Poland

Polish hotel cancels on Germany's far-right AfD

29 June 2019; DW: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) had to cancel plans for a gathering in western Poland on Friday, after the Radisson Blu Hotel in Szczecin unceremoniously nixed their reservations two hours before the meeting. The said there had been a power outage.

Spokesman Christian Lüth told French news agency AFP that he believed "political reasons" were behind the decision.

"We had repeatedly confirmed the reservation," he added. "There will be legal action."

German pilot killed in Polish air show tailspin

16 June 2019; DW: A German pilot performing an aerobatic stunt at an air show in northwestern Poland was killed on Saturday when his plane nosedived into a river.

The former Lufthansa employee, who is thought to have been in his 60s, was flying a Russian-made Yakolev Yak-52 aerobatic plane close to the city of Plock, about 110 kilometers from Warsaw, when his aircraft suddenly went into a tailspin during a turn.

Poland cancels Israeli visit amid Holocaust restitution row

13 May 2019; DW: Poland has called off a visit by Israeli officials, claiming they were seeking to force talks on the restitution of Jewish property seized during World War II.

The Polish Foreign Ministry on Monday said it had scrapped the planned visit of an Israeli delegation at short notice, claiming the officials were trying to force through talks on restitution.

Polish activists pull down statue of priest in abuse protest

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Activists in Poland pulled down a statue of a priest early Thursday after increasing allegations that he sexually abused minors, a stunt they said was to protest the failure of the Polish Catholic Church to resolve the problem of clergy sex abuse.

The protest comes as Pope Francis gathered church leaders from around the world at the Vatican to grapple with the church’s sex abuse crisis.

Polish premier pulls out of Visegrad Israel summit after Nazi comments

18 Feb 2019; DW: Poland has downgraded its delegation to the Visegrad Group summit in Israel after premier Benjamin Netanyahu suggested "Poles cooperated with the Nazis." The four-state group is a key element in Israel's diplomacy.

A dispute between Israel and Poland about alleged Polish collaboration with the Nazis in World War II is threatening to overshadow a two-day meeting of central European countries in Jerusalem.

Anti-Iran coalition unrealized amid divergence in Warsaw conference

CAIRO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Warsaw conference on the Middle East ended up without setting up the anti-Iran coalition, an overt goal of the United States that remains unrealized.

The two-day conference, co-organized from Feb. 13 to 14 by Poland and the United States, appeared to be a blatant attempt to build the coalition of hardliners.

Middle East conference in Warsaw shows gap between U.S., EU

WARSAW, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The international conference on the Middle East ended here on Thursday. During the two-day discussion, the United States and the EU have held different views on Iran issue, and didn't reach any agreements specifically.

The conference, which started on Wednesday, was co-organized by Poland and the U.S. The main topics included the political situation and the role of Iran in regional development, the situation in Yemen and Syria, the security and stability in the Middle East.

Pompeo meets Israeli PM, says ‘confronting Iran’ key to ME peace

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday at a security conference in Warsaw that Iran is the top threat in the Middle East and confronting the country is key to reaching peace in the entire region.

Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the opening session at the conference and said “pushing back” against Iran was central to dealing with all the region’s other problems.

“You can’t achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It’s just not possible,” Pompeo said alongside Netanyahu.

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