Polish

Hundreds watched the 56-metre monument’s consecration, including anti-communist leader Lech WałęsaAn enormous statue of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be Europe’s tallest was inaugurated on Saturday in a small Polish village, in the presence of the anti-communist leader Lech Wałęsa.Hundreds of people took part in the consecration of the monument, which towers 55.6 metres (182ft) over Konotopie in central Poland, a village of fewer than 150 people. Continue reading...

Another 10 people in serious condition after bus veers off motorway and overturnsTwelve people have died after a bus carrying a group of Polish tourists overturned on the M3 motorway in Hungary on the way back from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Local police said the bus crashed near the town of Mezőkeresztes after it “went off the straight road into a ditch and overturned” at 1am local time. Early reports suggested the driver had probably fallen asleep. He survived the crash and was taken into custody. Continue reading...

Donald Tusk says it is first time ‘someone on the order of Russia’ has sought to attack US citizen in Nato countryA Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister has said.Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country. Continue reading...

Kyiv’s decision to honour second world war fighters who killed about 100,000 Poles has revived simmering tensionsIn the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Polish-Ukrainian solidarity emerged as one of the most heartwarming subplots of the Kremlin’s brutal war. Millions of Poles, remembering their country’s own tragic history with Russia, mobilised to help Ukrainian refugees with food, shelter and support as they crossed the border in huge numbers to flee the conflict.Four years later, that outpouring of generosity and solidarity is a distant memory, as the two countries find themselves locked in a bitter dispute over history that has led to angry rhetoric, mutual mud-slinging and a threat from Poland to block Ukraine’s EU accession until it gets its historical house in order. Continue reading...

• A Polish travel creator, Agni (@the_polishtravelgirl), sparked a viral online debate by criticizing the disparity in how global media covers heatwaves in Europe versus India. • She argued that while European heatwaves are reported as tragedies focusing on infrastructure strain and elderly vulnerability, similar suffering in India is often dismissed or treated as a joke. • The post highlights systemic biases in international news reporting and the perceived devaluation of human life in the Global South.

• EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos announced during a visit to Kyiv on Monday that Poland's objections regarding Ukraine's EU accession talks have been resolved. • The obstacles raised by Poland, France, and other member states were identified as domestic political issues rather than failures to meet official EU membership criteria. • This resolution removes a significant diplomatic hurdle, clearing the path for a critical step forward in negotiations scheduled for later this month.

Comments from Europe and Japan focus on immigration and statements about ‘Britain’s descent into depths of the earth’UK politics live – latest updatesPolish far-right politicians have claimed that the murder of Henry Nowak symbolises “Britain’s descent into the depths of the earth” as populists from France, Spain and Japan focused on harrowing clips of his dying moments.Despite pleas from Nowak’s family for people not to exploit the killing for political gain and to focus on cutting knife crime, their comments have focused on race and immigration. Continue reading...

Zbigniew Ziobro has been accused in Poland of leading an organised criminal enterprise and abuse of power, which he deniesPoland’s former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted on several criminal charges in his home country, has fled Hungary to the United States, he confirmed on Sunday, after being granted asylum from former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s government last year.“I am in the United States,” Ziobro told rightwing Polish broadcaster Republika. “I arrived yesterday, and this is my third time travelling around the country,” he said. Continue reading...

Musician Chris Martin, tennis star Iga Świątek and footballer Robert Lewandowski join Piotr Garkowski in epic fundraiserA Polish social media influencer has raised more than £50m after a nine-day, non-stop online stream during which he was joined by a parade of celebrity guests to help a charity supporting children battling cancer.Streaming from a studio flat in right-bank Warsaw, social media influencer Piotr Garkowski, 23, nicknamed Łatwogang, listened to a charity song dedicated to children battling cancer on loop for nine days straight, filling time with entertaining dares and celebrity appearances. Continue reading...

• NATO's Cyber Defense Centre convened an emergency session Friday evening after Russia launched a sophisticated cyberattack targeting Poland's electrical grid and water treatment facilities, temporarily affecting 2.3 million residents. • Polish authorities attribute the attack to Russian military intelligence, claiming it used previously unknown malware variants designed to evade NATO defense systems and test alliance cyber resilience. • The incident prompted NATO to raise its cyber alert status to level 3, the highest in the alliance's history, and triggered Article 5 consultations regarding collective defense implications.

Péter Magyar hopes building stronger relations with Poland will help restore ties with bloc after Orbán’s ruleThe Hungarian election winner, Péter Magyar, is eyeing a special relationship with Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk to draw on the neighbouring country’s experience of repairing relations with the EU after years of illiberal rule.Since 1989, the two countries have seemingly shared parallels in their paths. Now the two centre-right, pro-European leaders preside over the tricky task of restoring the rule of law and improving state institutions after years of democratic backsliding and clashes with the EU. Continue reading...

• NATO defense ministers convened an emergency session on April 11 to address Russian military concentrations near the Polish and Baltic borders, with satellite imagery showing increased deployment of artillery and armored units. • Polish officials reported detecting over 15,000 Russian troops and 200 military vehicles positioned within 50 kilometers of the border, prompting NATO to authorize enhanced air patrols and increased troop rotations. • US Secretary of Defense characterized the Russian movement as "destabilizing" and called for European allies to increase defense spending, warning that NATO must prepare for potential regional conflict escalation.