bluesky_Notes from Poland

Polish journalist and commentator Łukasz Warzecha was held for hours at the Ukraine border and then handed a three-year entry ban Warzecha, who was meant to attend a visit for Polish journalists organised by state institutions in both countries, says he was banned for unspecified "security reasons"

Poland's ambassador to the UN has resigned, becoming the third Polish ambassador to do so since a government-backed move by a group of judges to take control of the constitutional court in Warsaw/

Poland has launched an operation to secure the area along the border with Russia after receiving information that acts of sabotage may take place there in the coming days. Additional police officers, including counter-terrorism forces, have been sent to the region.

A man who addressed vulgar and offensive words - including antisemitic language - towards police officers outside Poland's constitutional court during Friday's protests has been found guilty of insulting a public official. He admitted the offence and was fined.

Poland's first-ever nest of Asian hornets, an invasive species seen as a particular threat because it preys on honeybees, has been eliminated. But scientists who have studied the colony say that it is likely more will be found next year.

"On some issues, there can be no compromise," declared Prime Minister Donald Tusk in an address to the nation on the crisis around the constitutional court. He condemned the actions of President Karol Nawrocki, accusing him of "intimidating judges".

During a visit to the Constitutional Tribunal last night, President Nawrocki clashed physically and verbally with judges involved in an attempt to take control of the court. The president is today seeking talks with political leaders to discuss the crisis.

A historic synagogue that had fallen into neglect in the Polish town of Trzebinia, whose population was 23% Jewish before the Holocaust, has been purchased by a group of Polish and Israeli partners who plan to turn it into a Jewish museum and visitor centre.

Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland's largest opposition party, has sparked controversy by appearing to suggest that Poland and some other allied EU member states could launch the process of leaving the EU if they fail in efforts to reform it,

In the first ruling of its kind in Poland, a Catholic bishop has been found guilty of failing to promptly inform the authorities about allegations of child sex abuse committed by priests under his authority. The bishop's diocese says it "disagrees with the ruling" and that an appeal will be filed.

A Turkish software engineer has created a precise digital replica of Warsaw, the city where he lives. The map, which can be explored for free online, features almost 200,000 buildings, moving trams that match their real-life schedules, and live weather conditions.

Poland has detained a Ukrainian man wanted by Romania on suspicion of involvement in an arson attack on a defence company carried out last month on behalf of Russia.

Poland and the UK have signed the Warsaw Defence Plan, an agreement to enhance cooperation on security. The aim, says the British Ministry of Defence, is to "deter Russian threats".

Poland has finished pouring concrete for the tallest viaduct in the country - an 80-metre-high, 1,082-metre-long section of the planned S19 expressway that will run through the east of the country from the Belarusian border to Slovakia

The United States has chosen Poland to host a new servicing centre for Patriot missiles, in a decision both countries have described as "historic". Poland says it was chosen ahead of rival bids from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.

Germany's economy minister, Katherina Reiche, has praised Poland as an "example of great success", saying that it offers a model for other countries. She welcomed growing Polish investment in Germany, which she said was helping create jobs.

A former colleague of President Nawrocki from when he worked as a security guard in a hotel 20 years ago testified in court that he said it was possible to "make extra money bringing in girls". Nawrocki is suing a news website for claiming that he helped procure prostitutes for guests.

Polish far-right leader Grzegorz Braun has been charged with six offences, including inciting hatred against Jews and vandalising an LGBT+ exhibition. The other four allegations relate to an incident in which he confronted a doctor who had performed a late-term abortion.

Poland and Vietnam have signed a strategic partnership, pledging to boost trade and defence cooperation. "Vietnam and Poland share a success story," said Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a visit to Hanoi. "The time has come to turn our successes into joint actions."

Two thirds of Poles (67%) support liberalising the country's abortion law, which is among the strictest in Europe, according to a new poll However, most do not favour introducing abortion on demand, as protesters called for during demonstrations last week.

Germany has confirmed it will take part in the first Coalition of the Willing military exercises, which will be held in Poland, Romania and the Black Sea next month. The manoeuvres will test operational readiness for a multinational force to secure a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Germany should pay compensation to Polish WWII victims before it is too late, argues Philipp Fritz. Over 30,000 such survivors are still alive today. But, while Germany has spent years discussing how to compensate them, their number dwindles every week.

The leader of a junior party in Poland's ruling coalition has announced her resignation from the government in protest over a parliamentary vote on Thursday. However, her party, the centrist Poland 2050, is set to remain in the ruling coalition.

Protests took place in towns and cities around Poland on Thursday evening, demanding that the government fulfil its promise to liberalise the country's strict abortion laws.

Poland has detained and charged a Georgian citizen, named only as Makhmud A., with aiding and abetting the murder of a Russian dissident earlier this year. Another Georgian, Elnur A., was already in custody, accused of committing the murder itself.

The prime ministers of Poland and India have, after a meeting in New Delhi, outlined aims to double bilateral trade by 2030 and expand cooperation in mining, shipbuilding, energy, space and defence technologies. Polish-Indian relations are "gaining speed", said Narendra Modi.

Political scandals now rarely have the dramatic impact they once did, but they can still more subtly shift electoral outcomes. @aleksszczerbiak.bsky.social looks at how two recent scandals in Poland may affect the political landscape ahead of next year's elections.

Warsaw is one of "five fast-rising cities that should be on travellers' radars right now", according to BBC Travel. Poland's capital now has a higher quality of life than London, New York and Paris, according to Oxford Economics' Global Cities Index.

A Polish soldier who accidentally shot a Syrian refugee who had entered Poland over the border from Belarus has been acquitted of causing harm through negligent use of a weapon The Syrian man had been seeking 50,000 zloty (€11,500) in compensation from the soldier.

Poland has condemned a decision by Ukraine's Lviv region to declare 2027 a year honouring the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which led the massacre of Poles in WWII, and one of its leaders, Roman Shukhevych. "Glorifying criminal figures is contrary to European values," says the foreign ministry.