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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday that his government is working on a plan to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in response to the changing security situation in Europe. The military training would create a reserve force that is adequate to possible threats, Tusk said in a major speech on security to Poland's lower house of parliament, or Sejm. He said that there's a need for an army of 500,000 soldiers, which would include reservists. Last year, the Polish government said that the military was made up of around 200,000 soldiers and was to grow to 220,000 this year with the objective of increasing it to about 300,000. But security fears have grown far more dramatic in recent weeks, as Russia continues to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones, and as the Trump administration has withdrawn military and intelligence support for Ukraine while putting its commitments to NATO in question. Today we are talking about the need for a half-million army i
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included acts of air terror against airlines. Tusk spoke at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world, Tusk said. The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe. Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year. Late last year, Azerbaijan accused Russia of unintentionally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25, killing 38 people. Russian Presid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting Poland on Wednesday after the two countries reached an agreement on a longstanding source of tensions between them: the exhumation of Polish victims of World War II-era massacres by Ukrainian nationalists. The office of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said early Wednesday he would welcome Zelenskyy in the late morning, and that the two would hold a joint news conference shortly after noon local time. The visit comes just days after Tusk announced progress on the issue of the exhumations, an issue that has strained relations for years. Finally a breakthrough. There is a decision on the first exhumations of Polish victims of the UPA," Tusk wrote on the social platform X on Friday, referring to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. I thank the ministers of culture of Poland and Ukraine for their good cooperation. We are waiting for further decisions. A non-governmental group, the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, said Monday it will begi
A town in Poland is encouraging Elon Musk to buy its vast 13th-century castle and turn it into his European headquarters. The mayor of Glogowek, Piotr Bujak, said Tuesday that he recently posted the invitation on Musk's social media platform X and has sent letters to his companies, advocating for him to buy the castle. No price tag has been announced, and Musk hasn't responded to the offer so far. Bujak told The Associated Press that he saw media reports in Europe suggesting that the US tech billionaire is looking for a sizeable location, possibly a castle in Italy, as a hub for his operations on the continent. The Glogowek castle in southwestern Poland boasts a rich history going back to the Middle Ages, briefly serving as Poland's capital in the 17th century. It has also hosted composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote music there. The castle has a very good vibe and is a perfect location for great things, Bujak told the AP. The area has a long winemaking tradition. We do not f
The Swiss government said on Friday it is barring exports to a Polish military hardware supplier after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of Swiss-made small-caliber ammunition ended up in Ukraine in violation of Swiss law. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said exports to the Polish company will be barred because the risk of diversion to Ukraine is assessed as being too high. Switzerland has long touted its neutrality in world affairs, and Swiss law bans exports of Swiss-owned or Swiss-made military hardware to countries in conflict. However the Swiss government has backed European Union economic sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The secretariat opened an investigation after a report by US-based news outlet Defence One last November indicated a Ukrainian company had taken receipt of 645,000 rifle cartridges of armour-piercing rounds made by SwissP Defense and delivered by a Polish importer, UMO. The investigation showed that the S
Poland's health authorities on Monday urged polio vaccinations for children after the virus was detected in Warsaw's sewage during regular tests this month. The state Main Sanitary Inspectorate in a statement said the presence of the virus does not necessarily mean people have been sick, but those who have not been vaccinated against polio could be at risk. The vaccinations are free in Poland for people under 19. New measures also include more intensive testing of Warsaw's sewage, renewing the vaccination stocks and updating the list of children still unvaccinated. Polio is most often spread by contact with waste from an infected person or, less frequently, through contaminated water or food. The polio virus mostly affects children under 5. Most people infected don't have symptoms, but in severe cases, polio can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours, according to the World Health Organisation. It estimates that 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis
The first shipment of American Turkey products for India left on Tuesday, marking a new phase in the bilateral trade relations between the two countries. The shipment comes over a year after India agreed to the American request to reduce high tariffs on US turkey products. US Senator from Virginia Mark Warner, who is also co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, said this marks a historic milestone in international trade, expanding the reach of American turkey products in global markets, and opening new doors for US turkey producers. "This shipment is a tremendous opportunity for Virginia's poultry producers and a huge step forward for US-India trade," he said. "As co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, I look forward to the ongoing cooperation between our two nations and to seeing a wealth of new opportunities open up for Virginia's poultry producers, Warner said. This shipment comes as a result of a trade agreement and tariff reduction, facilitated by a collaborative effort between th
Poland's leader said Saturday that he plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as part of a new migration policy, pointing to its alleged abuse by eastern neighbour Belarus and Russia. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the state must regain 100 per cent of the control over who enters and leaves Poland, and that a territorial suspension of the right to asylum will be part of a strategy that will be presented to a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Polish news agency PAP reported. He didn't give details, but said at a convention of his Civic Coalition that we will reduce illegal migration in Poland to a minimum." Poland has struggled with migration pressures on its border with Belarus since 2021. Successive Polish governments have accused Belarus and Russia of luring migrants from the Middle East and Africa there to destabilise the West. Tusk pointed to alleged misuse of the right to asylum by (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko, by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, by
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday said it has expanded operations in Poland with the opening of a new delivery centre in Warsaw, and expects to double its workforce in the region to over 1,200 within a year. The new delivery centre showcases TCS' capabilities across industries and technologies, according to a regulatory filing. "The new delivery centre will allow TCS to access the skilled talent pool in the Polish Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry to provide hyper-connected services to global clients. "With the new delivery centre, TCS expects to double its workforce to 1,200-plus in a year to support its further growth in the region," it said. Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mallick, TCS head of Europe Sapthagiri Chapalapalli and General Manager for TCS in Eastern Europe Prabal Datta inaugurated the centre. The new centre joins TCS' European delivery network, which facilitates the delivery of hyper-connected services to its customers across ...
Exceptionally heavy rainfall pounding Central Europe has prompted deadly flooding in the region, with four new deaths reported Monday in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Romania. The flooding has swamped parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania as a low-pressure system crossing the region has unleashed record-high rains for days, and it was expected to affect Slovakia and Hungary later in the week. So far 16 people have been reported killed seven people in Romania, five in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Austria. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk held an emergency meeting and later declared a disaster in flooded areas, a government measure to facilitate evacuation and rescues. He also said the government would provide 1 billion zlotys (USD 258,000) in immediate payouts to victims. The flooding in Poland has burst dams and embankments while receding waters left streets covered in piles of debris and mud. It prompted a hospital in the
Solemn ceremonies started early Sunday in Poland to mark the 85th anniversary of German Nazi forces invading and bombing Polish territory at the start of World War II. President Andrzej Duda attended observances in Wielun, the first civilian town targeted by German bombs in the small hours of September 1, 1939. Meanwhile, at a monument on the Baltic Sea's Westerplatte peninsula, where a military outpost was shelled by a German warship just minutes after Wielun was attacked, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz laid wreaths and attended a memorial roll call for fallen soldiers. At the time, the outpost's outnumbered troops fought for seven days before surrendering to the Germans, becoming a symbol of heroism and patriotism. In more than five years of war and brutal German occupation, Poland lost 6 million citizens or a sixth of its population, of which 3 million were Jewish. The country also suffered huge losses to its infrastructure, industry an
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has acknowledged that he does not have the backing in parliament to change the country's abortion law, which is among the most restrictive in all of Europe. Tusk, a centrist, took power in December at the head of a coalition that spans a broad ideological divide, with lawmakers on the left who want to legalise abortion and conservatives strongly opposed. Changing the law to allow abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy was one of his campaign promises. There will be no majority in this parliament for legal abortion, in the full sense of the word, until the next elections. Let's not kid ourselves," Tusk said during an event on Friday where he was asked about the matter. Lawmakers to the parliament were elected last October for a term of four years. Tusk said his government is instead working on establishing new procedures in the prosecutor's office and in Polish hospitals in order to ease some of the de facto restrictions. This is already underwa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday left for a historic visit to Ukraine after concluding his two-day "productive" trip to Poland during which he held wide-ranging talks with the Polish leadership. "PM @narendramodi concludes a productive visit to Poland, setting a new milestone in bilateral relations. This high-level Prime Ministerial visit after four decades will widen and deepen India-Poland relations," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. Modi, who is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict. His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies. This is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991. "I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earli