"It's been rather straightforwardly suggested to me that it wasn't my academic work, but rather pandemic-related activity that was the problem" - immunologist and infection treatment expert, Dr Paweł Grzesiowski said in TVN24 about his departure from the Centre for Postgraduate Medical Studies. On Thursday, dr Grzesiowski was appointed General Medical Assembly's (NRL) expert on fighting COVID-19 pandemic.

"Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights" - Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic has said. She referred to Thursday's ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal that deems abortion due to foetal defects unconstitutional.

The Sejm has rejected attorney Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz's bid to stand at the helm of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. She was the only candidate running for the office. Deputy Speaker of the lower house Ryszard Terlecki announced the whole procedure of appointing a new ombudsman would start from the scratch.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that abortion on the grounds of foetal defects contravened the constitution, setting up a legal framework which amounts to a near total ban on pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.

"The constitutional challenge and the delays in the process of selecting a new Ombuds have created a serious risk that the Polish Ombudsman institution may be left without a head of institution for an unknown period of time" - the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic wrote in a letter addressed to Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau. "I am particularly concerned that this may hamper the continuity and effective functioning of this important constitutional body" - Mijatovic wrote.

Poland's health ministry reported a record 12,107 new coronavirus infections and 168 deaths in the space of 24 hours on Thursday, hours before it is expected to announce more restrictions to stem the pandemic.

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said at a press conference on Thursday that in current epidemiological situation, "a natural thing to do is to mark the whole country as a red zone". The minister said the latest statistics suggest that 317 out of 380 counties in Poland have already become "red zones".

Poland will announce new restrictions on Thursday after coronavirus infections doubled in less than three weeks, possibly including moving some primary school students to distance learning.

They want to meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to hear declaration that if the president vetoes the "five for animals" bill, the legislation would not be pursued any further. "We don't want to do this, but we can't allow to have a bad, harmful law imposed upon us" - said Michał Kołodziejczak from AGROunia, whom the police handcuffed for a brief moment, but released shorty after.

Poland's Health Ministry said on Wednesday that the total number of coronavirus cases recorded so far has surpassed 200,000. According to the official data, the first 100,000 cases were reported on the 215th day of the pandemic. Further 100,000 cases - within the last 17 days.

Poland's coronavirus infections have doubled in less than three weeks and now exceed 200,000, the health ministry said, as it announced a new daily record of 10,040 cases.

She says the last two years have been the most difficult time in her life, but she's finally smiling again. Aleksandra Shelton has won the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. The acclaimed fencer sued the Polish Fencing Federation and the Polish Olympic Committee for not allowing her to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The Polish parliament postponed an emergency debate on Tuesday on new rules to boost the number of medics available to treat COVID-19 cases, as Poland reported its second steepest daily rise in the number of cases since the start of the pandemic.

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed 9,291 new coronavirus infections and the death of 107 COVID patients. So far, Poland has reported over 190,000 cases, of which 3,721 have been fatal. More than 9,000 patients have been reported to be hospitalised across the country.

Esteemed stage and screen actor Wojciech Pszoniak has died aged 78. His played his most well-known roles "The Promised Land", "The Wedding", and "Danton". "Although, we all know that sooner or later everyone will pass away, it always hurts. Sometimes it hurts more, sometimes less. This time it hurts very much" - actor and director Jan Englert told TVN24.

The Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed 7,482 coronavirus infection cases and 41 COVID-related deaths. Since the start of the pandemic Poland has reported over 183,000 infections. Over 8,300 infected patients were being treated in hospitals. During last 24 hours, some 36,000 COVID tests were taken.

Construction of a field hospital for coronavirus patients at the National Stadium in Warsaw has been going on since Friday. Heavy machinery is expected to arrive at the stadium on Monday to begin a full-scale preparation. The field hospital is likely to be ready take in patients already this week.

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski urged Poles at a press conference on Monday to adhere to coronavirus restrictions as the number of daily infections may surge even up to 20,000 cases. Furthermore, Poland will bring in the army to handle drive-through coronavirus testing facilities amid a surge in new infections that threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system.

Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński had contact with a person infected with coronavirus and has gone into quarantine - deputy spokesman for the Law and Justice party (PiS) Radosław Fogiel informed on Monday. Another senior official who has gone into quarantine is the Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.

Joe Biden's foreign policy advisor Michael Carpenter has told "Fakty" TVN reporter Marcin Wrona that the Democratic Party's presidential candidate "is committed to ensuring the security of all our allies on the eastern flank, and especially Poland". The head of the "Polish Americans for Trump" committee Łucja Świątkowska-Cannon, however, stressed that Donald Trump has delivered on the promises he had made to the Polish Americans ahead of the previous election.

Attorney Roman Giertych, businessman Ryszard K., and other people have been charged of misappropriating and siphoning off about 92 million zlotys from a real estate developing company between 2010-2014 - said a prosecutor's office in Poznań. Giertych has been detained by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) on Thursday. During the search of his home, the attorney fainted and was taken to a hospital.

"Contrary to what Stanisław Żaryn claims, after speaking with doctors I've found out that Roman Giertych is in serious condition" - said the wife of the attorney detained on Thursday. She, thereby, contradicted the opinion of the special services minister-coordinator Stanisław Żaryn, who on Thursday had assessed the attorney's condition as "good". Spokesperson for a Poznań prosecutor's office said it was being considered whether or not Giertych would be fit to be questioned.

Poland on Friday reported a new daily record of 132 coronavirus-related deaths and counted 7,705 new confirmed cases, amid fears the pandemic is testing the country's supply of hospital beds and ventilators.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced a new set of coronavirus restrictions for yellow and red zones. "We want to introduce restrictions that will protect us from the spread of coronavirus, but at the same time, we want to keep the economy running" - the prime minister said after a Government Crisis Management Team meeting.

Oscar-winning film director Roman Polański attended a Righteous Among the Nations ceremony in Poland on Thursday to honour a Polish couple who sheltered him from the Nazis during World War Two.

A Warsaw attorney Roman Giertych has been detained by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) - his wife Barbara said on Thursday. She told TVN24 she only had "a brief contact" with her husband. "He doesn't know what it is about, he has no idea about any charges" - she said. "It's a bizarre situation" - she added.

Poland's daily coronavirus cases soared over 8,000 for the first time on Thursday, hitting a record high for the second straight day, with the country likely to introduce new restrictions to try to curb the pandemic.

"I'm happy, but still overwhelmed" - said French Open winner Iga Świątek at the first press conference in Poland after the tournament in Paris. The teenage champion shared what gives her energy before matches and how she will spend her well-deserved holiday. There were also questions about her idol.

Poland reported a record 6,526 new coronavirus infections and 116 related deaths on Wednesday, according to health ministry data published on Twitter, as doctors warn of the healthcare system becoming overloaded. So far, Poland has reported 141,804 cases and 3,217 COVID-related deaths. On Tuesday evening Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tested negative for coronavirus, whereas former Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski was taken to hospital where he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Poland's most powerful politician threatened to veto the EU's economic recovery plan and its long-term budget unless the bloc stopped trying to "blackmail" the country over its cultural identity, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.