Latest news with #Warszawa
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Over 1,000 scouts evacuated from Polish summer camps ahead of rain warning
More than 1,000 scouts and counselors in summer camps in central Poland were evacuated ahead of heavy rainfall on Wednesday, local media reported. TVP state television said 16 camps, where the scouts had been staying in tents outside the capital city of Warsaw, were evacuated on Tuesday. The Polish scouts and staff were moved indoors, it added. Deputy Minister of Education Katarzyna Lubnauer told TVP that camp officials must be careful in the face of such storms. She recalled a 2017 tragedy when two girls, aged 13 and 14, were killed by falling trees while trying to shelter in their camp tent during a severe storm. Heavy downpours slammed the regions on Wednesday. Firefighters were repeatedly called out to respond to downed trees and flooding, TVP reported. The evacuations came days after catastrophic flooding in Texas killed more than two dozen people at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp. Most of the victims were children. At least 111 people have been killed and a further 173 are still missing after the catastrophic flash flooding swept through Central Texas. Officials fear that the death toll could soar as search and rescue efforts entered their sixth day Wednesday, as hundreds of local, state and federal emergency responders sifted through debris for survivors. The brunt of the disaster remains centered in Kerr County, where at least 161 people remain missing. 'There could be more added to that list,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, with no rescues made in the region since Friday. Among those killed were 27 young girls and staff members at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River, which burst its banks and swelled over 20 feet in under 90 minutes on Friday. Five campers and one counselor are still missing. The Texas Department of State Health Services had signed off on the youth camp's emergency disaster plans just two days before the disaster struck the camp, according to ABC News.
Reuters
29-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Polish power grid to get $3 billion loan to build transmission lines
WARSAW, June 29 (Reuters) - Polish power grid operator PSE will on Monday sign a deal to get a loan exceeding 10.8 billion zloty ($2.99 billion) from state-owned bank BGK to build new power transmission lines, the government press office said. PSE had said in January its transmission network development plan for 2025-2034 assumes investment of over 64 billion zloty. A fund set up by BGK and the Polish climate ministry in 2024 has earmarked 70 billion zloty from the European Union recovery funds to build and upgrade the country's power transmission network. ($1 = 3.6117 zlotys)
Reuters
26-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Polish parliament approves liberalisation of wind farm rules
WARSAW, June 26 (Reuters) - The Polish parliament approved legislation easing rules to build onshore wind farms, which the government says is a key step to boost renewable energy output and lower electricity prices. The rules, passed in a vote late on Wednesday, cut the distance required between planned installations and residential locations, while keeping permitting more restrictive for projects close to protected natural areas. The bill will also include a clause that freezes energy prices for households until the end of the year, and incentives for municipalities and homeowners in areas closest to the new wind farms. "This is a step towards lower power prices for Poles and for the economy, an idea we all share. The more power we have from renewable sources, the lower electricity prices will be," Climate Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska told Parliament sitting on Wednesday. Boosting renewable power production has been one of the key election pledges, opens new tab of the current government after the previous administration blocked development of onshore wind for most of its eight years in power. The law needs to be approved by the Senate, and signed by the president. Outgoing head of state Andrzej Duda and president-elect Karol Nawrocki have been skeptical about easing permitting requirements for wind farms. Duda said on Wednesday the government was trying to force him to sign the wind farm bill by including the last-minute amendment to freeze power prices. Renewable output has been growing at the expense of coal-fired power which still dominates the mix. In 2024, nearly 30% of Polish electricity was generated from renewable sources. The country now has 11 gigawatt of installed wind capacity.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Glazed balconies on the rise in Poland: Lumon strengthens presence with standout residential projects
Flisac-PL-Lumon-balcony-glazing-01 Mennica-PL-Lumon-balcony-glazing-01 Flisac-PL-Lumon-balcony-glazing-03 Flisac-PL-Lumon-balcony-glazing-02 WARSAW, Poland, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balcony glazing is fast becoming a hallmark of modern Polish residential architecture. Two years after establishing its subsidiary in Poland, Lumon - a global leader in frameless balcony glazing solutions – has successfully completed several high-profile residential projects, transforming urban living in cities like Warsaw, Łódź, and Pruszków. 'Poland has proven to be a dynamic and promising market,' says Jussi Kinnunen, CEO of Lumon Group. 'There's a clear demand for solutions that combine aesthetic quality, functional design, and long-term value. Our glazing systems are delivering just that.' Delivering impact across Poland Among Lumon's recent highlights: Słoneczne Tarasy – ŁódźIn the heart of Łódź, this architecturally bold development designed by Marciniak & Witasiak Architekci features a striking openwork façade backed by Lumon's frameless glazing. It's a modern nod to the city's industrial roots and a new landmark on Kilińskiego Street. Lazurova Concept – WarsawDeveloped by Marvipol Development, this sleek residential project in Bemowo incorporates over 1,600 m² of Lumon glazing. The system enhances energy efficiency, reduces noise, and boosts resident comfort, proving that style and performance go hand in hand. Wola Skwer – WarsawLocated centrally in Warsaw, Wola Skwer showcases 106 balconies clad with 1,200 m² of Lumon glazing. The result: serene, weather-protected outdoor retreats in the middle of the bustling capital. Stacja Centrum – PruszkówA large-scale development south of Warsaw, Stacja Centrum includes 460 apartments, each with a Lumon-glazed balcony. With over 3,300 m² of retractable glass installed, the project was completed ahead of schedule, underlining Lumon's efficiency and reliability. Growing awareness and demand These successful deliveries reflect a broader trend: growing awareness among Polish developers, architects, and residents about the benefits of balcony glazing. In Warsaw and beyond, glazed balconies are quickly becoming a must-have feature in new developments, offering added comfort, better energy performance, and higher property value. 'We clearly see a growing demand from urban residents in Poland who are looking for smart ways to make the most of their outdoor space, not just in summer, but all year round,' says Dawid Siepielski, Country Manager of Lumon Polska. 'Our glazing systems meet this need by turning balconies into practical and comfortable extensions of the home. This resonates especially well in dense city environments, where every square meter of livable space matters.' 'As an architect, I see how quickly the market is changing. In just a few years, balcony glazing has shifted from a 'nice to have' to a clear design standard in many construction and renovation projects,' comments Ewa Patas-Trojan, Architect and Project Manager from SRDK STUDIO. 'Lumon's solution stands out because of its clean design and easy integration into the facade, it adds both visual lightness and everyday functionality.' Sustainable and tailored for modern cities Lumon's solutions are not only visually elegant but also engineered for sustainability. Manufactured from recyclable glass and aluminum, the systems can reduce heating energy use by up to 16% and extend balcony lifecycles by up to a decade. Each installation is tailor-made to match the specific dimensions and style of the building. Contact: Dawid Siepielski General DirectorLumon Polska Sp. z Photos accompanying this announcement are available at in to access your portfolio
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
The Telegram channels spreading pro-Russian propaganda in Poland
In a clearing in a forest, two men stand behind a row of wooden poles that have pictures of faces stuck on top of portraits include US President Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk. In front of them hangs the US men are wearing camouflage clothing with blue markings – the colour often worn by Ukrainian soldiers to identify them on the battlefield."We don't need allies like you," one of the men says in Ukrainian, as he sets fire to the flag and this video, shared with thousands of subscribers of a Polish-language Telegram channel, is staged. The uniforms are generic camouflage ones easily bought online, while the Ukrainian words are heavily mispronounced and spoken with a strong Russian was shared on the Telegram channel Polska Grupa Informacyjna, one of 22 Polish-language channels, with more than 150,000 subscribers between them, that the BBC has identified as sharing various forms of pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda. Telegram is not widely used in Poland, but experts say false messages on it are amplified among extremist groups and then spread on to other platforms that have a bigger 22 channels largely present themselves as Polish news and information services. Two claim to be "impartial" while one promises "unbiased" news. One channel bills itself as offering "reliable and verified information hidden from the public", while another has the slogan "we are where the truth is needed".Most of them frequently cite or replicate content from Russian state media outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, which have been banned in the European Union for manipulating information and spreading propaganda. Poland is a member of the channels often quote or link to Russian regime figures and supporters. President Vladimir Putin, deputy head of the national security council Dmitry Medvedev, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Russian propagandist TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov and pro-Russian war commentators known as "Z-bloggers" are all posts on these channels include outright false information. For example, an image posted by the channel UKR LEAKS_pl shows figures in military clothing applying fake blood to people and is captioned "how the 'Bucha victims' were prepared", implying that the well-documented killings of hundreds of Ukrainians by Russian forces in 2022 did not channels frequently refer to Ukrainian leaders and soldiers as "Nazis". In one post, InfoDefensePOLAND called the government in Kyiv a "Nazi regime", claiming it was "controlled by the United States" and others in the West. Often a mixture of true and false information is shared, or channels omit crucial information to give a misleading impression. On 17 June, for example, Russia carried out its deadliest attack on Kyiv in months, hitting residential buildings and, according to Ukrainian authorities, killing at least 28 than half of the channels completely ignored the incident, some of them instead highlighting Russian army advances in Ukraine. A few others, echoing Kremlin narratives, blamed Ukraine for the casualties, claiming Russia's attacks only targeted military sites. Citing and reposting By analysing Telegram data, the BBC found that many of the channels emerged around the time of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in least three originally published in Russian before being rebranded as Telegram data reveals that most of the 22 channels frequently quote, repost, or mention one another. In 2022 and 2023, this included sharing lists described as "good Polish Telegram sources" and urging followers to subscribe. Poland has been a crucial player in the alliance of countries supporting Ukraine since Russia's invasion, leading the way in the early months in sending military aid and to avoid becoming a target of Russian aggression, Poland has become an increasingly prominent defence partner in the European Union and Nato, and has taken in about a million Ukrainian refugees since 2022. Telegram a 'starting point' Since 2022, Russian disinformation and influence operations have become "a consistent element of the Polish digital infosphere", says Aleksy Szymkiewicz of the Polish fact-checking organisation says Telegram functions as a "starting point"."False or manipulative claims are posted there first - then they spread to bigger platforms like X. And then from X, it's going, for example, to discussions in Facebook groups."According to Mr Szymkiewicz, these pro-Russian Telegram channels aim to discourage support for Ukraine, polarise public opinion, and drive a wedge between Polish and Ukrainian is now showing signs of fatigue towards refugees, partly driven by anti-Ukrainian propaganda, he says. Some of the messages circulating on the channels are overtly pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian, but others are more example, some recent posts suggest that increased military spending in EU countries seeking to counter what they see as a threat from Russia, is driving citizens - including Poles - into common narratives use unsubstantiated generalisations about Ukrainian refugees, portraying them as aggressive, law-breaking and a drain on host Szymkiewicz says messages like these "play on real fears" by tapping into existing economic and cultural anxieties within Polish Głowacz, a senior analyst at NASK National Research Institute in Warsaw, says there is a "strong historical resentment to Russia" in Poland, which was in the Soviet sphere of influence for several can mean that "explicitly pro-Russian messages don't work", and pro-Russian actors sometimes "push pro-Kremlin narratives together with far-right content, conspiracy theories, etc".Telegram is an "ideal platform" for this, he says, explaining it has an outsized influence among far-right communities and conspiracy theorists. Who is behind the channels? While the identities behind most channels remain unclear, experts say there are signs of ties to Russia or its ally Belarus. According to Mr Głowacz, the publishing times of many of the channels suggest they follow a shift-based posting schedule aligned with Moscow's working LEAKS_pl is part of the wider UKR LEAKS group - a multilingual web of Telegram channels and affiliated platforms run by Vasily Prozorov, a former officer in the Ukrainian security service, who switched sides to collaborate with belongs to the InfoDefense group, which operates in more than 30 languages, and is linked to Yury Podolyaka, a controversial pro-Kremlin blogger originally from Ukraine. He is now in Russia and has been sentenced in absentia by Ukrainian courts for collaborating with channel told the BBC it had more than 500 volunteers around the world. "There are a lot of people in the world who support Russia. They're helping us. Yuri Podolyaka is one of them," it said. Another channel, Pravda PL, is part of the Pravda group - a large international network of pro-Kremlin news websites and social media state agency for tackling disinformation, Viginum, says it is linked to a Russian IT firm based in Russian-occupied to Newsguard - a company that rates news and information websites for reliability - Pravda is spreading content so widely that it is "infecting" AI chatbot tested 10 chatbots with a sample of false narratives shared on Pravda. It says they sometimes repeated or cited the disinformation, while at other times questioning and UKR_LEAKS did not respond to BBC requests for Grupa Informacyjna, the channel that shared the video of the US portraits being burned, shares a mixture of content, including some that gives a Ukrainian perspective. It told the BBC it was "an independent news channel" and its "overriding principle is impartiality", strongly rejecting claims that it promoted pro-Kremlin said content on the channel may be shared "as an example of controversial material circulating on the web, without any approval or assessment from the editorial staff". Material may be removed or corrected if it turns out to be inauthentic, it Szymkiewicz says the spread of pro-Russian disinformation on Telegram is concerning, as it allows content from state-media sources such as RT and Sputnik to remain present in the Polish-language media landscape, often reaching a wide audience."Such content is frequently false, manipulated, or outright fabricated," he adds that anti-Ukrainian posts "legitimise and entrench the perspectives and narratives of the Russian regime in Polish public discourse". BBC World Service is launching a new language service on Tuesday, BBC News Polska. It is the first new language service from the BBC since March 2018, bringing our impartial and trusted global journalism, including original reporting from across Europe, to the Polish-speaking audience. It is the first BBC language service to use AI translation technology - all translation has human editorial oversight, and is clearly labelled.
