Officials in a Polish town have opposed a proposition to name a playground after Winnie the Pooh due to the bear's unclear gender and immodest clothing.

Winnie the Pooh has been banned from a Polish playground because of his "dubious sexuality" and "inappropriate" dress.

Pope Francis has ordered showers to be built for the homeless in the heart of St Peter's Square.

Film director Roman Polanski was questioned by prosecutors in Poland and later released after the United States requested his arrest over his conviction of a child sex offence.

Police have detained two men they believe bashed, robbed and dumped an unconscious Kiwi hiker in Poland.

Prince Charles has compared Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Jared Savage confronts a tourist who's seemingly unaffected by the former concentration camp's sombre atmosphere.

She's won more than US$11 million in prize money, made the final at Wimbledon this year and is clearly the class act of the ASB Classic field, but the world's fourth-best female tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska is hardly a household name in New Zealand.

Gdansk offers a chance for visitors to take in scenes of sea, ships and spires set in a magnificently reconstructed Old Town while contemplating the ups and downs of European history, including the famous shipyard strike led by Lech Walesa.

A missing letter 'G' that threatened to set the Scrabble World Championship on fire this weekend.

It's that time of year again when we're compelled to buy a sentimental card for our loved ones and go out for a set-menu meal - or wallow in our singledom.

The eerie 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' reflects the insanity of Nazi brutality in its alienating architecture, writes Chris Barton.

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska had a bizarre moment in her first round clash at the Australian Open when her racquet snapped mid-point.

A Swedish neo-Nazi has been jailed for the theft of the infamous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign from the Auschwitz Nazi death camp.

Roger Hall cruises the Baltic and relishes his time in fascinating ports of call without having to think about about much else.