JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI

The EU has frozen billions of euros of pandemic funds for Poland over criticism of its rule of law record. Jaroslaw Kaczynski insisted that Poland has met the EU's demands for changes to the regulations on the judiciary. President Andrzej Duda signed the changes to the disciplinary regulations into law late Monday. The changes authored by Duda remove the Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Chamber, which has been used to sanction outspoken judges. The European Court of Justice fined Poland a record 1 million euros per day for failing to dismantle it.

A Polish government special commission has reinforced its previous allegations that the 2010 plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others in Russia was the result of Moscow's assassination plan.

Sirens have gone off in some Polish cities to mark the anniversary of the 2010 presidential plane crash, despite widespread protests that their sound would be unnecessary trauma to scores of refugees from the war in Ukraine.

Poland Russia Ukraine War People return back to Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, Saturday, April 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (Sergei Grits)WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — Anxious about the wellbeing of their Ukrainian refugees, city mayors across Poland are refusing the government’s instructions to sound air raid alarm sirens Sunday as part of memorial observances for Poland's 2010 presidential plane crash. More than 2.5 million refugees from Ukraine have sought security in neighboring Poland and are staying at special reception centers or with private people. He said text messages were being sent to refugees to explain that the sirens mean no danger. “We will not sound the sirens on the anniversary,” said Rafal Bruski, mayor of the central city of Bydgoszcz.

Anxious about the wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees, city mayors across Poland are refusing the government's instructions to sound air raid sirens as part of memorial observances for a 2010 presidential plane crash.

Poland’s de-facto leader has used strong words to criticize his long-time ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and said further cooperation is not possible unless Orban’s approach to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine changes

As he prepares to continue his autocratic governance of Hungary for another four years, Viktor Orban faces a shattered opposition at home but an increasingly isolated position abroad.

President Joe Biden used his speech in Poland's capital to forcefully denounce Russia's Vladimir Putin, but Biden seemed to have a more subtle message for his Polish hosts.

Poland to formally propose peacekeeping mission in Ukraine

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski — the chief of the ruling conservative party and his country’s most powerful politician — also made the trip. Blaszczak, the Polish defense minister, said it was that idea that he presented at the NATO meeting Wednesday. Although pronouncing their trip to be an EU mission, officials in Brussels cast it as something the three leaders undertook on their own. A few, however, criticized the leaders for making a risky trip that was largely symbolic and lacked a clear international mandate. “I do not rule out further weapons support from Sweden,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

Russia Ukraine War In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a meeting with Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski on behalf of the European Council, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called on as many countries as possible to equip Ukraine with large amounts of weapons quickly so the country can continue fighting off Russian forces that are trying to take the capital and other cities. Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski — the chief of the ruling conservative party and his country’s most powerful politician - also made the trip. The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia are members of both the European Union and NATO. ___Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to convey a message of solidarity with Ukraine and of support for the nation’s aspirations to one day join the European Union. They went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite concerns about risks to their security while traveling through a war zone. Although pronouncing their trip as an EU mission, officials in Brussels cast it as something the three leaders had undertaken on their own. Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Wednesday morning that the three had returned safely to Poland. At a news briefing late Tuesday in Kyiv, Kaczynski said he believed that a NATO peacekeeping mission is needed in Ukraine.

(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) (Uncredited)WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have returned safely back to Poland on Wednesday after a visit to Kyiv meant to show support for Ukraine as it faces heavy bombardment. They went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the EU about the security risks of traveling within a war zone. Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Wednesday morning that they had returned safely to Poland. They were joined by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is a deputy prime minister and conservative ruling party leader and in Poland’s unusual political arrangement the country’s most powerful leader. ___Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have safely returned to Central Europe after visiting Kyiv to show support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s military invasion.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Facebook in the evening that he, deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and the Czech and Slovenian leaders were in Kyiv. Poland's leaders, together with Prime Ministers Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic and Janez Jansa of Slovenia, said they were on an EU mission. Jansa is a right-wing populist friendly with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The Slovenian prime minister has supported the false claims of former U.S. President Donald Trump that the 2020 U.S. election was rigged. Morawiecki said on Facebook that the visit was agreed by the EU and that the United Nations was also informed.

Russia Ukraine War A woman reacts after being rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building that was hit by artillery shells in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. No further details about the itinerary were disclosed except that they will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The three Central European nations are former communist countries that now belong to the EU and NATO. Jansa is a right-wing populist friendly with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The Slovenian prime minister has supported the false claims of former U.S. President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was rigged.

WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are traveling to Kyiv on a European Union mission Tuesday to meet with Ukraine's top leadership as Russia’s offensive moved closer to the center of the capital. The visit by the leaders of three countries which belong to the EU but also NATO, comes as a series of strikes hit a residential neighborhood in Kyiv. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland announced he was joined by Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic and Janez Jansa of Slovenia. Morawiecki said on Facebook that he and the other leaders were making their trip in agreement with the European Union, citing the chairman of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. He quoted President Kaczynski who said at the time in Tbilisi: “Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic states, and then maybe it’s time for my country, for Poland.”Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s presence also has symbolic significance.

The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are traveling to Kyiv on a European Union mission to meet with Ukraine’s top leadership as Russia’s offensive moves closer to the center of the capital

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have traveled by train to Kyiv and met with President Volodymy Zelenskyy in a show of support for Ukraine.

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to the embattled Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday in a show of support for Ukraine even as bombardment by the Russian military edged closer to the center of the city. The three leaders went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the European Union about the security risks of traveling within a war zone.

Russia Ukraine War EU Summit Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrives at the Chateau de Versailles to attend the second day of the EU summit, Friday, March 11, 2022 in Versailles, west of Paris. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a tweet: “The aim of the visit is to express the European Union’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence.”He will be joined by Slovak Prime Minister Janez Janša, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is Polish the deputy prime minister for security but also the conservative ruling party leader. ___KYIV, Ukraine – A series of Russian strikes hit a residential neighborhood of Ukraine’s capital on Tuesday, igniting a huge fire and frantic rescue effort in a 15-story Kyiv apartment building. They hit the Svyatoshynskyi district of western Kyiv, adjacent to the suburb of Irpin that has seen some of the worst battles of the war. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations will continue Tuesday.

Poland's main ruling party says the country's finance minister has resigned over “shortcomings” of the new tax system that has led to lower net pay for many professionals.

Poland Politics FILE - Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice, speaks at a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 26, 2021. Some 61 lawmakers of the United Right ruling team led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s Law and Justice party abstained or voted against the law in the 460-seat lower house late Tuesday. Analysts said the result marked an unprecedented degree of dissent within the ruling coalition and poses a challenge to Kaczynski's leadership. It also shows the “political weakness of Jaroslaw Kaczynski,” who pushed for the law's adoption. But he also said he does “not understand ... the great determination of the group that questions the need for vaccinations and restrictions” inside the ruling coalition.

Poland Politics FILE - Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice, speaks at a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) (Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — A COVID-19 draft law defeated in Poland's parliament has exposed deep divisions inside the ruling right-wing coalition and a weakening of the country's most powerful politician, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, analysts said on Wednesday. Analysts said the result marked an unprecedented high degree of dissent within the ruling coalition and poses a challenge to Kaczynski's leadership. It also shows the “political weakness of Jaroslaw Kaczynski” who pushed for the law's adoption. The widely criticized draft law would mandate regular COVID-19 testing of employees and enable those who got infected in the workplace to seek compensation from colleagues who refused testing.

Analysts say a defeated parliament vote on a proposed COVID-19 law pushed by Poland's deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has exposed deep divisions within the country's ruling right-wing coalition.

Two more Poles have been identified as victims of phone hacking with the notoriously powerful spyware of Israel’s NSO Group.

The researchers confirmed last month that three Polish critics of the right-wing government were hacked aggressively with Pegasus, spyware produced by Israel's NSO Group. The Senate commission seeks to shed more light on the hacking, which has shocked many in Poland. “He should answer questions about the illegal and mass surveillance of Polish women and men,” Banas said. Under Polish law, the CBA can only be financed from the state budget. On Monday, Polish senators heard testimony from two Citizen Lab experts who last month confirmed the hacking in Poland.

The researchers confirmed last month that three Polish critics of the right-wing government were hacked aggressively with Pegasus, spyware produced by Israel's NSO Group. The Senate commission seeks to shed more light on the hacking, which has shocked many in Poland. “He should answer questions about the illegal and mass surveillance of Polish women and men,” Banas said. On Monday, Polish senators heard testimony from two Citizen Lab experts who last month confirmed the hacking in Poland. Banas was appointed to a six-year term by the ruling party in 2019 but has since become one of its key opponents, initiating inspections against government officials.

Poland’s chief auditor says he plans to audit the state’s supervision of the secret services following revelations of illegal surveillance of government critics with powerful spyware.

The third-largest group in the European Parliament has called for the establishment of a committee to investigate abuses by European Union governments with powerful spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group.

Cybersecurity Poland NSO Hacks FILE - Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice, speaks at a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday Oct. 26, 2021. Poland’s most powerful politician has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group. But Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party, Law and Justice, denied that it was being used to target his political opponents. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File) (Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland's ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, for slander over comments suggesting that he was placed under surveillance in connection to wrongdoing. Hours after the news was reported Monday about Sen. Krzysztof Brejza's case against Kaczynski, Polish prosecutors informed Brejza's father, a city mayor, that he was under investigation as a suspect and needed to appear for questioning.

A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland’s ruling party leader.

Poland Cybersecurity NSO Hacks FILE - Polish Senator Krzysztof Brejza in Warsaw, on the night of parliamentary elections, Oct. 13, 2019. The senator, Krzysztof Brejza, and two other government critics, Roman Giertych and Ewa Wrzosek, were hacked with NSO’s Pegasus spyware. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — Poland's most powerful politician has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group, but denied that it was being used to target his political opponents. Kaczynski's allies had previously denied that Poland purchased and used Pegasus. Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz in late December said “the Pegasus system is not in the possession of the Polish services.

The leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group.

Poland's most powerful politician has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group, but denied that it was being used to target his political opponents. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party, Law and Justice, said in an interview that the secret services in many countries are using the Pegasus software to combat crime and corruption. Kaczynski said the use of such spyware arose in response to the growing use of encryption to mask data in transit, which defeated earlier monitoring technologies.

The leaders of European right-wing populist parties say they will cooperate more closely at the European Union’s parliament in order to defend the sovereignty of their nations.

WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — Poland's ruling party leader presented plans Tuesday for a bill to “defend the fatherland,” legislation he said is aimed at “radically” strengthening the military as the country faces migration pressure from its eastern neighbor Belarus. Examples he gave included “Russia's imperial ambitions” and the hybrid warfare being waged by Belarus against Poland and other European Union nations using migrants. Kaczynski also said Poland hopes to strengthen its forces by buying U.S.-produced military equipment but would also look at European-made weapons. The announcement comes as Poland faces heavy migration pressure from Belarus. Poland has reacted by declaring a state of emergency along the border with Belarus.

Poland’s ruling party leader has presented plans for a homeland defense bill.

Police in Warsaw say four people, including a nephew of the prime minister, were detained during a massive protest against government policy that critics say could cost Poland its European Union membership.

APTOPIX Poland Europe People wave EU and Polish flags in support of Poland's EU membership during a demonstration, in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, October 10, 2021. Critics of the right-wing nationalist government fear the court ruling could lead to “Polexit,” or Poland being forced to leave the EU over an apparent rejection of the bloc’s laws and values. Kaczynski has denied that he wants Poland to leave the bloc, though top ruling party members have recently used language suggesting that might be their aim. Jacek Sasin, a prominent ruling party member, called the the idea of Polexit “the invention of a weak opposition that has no other ideas." The court ruling, which was issued Thursday by a court largely loyal to the nationalist government, marks a challenge to the primacy of EU law.

Large protests were held across Poland to show support for the country's membership in the European Union.

Senior officials from two founding members of the European Union have expressed fears that a Polish court's ruling that Poland's Constitution has supremacy over EU laws could trigger the the country’s exit from the 27-nation bloc.

An uptick in anti-European Union rhetoric in Hungary and Poland has some observers worried the countries' right-wing governments might be planning to pull out of the 27-nation trade bloc.

Poland’s most powerful politician says the country’s future is in the European Union but that Poland also wishes to remain a sovereign country. Some political observers in Poland, where support for EU membership is very high, also fear that harsh comments about the EU could put Poland on a path to leaving the bloc by accident. But Kaczynski told PAP that Poland won't follow Britain's example and won't leave the EU. Marek Suski, another leading party member, said that Poland “will fight the Brussels occupier” just as it fought the Nazi and Soviet occupiers in the past. “We want to be in the (European) Union, but at the same time we want to remain a sovereign state,” he said.

Poland’s most powerful politician says the country’s future is in the European Union but that Poland also wishes to remain a sovereign country. Some political observers in Poland, where support for EU membership is very high, also fear that harsh comments about the EU could put Poland on a path to leaving the bloc by accident. But Kaczynski told PAP that Poland won't follow Britain's example and won't leave the EU. Marek Suski, another leading party member, said that Poland “will fight the Brussels occupier” just as it fought the Nazi and Soviet occupiers in the past. “We want to be in the (European) Union, but at the same time we want to remain a sovereign state,” he said.

Poland’s most powerful politician says the country’s future is in the European Union but that Poland also wishes to remain a “sovereign” country.

Polish political leaders have attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic church in a Warsaw church.

Poland is facing a more difficult relationship with two of its key allies after lawmakers passed two bills which the government had been warned to drop.

The trilateral meeting brought Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Italy's former interior minister, Matteo Salvini, to Hungary's capital of Budapest. The event came two weeks after Orban’s ruling Fidesz party finalized a break with its center-right European political family, the European People’s Party (EPP). As Italy's interior minister, Salvini worked to ease EU sanctions on Russia. But Poland's ruling party shares Fidesz's disaffection with the EU, with both parties arguing Brussels has infringed on their sovereign decisions. AdOn Thursday, Morawiecki echoed Orban's calls for a European political force that “respects national sovereignty and freedom" and defends traditional values.

Sunday's protest was scheduled to coincide with the 39th anniversary of the 1981 martial law crackdown by the country's communist regime. Under the deal, the EU is to draw up precise guidelines for when a new financial mechanism can be used to cut funds to a member that violates democratic standards, and what might trigger it. Kaczynski, the main architect of Poland's politics, argued the compromise secured Poland's sovereignty and position in the bloc and strengthened its budget. He said Poland “had no other way but to enter that conflict” over the financial mechanism and obtain the clear-cut deal. A nation of around 38 million, Poland has among Europe's highest level of popular support for EU membership, currently at over 80%.

Sunday's protest was scheduled to coincide with the 39th anniversary of the 1981 martial law crackdown by the country's communist regime. Sunday’s protests coincided with the 39th anniversary of the 1981 martial law crackdown by Poland's communist regime. Many Poles accuse the current government of acting more and more like that authoritarian regime by disregarding the civil liberties of citizens. The weeks of protests have morphed into the largest protest movement in Poland since communism fell three decades ago. The protesters gathered at a central intersection and began marching to the home of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the ruling Law and Justice party.

The flags of the European Union, Poland and the city of Warsaw hang in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Trzaskowski said the city wants to show to the rest of the EU that the Polish government's tough position "is not the position of the whole of Poland". The fears of a hypothetical Polexit are fueled by Brexit, Britain's messy divorce from the EU, which is seen as accidental. “I cannot imagine Poland outside of the European Union remaining a democratic and liberal country,” Buras said. On the eve of the EU summit, Warsaw city hall ordered EU flags, along with national and city flags, to be displayed in many places.

German European Affairs minister Michael Roth said the stimulus is crucial for many European countries whose economies have been devastated by the pandemic. Both Poland and Hungary, which have conservative, nationalist governments, have said they fear the EU mechanism will be used to punish their values. Many projects for Poland and Hungary — which are already being formally investigated by the EU for their potential violations of the rule of law — could be held up. Under the enhanced cooperation procedure, a group of EU nations can decide to move forward in situations where all 27 countries are not on the same page. If the standoff continues, such a move could at least help unlock the bloc's 750 billion-euro ($909 billion) economic recovery package.

Polish police came under criticism on Thursday for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. (AP Photo/Agata Grzybowska)WARSAW – Polish police came under criticism on Thursday for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. She was charged in relation to an incident in which the women-led protesters and far-right nationalists were facing off against each other, with police in the middle. According to reports in Polish media, plainclothes police with batons used force on some of the protesters Wednesday night. There were many more policemen than protesters.”Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski told parliament Thursday that the police officers used force because they found themselves “under attack” from the protesters.

(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – Poland’s right-wing government is delaying the publication and implementation of a high court ruling that tightens the abortion law and that has triggered almost two weeks of nationwide protests. A government official said Tuesday that the leaders are taking time to debate the contested ruling and find a solution. The constitutional court ruled Oct. 22 that aborting fetuses with congenital defects violates the constitution, in effect further tightening what was already one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws. Massive daily anti-government protests have been held by hundreds of thousands of people ever since the ruling. Women's rights activist are critical of Duda's proposal and Morawiecki's invitation for talks, and are planning more protests this week.

(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – A leader of Poland’s massive protests triggered by the tightening of the country's strict abortion law said Monday the court ruling must be withdrawn. The court ruling means that an abortion is only permitted in Poland when a pregnancy threatens the mother's health or is the result of crime like rape or incest. Suchanow said that Poland's abortion law needs liberalization, but admitted it may not be possible under the current conservative government, which has a narrow majority in the lower house of parliament. Support for the ruling party started shrinking even before the abortion ruling. The government’s moves to control the judicial system, a new animal rights law and remarks against LGBT rights by top officials created political divisions and provoked some protests.

So why has a court ruling restricting abortion sparked more than a week of angry protests across the central European nation of 38 million? Lawmakers with the ruling Law and Justice party were among those who sought the court's review. The ruling Law and Justice party won a second term in 2019 and President Andrzej Duda, a party ally, was re-elected this summer. The protests of the past week have been dominated by young people, who believe that the abortion ruling infringes on their liberties. Protest organizers are now pushing for the government to resign and a liberal abortion law to be passed — though neither seem like realistic prospects now.

On Thursday, Poland hit a new record of daily infections that exceeded 20,100 in the nation of 38 million. The president said he still favors outlawing abortion in cases of fetuses with non-lethal congenital defects, such as Down syndrome. On Wednesday night, men with a far-right group, All-Polish Youth, attacked women taking part in protests in Wroclaw, Poznan and Bialystok. Duda's comments Thursday were in contrast to his initial reaction last week, when he welcomed the court ruling. His words have no legal bearing on the court ruling and are not expected to appease protesters.

A women's rights activist with a poster of the Women's Strike action protests in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020 against recent tightening of Poland's restrictive abortion law. Protests against last week's court ruling also spread to other countries. “You are exposing a lot of people to death, you are criminals.”The nationwide strike and protests have been largely organized by Women's Strike, a women's rights initiative. They come amid a deepening standoff between angry demonstrators and Poland's deeply conservative government, which pushed for last Thursday's court ruling and has vowed not to back down. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, said last week that he supported the court ruling.

Police vans and units in riot gear were dispatched to guard the Warsaw home of the leader of Poland's right-wing ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Some people carried wire coat hangers, a symbol of dangerous abortions that happen in conditions where safe abortions are not accessible. A protest also took place outside Kaczynski's home Thursday night, after the Constitutional Court presented its abortion law ruling. Opposition parties in Poland, the European Union's human rights commissioner and international human rights organizations criticized the court's decision as violating women's rights. Critics accuse the ruling party of using the cover of the pandemic to push it through with a politicized court.

“There will be a veto. If the threats and blackmail are maintained then we will firmly defend Poland’s vital interest,” Kaczynski was quoted as saying in an interview with Gazeta Polska, a pro-government daily. Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and former EU president, said Kaczynski's threat was harmful to his country on more than one level. “Deputy Prime Minister Kaczynski announces that he is ready to block EU aid for Poland so that he can continue to violate the rule of law with impunity. Poland has also come under major criticism from European partners recently for anti-LGBT rhetoric by its conservative president and other top figures from the ruling party.

WARSAW – Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented a reshuffled Cabinet on Wednesday that formally brings the conservative ruling party's leader into a government position, together with a new education minister who has said LGBT people are “not equal” to others. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the behind-the-scenes strategist of the government since his Law and Justice party came to power for the second time in 2015, will be a deputy prime minister under Morawiecki. It's an awkward arrangement because it leaves Kaczynski subordinate to Morawiecki in the government, but still the key powerbroker in the country. Kaczynski, 71, served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and is a lawmaker in the lower house of parliament. The reshuffled Cabinet keeps hard-liner Zbigniew Ziobro as justice minister.

Polish farmers take part in a demonstration against a proposed ban on fur farms and kosher meat exports in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. The proposed animal welfare legislation debated in parliament Wednesday has been strongly advocated by the ruling Law and Justice party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who recently said it brings Poland in line with European Union standards. Agriculture Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski has separately warned that the draft law would further batter a sector already weakened by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of farmers staged a protest Wednesday outside Kaczynski's office and in front of parliament against the proposed tightening of animal rights regulations. Similar draft legislation by Law and Justice was rejected a few years ago after pressure from the fur farm lobby.

(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW A song took aim at an alleged abuse of power by Poland's ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. It rose to the top of the chart of a public radio station. The scandal, which has been a top issue of public debate in recent days, has prompted several resignations from the station, Radio Trojka, and left some musicians vowing to boycott it. Kaczynski isn't himself accused of ordering the removal of the song from a listener-voted chart, and members of the government have also been critical of what happened. The song, Your Pain is Better than Mine," is by singer and songwriter Kazik Staszewski, known better as just Kazik.