Free Republic

Whilst Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are rightly hailed as being the first men to step on the moon, it was a stray mongrel named Laika who propelled the space race into new territory. On November 3, 1957, the little part-husky dog – who was also known as Curly – became the first animal to orbit Earth when she flew out of the atmosphere in the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2 spacecraft. At the time, the Russians told the world that, until her air supply ran out, the dog had survived for six days inside a capsule which provided her with...

WARSAW, Poland - Exit polls indicated Polish voters ousted the scandal-prone left-wing government of Prime Minister Marek Belka in elections Sunday and gave a broad majority to two center-right parties that promise tax cuts and clean government. Projections based on exit polls for Polish government television showed the socially conservative Law and Justice Party with 27.6 percent and the free-market Civic Platform with 24.1 percent; the governing Democratic Left Alliance lagged far behind with 11.3 percent. The results showed voters eager for change in choosing the two right-wing parties, both of which have roots in the Solidarity trade union movement...

LONDON (AP) The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have sent letters to the Polish government recommending it purchase planes from French company Airbus rather than U.S. rival Boeing Co. Arkadiusz Godun, an adviser to Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka, confirmed Tuesday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had made their case for Airbus but said Belka had not made a decision on which planes to buy for the national airline. "The prime minister received three letters from the three individuals and he acquainted himself with the offers but has not...

A culture of life for America got a big boost from President Bush as he addressed, from Camp David by telephone, pro-life demonstrators in DC marking the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. He told abortion opponents he shared their support for 'a culture of life' and lauded progress in passing legislation to protect the vulnerable. Presidents Bush and Chirac plan to have dinner in Europe next month. The president is also planning to host Chirac in the United States sometime soon. Bush plans to stop in Germany, and to meet with Russia's Putin in the Slovak Republic during his...

Polish PM seeking to revive his country’s once lucrative economic ties with Libya. TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi hailed a fresh start in relations with Warsaw Wednesday after talks with Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka, who is seeking to revive their once lucrative economic ties. Kadhafi told reporters after meeting Belka in a Bedouin tent adjacent to his Bab Al-Aziziya palace in the Libyan capital that there were now "great prospects to re-establish cooperation with Poland". "In the past, we cooperated very closely and now we will resume this cooperation and can work together not only on the bilateral...

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's prime minister and defense minister arrived in Iraq (news - web sites) Wednesday for a Christmas visit to Polish troops, the nation's news agency reported. Prime Minister Marek Belka and Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski were visiting Camp Echo in Diwaniyah, the new headquarters for the Polish-led international security force in central Iraq, Polish news agency PAP reported. PAP, reporting from Diwaniyah, said the leaders would have a Christmas meal with the troops Wednesday afternoon. Poland has 2,400 of its own soldiers deployed as part of the 6,000-strong international force.

WARSAW (AFP) - Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka is to pay a Christmas visit to Polish troops stationed in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq (news - web sites) this week, unofficial sources said. Belka "will go to Afghanistan and then Iraq. He will also go to the Balkans, either to Kosovo or Bosnia," the sources said. The trip was not immediately confirmed by official sources. Instead a defence ministry statement said Belka will "Tuesday and Wednesday go to the Middle East and Balkans," adding he would be accompanied by Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski. A contingent of 120 Polish...

Warsaw. (Interfax-Europe) - Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka will propose new parliamentary elections be held in the second half of May 2005, instead of in autumn as in the past, to enable the next government to prepare its own budget. In Poland, parliamentary elections are traditionally held in September or October, the time of year when the country's government prepares the state budget. When a new government comes to power, it then inherits the budget prepared by the previous government. "I intend to propose that parliamentary elections will take place in late spring, the second half of May," Belka told...

No Breakthrough By M.M. 18 August 2004 "This is the moment when Poland progresses from a consumer of U.S. policy to a real partner," said Prime Minister Marek Belka, after conducting a series of talks in the United States in early August. However, most commentators agree that the visit produced no real breakthrough. During his working visit to the United States, which ended Aug. 9, Belka met with officials including U.S. President George W. Bush (see photo) and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He discussed issues including a reduction of Polish troop presence in Iraq and a gradual reorganization of...

10th August 2004 Belka fails to convince President Bush to lift visas for Poles Prime Minister Marek Belka met on Monday with American President George W. Bush, after an earlier meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Belka, in accordance with earlier announcements, argued the case for handing over more military power to the Iraqi government. Belka said after the meeting with Rumsfeld that the Polish division in Iraq will be cooperating with Iraqi defense force in a much closer way. He added that he did not talk about reducing the Polish military presence in the country, but admitted that Poland...

Prime Minister Marek Belka met on Monday with American President George W. Bush, after an earlier meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Belka, in accordance with earlier announcements, argued the case for handing over more military power to the Iraqi government. Belka said after the meeting with Rumsfeld that the Polish division in Iraq will be cooperating with Iraqi defense force in a much closer way. He added that he did not talk about reducing the Polish military presence in the country, but admitted that Poland would like to withdraw some of its soldiers in 2005. The talks with the...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush (news - web sites) and Prime Minister Belka of Poland in a photo opportunity today: The Oval Office 1:55 p.m. EDT PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll have two opening statements, and two questions per side. I'll call on somebody and the Prime Minister will call on somebody. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. Thank you for coming. We've just had a very good visit, but that's what you would expect from two friends who are talking about important issues. We talked about foreign policy. We talked about economic...

WARSAW (AFP) - Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka will discuss the situation in Iraq (news - web sites) and US investments in Poland during a working visit to Washington on Monday, government spokesman Dariusz Jadowski said. Jadowski said Belka would hold a separate meeting with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Belka would also have a working breakfast with Lockheed Martin, the US aircraft maker which last year signed a 3.5 billion dollar contract to sell Poland 48 F-16 fighter jets. During the meeting with Lockheed Martin Belka is expected to discuss the promised six billion dollar compensatory investment package which...

<p>Warsaw, Poland, Jun. 24 (UPI) -- Marek Belka was confirmed as Poland's new prime minister Thursday in a parliamentary confidence vote.</p> <p>Belka's confirmation as premier ends almost seven weeks of wrangling since his predecessor Leszek Miller stepped down on May 2, the day after Poland joined the European Union.</p>