The Polish Sejm recently passed legislation introducing disciplinary measures for judges following a stormy all-night debate last Friday in the house’s Justice Committee.
Various international bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Commission have expressed concern over the legislation, with the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights claiming it „risks further jeopardising the independence of the judiciary in Poland.”
Authored by Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, the legislation aims to discipline judges who exceed their powers by obstructing the functioning of the judiciary, questioning judicial appointments, or engaging in political activities. The law also obliges judges and prosecutors to disclose their party affiliations prior to being nominated to their posts. Opponents of the bill warn that the proposed legislation violates judicial independence.
Speaker of the Senate Tomasz Grodzki responded on Friday evening that the Senate would scrutinise all bills that could potentially jeopardise the rule of law. The Senate now has 30 days to process the bill, with a chance that the legislation could be passed by a second vote in the Sejm even if the Senate rejects it.
Source: PAP
Regulations for ride-sharing apps set to change next week
It may be a “last Christmas” for some Uber and Bolt drivers as a new road transport act is set to enter into force January 1st.
According to the new regulations, all drivers carrying commercial passengers will be required to have the same license, putting people working for ride-sharing companies on par with traditional taxi drivers.
The Polish legislation, adopted last April, is in response to a December 2017 ruling by the European Court of Justice in which the ECJ declared Uber “a service in the field of transport” and not merely a digital or information-sharing service. Including the new licenses, the legislation includes additional requirements pertaining to storage and retention of passenger records, online billing options, and car markings.
Some 2,800 taxis currently operate in Gdańsk, with a similar number of drivers working for ride-sharing companies such as Uber, mytaxi, itaxi, or Bolt. As of January 1st, the Road Transport Inspectorate is authorized to impose fines of up to PLN 8,000 for drivers operating transport without a license.
Hear your season’s greetings on air this Christmas
It’s your last chance to broadcast your personal holiday greetings to friends and family during our special holiday program on Radio Gdańsk.
To send a greeting via the “Bridge of Wishes” program, just record your wishes or greetings on your smartphone or other device and email the file to us at zyczenia@radiogdansk.pl or via private message on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RadioGdansk/. We will then air your recorded greetings tonight and tomorrow during our Christmas broadcast. Tune in at 4pm today to find out who may be sending you their love from Poland and around the world.
Track Santa’s progress tonight with the help of high-tech satellites
While Poles are celebrating Wigilia this evening, children across the United States and around the world are making use of a high-tech tracking system to keep tabs on Santa.
The joint North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is tasked with monitoring aerospace and maritime activity across North America and around the world to detect for threats. Every Christmas Eve, however, NORAD uses its array of high-tech radars, satellites, and interceptors to provide live updates on Santa’s location to millions of children and families.
This year marks the 64th time NORAD will engage in its Santa tracking mission, with Santa’s journey set to officially begin at 10pm local time in eastern Russia, or 11am Central European Time. Anyone curious about Santa’s whereabouts can log in to the official NORAD Santa Tracker website at http://www.noradsanta.org or catch NORAD on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NoradSanta
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and overcast with a chance of scattered showers throughout the day, tapering off in the evening and overnight. Temperatures will hover around 5-6 degrees Celsius or the high 30s to low 40s Fahrenheit with Christmas Day set to continue the same trend of scattered rain and overcast skies.
RGEN/EP
