Tag: Poland

Pro-EU rallies draw tens of thousands in Poland

Tens of thousands of Poles rallied on Sunday in defence of their country’s EU membership, after Poland’s top court last week issued a landmark ruling against the primacy of EU law. The pro-EU demonstrations were called by former EU chief Donald Tusk, now leader of the country’s main opposition grouping, Civic Platform, who has warned of the prospect of a “Polexit”. “Tens of thousands of people in Warsaw and in over 100 cities and towns […]

Poland sells 1 million Covid vaccines to Australia

Poland has sold one million Pfizer Covid vaccine doses to Australia as part of a “responsible policy of solidarity”, the Polish health minister said Sunday. Health Minister Adam Niedzieslki said that Poland’s vaccine purchases “allow us to meet the needs of our citizens and support others in need”. Polish ambassador to Australia Michal Kolodziejski said: “In these tough times for our Australian friends, Poland has decided to share with Australia one million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech […]

Polish Catholic Church reports hundreds of abuse claims committed by clergy on minors

  WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s embattled Catholic Church on Monday revealed that since 2018 it has received several hundred new claims of sexual abuse of minors committed by clergy. The report comes as the politically influential church has been hit by a series of high profile cases of abuse and cover-ups — until recently a taboo subject in the devout country. “What’s striking… is the fact that since the last survey we’ve had a […]

Pfizer confirms fake vaccine shots on sale in Mexico, Poland: reports

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US drugmaker Pfizer on Wednesday confirmed that suspect doses of its coronavirus vaccine that were seized in Mexico and Poland were indeed fake, with doses going for as much as $1,000 a shot, according to US media. At a clinic in Mexico some 80 people received bogus doses of the drug, which appeared to have been physically harmless, though offering no protection against the potentially deadly disease ravaging the country, […]

Brussels warns Warsaw over ancient forest

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union on Thursday ordered Poland to comply with a top EU court decision and implement new regulations to preserve one of the continent’s last primeval forests. The European Court of Justice in 2018 said Poland’s government broke the law by allowing logging in the Bialowieza Forest, a UNESCO world heritage site. The logging began in May 2016 and the European Commission took Poland to court arguing that it was […]

World’s deepest diving pool opens in Poland

  MSZCZONOW, Poland (AFP) — A 45.5-metre (150-foot) deep diving pool with artificial underwater caves and Mayan ruins, the world’s deepest such structure, opened near Warsaw this weekend. The complex, named Deepspot, even includes a small wreck for scuba and free divers to explore. It has 8,000 cubic metres of water — more than 20 times the amount in an ordinary 25-metre pool. Unlike regular swimming pools, Deepspot can open despite coronavirus restrictions in Poland […]

Poland’s president tests positive for coronavirus

  by Mary SIBIERSKI Agence France Presse WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said he had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, as the EU country faces a record rise in cases and mass protests despite a ban on public gatherings intended to stem infections. Duda is the latest in a string of leaders to have been diagnosed with the virus, including US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazil’s […]

WWII bomb goes off in Poland during defusal op

by Stanislaw WASZAK / Anna Maria JAKUBEK WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — A massive World War II bomb exploded during a delicate operation on Tuesday to defuse the five-tonne device in a channel near the Baltic Sea but no one was harmed, Polish officials said. The device — nicknamed “Tallboy” and also known as an “earthquake bomb” — was dropped by the Royal Air Force in an attack on a Nazi warship in 1945. It was […]

‘Selfie app’ to keep track of quarantined Poles

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland on Friday launched a smartphone app allowing people under a mandatory 14-day quarantine for coronavirus to send selfies to let authorities know they are indeed staying home. “People in quarantine have a choice: either receive unexpected visits from the police, or download this app,” Karol Manys, digital ministry spokesman, told AFP. The “Home quarantine” app is intended for people undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine after returning from abroad, he said. […]

Poland shuts schools, theatres for two weeks

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s prime minister on Wednesday said the government has decided to close down all educational and cultural facilities for two weeks to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected 25 people in the EU member to date. “The fight against the spread of the virus is a priority for us,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters. He said all schools, nurseries, universities, theatres, cinemas, museums and operas will be […]

US approves anti-tank missile sale to Poland

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government on Wednesday approved the sale to Poland of Javelin anti-tank missiles, the weapon system at the center of the Ukraine scandal that led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment. The Pentagon said the order, authorized by the State Department, was for 79 Javelin missile launchers and 189 missiles worth $100 million. Poland’s conservative government has stepped up its efforts in Washington, which it regards as its most reliable […]

Poland announces first coronavirus case

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland on Wednesday announced its first case of coronavirus while adding that nearly 70 people were being tested for the disease. The man, who had visited Germany, is “not part of a risk group” and his life is not in danger, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski told a news conference. He indicated the man was not elderly, whose lives are at greater risk. He was hospitalized in the western city of Zielona […]