Polish attorney and government critic Roman Giertych's phone was hacked with the use of Pegasus system at least 18 times in 2019, according to an analysis carried out by Citizen Lab researchers. Pegasus is a surveillance tool that provides its operator complete access to a target’s mobile device, allowing the operator to extract passwords, files, photos, web history, contacts, as well as identity data.

Commenting on the controversial media reform bill passed by Polish parliament last week, vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans told TVN24 on Monday he was deeply concerned, as " free media are of the essence of in every member state of the European Union". He also assured that if the bill becomes actually becomes law, "the Commission will review the bill and will take appropriate action, if necessary".

Judge Paweł Juszczyszyn was allowed to return to work at the Regional Court in Olsztyn on Monday, however this decision was overruled almost immediately by the court's president Maciej Nawacki. The latter's term as president ended on Friday, but the Ministry of Justice sent a fax to the court on Monday, annoucing that Nawacki has been appointed for another term. Nawacki has cancelled his leave of absence only to announce his first decision about revoking the decision allowing Juszczyszyn to return, issued by his deputy Krzysztof Krygielski, who was the court's acting president for this short period before Nawacki reappointment.

Deputy Minister of Sports Łukasz Mejza announced on December 10 that he had asked for a leave of absence as member of parliament. A positive decision was granted by Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Małgorzata Gosiewska, but Mejza's vacation officialy started on Monday (December 20). Despite his urgent need for vacation, the deputy minister was present at Friday's voting session in the lower house, and took part in voting over the 2022 budget and the so-called lex TVN.

The media reform bill landed on President Andrzej Duda's desk on Monday morning, chief of president's office Paweł Szrot said. He added that the president has 21 days to either sign it into law or veto the proposed legislation.

The European Union said on Monday a Polish law that critics say aims to silence a news channel critical of the government poses severe risks to media freedom and pluralism.

"Right here, today we are opening the most advanced and at the same time the longest tunnel in Poland, it's over 2 kilometres long," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday during Warsaw's southern ring road opening ceremony. Shortly after 12, first cars entered the tunnel heading towards Wawer district.

Poles on Sunday staged nationwide protests including a thousands-strong rally outside the presidential palace to demand the head of state veto a law they say would limit media freedoms in the European Union's largest eastern member.

Customers of Polish energy companies Enea, PGE, Tauron and Energa will have to pay around 24% more for energy in 2022, based on tariffs approved by Poland's Energy Regulatory Office on Friday.

TVN Discovery Group has issued a statement regarding a controversial media reform bill, known as lex TVN, passed by the Sejm on Friday.

"The United States is extremely disappointed by today's passage of the media bill by the Sejm" - U.S. charge d'affaires said in a tweet on Friday. He also stressed that Washington hopes Polish President Andrzej Duda will "act in accordance with previous statements".

Poland's lower house of parliament, the Sejm, passed a controversial media reform bill on Friday, known as lex TVN, which - if ratified by the president - would mainly target TVN24 news channel owned by U.S. Discovery company. The law had been rejected by the Senate, but the parliamentary committee on culture and mass media unexpectedly resumed works on the bill on Friday. Opposition MPs say they were informed the this key law would processed again less than 20 minutes before the session.

Poland recorded the second case of Omicron variant. The health ministry said on Friday that the new coronavirus variant has been detected in a three-year-old girl from Warsaw.

40 years ago - on December 16, 1981 - Polish communist militia and army brutally quashed a protest against the martial law imposed three days prior. After being initially fought off by protesting miners from the Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice, the armed forces received a shoot-to-kill order. Nine miners were killed and dozens injured during this tragic event. Official commemorations were organised at the mine and other places in Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that the EU and NATO will further their cooperation on the basis of a new declaration.

Poland has detected its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a deputy health minister was cited as saying on Thursday by state-run news agency PAP.

A baby Java mouse-deer has been born at Warsaw Zoo, leaving staff delighted to hear the patter of extremely tiny hooves.

Four migrants from Syria and Iraq were rescued from a swamp in Poland near the border with Belarus late on Tuesday in a life-or-death operation as bitter winter conditions set in, security services said.

"I find it unbelievable that such Holocaust distortion can happen 300 km from where the original sign stands," Isreali charge d'affairs to Poland Tal Ben-Ari Yaalon said on Wednesday. She expressed outrage at a banner displayed by members of Poland's far-right Confederation party at Tuesday's anti-vax rally in front of Polish parliament. They made a sign saying "Vaccination makes you free", clearly referring to infamous inscription Nazi Germans placed at the gates of the Auschwitz death camp. The banner and its authors have been also condemned by the Auschwitz Museum and Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Poland's daily death toll from COVID-19 during the fourth wave of the pandemic has climbed to a record 669, the health ministry said on Wednesday, as the country battles high infection rates with tighter restrictions.

According to a latest Kantar poll for "Fakty" TVN and TVN24, 65% of respondents think that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's wife should disclose her assets. The opposite opinion was expressed by 27% of those asked.

Tadeusz Ross - an actor, scriptwriter, comedian, former MP and MEP, and recently Warsaw city councillor - has died at the age of 83.

Majority of respondents have a negative opinion about Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's government, according to a latest Kantar poll for "Fakty" TVN and TVN24. 34% of those asked shared a positive opinion on Morawiecki's cabinet, whereas 57% assessed it negatively.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, spokesman for Poland's special services minister-coordinator, Stanisław Żaryn, informed that a Belarusian Deputy Chairman of the State Border Committee General Major Roman Podlinev was identified among the people who stormed Polish border on November 16. "He looked like a person sent there to carry out some sort of supervisory, control mission," Żaryn added.

Hundreds of dinosaur footprints, so well-preserved that even the scaly skin can be seen, have been found in Poland, giving an insight into a complex ecosystem around 200 million years ago, geologists said.

Five members the Left parliamentary club have decided to leave the alliance and launch a Polish Socialist Party parliamentary circle. The group includes Deputy Speaker of the Senate Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, senator Wojciech Konieczny, as well as MPs Joanna Senyszyn, Robert Kwiatkowski and Andrzej Rozenek.

A Polish woman has tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in China, Poland's health ministry said on Tuesday, after Chinese media reported that the first case on the country's mainland had been detected in a Pole.

In recent weeks, the media reported on former business of current Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism Łukasz Mejza, which is thought to have been offering expensive and scientifically unapproved therapies to people with incurable diseases. Mejza denies the news, and has just gone on vacation. According to the latest poll by Kantar for "Fakty" TVN and TVN24, 68% of those asked think Mejza should be dismissed from his office.

The Czech Republic will hold off on sending up to 150 soldiers for now to help Poland protect its border with Belarus after the migrant situation stabilised, the Czech defence minister said on Monday.

The United Right coalition still enjoys the highest voter support, but opposition parties grow stronger, according to the latest poll by Kantar conducted for "Fakty" TVN and TVN24. If the election were held soon, the ruling party would win 31% of votes, and a total of six parties would win seats in the parliament.