on Monday, intensifying fears of a repeat of last winter's gas supply disruption.
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Donald Tusk apeluje do KE ws. epidemii grypy na Ukrainie

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Poznan promoted on CNN

The western Polish city of Poznan has started international promotional campaign on American owned cable tv station, CNN International. Campaign consist of 240, 30 sec., spots.

Tusk calls for EU action on Ukraine

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the European Commission for more help for Ukraine to fight off a possibly grave flu epidemic throughout the continent.
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Polanski offers cash for freedom

Roman Polanski’s lawyers have offered a substantial cash outlay and other guarantees in return for bail for the 76 year-old film director currently detained in Switzerland fearing extradition to the US.
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Poland sends aid to flu ravaged Ukraine

Aid is arriving in Ukraine from Poland to help combat the flu epidemic after 60 people died in just seven days.
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Putin in new Ukraine gas warning

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine might be having problems paying for gas, raising new concerns over European supplies.
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