Poland Likely to Hold Local Elections on April 7

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced yesterday that Poland will “likely” hold local elections after Easter break on April 7. The reasoning for holding the ballot after Easter is to encourage as large of a voter turnout as possible.

The second round of voting is set to be held on April 21. PM Tusk also stated that a plan to make “changes to Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal” would be announced by Justice Minister Adam Bodnar later this week. Its goal is to “address the EU’s concerns over democratic standards in Poland” in order to access billions of euros in grants for the country, while critics view it as a further infringement by the EU on the sovereignty of Poland.

Source: IAR, PAP, rp.pl, PolskieRadio

Polish FM Calls for Tighter Sanctions for Russia

In light of Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine over the New Year, killing at least 44 civilians, as well as allegedly violating Polish Airspace with a cruise missile, FM Radosław Sikorski has called upon the international community for tighter sanctions against Russia.

He stated on social media that the sanctions should prevent Russia from producing new weapons with smuggled components, and that the west should also provide Ukraine with long range missile systems to take out Russian launch sites and command centers to prevent such attacks in the future. Today is the 680th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters

Government Seeks Explanation from Google Over Incorrect Złoty Rates

Poland’s Ministries of Digitization and Finance have requested that Google provide an explanation for the distribution of incorrect financial information, namely exchange rates for the Polish złoty.

It was discovered that the exchange rate to the US Dollar, Euro, and Swiss Franc were inflated by an entire PLN 0.76, 0.86, and 0.64 respectively. The ministries sought details on the error and steps on how Google would avoid such mistakes in the future, while the National Bank of Poland reiterated that its website is the go-to source for the most accurate rates, and to be wary of online sources.

Source: PAP, PolskieRadio

Poland Advances to United Cup Tennis Semifinals

Iga Świątek and Hubert Hurkacz, ranked No. 1 and No. 9 respectively world wide, emerged victorious yesterday against China’s Qinwen Zhen and Zhizhen Zhang in their singles matches, while Poland’s mixed doubles players Katarzyna Piter and Jan Zieliński also defeated China’s team, resulting in a decisive 3-0 victory for Poland.

The Polish Team advances to play against either France or Norway in the Rosewall Arena in Sydney on Saturday.

Source: United Cup, tennis.com, PolskieRadio

Weather

Today will be another day of little sun and more snowfall. There will be mild winds and a temperature remaining below freezing at -4 to -2 degrees celsius or 24 to 28 degrees fahrenheit.

Bryce Buren/aKa