Poland

On This Day: Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China, died in 1925

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On This Day: Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China, died in 1925

– Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese revolutionary leader and first provisional president of modern China, died in 1925.
– German troops invaded Austria in 1938.
– Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, becoming the first former Soviet bloc members to do so.
– American-born violinist and music teacher Yehudi Menuhin died in Berlin in 1999.
– Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated in 2003.
– In 2005, a Russian sportsman attempted to set a record by staying in cold water for 60 minutes.
– China accepted the resignation of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, in 2005.
– Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to the largest fraud in Wall Street history in 2009.
– Radiation levels were checked near Fukushima after an explosion and radiation leak at a nuclear power plant in 2011.
– Researchers claimed to have found a hidden Da Vinci masterpiece in 2012.
– A fatal gas explosion occurred in New York’s Harlem neighborhood in 2014.

Catholic bishop to be ordained in Nicosia

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Catholic bishop to be ordained in Nicosia

Bruno Varriano has been appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Cyprus and will be ordained in Nicosia. This ordination is significant as it marks the first of its kind in modern Cyprus since the Ottoman Empire. The Episcopal Ordination is scheduled to take place at the Filoxenia Conference Centre at 4:30pm. Varriano, of Brazilian origin, was born in Sao Paulo in 1971, joined the Custody of the Holy Land in 1996, and is a priest and a psychotherapist specializing in clinical psychology. He holds a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical “Antonianum” University in Rome and a Diploma in Biblical Formation. In August 2022, he was appointed Vicar of the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins for Cyprus.

Woman carrying €420,000 in handbag travelled twenty times to Cyprus transporting millions

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Woman carrying €420,000 in handbag travelled twenty times to Cyprus transporting millions

A 31-year-old woman is suspected of money laundering after traveling to Cyprus twenty times in eight months, transporting nearly eight million euros. She passed through Cypriot airports without issue, declaring the money as her own for real estate purchases. The case emerged when she reported a theft of €420,000 in Limassol. Investigations led to her arrest on money laundering suspicions. She frequently traveled from Poland to Athens to Cyprus, declaring over one million euros on multiple trips, including over two million euros within 20 days in February 2024.

EU countries to exit energy treaty over climate concerns, officials say

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EU countries to exit energy treaty over climate concerns, officials say

European Union countries decided to leave the 1998 Energy Charter Treaty due to concerns it conflicts with climate change efforts. The treaty allows energy companies to sue governments over policies affecting their investments, which has been used to challenge the shutdown of fossil fuel plants. The decision was made at a meeting in Brussels and will next seek approval from the European Parliament, where consent is highly likely. The move follows initial proposals and pressure from several EU member states. Despite some countries’ reluctance and concerns over wasting modernization efforts, an agreement was reached to accept treaty reforms before exiting. These reforms, agreed by around 50 signatories, include reducing the protection period for energy firms’ investments from 20 to 10 years.

Czech farmers dump manure on Prague streets in renewed protests [PHOTOS]

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Czech farmers dump manure on Prague streets in renewed protests [PHOTOS]

Czech farmers protested in front of the government’s office in Prague, demanding more support and a halt to cheap imports to the European Union. They blocked streets with tractors, dumped manure in front of government headquarters, and called for the removal of restrictions from the Green Deal plan and for customs duties on Ukrainian farm products to be reimposed. This protest is part of a wider movement across the EU, with similar actions in Poland and Brussels. The Czech farmers’ demands include subsidies matching 2022 levels, employment support programs, reduced property tax for farmland, and measures to tackle surplus in EU markets due to cheap imports. The government has refused to be pressured, with Prime Minister Petr Fiala calling it “blackmail” and Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny criticizing the manure dumping.

Wizz Air’s President: We want to continue building on our position as number one at Larnaca airport

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Wizz Air’s President: We want to continue building on our position as number one at Larnaca airport

– Wizz Air established a base at Larnaca Airport in 2020.
– Since its establishment, Wizz Air has doubled its capacity at Larnaca Airport.
– Wizz Air is now the leading airline in Larnaca and the second overall in Cyprus.
– In 2023, Wizz Air experienced a significant increase in passenger numbers in Cyprus compared to 2022.
– The increase in passengers was attributed to new destinations, Cyprus’s tourism strategy, and Wizz Air’s low fares.
– Wizz Air navigated challenges such as the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas by quickly reallocating capacity and was the first airline to return to pre-COVID levels by volume.
– Wizz Air operates at 160% of its pre-COVID capacity.
– The airline is focused on sustainability and is investing in new technology for the future, including the potential development of hydrogen aircraft.
– Cyprus aims to attract tourists from a wider range of countries and has been successful during the 2023 tourist season.
– Operational challenges in summer 2022 led Wizz Air to invest in schedule resilience.
– Wizz Air plans to continue growing, with potential new routes and increased frequencies to existing destinations.
– The airline carried 60 million passengers in 2023 and operates a fleet of around 180 aircraft, with plans to grow by 30 to 40 aircraft per year.

Polish farmers rally in Warsaw against EU policies, Ukraine imports

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Polish farmers rally in Warsaw against EU policies, Ukraine imports

Thousands of Polish farmers protested in Warsaw against food imports from Ukraine and EU green rules. They demand the lifting of the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ regulations and a block on Ukrainian grain imports, citing bankruptcy risks and unfair competition. The protests began earlier in February, including a blockade of Ukrainian border crossings and disruptions nationwide. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged the need for the EU to address the issues arising from opening borders to Ukrainian food products post-Russia’s 2022 invasion.