Deputy Minister of Justice Łukasz Piebiak officially resigned on Tuesday after claims by a media portal that he attempted to use social media  to discredit judges who opposed judicial reforms.
According to the portal, Piebiek sought to discredit certain judges, including Krystian Markiewicz, the head of the judicial association Iustitia, alleging he was anonymously sending compromising material to the media via the help of a woman identified as “Emilia.”

In his statement, Piebiak asserted that he would defend his good name by bringing a lawsuit against the portal’s Editorial Board, which is spreading slanderous information about him based on unreliable accounts. He went on to note that his resignation resulted from a sense of responsibility for the integrity of the judicial reforms, claiming he doesn’t want this situation to “become an excuse for attacks on changes in the judiciary that millions of Poles have been waiting for.”

Sweeping judicial reform was part of the programme promised in the run-up to the previous election by the current government a policy which has received widespread support within Poland. However some proposed judicial reforms have caused controversy among opposition groups who have managed to win support from the European Commission and some pressure groups who feel that the reforms could potentially affect the rule of law by unduly politicizing judicial appointments.

“March of the Herrings” wades through Gdańsk Bay

Over the past weekend, 100 people from across Poland took part in the annual “March of the Herrings” around Gdańsk Bay in an effort to raise environmental awareness.

For roughly five hours, selected participants waded along the Puck lagoon, a 12.5-km (7.5-mile) stretch of sand bank from Kuźnica on the Hel peninsula to Rewa beach near Gdynia. The name of the march is representative both of the local fish which inhabit the region and the informal nickname for the residents of Gdynia itself.

In an interview with Reuters, organizer Radosław Tyślewicz claimed he began the Herring March in 2002 to “raise environmental awareness and understanding of the sea…anyone in Poland – in Warsaw or Krakow – washing the dishes or flushing the toilet – that water goes here to the Baltic (Sea) and affects our ecosystem,” he points out.

According to Tyślewicz, this year’s march was notable for finishing a half hour ahead of schedule, and also for breaking the Polish record for the most number of people (140) wearing lifejackets in one location.

Participation in the event is limited to 100 participants due to safety reasons, with applications for the limited slots opening in February. The oldest participant this year was 63 while the youngest was in high school.

WizzAir announces new direct flights to Ukraine

Last Friday discount Hungarian airline Wizz Air announced that it would be offering six new connections to Odessa International Airport in Ukraine, including direct connections to  Poland via the cities of Gdańsk, Wrocław, and Katowice. Other destinations being added include Budapest, Berlin, and Bratislava, with an additional new route from Lviv to Larnaca in Cyprus.

The new routes will start in November with tickets already being sold online. Earlier this month, Wizz Air celebrated the launch of an additional route to Poland with the start of its Krakow-Kharkhiv line on August 2. Currently, Wizz Air is the largest low-cost carrier in Ukraine, with 53 routes to 13 countries from airports in Kiev, Odessa, Lviv and Kharkiv.

Polish Youth set sail for Chile
A crew of Polish youth set sail on Monday for Chile as part of the third episode of the Stage Trip Around the World.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of official diplomatic relations between Poland and Chile, high school students from “Domeyki” Liceum 122 in Warsaw and students of American Studies at the University of Warsaw will set off on a 5,000 km journey to Chile, including visits to Santiago de Chile, Punta Arenas, and Valparaiso.

The expedition, which is entirely organized by youth, is an opportunity to promote Poland and raise awareness of two prominent but unknown Polish explorers: Ignacy Domeyko  – a Polish geologist, teacher, educational reformer, and defender of indigenous peoples’ rights in Chile, and Władysław Wagner – a scout and sailor who was the first Pole to circumnavigate the globe under sail.

The South America stage is Stage III of the Staged Round Trip Around the World project, in which volunteers will cover over 120,000 km, visiting over 30 cities in over 10 countries on 4 continents. Two stages, the North America Stage and the Independence Cruise, have already been completed, with additional stages slated for Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Australia and Oceania, and the Caribbean.