Voters in Poland will give their verdict on four years of populist government on Sunday, with the country’s ruling party expected to triumph again. A controversial near-total ban on abortion in Poland has taken effect, the government announced, with enforcement from midnight on Wednesday. Today a record was broken - 24 692 new cases of COVID-19. By Alan Charlish and Joanna Plucinska. It is a great step towards the realisation of human rights of all human beings," Karolina Pawlowska from the Ordo Iuris international law centre told the BBC. Poland abortion ban: The government of Poland announced that the ruling on a complete ban on Abortion will come into force on Wednesday. The mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski tweeted his opposition to the move, calling on women to reject the decision on the streets. Poland In English/Telewizja Polska S. A. Some analysts predict Poland's GDP growth will slow to 2% in 2020 from 4% last year. "Thirty-three percent of the population of Poland, they only have access to TVP24, which is 24 hours of news, so their brains are formed by that," says Andrzej Krajewski, a retired journalist and former adviser to Poland's National Broadcasting Council. Protests against Polish abortion ban defy lockdown, Russia expels diplomats over Navalny protests. The government's moves to control the country's media have become a political flashpoint in this European Union member state, which the EU is investigating along with other various rollbacks of democratic norms in Poland since Law and Justice took office. Media bias was a problem in Poland's last national elections, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors elections. + Subscribe to our podcasts. LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 | Vaccines | Racial Justice, Photo by Janek Skarzynski AFP via Getty Images. Support services in Poland and abroad say numbers increasing even before legislation is tightened Published: 13 Dec 2020 Polish women travel abroad for abortions ahead of law change A series of legislative acts approved in late 2019 governs the way Poland’s justice system operates. Grzegorz Sokol, Aga Suszko and Jan Smolenski contributed to this report from Warsaw. The low birth rate surprised observers because some experts predicted the lockdown measures the Polish government has imposed on and off since mid-March would lead to a baby boom, the newspaper said. New Regulations by Polish Government are Announced Due To COVID-19 In Poland and in the world, the fight against the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing. European poll observers say "media bias" influenced recent Polish elections. Need help keeping up with the news that matters most? This is likely to cause protests in the country. By Anna Noryskiewicz July 14, 2020 / 11:21 AM / CBS News Poland sees Day 11 of abortion, anti-government protests November 1, 2020 WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Anti-government protests triggered by the tightening of Poland’s strict abortion law took place for an 11th day in the predominantly Catholic nation. The Polish government updated on its official Twitter handle, “The ruling will be published today in the Journal of Laws.” "This also means there will no longer be discrimination against children who are sick or disabled," she said, adding that the court's ruling was in line with the Polish constitution and UN treaties on the rights of the child. Poland In English/Telewizja Polska S. A. Agreement (previously known as Poland Together) and PiS have been in government together – along with United Poland (Soldiarna Polska), another junior coalition partner – since 2015. News. But Poland's conservative government, which has strong ties to the country's powerful Catholic Church, supports the ruling. Apr 18, 2021, Stream or tune in Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2, In Poland, Protests As Near-Total Ban On Abortions Goes Into Effect, After Trump, Europe's Populist Leaders Will Have 'Lost One Of Their Cheerleaders', Poland's Nationalist President Narrowly Wins Reelection, Poland's Overhaul Of Its Courts Leads To Confrontation With European Union, Tax Forms Help Reveal Extent Of Unemployment Fraud In US, Mayor Gloria Announces $45.5 Million In COVID-19 Rent Relief From State, Pentagon Will Deploy Troops To Assist COVID-19 Vaccine Drive; California's First Stop, IN CONCERT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL: Gustavo And Friends, BLM Protesters: Sheriff’s Deputies Ignored MAGA Supporters’ Assaults At Poway Rallies, Recall Campaign For Council President Jennifer Campbell To Officially Begin, San Diego County Reports Fewer Than 1,000 COVID-19 Cases For Second Straight Day, San Diego County's Fourth Vaccine 'Super Station' Opens At Grossmont Center In La Mesa, San Diego County's First Flu Death Reported This Season, Man Also Had COVID-19, KPBS Financial Yet media takeovers could hand the ruling party an unfair advantage. In 2019, 98% of abortions were carried out on those grounds, meaning that the ruling effectively banned the vast majority of pregnancy terminations. Poland, OH's real-time and most comprehensive local Government news. Winter weather hits parts of Europe, from Poland … TVP didn't respond to interview requests from NPR. Poland's ruling nationalists appeared to have taken a turn further to the right on Wednesday with the appointment of an ultra-conservative education chief in a new cabinet lineup, raising the prospect of new friction with the European Union. Since Poles first voted Law and Justice into office in 2015, its government has not only taken control of the country's largest public broadcaster, but it has also vowed to "re-Polanize" the national media. They want to convince people that they are right and the opposition is wrong; that we are surrounded by enemies," Krajewski says. At 7:30 each evening, TVP's nightly news program continues to enjoy the highest ratings in the country. Acrobat Reader. Law and Justice won reelection in October 2019, but while voters "had numerous options available to them, their ability to make an informed choice was undermined by a lack of impartiality in the media, especially the public broadcaster," said Jan Petersen, head of the election observer mission that monitored the Polish vote. Get the day's top news — ranging from local to international — straight to your inbox each weekday morning. ‘Completely unfiltered’: How Arlo Parks found her voice, The race to create the world's next super-app, Africa's top shots: Rainy days and racetracks. News about Poland, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. Learn how you can avoid risk and what to do when you or your family members suspect having contracted the virus. Critics blame the network for creating an atmosphere that led to his murder. This page gives you up-to-date, official and reliable information on the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 illness. Groups who support the ban say it is about the human rights of the child. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A controversial near-total ban on abortion in Poland has taken effect, the government announced, with enforcement from midnight on Wednesday. A controversial near-total ban on abortion in Poland has taken effect, the government announced, with enforcement from midnight on Wednesday. ... Poland may take legal action over Pfizer Covid vaccine delay. The flags of the European Union, Poland and the city of Warsaw hang in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. - Video, 'Mosul is healing': Rebuilding the historic city, Romania baptism death sparks calls for change, Woman, 95, accused over 10,000 Nazi camp murders, Actress shares story of 'nightmare' nose surgery, US congresswoman who supported QAnon loses key post, Parish council Zoom host 'surprised' by reaction, BBC team threatened after Boxing and the Mob probe, October ruling by the Constitutional Court, Poles divided over near-total ban on abortion, Polish women forced abroad for terminations, Rafał Trzaskowski tweeted his opposition to the move. Instead, he says, it's serving Poland's governing right-wing populist party, Law and Justice. Both TVN and Polsat's 24-hour news … "This was an intimidation method straight out of communism.". The Government of Poland takes place in the framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government.. Executive power is exercised, within the framework of a multi-party system, by the President and the Government, which consists of the Council of … This website uses cookies. Following the announcement that the ruling would now be enforced, groups defied coronavirus restrictions to protest in Warsaw. Copyright 2021 NPR. Because then we really can say that what is represented is perhaps politically diverse but ultimately in Poland's interest," he says. Latest government News: Mahoning County health officials address questions about next phase of … Both TVN and Polsat's 24-hour news channels require monthly fees. Their numbers of MPs at the 2019 parliamentary elections, Agreement and United strengthened! 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