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The Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Polish PM presents reshuffled government, Sikorski to become deputy PM
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during a press conference announcing changes in his government as his cabinet members stand near him, in Warsaw, Poland, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
At 70, skyscraper Stalin 'gifted' to Warsaw still evokes strong feelings
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A drone view shows Warsaw's skyline with modern skyscrapers and the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki WARSAW - Seventy years after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin "gifted" the Palace of Culture and Science to Warsaw, the towering skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings among Poles. The Palace - which is marking the 70th anniversary of its official opening on July 22, 1955, when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc - was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name. "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30 km (19 miles)away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board. Younger people no longer see it that way, she said. After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed. The Palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007. It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. Singers Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras have performed there. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Asia Indonesia on high alert as dry weather fans forest, peatland fires in Sumatra Singapore 2 charged over alleged role in posting bail for man who later absconded Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the Palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there. "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said. The Palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated. Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the Palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark. Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the Palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity. "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said. Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists. "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed." REUTERS
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Finland and Lithuania set to produce anti-personnel mines, officials say
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Lithuanian Defence Vice-Minister Karolis Aleksa speaks during an interview with Reuters, at the Ministry of National Defense, in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File Photo VILNIUS/HELSINKI/TALLINN - Lithuania and Finland look set to start domestic production of anti-personnel landmines next year to supply themselves and Ukraine because of what they see as the military threat from Russia, officials from the two NATO member states told Reuters. The two countries, which border Russia, have announced their intention to pull out of the Ottawa Convention banning the use of such mines, and the officials said production could be launched once the six-month withdrawal process is completed. Three other NATO and European Union states - Poland, Latvia and Estonia - are also quitting the treaty, citing rising security concerns about Russia because of its war in Ukraine. Those three countries have not announced plans to start producing anti-personnel mines, but officials in Poland and Latvia have indicated they could start production quickly if needed and Estonia sees it as a possible option in the future. Ukraine has also announced it is withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa treaty, so that it can defend itself better against Russia, which is not a party to the treaty. Each side has accused the other of using anti-personnel mines during the war. The moves in Finland and Lithuania towards starting production of such mines underline mounting concern in Europe that Russia's military ambitions may go beyond Ukraine and follow pledges by NATO states to increase defence spending, in line with demands by U.S. President Donald Trump. "We are going to spend hundreds of millions of euros on anti-tank mines, but also on anti-personnel mines. It will be a significant amount," Lithuanian Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa told Reuters. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore to hire 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Business Temasek reports $45 billion rise in net portfolio value to $434 billion Singapore Pritam's appeal against conviction, sentence over lying to Parliament set for Nov 4 Asia Why Japan and South Korea are on different paths in the latest US trade salvo Singapore Female primary school teacher allegedly committed sex acts with underage male student Opinion Hyper-competitive classrooms feed the corporate world's narcissist pipeline Singapore Man charged after he allegedly threw glass bottle at bus window, injuring passenger Singapore Police officer taken to hospital after motorcycle accident on PIE Tens of thousands of anti-personnel landmines, or more, will be ordered, he said. "Our national industry will be one of the sources. Our industry can make these", said Aleksa, whose country has a 274-km (170-mile) border with Russia and a 679-km border with Belarus, Russia's close ally. Once production is established, Lithuania will be in a position to supply others including Ukraine, said Vincas Jurgutis, head of Lithuania's defence industry association. Russia's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters. 'DUTY TO SUPPORT UKRAINE' Finland has, at 1,340 km, a longer border with Russia than any other NATO state. "Finland must, for security of supply, have its own (anti-landmines) production," Finnish parliament defence committee chair Heikki Autto told Reuters. "They are a highly effective and very cost-efficient weapons system." Finland could also supply landmines to Ukraine, he said. "It is not only right and our duty to support Ukraine, it is also important for Finland's own security," Autto said. Helsinki had more than 1 million anti-personnel landmines before joining the Ottawa treaty in 2011, he said. Finnish defence companies Nammo Lapua, Insta and Raikka told the parliamentary defence committee they would be interested in producing the mines. Another, Forcit Explosives, said it was ready to discuss possibilities with the military. The companies declined comment to Reuters. The Finnish military was not immediately available for comment. Asked about Finland quitting the Ottawa treaty, Russia's ambassador to Helsinki said in April that the decision would create risks only for residents of Finland because its military planned to mine only Finnish territory. SIX-MONTH PROCESS Anti-personnel mines explode when triggered by contact, vibration or a tripwire, and can maim civilians as well as combatants. Many stay in the ground long after conflicts end. Anti-mine campaigners have criticised the countries that are leaving the Ottawa Convention and say that reintroducing anti-personnel mine production could be expensive and take a long time to fully operational. Asked whether Latvia would start producing anti-personnel mines, its defence ministry did not commit to starting such production but said: "The Latvian military industry has the necessary capabilities and the metalworking sector is highly advanced." Estonia has no immediate plans to purchase anti-personnel mines, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said. "For now, it's an option in the back pocket," he told Reuters. PGZ S.A., Poland's state-owned defence conglomerate, told Reuters it would be ready to produce millions of them if needed. ZSP Niewiadów, a private Polish munitions manufacturer, has said it plans to restart large-scale production of the mines in 2027, and that it is investing in new facilities. The five NATO countries that plan to quit the Ottawa treaty say they will not create minefields in peacetime but will store the mines for swift deployment if they feel threatened. Poland has designated zones that could be mined within days if needed, as part of future military fortifications along the eastern frontier, between rows of reinforced concrete obstacles, a government source told Reuters. The countries' governments say any minefields must be marked, so that they can be cleared after a conflict. They regard such munitions as a deterrence. "When we have them in storage, that is the best guarantee that they will never have to be used," Autto said. REUTERS
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Families of Israeli hostages join commemorations at Auschwitz
By Kuba Stezycki OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas called on Monday for remembrance, rejection of antisemitism and the release of their loved ones ahead of the commemoration of the liberation of the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in 1945. Auschwitz survivors were being joined by world leaders to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp, set up by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland in World War Two to murder European Jews in pursuit of racist ideology. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Hamas militants seized 253 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023, in a rampage through Israeli communities that killed 1,200 people, triggering a relentless Israeli assault that has laid waste to Gaza, nominally run by Hamas, and killed more than 47,000 Palestinians. Several hostages have been freed this month as part of a multi-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Omer Lifshitz, 51, son of Yocheved, kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz and released 17 days after the attack, and of Oded, 84, who is still being held, told reporters that he was visiting Auschwitz for the first time. "My father is a hostage, a Polish citizen in captivity as hostage," he said. "It's very hard because ... what's happened in 7th October is feeling like another Holocaust or pogrom in the kibbutz Nir Oz ... "People must learn that can't happen ever again. It's very important to people to know what happened. Learn it and learn from that that things like that cannot happen again. We must hope for a better world." Yasmin Magal, a 26-year-old medical student, said that her cousin Omer Neutra, a 22-year-old American-Israeli soldier kidnapped and killed in Gaza, had been the grandson of Holocaust survivors. "We need to make sure that this isn't forgotten, that the 90 remaining hostages are freed," she said. "The live ones to recover, and the dead to a proper burial in our homeland." (This story has been refiled to remove the extraneous 'on Monday' in paragraph 1) (Writing by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Auschwitz survivors to mark 80th anniversary of camp's liberation
By Barbara Erling and Kuba Stezycki OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - Auschwitz survivors will be joined by world leaders on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp by Soviet troops, in what will likely be one of the last such gatherings of those who experienced its horrors. The anniversary at the site of the camp, which Nazi Germany set up in occupied Poland during World War Two, will be attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Britain's King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Antonio Costa and a host of other leaders. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Israel will be represented by Education Minister Yoav Kisch. Pawel Sawicki, a spokesperson for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial, said that there would be no speeches by politicians and that leaders would instead be listening to the voices of survivors. "It is clear to all of us that this is the last milestone anniversary where we can have a group of survivors that will be visible who can be present at the site," he said. "In ten years it will not happen and for as long as we can we should listen to the voices of survivors, their testimonies, their personal stories. It is something that is of enormous significance when we talk about how the memory of Auschwitz is shaped." The main commemoration will begin at 1500 GMT in a tent built over the gate to the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. One of the symbols of the anniversary will be a freight train car, which will be placed in front of the gate. More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, perished in gas chambers or from starvation, cold and disease at Auschwitz. More than 3 million of Poland's 3.2 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, accounting for about half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe.
