Poland is Cruising for a Bruising; US Eating Its Own Vomit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he cannot comprehend the need "to create the impression as if Poland is bracing itself against Russia." This new development has not seen official Russian government comment beyond Mr. Lavrov.

Poland seems to be bound and determined to make itself a flashpoint for another world war, just like the last one. What Hitler failed to do during the Great Patriotic War, the US seems determined to make up for and reverse. The only thing Poland is accomplishing is to make itself the ground zero, primary first strike target in any conflict.

Back in the US, there is still massive wasteful spending on overseas wars and adventurism while the US population has once again sunk into a mire of stupification. It seems the Obama phenomenon was only a brief shooting star whose light is now extinguished. The power broker elites have reasserted themselves.

Read more:http://newsfromrussia.com/opinion/columnists/22-01-2010/111786-poland_cruising_bruising-0

Born the Same Year; Similarities End There

CHOPIN and Schumann, whose bicentenaries the classical music world celebrates this year, have long been linked as pioneers of Romanticism, in part because of the shared year of their births. Yet they were quite different creative artists who had little personal contact and moved mostly in separate circles.

Frédéric Chopin, the son of a French immigrant to Poland and a Polish mother, studied music in Warsaw until, at 20, he set out to further his career elsewhere. He never returned to his native land. The outbreak of the November uprising in Warsaw in 1830 provoked Russia to crack down on Poland. Chopin spent most of the rest of his life in Paris, where he was one of many Polish expatriates. Robert Schumann, born in Zwickau, Germany, lived and worked mostly in German cities, especially Leipzig.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/arts/music/24schumann.html

Poland to seek assurances over euro entry

Poland will seek assurances that the euro zone is ready to take in new countries, which it wants included in the European Union's 10-year economic policy plan to be published this year, a Polish diplomat said on Friday.

The demand may signal Polish fears that some euro zone countries are reluctant to let more countries adopt the euro in the wake of the economic crisis to avoid a possible repeat of problems caused for the currency area by Greece's ballooning budget gap.

As the economic crisis struck, Poland abandoned its plan to join the euro in 2012. Officials now talk about 2015 as the earliest euro adoption date for Poland, the biggest ex-communist member of the EU. The Polish diplomat also said the country would like to change the way the EU calculates the budget deficit so it could meet a fiscal criterion to adopt the euro more easily, a request likely to face stiff opposition.

"The EU's 2020 strategy ... should say that we should finish enlargement of the euro area," said the senior diplomat, who asked not to be named.

Read more:  http://www.forexpros.com/news/interest-rates-news/poland-to-seek-assurances-over-euro-entry-diplomat-114791

Polish Telecommunications Market Near Saturation - Study

Poland's telecommunications market is showing signs of saturation, with more than 95% of adults owning a telephone, telecommunications market regulator UKE said Friday citing a report it commissioned from pollster PBS.

Read more ($):http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100122-708270.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesEurope

Belarus harrasses Polish minority

Security forces have attempted to occupy the headquarters of a cultural house of the Polish minority near the Belarusian capital Minsk, arresting 40 people.

The liberal Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza is outraged:

“Polish policy towards Belarus is being put to a hard test. As an answer to the EU’s gesture of friendship to Minsk which came about largely thanks to Warsaw’s initiative, President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime has carried out reprisals against Andżelika Bory.

Read more: http://baltic-review.com/2010/01/22/belarus-harrasses-polish-minority/

Polish jobless seen at 12.8 by end-2010

Poland's unemployment rate will likely stand at above 12 percent in January, up from a probable level of 11.9 percent in December, and may hit 12.8 percent at the end of 2010, the Labour Ministry said on Friday.

"We see a big move in labour offices... The unemployment rate will likely stand at above 12 percent (in January) but it will be a temporary jump," Deputy Labour Minister Czeslawa Ostrowska told Reuters.

The unemployment rate, which traditionally rises in winter when many seasonal jobs disappear, usually falls at the start of spring.

"Winter months are usually a time of stagnation on the labour market, but since we don't have any information about big group layoffs, the jump is just a seasonal one," said Ostrowska.

Read more:http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Polish-jobless-seen-at-128-by-end-2010-2010-01-22T104435Z-UPDATE-2

Moscow Reacts to US Missile Plans in Poland

Russia has reacted to the planned deployment of American missiles in Poland, saying it is simply a matter between Washington and Warsaw. A battery of Patriot missiles, and 100 US military personnel are due to be operational by June, after a deal was signed late last year. The base near the town of Morag will be just 60 kilometres from the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Read more:http://www.euronews.net/2010/01/22/moscow-reacts-to-us-missile-plans-in-poland/

Polish President Supports Georgia's EU, NATO Ambitions

Poland's president has reiterated he supports Georgia's aspirations of NATO membership and closer ties with the European Union.

Lech Kaczynski made the remarks at a press conference during a two-day official visit to Prague.

Responding to a question by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, Kaczynski said he had done his best for Tbilisi in the run-up to NATO's 2008 Bucharest summit.

At that meeting, the alliance pledged that Georgia and Ukraine would one day join, but did not put them on an immediate path to membership.

"It is known that I'm a supporter of these Georgian ambitions," Kaczynski said. "Let's take its Euro-Atlantic ambitions first. Why am I in favor? Because, despite all its weaknesses, NATO is a guarantor and an exporter of relative stability. It's a region that for a lot of reasons needs to be stabilized."

Read more:http://www.rferl.org/content/Polish_President_Supports_Georgias_EU_NATO_Ambitions/1936187.html

Poland is Comfortable Without Bailouts

Governments across Europe are having to weigh their finances against demand from voters and companies for government help through the downturn. But not in Poland, where the government has offered relatively little help but hasn't suffered a political backlash.

That's a testament both to Poland's relative economic strength during the downturn and a cultural shift as a more business-friendly generation comes of age.

Poland's government hasn't ratcheted up spending significantly amid the downturn, according to Eurostat. As a percentage of GDP, government spending was at 43% in the second quarter of 2009, slightly higher than a decade low of 40.1% in the fourth quarter of 2007 but lower than 50.1% in Hungary, 58.7% in Greece and 55% in Finland. Since the second quarter, the latest Eurostat data available, Poland's ratio may have edged down as economic growth has picked up.

Read more:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575016912721920660.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Auschwitz sign Arbeit Macht Frei is returned

The infamous Arbeit Macht Frei sign at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Poland - stolen last month and quickly recovered - has been returned.

Police handed the damaged wrought iron sign to officials at the camp's museum and they will now try to restore it.

The museum said it was not yet clear if the sign, which thieves cut into three pieces, will be put back in place.

Read more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8473025.stm

Poland’s Embassy concerned over detention of Union of Poles activists

The Embassy of Poland in Minsk expresses its concern over the mass detention of activists of the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus.

“The Embassy is concerned over the situation with the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus and escalation of the conflict, initiated by the authorized Union of Poles led by Iosif Luchnik. All arrangements on status quo of the organization are in question now,” BelaPAN quotes the statement of the Polish diplomatic mission in Minsk.

The Embassy will inform the Polish Foreign Ministry on mass detentions of activists of the unofficial Union of Poles.

We remind that activists of the unofficial Union of Poles were detained in Belarus on January 21. The people coming to support the head of the Polish House in Ivyanets and not to allow the authorities to take away the building were detained. Dozens of people have been detained.

Read more:http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2010/1/21/25594/

Patriots under scrutiny: three views on missiles in Poland

Under amended plans, the Patriot missile launchers, designed to shoot down planes and cruise missiles, are to be placed just 100 kilometers from the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.

This is in compensation for US President Barack Obama’s decision last year to shelve a long-range missile interceptor scheme for Central Europe that had infuriated Russia.

This could mean a new twist in the fiery US-Russia missile dispute.

Political analyst Vladimir Kozin sees this as threat to Russia’s interests.

Read more:http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-01-21/patriots-scrutiny-poland-missiles.html

Stolen Auschwitz sign to return to museum

A Polish official says the famous Nazi sign stolen from the former Auschwitz death camp is being returned to the museum there a month after its theft and swift recovery.

Auschwitz spokesman Pawel Sawicki said police will hand over the badly damaged "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign to the Auschwitz museum on Thursday. Conservation experts will then determine how best to repair it.

Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012100830.html

Russia responds to U.S. missile plans for Poland

Russia will strengthen its Baltic fleet in response to U.S. plans to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed senior navy official.

"The surface, underwater and aviation elements of the Baltic Fleet will be strengthened," RIA quoted the unidentified Russian navy official as saying.

The United States is dispatching the missiles to Poland after dropping an earlier plan to deploy interceptor missiles in the NATO nation as part of an anti-missile system in Europe.

"In connection with the plans to install the Patriots on Polish territory in the next 5 to 7 years, there may be significant changes in the approach to define the tasks and the military potential of the Baltic Fleet," RIA quoted the same source as saying.

A spokesman for the Russian navy declined to comment.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60K11620100121

Air France-KLM deny interest in troubled Polish airline

Air France-KLM the French-Dutch airline has been quick to deny an apparent interest in troubled Polish airline, LOT.

One Polish national daily reported their interest only for a Air France-KLM spokesperson to respond with a flat denial of such a move.

Read more: http://www.euronews.net/2010/01/20/air-france-klm-deny-interest-in-troubled-polish-airline/

Polish Pipeline Operator's Management Board Reshuffled

Shareholders in Polish gas pipeline operator EuRoPol Gaz Wednesday reshuffled its management board, Polish gas monopoly Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA (PGN.WA)

Read more ($): http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100120-712020.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

LOT Polish Airlines Privatization Not Seen Before 2011

Three bidders, including a major international airline, have indicated their interest in participating in the privatization of Poland's troubled flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines, but privatization is not scheduled before 2011, Polish treasury ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.

Read more:http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100120-705122.html?mod=WSJ_Deals_LEFTLatestHeadlines

Your Ché Guevara T-shirt can land you in jail

Evocative symbols of Europe’s troubled past, such as the swastika, have long been illegal in countries across the continent. But now Poland has gone one step further, revising its criminal code to include a ban on symbols of communism. Poles can now be fined or even put in prison if they are caught with a red star, a hammer and sickle, or even a Ché Guevara T-shirt.

To some, it may seem like a natural reaction for a country that suffered so much under the Soviet Union. There are exemptions for artists, educators, and collectors. But the ban doesn’t sit well with the younger generation of Poles, many of whom see communism not as a threat but as a source of satirical fun and creativity.

Read more:http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0120/Poland-Your-Che-Guevara-T-shirt-can-land-you-in-jail

Russian Dailies See Gas Crisis in Poland

It was almost exactly one year ago that Poland began talking with Russia to increase deliveries of natural gas after a Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute eliminated one Russian-linked trader from the market.

Unlike mainland Russia’s neighbors Ukraine and Belarus, Poland pays a good buck for its gas — the price is the regular Western European average that Russia sees at $325 per 1,000 cubic meters this year.

So if you sell at a profit, you will quite quickly agree to sell more, right? Wrong. Russia wants to kill several birds with one stone and Poland wants to keep some of those birds alive, so no deal yet.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/01/20/russian-dailies-puts-two-and-two-together-result-twenty-two/

Poland to move U.S. Patriots closer to Russian border

U.S. Patriot missiles will be stationed in northern Poland about 60 miles (100 km) from the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad rather than near Warsaw, the Polish defense minister said on Wednesday.

Polish Radio cited Bogdan Klich as saying the decision to set up a Patriot site in the outskirts of the town of Morag, which is much closer to the Russian border than Warsaw, does not bear any considerations of a strategic nature.

"In Morag we could offer the best conditions for American soldiers and the best technical base for the equipment," Klich said.

Poland and the United States signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) last December laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil.

Read more:http://en.rian.ru/world/20100120/157628621.html

Poland to increase wind energy capacity 26-fold

Poland is expected to increase its total wind power capacity 26-fold by 2020, according to the European Wind Energy Association’s (EWEA) latest figures.This jump will catapult Poland into the category of the foremost wind energy producers in the EU by 2020, after Germany, Spain, the UK, France and Italy.

Although Poland’s current total installed capacity of 472 MW is significantly smaller than many other European countries, Poland is already leading the EU’s newer member states in the production of wind power electricity. In 2008, wind covered a 0.5% share of the country’s electricity consumption, but by 2010 this should rise to 2.3%, the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) says.

Read more:http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=3509

Polish cbanker: no monetary policy change for now

There is no need to raise Polish interest rates for the time being, a new member of the central bank's Monetary Policy Council (MPC) said on Wednesday.

In one of his first public comments on rates since being appointed to the MPC last week, Jerzy Hausner told Reuters: "I see no reasons for any rapid change in monetary policy."

Analysts polled by Reuters expect the MPC to start raising rates from an all-time low of 3.5 percent only in the second half of 2010 as Poland's economic recovery gathers pace.

Inflation, which stood at 3.5 percent in December, is expected to ease in coming months towards the central bank's target of 2.5 percent.

Read more:http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Polish-cbanker-no-monetary-policy-change-for-now-2010-01-20T105844Z-UPDATE-2

US missiles for Poland

THE Polish Defense Ministry says a battery of US Patriot missiles will be stationed in northern Poland in April.

Ministry spokesman Janusz Sejmej said Wednesday that a base with up to eight launch pads and manned by some 100 US troops will be installed in the town of Morag.

The Patriot defense missiles will be used to train the Polish military.

Read more:http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_479917.html

Poland vows support for Ukraine's EU bid

Following the smooth and transparent conduct of the first round of presidential elections in Ukraine on 17 January, the Polish authorities stated that no matter who wins, the democratic process shows that Ukraine is well on the road to EU membership.

In the run-off, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who played a key role in the November 2004 'Orange Revolution', will compete with Russophile frontrunner and former President Viktor Yanukovich (EurActiv 18/01/10).

International election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) claimed that "the first round of the 2010 presidential poll had been of 'high quality' and showed significant progress from previous polls," Reuters reports.

Poland strongly supports both EU and NATO membership for its large eastern neighbour. Russia sees Ukraine as part of its sphere of influence and is especially opposed to former Soviet republics joining NATO, its Cold War foe.

Read more: http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/poland-vows-support-ukraine-eu-bid/article-189093

Statement explaining rationale behind the closure of the Polish Institute in Sofia

The decision on the discontinuation of the Polish Institute in Sofia will in no way be detrimental to maintaining a substantial and significant cultural presence in Bulgaria. Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently reviewed the network of Polish Institutes across the globe and attempted to re-examine their roles in the contemporary geopolitical reality. The analysis proved that the Polish Institute in Bulgaria, having served its purpose, can no longer function on the basis of the old rules. Poland continues to attach great importance to relations with Bulgaria and it would be a gross misrepresentation to interpret the discontinuation of the activities of the Polish Institute in Sofia in the previous format as in any way reflecting an intension to give less prominence to our mutual relations. Quite the contrary, no changes will be made to the scope of cooperation, the adjustments being confined to the institutional framework through which the relevant activities are conducted.

Read more:http://www.isria.com/pages/20_January_2010_13.php

Man Who Shot Pope Released From Prison

The Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison on Monday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed that he was a messenger of God and that the world will end in this century.

Mehmet Ali Agca, 52, waved to journalists as he left the prison in a convoy of several vehicles. Turkish authorities plan to monitor him closely because of long-standing questions about his mental health. Agca's hair was gray and he wore a blue sweatshirt.

Agca shot John Paul on May 13, 1981, as the pope rode in an open car in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm, but the bullets missed vital organs. John Paul met with Agca in Italy's Rebibbia prison in 1983 and forgave him for the shooting.

Read more:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583251,00.html

Polish cbank head: curbing deficit harder than CPI

Bringing Polish inflation down to the level required for euro adoption will be easier than pushing the fiscal deficit below 3 percent of gross domestic product, central bank head Slawomir Skrzypek was quoted on Tuesday as saying.

Warsaw aims to adopt the euro as soon as possible, but the economic slowdown has pumped up the budget deficit while inflation did not ease. This had put Poland in breach of all but one of the European Union's criteria for euro entry.

"Bringing inflation to the level required by the Maastricht criteria will not be a problem," Skrzypek told daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna in an interview. "It will be much harder to bring the general government deficit down to below 3 percent of GDP."

Read more:http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=7711602&subject=markets&action=article

PM Tusk is Frontrunner for Polish President

Poland’s prime minister is currently the favourite candidate to win the first round of this year’s presidential election in the country, according to a poll by GfK Polonia published in Rzeczpospolita. 27 per cent of respondents would vote for Donald Tusk of the Civic Platform (PO) in the next ballot.

Incumbent president Lech Kaczynski of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) is second with 16 per cent, followed by independent Andrzej Olechowski with 10 per cent. Support is much lower for Right of the Republic (PR) leader Marek Jurek, Self-Defence of the Polish Republic (SRP) leader Andrzej Lepper, current deputy prime minister and economy minister Waldemar Pawlak, and left-wing candidate Tomasz Nalecz.

In the October 2005 presidential election, Kaczynski defeated Tusk in a run-off with 54.04 per cent of the vote.

Rad more:http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/34879/pm_tusk_is_frontrunner_for_polish_president

Poland Refuses Swine Flu Vaccine

The decision seemed fraught with risk: a government refusing to import swine flu vaccines amid worldwide warnings of a spreading epidemic.

But Poland did just that, becoming the only country worldwide known to reject the vaccines over safety fears and distrust in the drug companies producing them - concerns international health experts reject as unfounded.

Now that the current outbreak appears to have peaked in much of Europe, many Poles feel their government has been vindicated: Countries with large stockpiles often saw low public interest in the vaccines and face financial loss from unused doses now set to expire. But Poland's government didn't spend a cent fighting the epidemic.

All along, the decision by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Health Minister Ewa Kopacz met with broad support. Even with 145 swine flu deaths in Poland to date, many Poles view the rejection of the vaccines as a laudable gesture of defiance against pharmaceutical companies, sentiment shaped by a strengthening anti-vaccine movement and conspiracy theories about the vaccines circulating on the Internet.

Read more:http://www.dddmag.com/news-Poland-Refuses-Swine-Flu-Vaccine-11910.aspx

Poland ready to increase Afghan troops

Poland's foreign minister has said his country is willing to commit more troops to Afghanistan and criticised other European nations for excluding their forces from combat missions.

Radek Sikorski said Poland "wants to be seen as a nation that stands by its allies" and was ready to expand its presence if asked.

"We will be at 2,600 by April and 400 additional troops on standby, which we will deploy if there is a need to strengthen security," he said.

Poland assumed responsibility for security in the volatile Ghanzi province in eastern Afghanistan in October 2008.

Mr Sikorski expressed his frustration over caveats used by other nations, including Germany, that often exclude their forces from combat operations in Afghanistan.

Read more:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/7011289/Poland-ready-to-increase-Afghan-troops.html

Voting in Ukraine's presidential election running without violations in Poland

Polling in Ukraine's presidential election is taking place without violations, members of precinct election commissions in Warsaw and Lublin have told UKRINFORM correspondent.

“The election is running calmly, without incidents,” says Olena Kaplysh, a deputy chairperson of Warsaw's precinct election commission. A total of 27 persons out of 1,759 registered in electoral lists have voted as of 10.00 a.m., Kyiv time, and 14 persons have entered in the lists.

Read more: http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=11917&lang=en

Polish Prime Minister wins 2010 Charlemagne prize

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was Saturday named the winner of the 2010 Charlemagne prize, awarded in recognition of his work for furthering liberty and democracy in Europe.

Tusk played a key role "in the defeat of anti-European nationalism, not only in Poland", and worked to develop "the understanding and cooperation of Poland with its European partners", a statement from the prize organisers said.

The Charlemagne Prize is a prize for distinguished service on behalf of European unification.

Tusk, 52, has been Poland's prime minister since November 2007 and was a strong supporter of the ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by Poland.

Past recipients of the prize include Bill Clinton, Vaclav Havel, the euro currency -- represented by the European Central Bank -- and Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who oversaw the drafting of the European constitution treaty.

Read more:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hWgAciTKOik2DxgX8rKw4xFDhYgQ