Latest news with #Gdansk
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Best Summer Events 2025, Per European Best Destinations
Decorated Boats on the Grand Canal in Venice for the "Historical Regatta" which takes place each September. From the electrifying beats at Tomorrowland in Belgium and opera on the water at the Bregenz Festival, to the Velvet Dinner in Maribor and a historic sailing regatta in Venice, there's an event to suit every taste in Europe this summer. Here are ten of the best according to professional travel organization European Best Destinations. Bregenz Festival The Bregenz Festival takes place ever summer on a floating stage off the shore of Lake Constance. From a stage that seems to rise from the lake, visitors can see incredible set designs and masterpieces of opera, classical music and contemporary compositions, performed by elite orchestras and internationally renowned artists. And as if that isn't reason enough to attend, there are also spectacular fireworks and light projections. Getting There: Zurich Airport is 90 minutes by car. he ceremonial opening of the Fair St. Dominic. Fair tradition dates back 750 years and from 1260 he has been held in Gdansk." Europe's largest open-air summer festival, St Dominic's Fair transforms Gdańsk into a vibrant world of flavors and unforgettable surprises. For 765 years, this iconic fair has drawn in travelers, artists, collectors and dreamers in search of not only rare treasures, but also meaningful moments. The medieval trade tradition blends with the spirit of a modern festival offering hundreds of fair stalls and over 400 events. Concerts, dancing, street theater, chill-out zones and family workshops complement the market with antiques and handmade goods by local artisans. Getting there: Gdańsk Airport (GDN) is just 20 minutes from the city center. Tomorrowland, Belgium Tomorrowland is one of the world's biggest electronic music festivals, drawing over 400,000 fans from over 200 countries for two weekends each July. The festival's stages feature massive 3D structures, LED mega-screens and immersive storytelling themes. This year's theme is 'Orbyz' turning the festival location into a magical universe made of ice filled with mythical creatures. The festival attracts the world's best DJs like David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Armin van Buuren and Eric Prydz. Expect spectacular fireworks and laser shows too. Getting there: Brussels is 30 min by car to Boom. Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Every August, Bristol's skies burst into color as hundreds of hot air balloons take flight in Europe's largest and most spectacular balloon festival. The Bristol International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Ashton Court Estate is a free, four-day celebration that transforms the city into a floating dreamscape, making it one of the most popular events of the year. Visitors will see mass ascents at sunrise and sunset, where dozens of balloons of all shapes and sizes lift off simultaneously, creating a panoramic spectacle in the sky. At night, the festival transforms into a mesmerizing light show, as balloons illuminate in perfect sync with music. Getting there: Bristol Airport is just 20 minutes from Ashton Court Estate. Alternatively, London Heathrow is around a 90 minute drive to Bristol. Puppets Occupy Street Festival, Craiova, Romania Art, music and theatre come together in Puppets Occupy Street Festival. For eight days, the streets, parks and squares of Craiova become a surreal open-air stage, where giant puppets parade, street performers captivate, and immersive animations and visual arts take over the city. With international artists, oversized puppet floats, interactive workshops and concerts, this free, non-competitive festival turns Craiova into a dreamlike playground for all ages. Getting there: Craiova has direct flights from London and Brussels. Velvet Dinner Maribor The Velvet Dinner is a one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience that takes place in the vineyards of Maribor, Slovenia's wine capital. The elegant, open-air dinner is more than just a meal, it's an immersive celebration of local cuisine, culture and community. Guests seated at a long communal table under the open sky are treated to an exquisite menu paired with award-winning Styrian wines. The dinner is prepared and served by rising stars from local hospitality schools, adding a fresh and authentic flair to the experience. Getting there: Ljubljana Airport is 90 minutes by car or Graz Airport is 60 minutes by car. Fireworks explode as Coldplay perform on the Pyramid stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2024 at Worthy Farm, n Glastonbury, England. Glastonbury, the world's most legendary music festival, brings together iconic artists, emerging talent and a unique mix of arts and culture for five unforgettable days. Held on the vast fields of Worthy Farm, the festival was founded by Michael Eavis in 1970 and features around 3,000 performances across over 80 stages. Renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and iconic Pyramid Stage, the festival's headliners for 2025 include The 1975, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, The Prodigy and the Ezra Collective. In addition to music the festival features immersive art installations and cabaret performances. Getting there: Bristol Airport is just 1 hour from Worthy Farm. Regata Storica', a competition between Venetian boats and gondolas sail the Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco to Rialto Bridge. Every September, the Grand Canal of Venice transforms into a breathtaking stage for the Regata Storica, one of the most historic and visually stunning water festivals in the world. Combining majestic 16th-century pageantry with thrilling gondola races, this event is a true Venetian spectacle, attracting thousands of visitors for an unforgettable display of tradition and color. The first regatta took place in 1315 and today the festival begins with the Grand Historical Parade of ornate 16th-century boats, rowed by Venetians in elaborate Renaissance costumes. Following the parade, the best rowers in Venice compete in highly competitive regattas, racing through the Grand Canal in traditional Venetian boats. Getting there: Venice Marco Polo Airport is 20 minutes from the city center. From there, take a private water taxi or a vaporetto (public boat) straight to the Grand Canal. Cattle drive in Zillertal alps, Tirol – Austria The Almabtrieb (in German 'drive from the mountain pasture') is an annual public event in the alpine regions in Europe, referring to a cattle drive that takes place in late September or early October. During summer, all over the alpine regions cattle herds feed on alpine pastures (Almen in Austria or Germany, Alpen in Switzerland) high up in the mountains. Every September, thousands of beautifully adorned cattle descend from the mountain pastures in the Cattle Drive (Almabtrieb) of Tyrol. This centuries-old tradition, celebrated with music, folk dances, and vibrant parades, marks the end of summer grazing and is one of Europe's most picturesque and authentic rural festivals. Getting there: Innsbruck Airport is 30-60 minutes from the main Tyrolean villages. Flowertime, Brussels, Belgium Every year, Brussels transforms into a paradise of flowers with Flowertime, an immersive floral exhibition outside of the Unesco-listed Brussels City Hall. Talented Belgian and international floral designers let their creativity run wild, crafting breathtaking floral installations that celebrate the year's theme (to be announced soon!). Getting there: Brussels Airport is 25 minutes from the city center.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Karol Nawrocki: Polish historian with problematic past
Independent conservative Karol Nawrocki is an historian who has never held public office and is now running for the Polish presidency. That could help the 42-year-old candidate for the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) in a country tired of political manoeuvring - and the motivation behind PiS head Jarosław Kaczyński's decision to push his nomination. Nawrocki meets all his mentor's criteria: young, tall, imposing, versed in foreign languages and a family man with two children. As head of the Institute of National Remembrance tasked with evaluating the country's complex recent past, he ordered Soviet memorials to be destroyed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exploiting the move in the media and incurring the wrath of the Kremlin. His upbringing in a working class area in Gdansk, his successful career in amateur boxing and his work as a nightclub bouncer while a student are pluses with many voters. Less so his alleged links to prostitution dating back to that time. Nawrocki represents the national-conservative and populist policies of the PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023. He aims to maintain traditional Polish values and cautions against transferring powers to the EU. In all of this he enjoys the backing of US President Donald Trump, who granted him an audience in the White House in early May during the Polish presidential campaign. Negative press reports on evicting an elderly man from a flat for his own benefit and a recent revelation that he participated in a football riot in Gdansk in 2009 may dent his chances with some voters, but could also boost them among right-wing supporters.
Times
a day ago
- General
- Times
Is Poland about to elect a hooligan ‘pimp' as president?
The Baltic port of Gdansk has been a crucible of some of the most significant events in modern European history. The opening salvos of the Second World War were fired from its harbour. And 50 years later, the Solidarity trade union movement forged in its shipyards toppled Poland's communist dictatorship, propelling a mustachioed electrician called Lech Walesa to the presidency and then to the Nobel peace prize. Now another son of Gdansk, who trained as a boxer on the same vast shipbuilding complex from which Walesa rallied the nation, is threatening to upset the country — and the continent's — political order. • He's already lost — but could still decide who wins Poland's election Karol Nawrocki, 42, a right-wing historian with a background in football hooliganism who has never previously held elected office, stands a solid chance of winning the Polish presidency on Sunday. Should he triumph, he has given every indication that he will take a wrecking ball to the centrist agenda of prime minister Donald Tusk, using the head of state's powers to obstruct him wherever possible. Poland's neighbours are increasingly alarmed at the prospect. 'A Nawrocki presidency would be a nightmare,' said one European diplomat. It is a sentiment shared by Walesa, 81, who posted on X: 'My last request … and warning — anyone but Nawrocki!' Until six months ago, Nawrocki was largely unknown to anyone outside his particular academic niche. For all but the final weeks of the campaign he languished in the polls, far behind Rafal Trzaskowski, 53, the mayor of Warsaw and Tusk's preferred candidate. Over the past ten days he has also been bombarded by allegations about his past that might have destroyed a mainstream politician: participation in mass street brawls, contacts in the criminal underworld and claims that he procured prostitutes for guests at a luxury hotel — which he strenuously denies. Yet Nawrocki has the backing of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, one of the most ruthless and effective populist electoral machines in Europe, and its mastermind Jarosław Kaczynski. In 2017, only four years after he completed his doctorate in history, Nawrocki was plucked from obscurity by Kaczynski to run Gdansk's imposing Museum of the Second World War. One of Poland's flagship historical institutions, he turned it into a showcase for Kaczynski's black-and-white vision of an innocent country that suffered more than any other from the conflict. • Poland's pivotal election could deliver abortion pledge at last 'He was unknown in academic circles,' said Pawel Machcewicz, a former senior adviser to Tusk who was the museum's founding director until he was ejected to make way for Nawrocki. 'His approach 100 per cent reflects the politics of history of the Law and Justice party. One can call it nationalistic: emphasising the exceptional heroism and martyrdom of Poles in the 20th century, rejecting any more critical approaches to our history.' In 2021 Nawrocki was promoted to lead the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), a public body tasked with investigating crimes against the Polish nation and vetting newly appointed public officials for ties to communist-era state security bodies. Figures in PiS say he was then chosen to run for the presidency because he combined the loyalty and reliability of a party footsoldier — despite never having been a card-carrying member — with a clean skin in political terms, untainted by the party's controversial years in government from 2015 to 2023. • Inside the fight to shut down Poland's 'propaganda machine' The idea was that this would allow him to unite Poland's fractious right, luring back voters who have drifted away towards more extremist candidates such as Sławomir Mentzen, a radical libertarian, and Grzegorz Braun, an unabashed antisemite. 'A non-party candidate offers the opportunity to gain broader support in the elections,' said Radoslaw Fogiel, an MP and former PiS spin doctor who serves on the party's national executive. 'Karol Nawrocki's greatest strengths as a political figure lie in his staunchly patriotic and sovereigntist stance.' Under the intense media scrutiny of recent weeks, however, Nawrocki's skin has turned out not to be quite so clean as it once appeared. Alongside a loyalty to Chelsea football club so profound he once had its logo tattooed on his chest, Nawrocki was also for many years a fanatical supporter of his local football team, Lechia Gdansk, and its firm of thuggish hardcore fans who call themselves the 'hooligans of the Free City'. Over the past fortnight he has admitted that in 2009 he took part in 70-a-side punch-ups with fans of rival clubs, alongside scores of convicted criminals armed with clubs and brass knuckles. Nawrocki has tried to shrug these melees off as 'noble' battles. Others, however, regard them as a symptom of something darker. 'Taking part in an arranged fight is a crime — it constitutes participation in a brawl,' said Szymon Jadczak, an investigative writer for the Wirtualna Polska news website who specialises in football hooliganism. He has identified 35 participants in Nawrocki's 2009 forest brawl with a detailed list of more than 130 court convictions between them. Nawrocki's contacts with football hooligans and criminals also lasted well beyond 2009. Last year he was photographed with Patryk Masiak, a fellow Lechia supporter and MMA fighter who served time in prison for abducting a woman and is facing additional court proceedings for participation in an organised crime group and pimping. 'These are ongoing accusations, and Mr Nawrocki does not deny his acquaintance [with Masiak],' said Jadczak. The candidate has characterised his relationship with Masiak as 'former sparring partners'. A more lurid raft of allegations surfaced this week when Onet, another news website, published an investigation that accused Nawrocki of having moonlighted as a pimp during a stint working as a security guard at the Grand Hotel in Sopot, a coastal resort near Gdansk. Nawrocki denied the report and said he would sue Onet — although rather than using a 24-hour judicial process designed for rapid rebuttal in elections he has opted for a standard libel case, which may take years to come to a conclusion. Separately, it emerged that Nawrocki had acquired a flat from a disabled elderly man in exchange for a promise to care for him for life, but reneged on his pledge. The original owner was found living in a state care home without any assistance from Nawrocki, who has since offered to donate the apartment to charity. PiS functionaries and the outgoing President Duda, an ally of the party, have dismissed these negative headlines as either baseless political smears or forgivable 'mistakes of youth'. Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European studies at Oxford University and an expert on Poland, said: 'One would need to check the detail on every story: extorting a flat from an elderly alcoholic, pimping for prostitutes, stories about financial improprieties at the Institute of National Remembrance. 'Some give the impression of someone who has neither the character nor the professional qualifications to be president of a very important European country at a very important juncture in European history.' Yet Nawrocki is not without international support. President Trump, who has a soft spot for Duda and the PiS party, invited him into the Oval Office for a photo opportunity, and last week Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, implied that only a Nawrocki presidency could ensure that American troops remained in Poland. 'Donald Trump is a strong leader for us, but you have an opportunity to have just as strong of a leader in Karol if you make him the leader of this country,' she said on a visit to Rzeszow. 'If you elect a leader who will work with President Trump, the Polish people will have a strong ally … You will continue to have a US military presence here.' The final polls suggest that Nawrocki and Trzaskowski are separated by a fraction of a percentage point in the electoral race. Turnout may prove decisive. The Polish media environment has become so poisonous that the allegations against Nawrocki may even be helping him. There are signs that fringe right-wing voters are rallying to his cause because they regard him as a political martyr. Pawel Rybicki, an adviser to the Nawrocki campaign, said the candidate had been subjected to the 'dirtiest game in the history of Polish politics since [the start of democracy in] 1989. 'Most of the media, including state media, are openly on Trzaskowski's side. Poles do not like intrusive propaganda, which is why the current actions of the media and authorities against Nawrocki are rather contributing to an increase in support for him. 'Poles have simply assumed that the government is panicking in fear of Nawrocki's victory.'
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Dollar set for fifth monthly drop on trade, fiscal uncertainty
SINGAPORE/GDANSK - The U.S. dollar wobbled on Friday en route to its fifth-straight monthly decline as traders braced for further uncertainty around trade policy and U.S. fiscal health, while awaiting pivotal inflation reports later in the day. The greenback had a choppy week, ending lower in the previous session after a federal court temporarily reinstated the most sweeping of President Donald Trump's tariffs, just a day after another court had ordered an immediate block on them. Trump said on Thursday he hoped the Supreme Court would overturn the trade court's decision, while officials also indicated that they could employ other presidential powers to ensure the tariffs take effect. The uncertainty around tariffs has exerted a vice-like grip on markets as investors flee U.S. assets in a search for alternatives, worried that Trump's erratic policies could challenge the strength and outperformance of U.S. markets. "The news is making the U.S. a less attractive place for foreign investors to go," said Kit Juckes, chief FX strategist at Societe Generale. This will not stop money from flowing there, Juckes said, but investors will be looking for more attractive incentives such as a slightly weaker currency or high yields. On Friday, the euro was slightly lower at $1.1331, ahead of German inflation data for May while the Swiss franc was little changed at 0.8243 per dollar. The U.S. currency, though, was set for monthly declines against the Swiss franc, the euro and the pound. Thursday's weekly jobless claims and economic growth data did little to placate worries of a U.S. economic downturn. Investor focus will be on the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation data - the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) report - later on Friday. Worries about fiscal debt levels in developed economies, highlighted by weak appetite for freshly issued, longer-dated credit in the U.S. and in Japan, have also weighed. The dollar index, which tracks the U.S. unit against a basket of six other currencies, was 0.3% higher at 99.56. The index was set for a decline of 0.10% in May, its fifth straight month in the red. On the flip side, markets have taken note of emerging market assets. An index tracking emerging market currencies has gained about 2% for the month - its biggest one-month rise since November 2023. INFLATION WATCH The Japanese yen was little changed at 144.05 per dollar after data showed underlying inflation in Tokyo hit a more than two-year high in May, keeping alive the chances of further interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan. "The BOJ is in a difficult position," said Min Joo Kang, senior economist at ING. "Inflationary pressures remain hot, while the economic recovery remains fragile - and facing strong headwinds from U.S. tariffs." However, the yen is on track for its first monthly decline against the dollar this year. Markets are also on the lookout for clues on highly anticipated trade deals as the Trump-mandated July 9 deadline for implementation of tariffs draws near. The U.S. PCE data is likely to show that inflation rose 2.2% in April, according to economists polled by Reuters, compared with a 2.3% increase in March. The Fed tracks the PCE price measures for its 2% inflation target. Economists are forecasting a surge in inflation this year as the Trump administration's import duties raise the cost of goods. "The danger is the next piece of news on, for example, the tariff impact on import prices", which however would come later in the year, Juckes said. Elsewhere, the Australian dollar slid to $0.6421, while the New Zealand dollar was last bought at $0.5961.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Turkey's economy grew 2.0% in first quarter, below forecasts
Turkey's economy expanded 2.0% in the first quarter of the year, below expectations, official data showed on Friday. First-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.0% from the previous quarter on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed. In a Reuters poll, the economy was forecast to have expanded 2.3% in the first quarter. Turkey's economy had grown 3.0% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2024, bringing full-year growth to 3.2% and exceeding forecasts despite the weight of high interest rates. Economists forecast an expansion of 3% in 2025 as a whole, slightly lower than last year, the poll showed, reflecting the effects of monetary tightening. In December, the central bank started an easing cycle after having kept the main policy rate steady at 50% for eight months. Inflation has dipped from as high as 75% last May. In April, Turkey's central bank hiked its policy rate by 350 basis points and raised the lending rate to 49% in response to market turmoil that erupted over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival. (Reporting by Canan Sevgili in Gdansk; Editing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Jamie Freed)
