WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda signed a law Monday that will eventually increase the country’s spending on defense to at least 2.5 percent of GDP, well above the 2 percent required by membership in NATO. It is part of an effort by Poland’s conservative government to improve the nation’s defenses in reaction … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — With wreath-laying ceremonies and prayers, Poland on Monday observed the seventh anniversary of a plane crash in Russia that killed President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and 94 others. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice, is headed by Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who has led regular commemorations of the tragedy and … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish leaders welcomed U.S. troops to their country Saturday Jan. 14, with the defense minister expressing gratitude for their arrival and calling it the fulfillment of a dream Poles have had for decades. The ceremony in the western Polish town of Zagan comes some 23 years after the last Soviet troops … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish lawmakers approved Friday a government plan of bonuses for families that have a disabled child born to them, as part of a policy aimed at curbing the number of abortions. The “For Life” plan, to take effect next year, provides for a one-time payment of 4,000 zlotys ($1,000) upon the … Continue reading
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of people including politicians, actors and family packed into a Polish church Wednesday to mourn the death of Poland’s leading filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, an honorary Oscar winner. A metal urn with Wajda’s ashes, surrounded by white flowers, and his black-and-white portrait were placed by the altar at the 13th century … Continue reading
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of people including politicians, actors and family packed into a Polish church Wednesday to mourn the death of Poland’s leading filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, an honorary Oscar winner. A metal urn with Wajda’s ashes, surrounded by white flowers, and his black-and-white portrait were placed by the altar at the 13th century … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish women donned black, waved black flags and took to Poland’s streets on Monday, Sept. 26th, boycotting jobs and classes as part of a nationwide strike to protest a legislative proposal for a total ban on abortion. Many men — public figures among them — also joined the thousands of women … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Catholic Church authorities in eastern Poland denounced nationalist views Wednesday, Apr. 20, and apologized after a radical extreme-right organization held a Mass in a regional cathedral. Father Andrzej Debski, a spokesman for the church authorities in Bialystok, said the apology came after believers complained that a Mass was held in Bialystok … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish prosecutor has questioned a Polish-American scholar, Jan Tomasz Gross, to determine if he committed the crime of publicly insulting the nation with a statement on Polish violence against Jews during World War II. Gross, a professor based at Princeton University, told The Associated Press he was questioned for five … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — As Poland’s Catholic Church prepares to celebrate 1,050 years as the national faith, a call by its bishops for a total ban on abortion has embroiled the church in a divisive and potentially harmful debate. The church that was crucial in preserving the nation’s spirit and identity in World War II … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thousands of Poles rallied Saturday, Apr.9, against tightening Poland’s anti-abortion law, which is already among Europe’s strictest. Street protests were organized in Warsaw and in other Polish cities by a new pro-abortion group that opposes a recent call by some Catholic bishops for an unconditional ban on abortion in Poland, and … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people whose personal fates hinge on whether Britain leaves the European Union or stays don’t even have a say in the matter: Polish immigrants, a community so numerous that Polish has become Britain’s second most-spoken language. When Poland and many other countries once behind the Iron Curtain … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president is traveling to Washington for a security summit but has no meeting scheduled with President Barack Obama. Observers in Poland say controversial government policies may be the reason. President Andrzej Duda’s schedule, released Tuesday, Mar.29, includes no meetings with Obama or any key U.S. politicians. Poland’s top security official, … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s environment minister has approved a deeply contested plan to allow extensive logging in Europe’s last pristine forest, arguing that the decision will help save it from bark beetle, a kind of woodworm. Following weeks of deliberations and protests, Jan Szyszko said Friday, Mar.25 said he has approved the logging of … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Latest on the flow of migrants into Europe (all times local): 6:35 p.m. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has started training Albanian border guards to prepare them for a possible influx of refugees. Migrants may be forced to use the country as a new route into Western … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 