Thousands of people protested across Poland this week after the country’s parliament rejected a bill that would decriminalize assisting abortion, dealing a blow to the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s electoral pledges to provide more access to the medical procedure, Agence France-Presse reported. On...
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From the mid-16th Century to the late 18th Century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a European power that dominated Central and Northeastern Europe while pioneering democratic models of government. Poland has been at odds with Russia ever since. In 1610, for example, Polish-Lithuanian forces occupied Moscow and...
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A special commission tasked with investigating Russian and Belarusian influence in Poland began its work this week amid growing concerns over attempts to influence elections in the European Union, the Associated Press reported. Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the formation of a 12-member...
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Poland enacted a ban against homework this month that has left children rejoicing but some teachers and parents are concerned, the Associated Press reported. Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four...
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Polish police this week arrested two opposition politicians convicted of abuse of power who had taken refuge in the presidential palace, prompting a major standoff between the previous conservative government and the newly-elected pro-European coalition of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Bloomberg reported. The controversy centers on...
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Editor’s Note: Dear Readers, This holiday week we’re reprising some of our lead stories of the past year, ones that illustrate ongoing trends in their respective regions. DailyChatter reports on more than 150 countries every year in every region of the world, and we feel many...
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Centrist politician Donald Tusk was nominated as Poland’s new prime minister this week, ending eight years of right-wing rule by the Law and Justice Party (PiS) that saw relations with the European Union deteriorate, the loss of judicial independence and restrictions on reproductive rights, the...
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The results of the Oct. 15 parliamentary elections in Poland are echoing throughout Europe. Women and young voters helped swing the election to the Civic Coalition and other parties opposing the ruling Law and Justice party, a populist political group that espouses conservative Catholic values and...
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Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) lost its majority in the country’s parliamentary elections over the weekend, according to exit polls, a result that reflects a notable shift in voter support toward opposition parties that have pledged to reverse the erosion of democracy seen...
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Senior European Union officials are demanding an explanation from Poland over allegations that Polish diplomats sold temporary work visas to African and Asian migrants for thousands of dollars apiece. Polish media outlets have alleged that officials allowed more than 130,000 migrants into Poland from majority-Muslim nations...
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The Polish government will call for a referendum on illegal migration, a vote that observers believe is part of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party’s efforts to stave off a challenge from the opposition in the October elections, Sky News reported. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki...
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Polish President Andrzej Duda signed off a bill this week that allows the creation of a special body to investigate Russian influence in Polish politics, despite criticism at home and abroad that the legislation could be used to target political opponents, Politico reported. The legislation will...
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A mile-long mass of hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, recently. The demonstration wasn’t only to mark the 34th anniversary of the country’s first democratic election after the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe...
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The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled this week that Poland violated EU law with its controversial judicial reform, saying that the changes endangered the independence of the member state’s judiciary, Politico reported. In its verdict, the court sided with the European Commission...
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Hundreds of thousands of Polish protesters took to the streets of the capital Warsaw this week to protest against the country’s conservative government and call for change, a mass demonstration that comes ahead of a highly-anticipated parliamentary election in autumn, the Guardian reported. Opposition leader Donald...
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Polish President Andrzej Duda is set to sign a bill that will create a powerful commission aimed at investigating Russia’s influence in Poland, raising concern that the ruling Law and Justice party will use the measure against opponents ahead of parliamentary elections this year, the...
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A Polish court sentenced an activist to eight months of community service for helping a woman obtain abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy, in a case that has drawn fresh scrutiny on Poland’s near-total ban on the procedure, the BBC reported. Justyna Wydrzynska became the first...
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Poland and its NATO allies are probing into whether a missile that landed in the country Tuesday and killed two people came from Russia, a strike that risks widening the conflict outside of Ukrainian borders, USA Today reported. The strike came as Moscow launched its largest...
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Poland is seeking a formal agreement with Israel to regulate the terms under which Israeli schoolchildren make Holocaust study visits, amid an ongoing row over educational trips to the European country, the Associated Press reported. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz lamented this week that young...
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Polish lawmakers approved a law that partially alters a controversial system for disciplining judges, a move observers described as an attempt by Poland to gain access to billions of euros from the European Union’s pandemic recovery fund, Politico reported. The lower house of parliament voted in...
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