The Globalist Podcast, Thursday, June 1, 2023: Veteran political strategist Norm Sterzenbach unpacks Ron DeSantis’s 2024 launch.
Plus: fears that Polish democracy is under threat, secret talks between Qatar and the Taliban, and award-winning author Leila Slimani talks about her latest novel.
DW Travel (May 10, 2023) – Kraków is Poland’s second-largest city, and we’ve collected three things any visit there must include!
Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 0:30 Krakow’s Main Market Square 0:46 Cloth Hall 1:00 Poland’s National Museum 1:12 St. Mary’s Basilica 1:56 Must eat: Pierogi 2:05 Kazimierz 2:15 Starka Restaurant 3:06 Must visit: Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory 4:05 Krakus Mound
Kraków, a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, is known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Its old town – ringed by Planty Park and remnants of the city’s medieval walls – is centered on the stately, expansive Rynek Glówny (market square). This plaza is the site of the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance-era trading outpost, and St. Mary’s Basilica, a 14th-century Gothic church.
Travel HDefinition (May 8, 2023) – Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. It is Poland’s principal seaport and the country’s fourth-largest metropolitan area. The city has a complex history, having had periods of Polish, German and self rule.
Video timeline:0:00 Skwer 0:11 Main Town Hall & Długa 0:39 Wyspa Spichrzów 1:35 Streets of Gdansk 2:27 The Great Armoury (Wielka Zbrojownia) 2:36 Złota/Długouliczna Brama 2:48 Streets of Gdansk 3:58 St. Catherine’s Church 4:24 Marina/Port 5:32 Gdansk by night 6:08 Gdańsk Neon Sign 6:23 Footbridge to Ołowianka 7:40 Marina 8:03 Main streets of Gdansk
From 1920 to 1939, Gdańsk lay in the disputed so-called Polish Corridor; its ambiguous political status created tensions that culminated in the German invasion of Poland and the first clash of the Second World War at nearby Westerplatte. Gdańsk is home to the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology, the National Museum, the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, the Museum of the Second World War, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the Polish Space Agency and the European Solidarity Centre.
Among Gdańsk’s most notable historical landmarks are the Town Hall, the Green Gate, Artus Court, Neptune’s Fountain, and St. Mary’s Church, one of the largest brick churches in the world. Gdańsk is among the most visited cities in Poland.
The New York Times Magazine – April 9, 2023: In this issue, Jim Rutenberg on how giving its audience what it wanted pushed Fox into a $1.6 billion bind; Elisabeth Zerofsky on Poland’s new political realities due to the war in Ukraine; Lydia Kiesling on the TV show “Yellowjackets”; Meg Bernhard on an L.A. school where the pandemic never ended; and more.
Rupert Murdoch built an empire by giving viewers exactly what they wanted. But what they wanted — election lies and insurrection — put that empire (and the country) in peril.
CreditJustyna Mielnikiewicz for The New York Times
Long at odds with the E.U. over its domestic policies, the right-wing government is winning allies with its staunch defense of Ukraine. Which battle matters most?
The Telegraph (March 29, 2023) – Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has been investing billions in new tanks, weaponry, cyber operations and manpower. By 2035 Poland hopes to double the size of its armed forces to 300,000 troops.
There is even talk of the country becoming a major military power in Europe. Watch The Telegraph’s Steven Edginton interview key members of the Polish military and politicians to understand why they are rearming. He also asked young Poles whether they are prepared to die for their country.
For Poland, investing in the military is no longer a luxury but a necessity. With conflict at their border (don’t forget that two Poles have already been casualties of this war, killed by a stray Ukrainian missile) Poland can no longer rely only on the United States and its Nato allies for protection.
Warsaw plans to increase military spending to 5% of its GDP, outspending its fellow European capitals relatively by a wide margin. Poland’s military expansion must be thought of within the context of the nation’s history. You don’t have to be a pensioner to remember a time when Poland was suffering under Communist rule.
Monuments to the Soviet oppressors litter cities like Warsaw, where one can wonder at Stalin’s “gift” to the Poles, the grand Palace of Culture, and despite the government’s best efforts to tear them down many statues still stand commemorating the Red Army as “liberators”.
March 21, 2023: What’s next for Emmanual Macron after Monday’s no-confidence votes?
Plus: a look at the latest market turbulence after the Credit Suisse deal, how Greece was trying to attract new business opportunities at this year’s Mipim property trade fair and how Finns have reacted to the news that their country has been ranked the world’s happiest for the sixth year running.
March 20, 2023: Xi Jinping heads to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. Plus: an Asia-Pacific round-up, a flick through today’s papers, Saddam Hussein’s tourist-attraction superyacht and jewellers preparing for King Charles’s coronation.
March 17, 2023: Emmanuel Macron bypasses parliament to force through pension reform in France. Plus: Poland’s announcement that it will be the first Nato country to send fighter jets to Ukraine, Andrew Mueller’s irreverent round-up of the week’s events and the latest theatre news.
February 20, 2023: We bring you the latest from Kyiv as we begin our special coverage of the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
Plus: Poland’s growing role in Europe ahead of President Biden’s visit, aviation news and all the winners, losers and surprises at the Bafta Film Awards.
Slovakia hosts the Visegrád Group’s V4 summit, Somalia launches a TV channel aimed at countering al-Shabaab propaganda and Taiwan heads to the polls in local elections.
Plus: today’s papers and Andrew Mueller’s irreverent round-up of the week’s news.
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