Poland

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Polish Monument to Massacre of Jews Vandalized

Vandals write 'they were flammable'

(Newser) - A horrifying story with a cruel twist: Vandals have graffitied a monument in Poland that marked the spot where as many as 400 Jews were burned alive in a barn during World War II. But in addition to defacing it with a spray-painted green swastika, they wrote the unthinkable: "...

18th-Century Cannons Retrieved From Baltic

Cannons from 1771 will take four years to clean and preserve

(Newser) - Polish explorers have retrieved three 18th-century cannons from shipwrecks resting on the Baltic Sea bottom. The Swedish cannons bear the minting date of 1771 and were found in the remains of a commercial and a navy ship resting more than 130 feet below, said an expert from the Gdansk Main...

Obama: Poland Is Model for Arab Spring

President also back move to ease visa rules for Poles

(Newser) - President Obama wrapped up his Europe trip today with a stop in Poland, where he called the nation's transition to democracy a model for the Arab world. “Poland has navigated that process as well as any country in recent history,” said the president, who added that he...

Auschwitz's 'Work Makes You Free' Sign Is Whole Again

Metal sign was mutilated by thieves

(Newser) - Auschwitz's notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) sign is back in one piece again after undergoing a painstaking restoration, reports the AP . Thieves cut the sign into pieces, and twisted and crushed parts of it during a 2009 theft, according to a reparations leader. Officials at...

Condom on Phallic Statue Gets Rise Out of Poles

Huge phallus covered with plastic to honor founder of latex condoms

(Newser) - Safe sex supporters have topped an ancient phallic statue in Poland with a kind of giant condom—and Catholic townies are not amused. The stunt was pulled to commemorate the birth of latex condom inventor Julius Fromm, notes Der Spiegel . The condom was crafted out of a large plastic bag...

Krakow Church's New Relic: Blood of John Paul II

Vial will be installed in altar following late pope's beatification

(Newser) - A vial holding the blood of Pope John Paul II will be installed in a Polish church as a relic, the AP reports. The vial will form part of the altar at a Krakow church due to open in May, the month of the late Polish pope's beatification. The city’...

John Paul II Speeding Toward Sainthood

Benedict expected to beatify him this year

(Newser) - John Paul II's fast track to sainthood gets even faster this week. A Vatican panel has concluded that the former pontiff did indeed perform a miracle—a nun says her Parkinson's disappeared after she prayed to him—and will present its findings to Pope Benedict within days, reports Reuters . Benedict...

Polish Leaders to Blame for Crash That Killed Prez: Report

Russian investigation says crew was under psychological pressure

(Newser) - The plane crash that killed Poland’s president and 95 others can be blamed, at least partially, on Polish leaders, Russian investigators have determined. In a report that shifts responsibility away from the crew of the plane, investigators say the pilots, who crashed at a Russian airport, were under psychological...

3 European Countries Grab at Private Pensions

Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland call for citizens' savings

(Newser) - As European governments seek new sources of revenue, private retirement plans are taking a hit. Since most are organized by the state, "European ministers of finance have a facilitated access to the savings accumulated there, and it is only logical that they try to get a hold of this...

Poland Deep Freeze Kills 30
 Poland Deep Freeze Kills 30  
Dec 3, 2010 8:49 AM CST

Poland Deep Freeze Kills 30

Meanwhile, worst floods in a century hit Balkans

(Newser) - The death toll from a deep freeze in Poland has increased to 30 with a dozen more deaths occurring overnight, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans. Many of those who died in Poland are drunks or homeless people, and police canvassed the...

Columbus Was Polish King's Son: Historian

We've had it wrong 500 years, says researcher

(Newser) - Christopher Columbus’ origins have long been shrouded in mystery—was he Italian? Spanish? Greek? None of the above: In fact, his father was a Polish king, argues Columbus expert Manuel Rosa in a new book. Rosa holds that the adventurer's father was Vladislav III, who was not killed in 1444...

Russia Blames Stalin for Polish Massacre

He ordered killing of 22,000 in Katyn

(Newser) - A rarity out of Russia today: Official condemnation of Josef Stalin. The lower house of parliament censured Stalin and blamed him for ordering the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers during World War II, Reuters reports. It's not exactly news that Stalin did so, though for decades the Soviet propaganda...

Neo-Nazi Pleads Guilty to Auschwitz Sign Theft

Prosecutors say Swedish neo-Nazi leader masterminded theft

(Newser) - A Swedish neo-Nazi has pleaded guilty to involvement in the theft of the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the gates of Auschwitz. As part of a plea bargain, the thief will serve close to 3 years in a Swedish prison. Five Poles, who authorities say were involved for...

Jesus Is Taller Than Ever (Maybe)

Poland town says new statue is world's biggest

(Newser) - The Polish town of Sweibodzin has completed what its mayor calls the world's biggest statue of Jesus. The colossal white figure is 108 feet high—that's one meter for each of the 33 years he lived, says the priest who conceived the project. That's also smaller than the 125-foot Jesus...

New Sex Guru: Polish Priest
 New Sex Guru: Polish Priest 
HE READS UP ON IT
Oct 24, 2010 9:02 AM CDT

New Sex Guru: Polish Priest

Father Ksawery Knotz takes on human sexuality

(Newser) - When you think "sex advice," chances are you don't think "celibate Catholic priest" in the same nanosecond. Meet Father Ksawery Knotz , the church's answer to Dan Savage—sort of. Author of tomes like Sex Is Divine, the Polish priest is making waves by taking a decidedly modern...

Neo-Nazi Couple Discovers They're Jewish

CNN recounts story of Polish pair's revelation

(Newser) - A young neo-Nazi couple in Poland got a surprise (for them, a very much unwelcome one) when the wife went rooting their family histories and discovered they were both, in fact, Jewish. "I didn't know how to tell him," she recalls to CNN in a new documentary. (See...

Granny Finds 6-Foot Anaconda in Toilet

Polish cops capture stray South American snake looking for way out

(Newser) - A Polish grandmother slammed her toilet lid down very quickly after opening it to find a 6-foot anaconda looking back at her, the Telegraph reports. The Wroclaw woman called police, who managed to capture it with the help of a local zoo worker. Authorities believe the snake, native to South...

Suspected Mossad Spy Arrested in Hamas Slaying

Alleged agent being held in Poland

(Newser) - An alleged Mossad spy from Israel wanted in connection with the elaborate hit-squad slaying of a Hamas agent in Dubai has been arrested in Poland. The man, using the name Uri Brodsky, is suspected of working for Mossad in Germany and helping to issue a fake German passport to a...

Soldiers Stole Credit Cards of Plane Crash Dead

And actually used them, forcing Russians to apologize to Poles

(Newser) - Four not-too-bright Russian soldiers have been charged with stealing credit cards from the dead body of a prominent historian who had been part of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's entourage when his plane crashed in April, killing the president and 95 others. The soldiers, who were supposed to be securing the...

Obama Cancels Poland Trip Over Volcano

President was supposed to attend Kaczysnki's funeral

(Newser) - Not even Air Force One can brave the volcano. President Obama has scrapped plans to fly to Poland for the funeral of President Lech Kaczynski. He was supposed to leave tonight for tomorrow's services, but the ever-growing ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland has made travel impossible.

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