Euro 2012 on track, insist Poland and Ukraine

Joint Euro 2012 hosts Poland and Ukraine on Sunday brushed aside concerns about their readiness for Europe's top football tournament, as the qualifying draw marked their first real-time test.

"It's three years since UEFA awarded the hosting of the 2012 European football championships to Poland and Ukraine," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

"These three years have been a period of hard work in both countries," Tusk told an audience of top officials from the continent's football governing body and its 53 national associations assembled for the draw.

"Euro 2012 infrastructure is being constructed, including stadia, airports, motorways and hotels," the ardent football fan and Sunday league player insisted.

Read more:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jTpXFPLAVGjC5fl2is75mmxNw7iA

Poland's Increased Social Benefits Increase Polish Unemployment

A new year’s increase in unemployment benefits caused unemployment to grow 0.9 per cent in January compared to December, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy said.

“Last year, from January to Decemer,” it was 1 percentage point,” Minister for Labor and Social Policy Ms Fedak said.

According to the ministry, unemployment went from 11.9 to 12.8 per cent.

“The increase is seasonal in nature, it’s difficult to predict anything, we have to wait until spring,” Ms Fedak said.

Read more: http://www.masterpage.com.pl/outlook/201002/social-benefits.html

Euro 2012 qualifying draw throws up England v Wales

The Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Warsaw got off to a mixed start with a less than tuneful performance from a Polish boyband.

However, when we finally reached the main event, those famous coloured balls did not disappoint with Andriy Shevchenko (who surely should have been voting in Ukraine’s election) helping dish out some fabulous encounters like England v Wales. Germany, Turkey and Austria are in the same group while Denmark, Norway and Iceland will also all meet.

Here’s the full draw. What do you reckon? England in the group of death? Interestingly, Armenia were switched from the same group as Azerbaijan on political grounds.

Read more:http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2010/02/07/euro-2012-qualifying-draw-throws-up-england-v-wales/

Al-Mutawakel calls Poland businessmen to invest in Yemen

Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakil discussed with the non-resident ambassador to Poland Adam Kułach commercial and economic cooperation between the two nations.

During the meeting, they discussed the importance of raising the commercial exchange between the two countries, while outlining their expectations for the private sector’s responsibilities in regard to such growth.

Al-Mutawakil graciously acknowledged the deep historical relations between the two nations, and stressed his desire to witness the strengthening of ties between their respective private sectors. He also called on Polish businesses and investors to turn their attention towards Yemen for new opportunities.

Read more:http://www.yobserver.com/business-and-economy/10018113.html

Polish Stocks Slump 12% From January Peak, Enter Correction

Polish stocks tumbled, driving the benchmark index down almost 12 percent from its January peak, as deepening concern over European sovereign debt dragged banks and commodity producers lower.

PKO Bank Polski SA, the country’s largest bank, slumped the most in five months and ING Bank Slaski SA retreated for a sixth day, posting the longest losing streak in a year. Bank Pekao SA, controlled by UniCredit SpA, declined to a three-month low.

The WIG20 Index sank 4 percent to 2,195.65, entering a so- called correction after falling 11.8 percent from its high on Jan. 20. The measure posted the steepest two-day retreat in a year as shares fell across Europe on concern Portugal, Spain and Greece will have difficulty curbing their budget deficits and as U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly rose.

Read more:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-05/polish-stocks-slump-12-from-january-peak-enter-correction.html

Debt troubles hit central Europe

Central European currencies softened and stock markets dropped on Friday as the region’s financial community reacted to the troubles experienced by the debt-laden economies of Greece, Portugal and Spain, but the overall impact of the turmoil in the eurozone was smaller than expected.

Unlike a year ago, when the region had been seen in danger of a meltdown due to the global economic crisis, investor interest in the more solid economies of central Europe such as Poland and the Czech Republic remained strong.

The Warsaw stock exchange's broad WIG index was down 3.29 per cent on Friday while the Prague exchange fell by 3.6 per cent. The zloty fell by 0.42 per cent to 4.09 against the euro.

Euro-denominated bonds were still in demand and Polish credit default swaps were 149 basis points, or $149,000 to insure $10m debt annually over five years, more than half of Greece, while Spain was 161bp. The Czech Republic was at 87bp, more or less the same as the UK, a G7 country.

Read more:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9925fa96-127b-11df-a611-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1

Lessons on "reproductive health" from Europe

Since the fall of Poland’s communist regime, maternal mortality in that country has plunged by more than 75%. Infant mortality is down by almost two-thirds, and the rate of premature births has dropped by well over a half. The reduction in premature births is important because premature children are prone to all sorts of medical and social afflictions. Perhaps the most serious of these is a much greater chance of being born with cerebral palsy than full-term babies.

Why has Poland made such strides in improving both maternal and infant health? Certainly not by spending a lot of money on “reproductive health services,” to use the preferred euphemism. Poland is a poor country, much poorer than either Canada or its immediate European neighbours. The money simply isn’t there for any lavish program to improve maternal and infant health. The only change that could have produced such a dramatic improvement is the documented decline in the induced abortion rate.

Since 1989, Poland has virtually banned induced abortion. According to official statistics, the annual legal abortion rate has plummeted from well over 100,000 in the 1980s to a few hundred in the 1990s, and that very low rate has been maintained up to the present. There is little evidence of a widespread resort to illegal abortion, nor have significant numbers of Polish women gone to other countries seeking abortions.

Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/02/05/ian-gentles-lessons-on-quot-reproductive-health-quot-from-europe.aspx#ixzz0ehKit9FX

Three groups bids to build Polish LNG terminal

Three groups including Italian, Korean and Polish builders placed initial offers to build Poland's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal estimated to be worth 600-700 million euros ($823-960 million).

Polskie LNG, the group overseeing the construction process, said on Friday the three consortia were: Polish PBG PBGG.WA with Italy's Saipem (SPMI.MI), Polimex MOSD.WA and Tecnimont MCTM.MI, and a group led by Daewoo Engineering and Construction, a unit of Daewoo International (047050.KS).

Read more:http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6140RM20100205

Poland Sees Chance for Orlen to Keep Lithuanian Refining Unit

PKN Orlen SA, Poland’s largest oil refiner, will probably reach a deal with Lithuania that will allow its Baltic unit to return to profit, avoiding a sale, Polish Deputy Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski said.

Orlen bought 84 percent of Mazeikiu in 2006 for $2.34 billion, a record investment by a Polish company abroad, fending off competition from rivals including Russia’s OAO Lukoil and OAO TNK-BP, as well as Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGaz.

After Orlen bought its first stake that year, the only oil refinery in the Baltic states stopped receiving Russian oil by the Druzhba pipeline because of a leak in Belarus. Orlen had to reverse the flow of a pipeline to the Butinge terminal, using it to import crude rather than export refined products

Read more:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-05/poland-sees-chance-for-orlen-to-keep-lithuanian-unit-update1-.html

Poland buys Israeli UAVs for use in Afghanistan

Poland has selected an Israeli tactical unmanned aerial vehicle for operations in Afghanistan.

The Polish Defense Ministry has reached agreement to purchase UAV systems from Israel's Aeronautics Defense Systems. Officials said the UAV would be deployed by the Polish military contingent of NATO in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_israel0085_02_04.asp

City tells of two Polands

This medieval city in central Poland is a split-screen picture of the wider country. On one side of the city is Radio Maryja with its daily rants about the threat that Jews, gays and the liberals in the European Union pose for Poland. Across the Vistula River, less than 2 miles away from Radio Maryja, is the Higher School of Hebrew Philology founded by a Franciscan monk. Here Catholic students learn Hebrew and study about the Jewish origins of Christianity in the hope that this will bring both faiths closer.

The sharp contrasts between the nation’s progressive youth and the far-right Catholic radio station with millions of loyal listeners is evident in this city of 200,000, known as the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

A crucifix hangs on the back wall of the classroom at the Higher School of Hebrew Philology. Beneath it stands a menorah -- an unusual sight in this predominantly Catholic country.

Read more: http://ncronline.org/news/global/city-tells-two-polands

Polish president condemns hero title award for Bandera

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has condemned Ukrainian President Victor Yuschenko's decision to confer the rank of a Hero of Ukraine to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), and to give OUN-UPA soldiers the status of fighters for Ukraine's independence, reads a statement posted on the Web site of the Polish president.

"The assessment of the activity of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in Poland is unambiguously negative. These organizations were involved in the mass killings of Poles in the eastern territories of the Second Rzeczpospolita [interwar Poland] when 100,000 people died. Poles were killed for being Poles. These crimes cause a protest in the Polish community," reads the statement.

Read more:http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/58755/

Polish Stocks Plunge; KGHM, Orlen, Telekomunikacja Decline

Poland’s WIG20 benchmark stock index plunged the most in four months as sliding commodity prices hurt earnings prospects for copper producer KGHM Polska Miedz SA and oil refiners PKN Orlen SA and Grupa Lotos SA.

Telekomunikacja Polska SA, Poland’s biggest telephone company, fell 11 percent, the most since its shares started trading in 1998, to 14.28 zloty. The bourse set a “theoretical” price for the shares after a “large” sell order went unfilled as the session closed, Anna Wisniewska, a spokeswoman for the bourse, told the PAP newswire.

Read more:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-04/polish-stocks-plunge-kghm-orlen-telekomunikacja-decline.html

Choice Hotels International ventures into Haiti, Poland

Silver Spring hotel franchiser Choice Hotels International is living up to its name, with recent announcements that it will proceed with plans to open two properties in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, plus enter the Polish hospitality market.

"Our strong international expansion continues to be a key driver of Choice Hotels future growth, and the addition of the Polish market strengthens our network of hotels throughout Europe," said CEO Stephen P. Joyce in a statement. "Choice continues to execute its strategic efforts on worldwide development and has identified Europe as a key market needed to achieve success."

The new properties are owned and managed by Polish real estate developer Hotel System, a subsidiary of Salwator Capital Group.

Read more: http://www.gazette.net/stories/02052010/businew181320_32561.php

Poland convicts man for imprisoning and raping daughter

A Polish court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for holding his daughter captive for six years, raping her and fathering two sons with her.

A spokesman for the court in Bialystok told Associated Press that Krzysztof Bartoszuk was found guilty of rape, sexual acts with a minor and abuse.

Bartoszuk admitting to having sex with his daughter, now 23, but argued it was with her consent.

Read more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8499361.stm

Polish banknote to mark Chopin anniversary

Poland's central bank Thursday announced the release of a special banknote commemorating the bicentenary of the composer Frederic Chopin's birth.

The NBP bank is to print 100,000 of the 20-zloty (five euro) notes featuring a picture of Chopin and sell them online for between 25 and 50 zlotys, the bank said in a statement.

Read more:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hQjqOM4jXrs2tb3YLB9xLS-WmGMA

Russia's Putin invites Tusk to Katyn massacre event

Russian PM Vladimir Putin has invited his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, to a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

It is the first Russian ceremony to mark the murdering by Soviet secret police of more than 20,000 Polish prisoners of war in April 1940.

The invitation is being hailed in Poland as a breakthrough that could lead to improved bilateral ties.

Mr Putin said he understood the significance of the massacre to Poles.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8497577.stm

Polish Priest Fingerprints Kids to Confirm Mass Attendance

Talk about keeping up with technology. The Pope recently urged his priests to go forth and blog and to use social networking sites to keep up with their flock, but a priest in Poland has already taken it one step further. He now fingerprints his flock.

The priest, who lives in Southern Poland has taken to fingerprinting school children to check if they have been attending mass regularly. If they’ve checked in the requisite 200 times over three years, then the kids are spared exams prior to their confirmations. The kids love the idea.

Read more:http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/02/03/polish-priest-fingerprints-kids-to-confirm-mass-attendance/

Arrest Warrant Issued in Auschwitz Sign Theft

A Polish court issued a European arrest warrant on Tuesday for a former neo-Nazi leader suspected in the theft of the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign at Auschwitz. Rafal Lisak, spokesman for Krakow’s district court, said that Anders Hogstrom, 34, of Sweden, was suspected of incitement to commit theft of a cultural treasure. The sign, whose words are German for “Work Sets You Free,” was stolen in December from Auschwitz in southern Poland. The sign was found three days later, and five Polish men were charged with its theft.

Read more:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/world/europe/03briefs-Poland.html

Intelenet comes up with new centre in Poland

Intelenet Global Services Pvt. Ltd. announced the launch of a new 150-seater centre in Krakow, Poland.

The centre is 35th global centre of Intelenet.

The company plans to increase the centre’s capacity to 500 seats within a year’s time. The centre will provide multilingual capabilities in German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish and is capable of handling all verticals with special emphasis on BFSI and travel sectors.

Rad more:http://www.telecomtiger.com/fullstory.aspx?passfrom=enterprisestory&storyid=8337

EU Comm: Poland Needs To Take More Action To Curb Deficit

Poland needs to make further sizeable consolidation steps to bring its budget deficit back below EU limits, but the European Commission won't be taking further corrective steps against the country, the EU's executive arm said on Wednesday.

Poland has until 2012 to bring its deficit back below the 3% of GDP limit stipulated by EU rules. Its budget deficit is expected to be around twice that level in 2010.

"Poland has taken action towards the correction of the excessive deficit within the time limits set by the Council," the Commission said in a statement.

Read more:http://imarketnews.com/?q=node/8168

G20 Needs Poland

Poland deserves to be part of G20, the Polish president said at a meeting with international diplomats on Tuesday. In fact, it’s fair to reverse that — G20 is incomplete without Poland and it’s in the group’s best interest to include it.

Lech Kaczynski backed up his assertion with statistics that say Poland is currently the world’s 18th-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product. It is probably the most optimistic count, with other rankings putting Poland somewhere between the 19th and the 21st place, and the International Monetary Fund putting it in the no. 21.

But the IMF figures are based on 2008. After 2009, when Poland was the only European Union country to have avoided a recession, and with its currency back on the strong side, it may well turn out that Poland sits firmly as the world’s number 18.

Read more:  http://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/02/03/g20-needs-poland/

Poland as Number One

Poland is the Cinderella of the world economy. A ruin of decayed communism 20 years ago, Poland by the late 90s was among Europe's fastest growing economies. In 2009 it was the only European economy to register growth.

What accounts for this miracle is inspired leadership, bold action, and persistence in implementing rigorous market based reforms.

It's easy to forget how bad things were in Poland in 1989. In the months before the Berlin Wall came down, Poland's chaotic command economy imploded. Shortages were rampant. There was hyperinflation. Led by the Solidarity trade union, people were in revolt. Forced to agree to Poland's first free elections in 40 years, the Communists lost and an elected non-Communist government took over. It was a tense and dangerous time where wild optimism was balanced by fear of Soviet intervention.

Read more:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-d-wood/poland-as-number-one_b_446408.html

Poland seeks arrest of Swede in Auschwitz theft

A Polish court says it has issued a European Union arrest warrant for a Swedish citizen suspected of involvement in the theft of the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at Auschwitz.

Rafal Lisak, spokesman for Krakow's district court, says the warrant was issued Tuesday for Anders Hogstrom, a Swede suspected of incitement to commit theft of a cultural treasure.

Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020200939.html

Zloty May Rally to Highest in 14 Months: Technical Analysis

The Polish zloty may gain to the strongest level since December 2008 against the euro in the next two months, according to analysis by Auerbach Grayson & Co. using so-called Fibonacci numbers.
The currency may appreciate to around 3.86 per euro, which would be the highest intraday level since Dec. 12, 2008. The level represents a 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement from a five-year low of 4.9307 on Feb. 17, 2009, and a record high of 3.2011 in July 2008, according to Richard Ross, a global technical strategist at Auerbach. The currency passed through the mid-point last month, signaling a “heightened level” for more gains, he said.

Read more:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-02/zloty-may-rally-to-highest-in-14-months-technical-analysis.html

Poland's nuclear plans take shape

While Germany is busy phasing-out its nuclear power plants in order to meet obligations made back in 2000 and Lithuania reluctantly shuts down its Ignalina nuclear plant due to its pre-accession pledge to the EU, Poland has been moving in quite a different direction.

The country's nuclear programme has been increasingly taking shape up as expectations for diminishing dependence on energy imports are high in Poland. In 2010, the government plans to convince the Poles that nuclear energy is a safe and environment-friendly source of energy. And, if everything works out, accessible 10 years from now.

The government rough aim is to launch the first nuclear plant in 2020, as starting from that year additional carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rights that the EU has accorded to the Polish energy sector will have expired. By this time, should Poland's industry remain as dependent on coal-generated energy as it is at present, energy prices would skyrocket and consequences for the economy could be grave.

On December 28, the largest state-controlled energy holding, Polish Group of Energy (PGE), registered a subsidiary company PGE Nuclear Energy, which has been set up to handle the government contract for the construction of two nuclear energy plants, with the first one projected to be launched in 2020 and the second one possibly in 2025. The estimated costs of building the two nuclear plants with a power output of 3,000 megawatts each is €18bn.

Read more: http://businessneweurope.eu/story1942/Polands_nuclear_plans_take_shape

Sweden, Poland urge sharp cuts in tactical nukes

The foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland on Monday urged the U.S. and Russia to sharply reduce their arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons, and said Moscow should withdraw such arms from areas bordering the European Union.

In an op-ed published on the Web site of the International Herald Tribune, Sweden's Carl Bildt and Radek Sikorski of Poland singled out Russian warheads placed in the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea and the Kola Peninsula of northwestern Russia.

"Such a withdrawal could be accompanied by the destruction of relevant storage facilities," the two ministers said.

Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020102877.html

Growth In Polish Manufacturing Activity Slows In January

Growth in Poland's manufacturing activity contracted in January compared to December, survey data released by Markit Economics showed Monday.

The headline HSBC manufacturing PMI stood at 51 in January, down from 52.4 recorded in the previous month. However, the PMI remained above its long-run trend of 49.5. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector, while below 50 suggests contraction.

Read more:http://www.rttnews.com/Content/EuropeanEconomicNews.aspx?Node=B2&Id=1196267

Polish Finance Minister’s Sin of Neglect

Poland is the only country in Europe to have come through 2009 without recession, Polish Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski boasts in today’s Wall Street Journal, and attributes the success to strong institutions, a large internal market and “well-designed economic policy” during the global financial crisis.

The minister didn’t explain what he meant by “strong institutions,” so we’re left guessing. A Finance Ministry which took more than half a year to draft a document called “a fiscal consolidation package” but best described as a set of vague election promises? A government that failed to cut red tape (although, paradoxically, its success over the past two years has been its inability to come up with any significant overhaul to mess things up further)? The financial watchdog too weak and understaffed to fight stock market manipulators and inside traders?

Read more:http://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/02/01/polish-finance-ministers-sin-of-neglect/

The 'Secret' of Poland's Success

Warsaw stuck to its belief in free-market principles throughout the financial crisis and economic downtown, and has the performance to show for it.

Poland is the only country in Europe to have come through 2009 without recession. What is more, growth was about 1.5%, which is the trend rate of the euro-zone countries, though well below Poland's own potential. How can we account for Poland's success, and what lessons should we draw from it?

Several factors account for the country's performance: strong institutions, a resilient economic structure, and well designed economic policy during the crisis. High levels of trust in the government ensured that statements by politicians about the strength of economic fundamentals and of the financial system were believed.

Read more ($):http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704375604575022863718985470.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

European Online Retail Sales Up

Online retail sales in Europe are set to jump 20 percent this year, far outstripping growth in store-based sales as countries like Poland, France and Spain catch the Internet shopping bug, according to new research.

The Centre for Retail Research (CRR), in a report commissioned by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, said on Monday online retail sales were likely to grow 19.6 percent to 172 billion euros (150 billion pounds) in 2010, following 22 percent growth last year.

The CRR forecast online sales growth would be fastest in Poland, up 36 percent, followed by France, up 31 percent, and Spain, up 25 percent, as they catch up with more mature markets like Britain, Germany and Nordic countries.

Read more:http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/01/31/business/business-uk-europe-retail-online.html