MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper (NYSE: IP) today announced that it completed the previously disclosed sale of its Kwidzyn pulp and paper mill and supporting operations to Mayr-Melnhof Group The Kwidzyn business has approximately 2,300 employees with an annual capacity to produce 740,000 metric tons of folding boxboard About International Paper International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods and enable world-wide commerce; pulp for diapers tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication employ approximately 48,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries For more information about International Paper our products and global citizenship efforts http://www.internationalpaper.com is proud to announce the groundbreaking of its new.. International Paper (NYSE: IP; LSE: IPC) (the "Company") today reported first quarter 2025 net earnings (loss) of $(105) million Paper, Forest Products & Containers Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers Do not sell or share my personal information: MM Kwidzyn has completed the consultation process with trade unions and works councils The company has taken the decision on the closure of the packaging kraft paper machine (PM3) the production of packaging kraft paper IPACK™ ESSENTIAL The last production run on PM3 will take place early January 2024 MM Group states: “We are aware that this is a difficult situation both for the employees affected by the change and for the entire workforce and we are making every effort to find optimal solutions and to limit the extent of the impact on the employees as much as possible” a leading full-service packaging solutions supplier for the world’s biggest beauty SPM International announces Bill Partipilo as the new CEO of SPM Instrument boxboard production in Q1 2025 fell 1% compared to Q1 2024 Smurfit Westrock plc announced it will permanently close its coated recycled board (CRB) mill in.. Valmet will deliver a disc filter refurbishment and reinstallation to Holmen Paper’s Braviken Paper Mill.. By Belinda Kelly According to new research Nordic Paper has today decided to approve environmental investments of up to SEK 450 million.. Together with its Turkish partner company Labtek the German testing equipment manufacturer emtec Electronic will.. Mondi has successfully started up its Duino mill This milestone further strengthens Mondi’s position as.. Gulf Paper Manufacturing and Toscotec started up PM2 after a forming section upgrade at their.. Södra delivered a stable result for the first quarter of 2025 VPK Group announces the acquisition of Open Imballaggi a well-established sheet plant specializing in corrugated.. a leading full-line supplier of technologies and services for the paper industry Amcor and Berry Global Group recently announced the European Commission (EC) has granted unconditional approval.. Stora Enso plans to implement a new organisation with seven P&L responsible business areas reflecting.. Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River mill in Rincon now accepts polyethylene (PE)-coated paper cups in its.. a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries announces that it has invested in Kinki Danboru a privately-owned business located in Zellwood a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions SCA Logistics terminal in Sundsvall has invested in a new knuckle boom crane John Hardwick Twitter Facebook The company is also in talks with trade unions about the potential dismissal of roughly 110 employees Mayr-Melnhof Karton (MM Group) has announced its decision to reduce the planned multiyear strategic investments at its pulp and paper mill The company has attributed this move to the uncompetitive wood prices generated by State Forests’ monopoly in the country and the currently low market demand for paper and board products MM Group has now shifted the focus of its investments towards increasing its share of renewable energy the company has commenced consultation processes with relevant trade unions and work councils to make decisions regarding the potential closure of its small packaging kraft paper machine (PM 3) The consultations will also address a reorganisation which may involve removing approximately 110 employees Other operations and activities related to the production of pulp and virgin fibre-based carton boards will continue as usual at the MM Kwidzyn site Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis at the MM Kwidzyn plant will continue to manufacture up to 360 kilotons of uncoated fine paper per year and 40 to 80 kilotons a year of packaging kraft paper or ‘IPACKTM Strong Pro’ The company will not produce sack kraft paper as the rebuild of one of its uncoated fine paper machines which was a part of the planned investment project MM Kwidzyn has been owned by Austrian company MM Group since mid-2021 The multiyear investment project at MM Kwidzyn was announced earlier this year in April the project aimed to boost the long-term competitiveness of the Polish pulp and paper plant The development encompassed installing a recovery boiler and steam turbine at the factory to execute significant energy cost reductions and minimise carbon dioxide footprint to achieve broader net-zero emission goals Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Add to Calendar Complete the form below to get directions for the Visitation for Kristin "Krysia" Gnatowski Add to Calendar Complete the form below to get directions for the Mass of Christian Burial for Kristin "Krysia" Gnatowski This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper (NYSE: IP) has entered into an agreement to sell the Kwidzyn pulp and paper mill and supporting operations to Mayr-Melnhof Karton AG for €670 million (approximately $812 million) in cash subject to closing adjustments for net debt and net working capital.  The Kwidzyn mill employs approximately 2,300 people and has the annual capacity to produce 740,000 metric tons of folding boxboard International Paper announced its intention to spin off its Printing Papers business into a standalone publicly-traded company in order to focus on its corrugated packaging and absorbent fibers businesses The sale of Kwidzyn provides an opportunity for International Paper to realize a premium value and significant incremental cash proceeds but otherwise does not change its plans for the proposed spin-off International Paper will engage in a consultation process with the appropriate employee representatives and expects the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2021 subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals About International PaperInternational Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging our products and global citizenship efforts Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements Mayr-Melnhof's paper machine PM 3 at the Kwidzyn mill in Poland will cease kraft paper production in January The company announced that it had concluded talks with employee representatives at the mill on the decision to permanently idle the machine production of packaging kraft paper grades Ipack Essential Ipack Brown and Ipack Ultra will be discontinued The final production run on the PM 3 will take place at the beginning of January 2024 The machine has a capacity to produce up to 75,000 tpy of kraft paper Paper machines PM 1 and PM 2 at the Kwidzyn mill will continue to produce uncoated fine papers and bleached packaging kraft paper grade Ipack Strong Pro Both machines have a combined capacity of 410,000 tpy The MM Kwidzyn mill will also continue to manufacture pulp and folding boxboard (PM 4 MM comments: "We are aware that this is a difficult situation both for the employees affected and for the entire workforce We are doing everything we can to find optimal solutions and limit the extent of the impact on employees as much as possible." Service Customer Service+49 7224 9397-701servicenoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.de Editorial Team+49 7224 9397-0papernoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.com Get the latest news about developments and trends in the industry sent to you once a week free of charge by newsletter Sign up for our newsletter We use cookies and external services on our website others enhance your user experience or help us improve this website You can change your privacy settings any time by clicking privacy policy Necessary cookies are required for the correct functioning of the website Content from video platforms and map services is blocked by default. If access to these services is accepted, separate consent is no longer required when using them. You can find more information on the individual external services in our privacy policy Jun 15, 2023 | History, Law Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) has brought charges against 25 former officers at a communist-era internment centre whom it accuses of abusing opposition activists detained during the period of martial law in the 1980s Martial law was declared on 13 December 1981 by the communist regime in response to growing opposition, in particular the rise of the Solidarity movement martial law was introduced by Poland's communist government with tanks on the streets and protests brutally suppressed To mark the anniversary, we publish a selection of photos by Jerzy Ochoński, who captured the period on film https://t.co/x7Zlor045O — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 13, 2019 dozens of people died at the hands of the security forces while around 10,000 were imprisoned without trial in internment centres – a practice that was in violation even of the laws in place at the time – notes Karol Nawrocki one of which was in the town of Kwidzyn in northern Poland prisoners launched a protest in August 1982 after being denied the right to meet with their families prisoners were beaten and subjected to other humiliating treatment “This is a deep wickedness that has never been punished,” says Nawrocki is reopening an investigation into the 1982 killing of three people by riot police who opened fire on a protest against the communist authorities The officers who fired the fatal shots have never been identified https://t.co/VOjInCXNEH — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 5, 2022 on the 40th anniversary of the prisoners’ protest the IPN launched a project to document and investigate what had taken place in Kwidzyn It was as a result of that investigation that charges were brought this week against 25 officers from the internment centre who could face up to eight years in prison director of the IPN’s commission for prosecuting crimes against the Polish nation revealed that prosecutors in various parts of Poland have questioned 19 of the accused subjects Six others refused to speak with investigators Among the abuses that took place in Kwidzyn was prisoners being forced to pass through a corridor of officers who beat them with batons as well as punched and kicked them Poland has commemorated its largest postwar communist crime This “founding murder of communist Poland…reminds us of the importance of ensuring [our] security" from Russian aggression, said the PM https://t.co/t3vN90j3Aw — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 11, 2022 The guards also inflicted psychological abuse including forcing the prisoners to scratch and lick inscriptions off walls and to destroy religious symbols Nawrocki pledged that the IPN would continue examing abuses that took place in the 1980s to ensure “truth and transformational justice” He noted that “those responsible for many communist crimes have not yet been held accountable” In 2020, a new law came into force that lifted the statute of limitations for communist crimes to ensure that hundreds of cases the IPN was still investigating would not be forced to end due to the passage of time Poland has removed the statute of limitations for communist crimes, many of which would have otherwise been time barred from the start of next month https://t.co/DEcpOJBIkv — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 20, 2020 Main image credit: IPN  Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller One of the unenviable jobs of the victorious Allies at the end of World War I was redrawing the map of Europe Attempts to include people of common nationality within the same borders were hampered by the mixed nature of European populations Many of the victorious Allied nations had territorial ambitions at the expense of the defeated Central Powers which often conflicted with the national or ethnic makeup of the territories in question Marienwerder was a region in the province of West Prussia from 1815 to 1920 Its capital and largest city was Marienwerder (Kwidzyn in Polish) the population of the region was about 59 percent German and 41 percent Polish and Kashubian the region was administered by the Allies from 1920 to 1922 at which time western Marienwerder was awarded to Poland as part of the Polish Corridor A plebiscite held in eastern Marienwerder voted to remain part of Germany and Marienwerder was added to the province of East Prussia the entire region has been a part of Poland the Allied commission for Marienwerder issued a set of 14 Symbolical of Allied Supervision of the Plebiscite stamps (Scott 1-14) The design of the stamps features a female allegorical figure flanked by the flags of the British Empire her left hand resting atop a Roman fasces (not yet the fascist symbol) A tablet at the top of the stamp design is inscribed “Commission Interalliee.” The bottom of the design is inscribed “Marienwerder.” This set is of interest to collectors of Germany and Poland The Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the set of 14 stamps at $45.25 in very fine grade and unused Most of the value is in the three high-denomination stamps (Scott 12-14) The set is a good buy in very fine grade and unused Avoid heavily hinged sets with hinge remnants Pay special attention to the condition and grade of the 5-mark stamp (14) Connect with Linn’s Stamp News:  US Stamps World Stamps Global contract manufacturer Jabil has pulled out of Russia It has notified the approximately 90 employees there and is working with customers to minimize the impact on their business In contrast the company has over 3,000 employees in Ukraine with support from sites in neighbouring European countries where the manufacturing operations in Uzhgorod are based Kwidzyn (Poland) and Tiszaújváros (Hungary) are aiding Ukrainian employees and families with relocation Jabil employees have assisted with over 45 border crossings and 30 Kwidzyn employees have opened their homes to those fleeing the war hoping to open my home to those fleeing the unimaginable I welcomed one person into my home… it’s the least I can do to stand up for the values that are important to me,” said Roman Biedrzycki “I’m focused on helping them with the legal aspects of their stay and once a week we go for a run or visit places as a brief escape from the realities of war.” The company has established an internal Ukraine Relief Fund to assist employees in need with Jabil matching 100 percent of all money raised At the end of the humanitarian relief campaign which equated to $400,000 raised after Jabil’s match friends and family donated an additional $80,000 and have helped with the donation of goods Jabil sites across Europe began collecting physical donations from our employees of first aid kits Jabil employees are volunteering their personal time to sort and pack donations for shipment into Ukraine and over 409 pallets or 94 tons of critically needed items have been delivered “Together with the great amount of donations arriving from the other Jabil European sites we can support those in need and in critical situations in Ukraine We’re trying our best to ease their hardship,” said Sandor Rozskov senior operations project manager at Jabil Tiszaújváros “We stand united with our parents and friends still in Ukraine.” Apprentices at Jabil in Switzerland have made pepper mills and sold them to employees to raise money for supplies while in Kwidzyn our employees held cake sales with all monies raised going to fund supplies for Ukraine the site opened the donation process to its local community with the fire service colleges and other companies donating critically needed items with 25,000 individual items shipped “We really appreciate your help and support because it gives the feeling that we are not alone and we have friends in all corners of the planet This is very important at the moment,” said Ukrainian Software Engineer Viktor Taiemnytskyi “These events were very shocking and unexpected for all of us It is nice to know that although darkness is directed at us on the one hand www.jabil.com Austria's Mayr-Melnhof Group has approved a €660m investment project to increase the long-term competitiveness of the Kwidzyn pulp the project is divided into three parts to be completed in the period from 2023 to 2026 The company will build a new recovery boiler and a new steam turbine thus significantly reducing costs and the mill's carbon footprint a second fibre line and a new pulp dryer will be erected to improve the mill's vertical integration and reduce dependence on market pulp Mayr-Melnhof will rebuild and convert the PM 1 from copy paper to sack kraft paper production PM 1 has a web width of 5,35 m and can produce 200,000 tpy of copy and offset paper in basis weights of 80-90 g/m² "This way we are investing in the growing market of sack kraft papers and reducing our exposure to the declining copy paper market," Mayr-Melnhof announced Mayr-Melnhof had acquired the Kwidzyn site from International Paper in 2021 one kraft paper machine and one folding boxboard machine Certain units of the Polish army and NATO countries are conducting a crossing operation over the Vistula River Over 3,500 military personnel and a thousand pieces of equipment are involved in these maneuvers Forces stationed on the banks of the Vistula will conduct the river crossing as part of the Steadfast Defender-24 and Dragon-24 exercises The training of soldiers from Poland and NATO member countries represents the largest maneuvers of this kind to take place within the North Atlantic Alliance in recent years As units from nine countries navigate the Vistula River they will be observed by Presidents Andrzej Duda and Gitanas Nauseda as well as Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz "Specially equipped ferry crossings will be used for crossing the river near Kwidzyn and aviation will provide security for the transported weaponry," the statement said Various types of equipment in different configurations are being transported on the ferries which have been coordinated engineering-wise According to Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces March was chosen for the operation to deliberately complicate conditions "These exercises are not randomly scheduled in March We wanted to create certain challenges for our sappers and engineering troops because crossing in the middle of summer is much easier but to train well in the most difficult conditions," he added The general emphasized that the idea behind the training is to swiftly deploy troops in case of a crisis phase In the first half of 2024, NATO is conducting a series of exercises under the overall code name Steadfast Defender-24 accommodating a significant number of troops and equipment from allies on its territory Polish national exercises with the participation of armed forces from other countries Additionally, maritime exercises of NATO countries under the name Dynamic Manta began in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Sicily on the morning of February 26 The exercises serve as a platform for testing and strengthening the Alliance's crisis response capabilities On February 9, aviation exercises involving the United States and allies commenced in the Pacific Ocean Guam served as the center for these exercises allied forces participated in medical evacuation drills and personnel and cargo drops Yesterday, March 4, large-scale military exercises of NATO countries named Nordic Response 24 began in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed that the government must serve Polish entrepreneurs good infrastructure and numerous government programmes are some of the elements that influence the dynamic development of Polish businesses Investment in the regions also means new jobs and the economic development of our local governments We can see that our domestic companies are more often present in the implementation of local investments The strong position of Polish companies is a great opportunity for the further development of our economy The head of the Polish government stressed that he would try to ensure that more and more Polish companies participate in the development of local investments Thanks to the introduction of various government programmes for local authorities Polish entrepreneurs have more opportunities to process national orders voivodeship roads and all other types of roads that are needed locally friends - is 6 to 10 times greater - emphasised Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki more than 28,000 km of local roads will be built Nearly PLN 20 billion has been allocated for that purpose The funds transferred to local authorities for new investments increase the quality of life of the residents The implementation of investments in the regions also means new jobs as well as economic development of our local authorities and local companies Polish entrepreneurs are the apple of my eye new employees are attracted - said the head of the Polish government Key government programmes involving local entrepreneurs: - I will do my best to ensure that the money from the next edition of Polish Strategic Investments goes to Polish companies in the poviats – announced Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki We help small and medium-sized Polish companies Local entrepreneurs are of great value to the Polish economy We have introduced the Small Social Insurance Fund (mały ZUS) for the smallest companies and in the time of crisis we have protected Polish entrepreneurs introducing a number of shields: anti-crisis we have frozen electricity and gas prices and offered support to maintain jobs - Hundreds of thousands of Polish entrepreneurs benefited from the Anti-Crisis Shield the smallest and larger entrepreneurs - reminded the Prime Minister we support entrepreneurs through the following actions: introduced subsidies and payments to Polish companies and powerful investment funds for local governments which have never been available in the history of Poland – stressed Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki International Paper (IP) has launched a new coated paperboard product which it says represents a significant weight reduction in GC2 paperboard The company’s Kwidzyn paper mill in Poland has recently had a major $60m rebuild with the new PM#4 machine enabling IP to launch Alaska Plus The majority of the $60m investment amount was spent for the modernisation of the coated board machine to enable the production of lighter-weight board grades “This included several modifications along the machine including enhancing calendaring,” said Michael Krueger coated paperboard and recycled specialities “In order to maximise the opportunities and capabilities of this modernization we also invested in other auxiliary equipment including two new sheeters to debottleneck the finishing and enable even greater service flexibility.” The Kwidzyn plant employs over 1,300 people newsprint paper and coated folding boxboard The PM#4 coated paperboard machine is a multifourdrinier and focuses only on the production of Arktika and Alaska paper products The machine is producing coated folding boxboard GC2 and GC1 with a three-ply structure Alaska Plus is a new lightweight version of its Alaska GC2 grade developed following a major rebuild on the board machine and part of IP’s $60m investment programme The paper has been introduced to the market in three weights: 275gsm with additional basis weights also scheduled for launch IP said the new paper product improves surface characteristics delivering quality print results and finishing The main feature of Alaska Plus is the weight reduction which manager of the process and quality control department at IP’s Kwidzyn plant explained means customers have a choice to either buy less because the material needed to produce the same amount of folding boxes will weigh less and cost less; or the customer can buy the same amount of paperboard but produce more boxes “The lighter weight of the product means less material used and means lower impact on the environment,” said Jamrozik Krueger told Packaging News the weight of the packaging is reduced using lighter material weight “Less raw materials are used to produce the same amount of carton board and folding boxes leading to lighter packaging weight in transport and throughout the value chain without compromising the product protection.” added: “We are excited about the developments we have made to our GC2 coated board product and believe these improvements will add a lot of value to our clients in the market.” International Paper to sell five plants to comply with regulators for purchase of DS Smith International Paper to close four US plants, cut 1% of global jobs DS Smith records £701m profit & moves to assure market of International Paper deal DS Smith to address sale following Suzano’s bid for International Paper With over 25 years’ experience in flexible packaging The UK Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the country will preserve material .. Is the government right to delay EPR to 2024 View results of this poll With over 25 years’ experience in flexible packaging, Polipaks are helping a broad range of ... The UK Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the country will preserve material ... KWIDZYN, Poland — The Teutonic Knights have long been reviled in Poland, where the Germanic warriors swept in during the Middle Ages and converted pagans to Christianity at the point of a sword. Many here see them as an early incarnation of a Germany that has attacked Poland over the centuries, most recently in World War II. But now one Polish town is putting all grudges aside and celebrating the memory of the Teutonic Knights in an attempt to highlight the rich history of this once-German municipality and stimulate tourism in a region still catching up with Western Europe economically. In an elaborate ceremony Saturday that drew hundreds of people, Roman Catholic priests consecrated the newly discovered remains of three of the order’s 14th- and 15th-century leaders — or “grand masters” — with a Mass in the city’s St. John the Evangelist Cathedral. The ceremony was celebrated by priests and modern-day representatives of the Teutonic order, which today exists as a religious order in Austria and six other European countries, and is devoted to helping the poor, elderly and orphans, and doing educational and pastoral work. During the ceremony, priests blessed three closed oak coffins holding the remains of the grand masters below a glass floor in the crypt of the cathedral. Their skeletons were discovered during archaeological work in the crypt in 2007 and were identified by DNA and other testing. AMSTERDAM — Teen sailor Laura Dekker says she will leave the Netherlands on Wednesday in her quest to become the youngest to circumnavigate the globe alone. But it won’t yet be the first leg of the 14-year-old’s solo voyage. Laura said on her blog Saturday she will sail with her father to Portugal, and will begin her round-the-world venture from there later. She said she did not know when that would be. Laura won a prolonged battle last Tuesday when a court released her from the guardianship of Dutch child protection agencies that had blocked her attempts to leave last year when she was still 13. The authorities said being alone and absent from school for so long would be harmful for her education and psychological development. On her blog, Laura posted a picture of the schoolbooks she is taking, packed snugly in a wooden rack. She planned to set out at 9 a.m. in her 38-foot yacht Guppy from the southern Dutch harbor of Den Osse with her father, Dick Dekker, who has supported Laura’s ambitions to enter the record book as the world’s youngest round-the-world sailor. TOKYO — Twitter’s 20 billionth message didn’t make much sense, but it spoke volumes about the rapid global growth of the microblogging service. It came when it was 12:44 a.m. today in Tokyo from user “GGGGGGo—Lets—Go” in Japan, where Twitter has exploded in popularity over the last year. The San Francisco-based company estimates the Japanese send nearly 8 million tweets a day, about 12 percent of the global total and second only to the United States. The tweet itself is hard to decipher, since it appears to be part of a longer conversation between two users. “So that means the barrage might come back later all at once,” wrote the declared graphic designer and avid fan of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows baseball team in Japanese. Twitter Chief Executive Evan Williams traveled to Tokyo earlier this month to celebrate its success in Japan. “We’ve come a long way in two years especially in Japan,” he told an enthusiastic crowd of about 500. The Teutonic Knights long have been reviled in Poland, where the Germanic warriors swept in during the Middle Ages and converted pagans to Christianity at the point of a sword. KWIDZYN, Poland — The Teutonic Knights long have been reviled in Poland, where the Germanic warriors swept in during the Middle Ages and converted pagans to Christianity at the point of a sword. But now one Polish town is putting all grudges aside and celebrating the memory of the Teutonic Knights in an attempt to highlight the rich history of this once-German municipality and stimulate tourism in a region still struggling with high unemployment and other legacies of communism. In an elaborate ceremony Saturday that drew hundreds, Roman Catholic priests consecrated the newly discovered remains of three of the order’s 14th- and 15th-century leaders — or “grand masters” — with a Mass in the city’s St. John the Evangelist Cathedral. The cathedral is part of a massive red-brick fortress that was once a base for the knights’ notorious raids, an imposing reminder to the town’s 40,000 inhabitants of its German past. “This history belongs to this city,” said Wojciech Weryk, who leads a drive to promote Kwidzyn. “It is a very good product from the point of view of history and tourists.” The ceremony was celebrated by priests and modern-day representatives of the Teutonic Order, which today exists as a religious order in Austria and six other European countries, and is devoted to helping the poor, elderly and orphans, and doing educational and pastoral work. It was led by the Rev. Bruno Platter, who holds the title of “Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.” For part of the ceremony he was clad in the order’s trademark white coat with a black cross. “Looking at this monumental cathedral, which our order built in the 13th century, we feel a strong link with this place and we draw strength from it,” Platter said. Kwidzyn was once the German town of Marienwerder and one of key fortresses of the Teutonic Knights in the Middle Ages. But the city fell to Poland in 1945 when Hitler’s defeat forced Germany to relinquish a swath of territory to the eastern neighbor on whom it inflicted six years of occupation and death. Weryk says there are some people in the town who object to honoring the Teutonic Knights, but he argues that such feelings have no place in the European Union. Many of the local people also feel proud their historic town has something new to boast of. “We are happy that something so significant was found here and that we will have something of interest in our cathedral,” said Janusz Urbanowicz, a 64-year-old retired carpenter. “We know that this was the cathedral of the Teutonic Knights and that this was Prussia before the war. But we are glad this historical finding was made and that it will bring more tourists.” During the ceremony, Platter blessed three closed oak coffins holding the remains of the grand masters below a glass floor in the crypt of the cathedral. Their skeletons were discovered during archaeological work in the crypt in 2007 and were identified by DNA and other testing. “Kwidzyn is the only place where the remains of medieval grand masters have been found,” Platter told The Associated Press. “They are of very high historical and archaeological value.” Plastic replicas also have been displayed showing the men as they are believed to have looked — with long white hair and beards and colorful dress — based on a 16th-century mural in the cathedral, said Bogumil Wisniewski, a city archaeologist. The testing identified them as Werner von Orseln, the knights’ ruler from 1324-1330; Ludolf Koenig von Wattzau, who ruled from 1342-1345; and Heinrich von Plauen, from 1410-1413. Fragments of original gold-painted silks found on their skeletons are displayed in the crypt separately. The Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary’s Hospital in Jerusalem was founded in the late 12th century to aid German pilgrims in the Holy Land. It evolved into a military order whose knights wore trademark white coats with black crosses. Later, they forcefully brought Christianity to swaths of northeastern Europe and ruled an area near the Baltic Sea coast in what is now northern Poland. Their bad image in Poland was reinforced with a popular 19th century novel “Teutonic Knights” by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, the Nobel Prize-winning author of “Quo Vadis.” Every year, Poles celebrate the anniversary of the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, also known as the first Battle of Tannenberg, which marked the end of the Teutonic Order’s military power and eastward expansion along the Baltic Sea and the beginning of its decline. Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people turned out to watch 2,000 actors dressed in armor re-enact the battle on its 600th anniversary. Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser! Polish extreme metal legends ARMAGEDON will release their new album, "Thanatology", on October 2 via Mystic Production. The eight-song effort was recorded and produced by the band and Arek Malta Malczewski at the Radio Gdansk, Piano Art Kwidzyn and Sound Division studios. "It's been nearly four years since the release of 'Death Then Nothing' struck. We've returned much stronger, more mature and with devastatingly good material. The sound is wild yet precise with nostalgia in the lyrics. "The new album contains eight highly disturbing songs, wrapped in a unique sound production. "During September, we will present to you several installments of 'Thanatology'. "Look out, we are coming again over the horizon, an even stronger ARMAGEDON!" The first taste of "Thanatology" in the form of a song called "Cemeteries" can be streamed below. Monday 25 July 2022 at 10:39amAgnieszka Kalinowska has been branded a 'monster' for her treatment of son Credit: Facebook/West Yorkshire PoliceThe cousin of murdered Sebastian Kalinowski says his mother and her partner are "monsters" who should die in prison Wiktoria Kalinowska has spoken of how she feels "sick" at being related to Agnieszka Kalinowska Leeds Crown Court heard how the couple tortured 15-year-old Sebastian over several months at their home in Leeds Road who lives in Sebastian's home town of Kiwdzyn said: "[Kalinowska] is a monster for doing all of that to her own son and for not stopping Andrzej from hurting him even more He [Latoszewski] is an even bigger monster and he should rot in jail for what he did to a child that had his whole life ahead of him "They should spend the rest of their lives in prison." described Sebastian as a "very kind and loving person but shy and closed inside" She said he was looked after by his natural father after Kalinowska left them when he was around three years old Wiktoria said she spent time with Sebastian when his father was at work "We always played different games or we would go outside and play on the playground or just to walk around and talk about school and friends," she said "When I was with him I could always be myself because I knew he wouldn't judge me and I could always laugh with him about everything." Credit: FacebookAll of Sebastian's family But Wiktoria said "everyone thought it would be better for Sebastian" when he moved to England in October 2020 to start a new life with his mother and step-father Little did they know that he would become the victim of unimaginable cruelty within weeks Latoszewski, a martial artist and steroid-abusing bodybuilder including a bed slat and a staircase spindle Sebastian was whipped with a cable and stabbed with needles He was also made to do punishing exercise drills including hundreds of press-ups and squats as well as humiliated on occasions by being force fed and having a slipper stuff into his mouth The couple told their trial that he was being punished for alleged misbehaviour including lying and playing truant from school There was no evidence to support their claims Wiktoria said she initially found out about what had happened from British media and then followed the case online "We couldn't believe that it all happened and it was very sad and emotional," she said Many of the assaults were caught on CCTV cameras installed by Latoszewski in the family's own home The Crown Prosecution Service described the footage as "horrendous" and even the defendants' own barristers acknowledged that the case was among the worst they had dealt with Such was the harrowing nature of the evidence that the judge Mrs Justice Lambert took the extraordinary step of telling jurors that they would be excused from ever having to serve on a jury again Wiktoria said: "I read every report and I can't wrap my head around what happened to him While reading the reports I think about all the memories I had with Sebastian It makes me sick and embarrassed thinking about it Wiktoria said: "It's difficult to say how I am feeling inside because it is very hard for me He was the only cousin i had a great relationship with." Kalinowska and Latoszewski will be sentenced in October Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know