Poland ratifies SOFA deal on U.S. troop presence

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has ratified the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the U.S., laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil, his administration said, according to Ria Novosti.

According to the SOFA, about 100 U.S. troops will service up to eight U.S. Patriot missile launchers that are to be integrated into Poland's national security system.

"The Polish president ratified the February 12 bill on ratifying the SOFA agreement, signed in Warsaw on February 11, 2009," the presidential administration said in a statement.

Read more: http://finchannel.com/news_flash/World/59304_Poland_ratifies_SOFA_deal_on_U.S._troop_presence/

Russian, Polish clerics agree to reconcile two nations

Russian and Polish clerics have agreed to draw up a document on the reconciliation of the two nations in a bid to put an end to long-standing tensions in Russian-Polish relations, a press-secretary of the Polish Catholic Bishops Conference has said.

The agreement was reached during a Friday meeting of hieromonk Philip Ryabykh, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, and the Polish senior cleric, Archbishop Henryk Muszynski, in the Polish capital of Warsaw.

"As representatives of Christian churches, we are strongly concerned with the fact that in modern conditions, despite developed mass media, much animosity and enmity between the two nations still exist," the Russian cleric said.

Muszynski said in his turn there were no obstacles to the reconciliation of Poles and Russians in the present, adding "problems appear when we speak about history."

Read more:http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100227/158029853.html

Belarusian Poles urge Warsaw to stop discrimination against Polish nationals in Belarus

Belarus citizens of Polish nationality call upon Poland authorities to stop pursuing a discriminating policy against their compatriots, reads their open address sent to the president, the marshals of the two chambers of the Polish parliament, and the prime minister of Poland.

“We urge you not to divide Poles into yours and theirs. In the multinational Belarus all peoples are treated as plenipotentiary citizens of their own country regardless of nationality and faith,” reads the address. “We state that Andzelika Borys and her small circle are not authorized to represent interests of the Polish minority that live in Belarus. These people discredit themselves by breaking our country’s laws, by constant attempts to stir up conflicts among Poles”.

Read more:http://law.by/work/englportal.nsf/0/D44310B24A1C66F9C22576D6004D34C9?OpenDocument

Poland throws bash for Chopin's 200th

The stirring strains of Frederic Chopin's music are reverberating across the world as music lovers celebrate the composer's 200th birthday this year -- from the château of his French lover to Egypt's pyramids and even into space.

But nowhere do celebrations carry the powerful sense of national feeling as they do in Poland, the land of his birth, where his heroic, tragic piano compositions are credited with capturing the country's soul.

"Fryderyk Chopin is a Polish icon," said Andrzej Sulek, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw. "In Polish culture there is no other figure who is as well-known in the world and who represents Polish culture so well."

Perhaps nothing better conveys Chopin's importance -- literally -- than his heart. It is preserved like a relic in an urn of alcohol in a Warsaw church.

Read more:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-chopin26-2010feb26,0,6774498.story

Polish ISAF reserve ready for Afghanistan mission

An almost 200-strong reserve unit to reinforce Poland's ISAF force in Afghanistan is ready for the mission, local media reported on Thursday.

A symbolic farewell ceremony for the troops took place Wednesday in a military complex in the Warsaw suburb Wesola.

In his address to the men, Deputy Defense Minister Stanislaw Komorowski reminded that Afghanistan was "a priority for all NATO allies."

"European and U.S. security is linked to the situation in Afghanistan. We must all remember that the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington were planned in this Taliban-ruled country, " Komorowski said.

Read more:http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6903084.html

Poland Central Bank Sees Economy Growing 3.1% In 2010

Poland's central bank projects the Polish economy to grow 3.1% this year but expects growth to slow to 2.9% in 2011.

The National Bank of Poland said in its latest inflation report on Friday that the economy grew 1.7% in 2009.

Read more:http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1223880&SMap=1

EP Delegation Heads To Minsk Amid Ongoing Row Over Polish Group

A European Parliament delegation is due in Belarus today for a three-day fact-finding mission.

The visit comes amid strained ties between Belarus and the European Union over Minsk's treatment of its ethnic Polish minority.

The delegation is expected to meet government officials, as well as representatives of the opposition and civil society.

Based on its findings it will issue a report expected to be key for an upcoming European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Belarus.

Read more:http://www.rferl.org/content/EP_Delegation_Heads_To_Minsk_Amid_Ongoing_Row_Over_Polish_Group/1968245.html

Polish court defends Jaruzelski's pension

A Polish court says a government move to slash the pensions of communist leaders who imposed martial law in 1981 was illegal.

The government has halved the pensions of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, Poland's last communist leader, and eight other officials who imposed martial law between 1981 and 1983 in an attempt to crush the Solidarity movement.

But Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled the move violated the constitution. It said the portion of the pensions earned during the crackdown itself could be cut but the rest could not.

Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022501486.html

Polish PKN swings to $102 mln Q4 net profit

Poland's leading refiner PKN Orlen PKNA.WA swung to a worse-than-expected profit of 302 million zlotys ($102 million) in the fourth quarter, as one-off gains helped to offset poor operating conditions, the refiner said on Thursday.

PKN's Oct-Dec net profit came in below 315 million zlotys seen by analysts and significantly above the last year's net loss of 4.9 billion zlotys, when massive one-offs tied to impairment charges, dropping oil prices and the weakening zloty hit results.

Read more:http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE61N27O20100225

Lower pensions to communist leaders ruled unconstitutional

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled Wednesday that it was unconstitutional to slash pensions for ex-Communist leaders who orchestrated a crackdown on the Solidarity labour union in the 1980s. Former Polish General Wojciech Jaruzelski - who declared martial law in 1981 to crack down on dissidents - was among nine former members of the Communist government who saw their pensions halved by the law that took effect January 1. Jaruzelski's pension was lowered from 8,500 zloty (2,870 dollars) to 4,500 zloty, Polish Radio reported. Those pensions will now be paid up in full, as they were before the law took effect.

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/311014,lower-pensions-to-communist-leaders-ruled-unconstitutional.html#ixzz0gTKmX2K3

Polish c.bank holds rate unchanged, as expected

Poland's central bank kept its main interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, in line with market expectations given a backdrop of growth that is only just beginning to accelerate while inflation may ease.

The rate stands at an all-time low of 3.5 percent.

The Polish zloty and bonds were unchanged immediately after the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) decision, which had been anticipated by all 28 analysts polled by Reuters earlier in February.

The decision was "backed by uncertainty over the sustainability of the economic recovery and the expected fall of inflation in upcoming months," said Maja Goettig, chief economist at Bank BPH.

Read more:  http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Polish-cbank-holds-rate-unchanged-as-expected-2010-02-24T114416Z-UPDATE-1

Relatives left in dark after Polish man detained at YVR

A Kamloops, B.C., couple spent six hours at Vancouver International Airport Sunday wondering what had happened to their Polish nephew who was supposed to be arriving from England.

Worse, Wes Abramowicz said he was told by both airport and customs officials his nephew had never boarded the plane. It was only after several hours that he and his wife learned Canada Border Services had detained him.

"My wife was really worried," he said. "She was thinking about (Robert) Dziekanski."

Abramowicz said he couldn't believe the lack of co-operation he got after what happened to Dziekanski. He said he repeatedly asked airport staff and border officials for help, with little or no reaction.

"The treatment I got there was the worst possible," he said.

Customs officials eventually told Abramowicz March had been detained, but they refused to say why due to privacy laws.

Read more:http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100223/bc_yvr_polish_detained_100223/20100223?hub=BritishColumbia

Kidnappers of the Polish geologist captured in Pakistan

Pakistan’s police confirmed they have arrested the prime suspects behind the September 2008 abduction of the Polish geologist Piotr Stańczak. Ever since the abduction, the authorities of Poland and Pakistan have been working closely together in order to hunt down and sentence those responsible for the kidnapping and death of Piotr Stańczak.

Read more: http://www.isria.com/pages/23_February_2010_170.php

Poland admits role in CIA renditions

POLISH authorities have for the first time admitted their involvement in the CIA's secret program for the rendition of high-level terrorist suspects from Iraq and Afghanistan.

After a campaign by two rights groups, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the New York-based Open Society Justice Initiative, Warsaw's air control service confirmed at least six CIA flights had landed at a disused military air base in northern Poland in 2003.

For years, human rights investigators have believed Poland played a role in the secret program, which became a scandal for the Bush administration.

Read more:http://www.theage.com.au/world/poland-admits-role-in-cia-renditions-20100223-p0o4.html

Weather Hits Polish Retail Sales, May Slow Recovery, Pekao Says

Polish retail-sales growth slowed in January as heavy winter storms kept consumers from spending, signaling the country’s economic recovery may be slower than the government forecast, an economist at Bank Pekao said.

“Frosty and snowy winters reduce sales at non-specialized stores and sales of food, while quite a significant drop in cars sales may be related to the end of subsidies for cars in Germany,” said Wojciech Matysiak, an economist at Bank Pekao in Warsaw. “The data confirm a recovery in demand may take place slowly, with GDP dynamics cooling gradually.”

Read more:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-23/weather-hits-polish-retail-sales-may-slow-recovery-pekao-says.html

Data Show Rendition Planes Landed in Poland

Two human rights groups released government flight logs Monday that showed aircraft linked to the Central Intelligence Agency’s program for secretly detaining, moving and housing terrorism suspects had landed in Poland.

Polish authorities have long denied that the country hosted one of the “black sites,” part of a network of clandestine overseas prisons where suspected prisoners from Al Qaeda were subjected to brutal interrogation methods under the C.I.A.’s so-called rendition program. Prosecutors in Poland are investigating the country’s possible participation in the program.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/world/europe/23poland.html

EU Ministers Warn Belarus, Condemn Passport Theft In Dubai Killing

Belarus has received another slap on the wrist -- but no more for the time being -- for its crackdown on independent leaders of its Polish minority.

The issue was raised by Poland, which, diplomats said, used today's meeting of EU foreign ministers to brief other governments about its concerns. There followed a very brief discussion after which the EU's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, was mandated to issue a brief and measured statement to reporters in Brussels.

"We are concerned about the police action against the Union of Poles in Belarus and their chairwoman, Anzhelika Borys. These developments constitute a setback in our relationship” with the Belarusian authorities, Ashton said.

Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/EU_Ministers_Warn_Belarus_Condemn_Passport_Theft_In_Dubai_Killing/1965303.html

Poland's jobless rate jumps to 12.7 percent in January from 11.9 percent in December

Government figures show that Poland's jobless rate jumped to 12.7 percent in January from 11.9 percent the previous month.

Data presented by the Central Statistical Office on Tuesday says that more than 2 million people in the nation of 38 million were unemployed at the end of January.

Read more:http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9E1Q90O2

Details posted on alleged CIA-flights to Poland

Two human rights groups said Monday the government had provided official records for the first time confirming the landing in Poland of planes associated with the CIA's secret detainee program.

The data supports findings from a 2007 report by the Council of Europe on rendition flights, the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said.

The groups said that flight logs provided by the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency under a Freedom of Information Act request revealed details about at least six landings in 2003 of a Gulfstream and a Boeing jet linked to the CIA at the former military airport of Szczytno-Szymany in northern Poland.

Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022201267.html

Polish FM seeks EU visa-free travel regime for Ukrainians

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikroski will call for his European colleagues on Monday to develop a road map for the introduction of a EU visa-free travel regime for Ukrainian citizens, the Brussels-based Contact radio station said.

Sikroski will put forward the proposal during a regular meeting of foreign ministers of EU 27 member states, Contact said.

The foreign minister is expected to call for the European Union to discuss the issue during newly elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's visit to Brussels.

Yanukovych was elected president of Ukraine in the February 7 runoff. The inauguration is scheduled for February 25.

Read more:  http://en.rian.ru/world/20100222/157970088.html

U.S. patriot missiles in Poland early April

Poland is set to host a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles and the American troops to man it from the start of April, PAP news agency said Sunday.

"The Defense Ministry expects the first stage of the stationing of a Patriot air-defense battery and a 100-man service team to get under way in the (northern) town of Morag at the turn of April," the agency said.

The Patriots are part of a Polish-U.S. agreement signed last December to upgrade the NATO member's air defenses, following Washington's decision last September to scrap a Bush-era Missile Shield incorporating installations in Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic.

Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61K1EY20100221  

Chopin: Prince of the Romantics by Adam Zamoyski

Disclosing little more than the statutory facts, the blue plaque at 4 St James’s Place off London’s Piccadilly reads: 'From this house in 1848 Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) went to the Guildhall to give his last public performance’.

That November farewell, given in aid of a Polish charity, came at the end of a difficult six-month British sojourn, which had included concerts in Manchester (one of the largest audiences he ever faced), Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the non-religious Chopin had unwillingly endured Bible readings by a pious patroness anxious to convert him to the Church of Scotland. Finally back in London, the composer-pianist spent three weeks preparing for what turned out to be his final recital by sitting wrapped in his coat in front of the fire at St James’s Place, attended by London’s leading homeopath and the Royal Physician, a specialist in tuberculosis. A week after the concert, he was on his way home to Parisian exile and death the following year.

Read more:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/7256450/Chopin-Prince-of-the-Romantics-by-Adam-Zamoyski-review.html