Latest news with #WarsawUniversity
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nationalist Polish presidential contender talks tough on Ukraine
By Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Justyna Pawlak WARSAW (Reuters) - While his main rival plays up his European credentials, nationalist Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki posts videos of himself at shooting ranges and boxing rings or meeting U.S. president Donald Trump at the White House. Unlike other eurosceptics in central Europe, such as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Hungary's Viktor Orban, or George Simion who is running for Romanian president on Sunday when Poland will vote, Nawrocki supports giving military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia's three-year-old invasion. But he says that, if elected, he will oppose membership in Western alliances for Ukraine until it clears exhumations of the remains of Polish victims killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two - a divisive issue between the allies for decades. Ukraine, which began allowing exhumations in April, says the killings - Poland counts over 100,000 victims - were part of a wider conflict between the two nations and that thousands of its own citizens were also killed. Nawrocki's critics say he is fuelling unease over Ukrainian refugees at a time when the far-right is highlighting migration, the cost of living and security. He cites his campaign slogan, Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media last month. Opinion polls show Nawrocki, 42, a conservative historian and amateur boxer, in second place ahead of the ballot, following liberal Warsaw city mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. The two will likely compete in a runoff on June 1. Three years into Ukraine's war with Russia, some Poles blame the roughly one million refugees in the country for lengthy healthcare queues, low pay and packed kindergartens, in an echo of pre-Brexit Britain. THE FIGHT ON THE RIGHT Opinion polls show far-right Slawomir Mentzen third in the running and his votes may be crucial for Nawrocki to win in the second round. "It's a policy built on fear towards Ukrainians," said Anna Materska-Sosnowska from Warsaw University. "It's meant to attract (far-right) voters." Historical grievances have long been championed by politicians on the right in Poland, in particular by the arch-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) opposition. PiS attracted wide criticism in the West that it was subverting democratic norms when it governed for eight years until 2023. Although Nawrocki is technically an independent, PiS has fielded him in the presidential vote. As head of the Institute of National Remembrance, which researches crimes against Poland, Nawrocki is also subject to a Russian arrest warrant over its policy of removing monuments commemorating the Red Army's advance at the end of WW2. For Ryszard Przyborowski, a pensioner from western Poland who plans to vote for Trzaskowski, Nawrocki cannot be trusted and his Ukraine policy is unconvincing: "We should focus above all on building good neighbourly relations," he said. Nawrocki's support has edged down in recent weeks amid allegations that he had not declared ownership of an apartment acquired from a vulnerable pensioner. Many people are standing by him, however, saying he understands their struggles with the cost of living and migration. Critics have also raised doubts about acquaintances from his youth, including football hooligans and convicted criminals, some of whom were reported to have taken part in events organised by the WW2 museum in Gdansk when he managed it. Nawrocki dismisses the criticism, distancing himself from the convicts and saying his football fans are Polish citizens like any other.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Uni porter was locking up for the night – moments later she was decapitated
The 57-year-old porter was at the doors of a 1,200-seat auditorium at Warsaw University, locking up during her early evening shift when she was brutally attacked and lost her life A woman working as a porter at a university was simply locking the doors to its 1,200-seat auditorium when an axe-wielding student pounced and brutally decapitated her. The horrific incident at the Warsaw University in Poland saw dozens of police storm the campus last night as the 22-year-old suspect was caught. He had reportedly "scattered" the 57-year-old woman's body parts, which had been hacked off in the brutal attack, around the grounds and university buildings. He is also accused of attacking a 39-year-old security guard who was left in a critical condition and remains in hospital following the near-fatal assault. The attack took place at around 6.45pm local time (about 5.45pm BST) at the Auditorium Maximum, a significant building within the Faculty of Law and Administration which can hold hundreds of students. The woman was making her final rounds, making sure all doors were locked when she was spotted by the attacker. It is said the security guard heard the brutal attack on the woman and attempted to intervene before he was also badly media reports suggest a severed head was recovered from the scene. One eyewitness, a student named Filip, said: "I was in shock; I never expected to witness something like this. We passed by the porter regularly, and it's terrifying to think the attacker could be someone from our own cohort." Another student said: "The perpetrator seemed insane, he was delirious, he said shocking things about what he wanted to do to this woman." And a law student named Gabriela added: "It's terrifying that we could have passed the perpetrator in the hallway and gone to classes together." Warsaw Police said: "Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries." University of Warsaw confirmed an employee was killed following the rampage. In a statement, it said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, today in the afternoon the University of Warsaw Community was struck by a huge tragedy. Our colleague, a UW employee, was brutally murdered. "The perpetrator was arrested. We express our great sorrow and sympathy to the family and loved ones. A university guard was also seriously injured. Due to the current situation, I am declaring tomorrow, May 8, 2025, a day of mourning at the University of Warsaw. "On behalf of the entire University of Warsaw community. Rector and College of Rectors of the University of Warsaw." Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski expressed his shock at what he described as a "macabre crime" on the campus. "This brutal attack must be severely punished," he said. The university had been due to host its annual music festival Juwenalia on Friday and Saturday. It has since been cancelled. According to the Warsaw prosecutor's office the murder was captured on CCTV cameras inside the university building.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman killed, security guard seriously injured in axe attack at Polish university
May 8 (UPI) -- A female employee at Warsaw University in Poland was killed and a second worker was seriously injured by an axe-wielding intruder. Police said they had detained a 22-year-old man who is Polish. The attack on the campus of the university in the capital occurred at around 6:40 p.m. local time Wednesday evening, the Warsaw Police Department said in a post on X. "A man entered the University of Warsaw Campus and attacked the people there with an axe. He is a 22-year-old Polish citizen. One person died, the other was taken to hospital with serious injuries. "Prosecutors and police are working at the scene," said police. A local prosecutor told the BBC that the suspect was a law student in his third year at the university who was not from Warsaw. The university said in a statement that the victim, a member of staff, was attacked in the main campus building and that a university security guard was seriously injured when he attempted to intervene. Saying the University of Warsaw community had been "struck by a terrible tragedy," university officials delcared a day of mourning Thursday, canceled all classes and ordered security be stepped up. "Our colleague, a UW employee, was brutally murdered. The perpetrator has been caught," Alojzy Nowak, the university's rector, said in a statement. "We express our great sorrow and sympathy to the family and loved ones. A member of university security was also seriously injured," he said. Local reports said the woman was a 53-year-old porter at the university who died at the scene and the man who was injured was aged 39. Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, who was attending an event in an adjacent lecture theater, said one of his officers rushed to the aid of the two victims and engaged with the attacker. Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said it was a "macabre attack" that had left him shocked. "This brutal attack must be met with severe punishment," he wrote on social media. The university also canceled its annual two-day Juwenalia music festival which had been due to get underway Friday. The university, Poland's largest higher-education institution, employs more than 8,000 staff and has 36,300 students, more than 3,600 of them international students and doctoral candidates, according to its website.
Metro
08-05-2025
- Metro
Student 'ate uni worker's body parts after chopping her head off'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A university student killed a member of staff with an axe and 'ate some of her body parts' after launching an attack on campus with an axe. The attacker, reportedly a third-year law student, entered the auditorium of Warsaw University in Poland with the weapon before killing an administrator. A security guard was injured and taken to hospital in a critical condition. The attacker cut off the woman's head and allegedly ate her body parts and licked blood from the weapon, witnesses told Polish TV station Telewizja Republika. Last week a woman's severed head and an axe were also found on the campus. Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported that the attacker was a third-year law student. Footage shows the suspected attacker being pinned to the ground next to blood-stained pavement. More Trending Warsaw Police said: 'Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. 'One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries.' A day of mourning was announced by the Rector of the University of Warsaw, calling the attack a 'huge tragedy'. They said: 'We express our great sorrow and sympathy to the family and loved ones.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: German police begs UK detectives for help before Madeleine McCann suspect walks free MORE: First picture of grandad who died after 'stag do fight' on board cruise ship MORE: Urgent search for missing girl after sister found 'starving and locked in closet by mum'
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 8, 2025
Black smoke rising from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on the first day of the conclave to elect a new pope, in the Vatican City on May 7. PHOTO: REUTERS While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 8, 2025 Black smoke: Cardinals fail to elect new pope on first try Thick black smoke emerged on May 7 from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals had failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church in their first conclave vote. Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square to await the smoke, which came around three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were closed in. The prelates will now withdraw to the Santa Marta guesthouse where they are staying for the election, before starting to vote again on May 8. Cardinals were called back to Rome following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 after 12 years as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. READ MORE HERE Poland police say one killed in axe attack at Warsaw University Police said on May 7 they had detained a 22-year-old Polish man after he killed one person with an axe at Warsaw University, in an attack the institution described as a 'huge tragedy'. 'Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries,' Warsaw Police said, in a statement on X. They said the incident occurred at around 6.40pm (12.40am on May 8 in Singapore), when the man attacked people on the campus with an axe, adding that the detainee was a 22-year-old Polish citizen. READ MORE HERE US V-P Vance adopts more conciliatory tone towards Europe US Vice-President J.D. Vance on May 7 said Europe and the United States were 'on the same team' but needed a better joint security posture, taking a more conciliatory tone after alarming allies with sharp remarks during a visit to Germany in February. During an event in Washington sponsored by the Munich Security Conference, Mr Vance reiterated his and President Donald Trump's belief that Europe needed to take on more responsibility related to defence. Mr Vance said both sides of the Atlantic had become too comfortable with an outdated security system that was not adequate to meet the challenges of the next 20 years. The vice-president has played an attack dog role repeatedly for Mr Trump on foreign policy but stepped back from that approach in his remarks at the conference on May 7. READ MORE HERE France's Macron wants EU to end Syria sanctions France's President said on May 7 he would urge the EU to end sanctions on Syria when they come up for renewal in June and lobby the US to follow suit as well as keep its troops there to ensure Syria's stability. Speaking alongside Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was in Paris for his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad in December, Mr Emmanuel Macron said it was the international community's duty to ease Syria's economic plight. 'I told the President that if he continues on his path, we would do the same. Namely, by first progressively lifting European sanctions, and then we would also lobby our American partners to follow suit on this matter,' Mr Macron said. READ MORE HERE Google agrees to fund three US nuclear power plants Tech giant Google and nuclear developer Elementl Power have signed an agreement to develop three advanced nuclear power plants in the United States, according to a statement released on May 7. The partnership comes as technology companies seek new power sources to meet the growing energy demands of the generative AI revolution. Under the agreement, Google will provide early-stage development capital for three projects, each designed to generate at least 600 megawatts of power capacity, each roughly the equivalent to a standard large power plant. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
