Polish pro-democracy campaigner Lech Walesa addresses protestors in Warsaw. AP
Polish pro-democracy campaigner Lech Walesa addresses protestors in Warsaw. AP

Poland’s isolation deepens as Supreme Court law takes effect



Poland’s international isolation and political uncertainty at home deepened on Wednesday as a purge of the Supreme Court’s justices took effect, with the chief justice defiantly refusing to step down.

The court's First President Malgorzata Gersdorf arrived for work as usual at the court in Warsaw, vowing to continue her constitutionally mandated term, which runs through 2020. The court’s judges support this view.

A large crowd of anti-government protesters cheered Ms Gersdorf on and vowed to defend the constitutional order and fight what they see as the erosion of their democratic system.

Protesters gathered again at night in Warsaw and in another cities, with Lech Walesa, the legendary pro-democracy activist and Solidarity union leader of the 1980s, addressing the cheering crowd in front of the Supreme Court building.

“He who breaks the constitution and the division of powers is a criminal, they are criminals,” he said. “We must do everything to send these people away and vote to choose different people.”

While Ms Gersdorf, 65, was allowed in to the modern glass Supreme Court building in Warsaw and oversaw a meeting with other judges, it was not clear how she could continue in her role following a new law that lowers the mandatory retirement age to 65, from the previous 70.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling party leader, said in an interview published on Wednesday by the Gazeta Polska daily that the judges' "action" will result in "shameful disaster" for them. An adviser to President Andrzej Duda insisted Ms Gersdorf has no choice but to step down.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki faced a grilling in the European Parliament for what many European lawmakers see as Poland’s violations of democratic standards, with a broader overhaul of the judiciary that gives the ruling party vast political control over courts and judges.

Manfred Weber, a German member of the conservative European People’s Party group, hailed Poland’s great democratic legacy, praising the 10 million Poles who joined Solidarity in the struggle against communism in the 1980s.

“Their great achievement – a sovereign, democratic Poland – is at stake today,” Mr Weber said.

He also mentioned the ruling party’s transformation of state media into a propaganda tool and the prosecution of peaceful anti-government protesters, even as authorities have failed to act against nationalists who had attacked protesters.

Socialist leader Udo Bullmann praised Ms Gersdorf for defending the Polish constitution, and criticised Mr Morawiecki for dismantling “the last bastion of the judiciary in Poland”.

Guy Verhofstadt, president of an alliance of liberals, said that putting judges under political control was reminiscent of Soviet practices and that Poland should abandon its “illiberal” illusions.

“I ask you personally, really, to turn the wheel and bring Poland back into the family of democratic nations,” Mr Verhofstadt told Mr Morawiecki.

Mr Morawiecki defended the changes the populist Law and Justice party has brought to the justice system, insisting his government is working to make judges more accountable to the democratic will of the people and that Poland’s democracy “has never been as alive as it is today”.

Though calm, he did not take the criticism well.

“We are a proud nation and we know the price of freedom,” he said. “It is not good when proud nations are being lectured to by others, because that produces deadlocks.”

Speaking later to reporters he insisted the forced retirements were “perfectly in line with the constitution”.

In the debate, Mr Morawiecki also got support from some who backed Warsaw’s arguments that an overreaching EU was meddling in a sovereign state’s internal affairs.

The new law is forcing approximately one-third of the court’s 73 sitting judges to step down, unless they obtain special permission from the president to remain.

After having taken control of common courts and the constitutional court, Law and Justice now takes control of the top court, which handles appeals for all civil and criminal cases and authorises election results.

Protesters expressed fears the party will use its political sway over the court to falsify elections.

“We have the right to live in a free country with a constitution,” said Monika Czerniakowska, 50. She said once a government violates the constitution, “anything can happen. Look what’s happening in Hungary. How far can we go?”

On Wednesday, 63 justices were working, meaning that 10 of the 27 being forced into retirement have accepted their retirement under the new law, according to the court’s press office.

“I still hope that the legal order will be restored in Poland,” Ms Gersdorf said as she arrived at the court.

The European Commission, which polices compliance with EU laws, opened an infringement procedure Monday against Poland over the Supreme Court law.

Government critics now are putting their hopes in the EU to preserve the rule of law in their homeland – a message that was reflected in the chants and slogans at the protest.

SHAITTAN
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MO
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
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iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Key findings
  • Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
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  • People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”. 
  • Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better. 
  • But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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THE BIO

Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old

Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai

Favourite Book: The Alchemist

Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna

Favourite cuisine: Italian food

Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman

 

 

Company%20profile
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If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.

Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL

Al Nasr 2

(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)

Shabab Al Ahli 1

(Jaber 13)

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Norwich 0

Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')

Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)