The Climate Action Network (CAN), a worldwide network of over 1300 NGOs combating climate change, on Thursday voted to give COP24 host Poland the Colossal Fossil of the Year Award, which is given to the country deemed to have done its best to block progress in the negotiations or in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Mikołaj Pawlak who was chosen as the new Commissioner for Children's Rights in November took an oath on Friday in the Sejm. From now on he can formally begin his 5-year tenure in this position.

Ministers are working around the clock to complete and strengthen the rules for making a landmark agreement to combat climate change operational, with one day of talks remaining.

A survey taken after a corruption scandal suggests that Poles have little trust in the state - a warning sign for the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which won power in 2015 partly on pledges to fight graft and has extended state control over media and judiciary.

European Union leaders will offer Ukraine more aid at a summit on Thursday after Russia's seized its ships off Crimea but calls to punish Moscow with more sanctions lacked support.

Polish state-owned PGG, the European Union's biggest producer of thermal coal, said it plans to sink a new mine in the Polish town of Imielin, but residents fear home damage and environmental pollution.

In the scandal involving former chiefs of Financial Supervision Authority, we're dealing with a criminal inaction, said the head of the Council of Ministers' Standing Committee Jacek Sasin. Law and Justice MP referred to the case of SKOK Wołomin credit union and, in his opinion, this affair is even bigger than the Amber Gold scandal. "The losses suffered by the people in the SKOK Wołomin scandal amount to some 1,5 billion zlotys," said Sasin. He also added that "all of these things were happening due to complete inaction of the financial regulator (KNF) which for over 18 months watched what was going on and did not react".

Poland and Germany's foreign ministers emphasised their two countries' good bilateral relations on Thursday but both refused to budge on the issue of World War Two reparations.

There can be no closing down of the Article 7 procedure until all of the rule-of-law-related issues are solved, including those regarding the National Council of the Judiciary or disciplinary procedure against aimed at judges, the Vice President of European Commission Frans Timmermans said on Thursday.

The China-initiated Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Monday jointly released an action plan for implementing the Paris Agreement.

Beata Szydło spent 45 minutes in a court in Kraków on Monday, after she was summoned as a witness. She was questioned in regard to the accident involving the government motorcade on the 10th of February 2017. This was the second time she was called to testify, however she did not show up for the first hearing. Her testimony was kept confidential.

We demand the Minister of Education Anna Zalewska's dismissal. We will be demanding it even stronger if she fails to take any steps to address our discontent, said Ryszard Proksa, the chairman of the National Section of Education "Solidarity". On Monday, in many Polish cities, including Warsaw, Gdańsk, Łódź, Kielce and Białystok, press conferences took place organised by teachers' unions which members demand minister Zalewska's resignation. In a joint statement they presented "seven cardinal sins" of the minister. According to the unionists, she is responsible for the lack of decent raises for teachers, making the path to promotion longer, introducing new regulations for assessment of teachers, they find unfavourable, as well as maintaining a fake dialogue with the unions.

Striker Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich sealed top spot in Group E following a thrilling 3-3 Champions League draw at Ajax in which both sides ended with 10 men.

European Union leaders will offer Ukraine help for its regions affected by Russia's actions in the Azov Sea when they meet on Thursday, according to a draft summit statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will stop financing coal projects and nearly all oil projects, it said on Wednesday, as part of a global effort by government-owned development banks to reduce climate change.

Polish farmers protested on Wednesday on the A2 highway. They demand, among other things, compensations for pigs that had to be taken out due to African Swine Fever virus outbreak. Furthermore, they demand an audit of public funds received by the farmer federations, as well as a "sanation of the Farming Chambers".

Failure by countries to agree on rules on implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement aimed at curbing global warming would be suicidal, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.

Governments attending climate talks in Poland are working to ensure economies and jobs are preserved in the shift away from coal-fired power generation, Canada's environment minister said.

Poland's government of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament on Wednesday ahead of elections next year in which it hopes to strengthen its support base dented by a corruption scandal.

Developing and Arab countries raised concern on Tuesday at the "unbalanced progress" during the United Nations high level climate talks held in the Polish city of Katowice.