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BERLIN - Poland is one of the few European countries where President Trump is still not only welcome but indeed sought after. When Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the White House on Tuesday, he repeatedly praised the president and even floated the idea of naming a possible future U.S. military base in his country Fort Trump.

The Polish government did everything it could to turn Tuesday's visit into one of Trump's more enjoyable moments.

Yet, somehow, Trump managed to offend the Poles so deeply that the fallout was all over Polish news sites on Wednesday morning.

What happened? At the end of their meeting, the two leaders agreed to sign a strategic partnership pact to boost defense, energy, trade and security ties. But what could have been a peaceful moment for both presidents immediately took an awkward turn.

While signing the document, Trump sat comfortably in his chair while the Polish leader was forced to stand next to him and awkwardly reach over the table to sign. Poland's Duda still somehow managed to smile at the camera, as Trump looked on with a stern face. The scene was captured on camera by the White House and was tweeted out shortly after - much to the bewilderment of Polish journalists, politicians and researchers.

"It's nice of President Trump that he moved a bit, because otherwise our president would have had to sign the document on his knees," Polish radio correspondent Pawel Zuchowski sarcastically commented on Twitter.

In an interview with Polish news site Gazeta.pl, international diplomacy scholar Janusz Sibora called the incident an "offense."

The Polish news site compared the meeting of the two allies with Trump's ceremonial signing of an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, when both leaders sat at the same table.

"The message is clear: Americans do not respect Poles," Sibora told the Polish news outlet. "If we sign such an important document in that way, we should ask ourselves whether this wasn't detrimental to the honor of Poland."

There was no sign, however, that Duda himself was bothered by the photo. Two days after his visit, Duda rejected the criticism on Thursday evening, writing on Twitter: "The mockery and assault of the leftist media and some politicians and commentators of known views show the success of the Washington D.C. visit." The tweet was accompanied by a photo showing Duda standing next to Trump and holding their joint agreement.

In fact, much of the anger seems to have emanated from the opposition. "Signing a Polish-American declaration at the desk of the American president, while he is sitting, and [the Polish president] is standing is a symbolic confirmation [of] @AndrzejDuda as a customer [of] @realDonaldTrump. We have never been so low," Pawel Zalewski of the opposition liberal-conservative party wrote on Twitter.

According to Polish tabloid Fakt, other politicians and former ministers described the picture as "unbelievable" and as a "humiliation."

"I'm ashamed," Roman Giertych, a former deputy prime minister, was quoted as saying by the paper. Many commentaries did not exclusively blame the Trump administration, however, but also their own government for refraining to raise objections to the White House.

On Facebook, an account associated with former centrist Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa appeared to troll Duda with a photo of Walesa sitting with Trump standing next to him. The photo appeared to have been taken during a prior meeting of the two, but it was unclear where or when it happened. "You find difference," read the caption.

The angry responses following Duda's White House visit come as the Polish government is seeking closer ties to the Trump administration, despite opposition protests. After a number of controversial measures, Poland has been increasingly at odds with the European Union, of which it is a member state. After its critics accused Poland of infringing upon judicial independence, the country was suspended from the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary this week. The E.U. sanction was the latest in a string of attempts to rein in what critics say are undemocratic changes in the country.

But Poland's right-wing government hopes to have found a powerful ally in Trump, who shares some of the same political goals and has refrained from joining the chorus of critics lashing out at what it sees as a dismantling of democratic rights in the center of Europe.

For months, Warsaw has tried to persuade the United States to set up a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland, to bolster the country's defense against Russia. Poland appears to be willing to spend a substantial amount in exchange.

"If they're willing to do that, it's something we will certainly talk about," Trump said Tuesday. But to more-critical observers watching from Warsaw, the photo that was released only a short time later spoke a very different language.
This post was updated on Sept. 21 to include a response by Polish President Duda. Read more: Poland's new tactic for getting a U.S. military base? Pitch it as Fort Trump.

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Analysis | Poland used to be okay with Trump. Then, he posted a photo.

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BERLIN - Poland is one of the few European countries where President Trump is still not only welcome but indeed sought after. When Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the White House on Tuesday, he repeatedly praised the president and even floated the idea of naming a possible future U.S.

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US-China trade talks stall amid tariff standoff | CNN Politics

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Negotiations between the United States and China have stalled after President Donald Trump ordered new tariffs on Chinese goods.

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Israel attacked Damascus International Airport with missiles Saturday night, Syrian state media said, adding that air defenses shot down some of them. A war monitoring group said the attack targeted an arms depot for Iran ian forces or Lebanon's Hezbollah group.

Explosions during the attack were heard across Damascus. The state news agency SANA posted pictures showing what appeared to be air defenses firing into the air.

State media quoted an unidentified military official as reporting the attack but gave no further details.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attack targeted an arms depot near the airport where new weapons recently arrived for the Iranians or Lebanon's Hezbollah group. The monitoring group had no immediate word on casualties, saying the strike did cause material damage.

Israel rarely acknowledges attacks inside Syria, but has said it would use military action to prevent weapons transfers to its enemies.

Earlier this month, an Israel i military official said the Jewish state has struck over 200 Iranian targets in Syria over the past 18 months.

Israel is widely believed to have been behind a series of airstrikes mainly targeting Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria that have joined the country's war fighting alongside the government. It rarely confirms the attacks.

An Israeli official said earlier this month that the targets were connected to Iran's elite Al-Quds force and included air force components, support infrastructure, and weapons storage and manufacturing facilities.

U.S. and Israeli officials have said that Iran and Hezbollah should end their armed presence in Syria. Israel says it is alarmed by the expansion of operations by Iran and Hezbollah in Syria.

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Syria: Israel launched missile attack on Damascus airport

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Israel attacked Damascus International Airport with missiles Saturday night, Syrian state media said, adding that air defenses shot down some of them. A war monitoring group said the attack targeted an arms depot for Iranian forces or Lebanon's Hezbollah group. Explosions during the attack...

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Typhoon Mangkhut is lashing China's most populous province, bringing winds of up to 100 mph (162 kph).

Guangdong is on its highest alert for the storm, which also hit Hong Kong, where it swayed skyscrapers and blew out windows.

The death toll from the Philippines has now risen to at least 59. Most died in landslides caused by heavy rain.

Mangkhut, considered the strongest storm of 2018, ploughed through the northern Philippines on Saturday.

What's the impact in China?

Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall on the Chinese coast near Jiangmen city on Sunday afternoon local time, state media reported.

In pictures: Deadly typhoon hits China

More than 2.45 million people have been relocated, and authorities there issued their highest warning level, a red alert.

In Hong Kong, authorities also issued their maximum alert, with residents warned to stay indoors to avoid flying debris. Winds there reportedly reached more than 110 mph (177 kph).

Officials put the number of injured at more than 200 but the territory avoided the worst of the storm.

Water levels surged by almost 3.5 m (12 ft) in places and live fish were washed on to the streets.

Most shops and public services were shut, and more than 800 flights have been cancelled at Hong Kong International Airport - affecting more than 100,000 passengers.

Not everyone paid attention to the warnings, though. "I went running this morning. I love fresh air and there's no one on the streets, no cars. On normal days we can't see this," Hong Kong resident Hao Chen told the AFP news agency.

In neighbouring Macau, for the first time in its history the territory's famous casinos were ordered to close.

Mangkhut is expected to weaken into a tropical depression by Tuesday as it moves inland.

How badly has the Philippines been hit?

Most of the deaths in the Philippines were caused by landslides in the Cordillera and Nueva Vizcaya regions, officials say.

In pictures: Typhoon lashes Philippines

Among the dead are a baby and a toddler. Blocked roads and downed communications lines mean reports are still coming in.

One of the worst incidents was in Itogon municipality, where accommodation for miners was crushed by a large landslide, killing at least 26, according to police. Eight more people are missing there.

Officials say that two first responders reported on Saturday to have been killed in a landslide in Cordillera province have been accounted for.

The BBC's Howard Johnson travelled 80km (50 miles) from the city of Tuguegarao to Aparri on the northern coast.

He describes a trail of destruction along the route - forests ripped to shreds, electricity poles felled and crops eradicated.

Lawyer in Tuguegarao: Some are in a daze

How to survive a monster storm

What are hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons?

There is also concern over the economic cost of the typhoon, which has caused extensive damage to farmland in Cagayan, a key agricultural province.

Francis Tolentino, a political adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, told the BBC that he estimated only a fifth of produce there had been harvested in advance - threatening staples like rice and corn.

Preparation and evacuation procedures have improved since Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 which killed more than 7,000 people.

Warnings were issued, travel was restricted, schools shut and the army was put on standby in advance.
How have you been affected by the typhoon? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk .
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China coast lashed as typhoon toll rises

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Typhoon Mangkhut is lashing China's most populous province, bringing winds of up to 100 mph (162 kph). Guangdong is on its highest alert for the storm, which also hit Hong Kong, where it swayed skyscrapers and blew out windows. The death toll from the Philippines has now risen to at least 59.

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Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge smashed the marathon world record by clocking a time of two hours one minute 39 seconds in Berlin.

The 33-year-old took nearly one minute 20 seconds off the previous best, which was set by compatriot Dennis Kimetto when he ran 2:02:57 in Berlin in 2014.

"I lack words to describe this day," said Kipchoge. "I am really grateful, happy to smash the world record."

The women's race was won by Gladys Cherono of Kenya in 2:18:11.

Kipchoge won the London Marathon for a third time earlier this year and is the Olympic champion over the distance.

"It was hard," he said. "I ran my own race, I trusted my trainers, my programme and my coach. That's what pushed me in the last kilometres."

In 2017, Kipchoge missed out on becoming the first athlete to run under two hours for the marathon by 26 seconds.

The Kenyan clocked 2:00:25 but because pacemakers who could swap in and out of the run were used, the time was not recognised as a world record.

Two records in one day

The men's marathon record was not the only athletics record to fall on Sunday as France's Kevin Mayer set a new benchmark in the decathlon.

His world record of 9,126 points at the Decastar event in Talence, France, surpassed American Ashton Eaton's 9,045 total set at the 2015 World Championships.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," said Mayer, 26, the world champion and an Olympic silver medallist in the discipline.

Mayer led from the outset and recorded the following results over the two-day competition:

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Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge smashed the marathon world record by clocking a time of two hours one minute 39 seconds in Berlin. The 33-year-old took nearly one minute 20 seconds off the previous best, which was set by compatriot Dennis Kimetto when he ran 2:02:57 in Berlin in 2014.