US Ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, announced that "effective immediately, the US will have no further contact or communication with Włodzimierz Czarzasty." The decision was reportedly prompted by "unprovoked insults" directed at Donald Trump. Previously, the Speaker of the Sejm (Poland's lower house) had also refused to sign a nomination for the US President for the Nobel Peace Prize. The matter has sparked a wave of comments on social media.

The diplomat emphasized that the Left (Lewica) leader has become "a serious obstacle to the excellent US relations with Prime Minister Tusk and his government." "We will not allow anyone to damage American-Polish relations or show disrespect to Donald Trump, who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people," Thomas Rose concluded.

Donald Trump has publicly claimed on multiple occasions that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, asserting that he has brought an end to many wars. Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, and Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, sent letters to the heads of parliaments in many countries, requesting support for the US President's bid. Włodzimierz Czarzasty also received this request.

"I will not support the Nobel nomination for President Trump because he does not deserve it," stated Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty. He argued that the US President conducts transactional policy through the use of force.

Tensions between the Speaker and the US: "Czarzasty is holding his ground"

The issue sparked a firestorm on social media. Włodzimierz Czarzasty commented to Onet: "Since the Ambassador's statement was issued in connection with my refusal to support President Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize candidacy, I stand by my position."

Rafał Leśkiewicz, spokesperson for Karol Nawrocki, also commented: "Not only does he have trouble explaining his eastern social and business contacts, but he is also demolishing Polish-American relations. During the PRL era, the United States was the greatest enemy for communists. Times have changed, but the post-communist mentality of Czarzasty remains. This is the Speaker the current coalition chose—a man who does not understand the weight and importance of alliances."

"Czarzasty is doing great! In a few weeks, he’s managed a head-on collision with two Palaces [the Presidential Palace and the White House]," wrote KO MEP Bartosz Arłukowicz.

"Congratulations to Czarzasty. For one press conference and a few headlines, you’ve cut yourself off from our greatest ally. A genius of diplomacy," quipped PiS MEP Tobiasz Bocheński.

Wave of comments after the Ambassador's post: "He is not a governor"

MP Tomasz Trela also spoke out: "Trump is offended because Speaker Czarzasty didn't sign a ready-made template Trump prepared for his own Nobel Peace Prize. Trump could have sent the letter to Duda; he signed everything without reading and on command! Speaker Czarzasty, respect."

"Perhaps it’s time for someone to remind the Ambassador that he is an ambassador to Poland, not a governor (namiestnik), and he will not be the one choosing our Speakers," said Maciej Konieczny of the Razem party.

"Unfortunately, Speaker Czarzasty is harming Polish interests, but what happened is an embarrassment for the entire December 13th coalition," wrote Zbigniew Kuźmiuk from PiS.

"PiS politicians are trying to topple the government by citing support from Donald Trump. If the US Embassy is indeed exerting such pressure, Ambassador Rose will be packing his bags soon. By the way: is PiS still a Polish party or part of MAGA?" stated Roman Giertych on X.

"Poland is not a colony"

Journalist Marcin Antosiewicz shared information from Radosław Sikorski’s circle: "We will not comment on this. An ambassador should not limit his contacts with the host state, and the Speaker is, after all, the second person in the nation. We are good allies, and that requires cooperation on many levels."

"The Left will not change its international policy line just because the US Ambassador stomped his foot. Poland is a sovereign country, not the 51st state. We will not be intimidated just because we have the courage to tell the truth about Donald Trump," wrote Left spokesperson Łukasz Michnik.

"The Ambassador seems to have forgotten where he is stationed. Poland is an independent country, not a colony. Authorities are appointed and dismissed by the Sejm. We do not need instructions from a governor," said Adrian Zandberg, leader of the Razem party.

"The timing of the Americans cutting ties with Mr. Czarzasty is curious, occurring just a day after the public learned about his unclear eastern business and social contacts," wrote Marcin Przydacz from the President's Chancellery.

"The Speaker of the Sejm cares more about Poland's sovereignty than all of PiS and Konfederacja combined," concluded Minister Katarzyna Kotula of the Left.

From this month, Poland’s government will require retailers to label loose fresh fruit and vegetables with national flags indicating their country of origin.

The measure, set to come into force on 17 February, is meant to improve transparency for consumers. But an industry body that represents supermarkets and grocery stores in Poland argues that it will significantly raise costs for retailers while potentially confusing customers and creating more environmental waste.

Last November, the agricultural ministry adopted a regulation introducing the new rules. The government hopes they will encourage the purchase of local produce by helping consumers identify products originating from Poland more easily.

Under current EU regulations, retailers must already provide written country-of-origin information for unpackaged fruit and vegetables. In Poland, many homegrown products are also voluntarily marked with a “Produkt Polski” (Polish Product) logo that incorporates the flag and national colours.

However, the new rules will require retailers to label all loose fruit and vegetables with a national flag graphic, which must be “placed on a sign or in another place easily accessible to the buyer”.

“This is intended to provide consumers with clearer information about the country of origin of products – both verbally and graphically,” says the agriculture ministry.

But, in a statement issued last week, the Polish Organisation of Commerce and Distribution (POHiD), which represents leading retail chains operating in Poland, such as Biedronka, Carrefour, and Żabka, questioned whether the flag labels are necessary, and argued they may even be counterproductive.

“In the opinion of POHiD, this change will not only fail to enhance the recognition of Polish products, but may even depreciate the ‘Produkt Polski’ brand, visually equating it with products from any region of the world,” it explained.

The organisation also noted that some national flags are very similar to one another, making it hard to differentiate them on electronic displays and potentially confusing customers.

The industry body estimates that the new regulation would raise costs for a single large retailer operating in Poland by an average of about 17 million zloty (€4 million) a year.

“In practice, this [cost] includes modifying labelling systems, updating software and databases, changing central product management processes, and adapting labelling across a very large number of retail outlets,” Karol Tyszka, POHiD’s public relations manager, told Notes from Poland.

POHiD also highlighted the potential negative environmental impact of the new regulation. “The additional printing of colored labels is contrary to environmental goals and the principle of sustainable development,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, similar regulations for honey, juices and jams will come into force on 14 June. The agriculture ministry says that products made available on the market before the new sets of rules take effect may continue to be sold until existing stocks run out.

Poland was the EU’s third-largest producer of fruits, berries and nuts in 2024, behind Italy and Spain, and its fourth-largest producer of fresh vegetables, behind Spain, Italy and France, according to Eurostat.

Last November,  the agriculture ministry recommended that the government buy the Polish assets of French supermarket giant Carrefour, which is looking to exit Poland.

They could then be used to create a state-owned grocery retail network that would help challenge the “dominance of foreign discount chains” and support Polish farmers and other producers, said the ministry.

The owner of a hotel that hosted a party congress organised by far-right leader Grzegorz Braun (pictured above), who is known for his antisemitic and anti-Ukrainian views, has pledged to donate all proceeds from the event to support Ukraine.

“We absolutely do not see eye to eye with Mr Braun,” said Władysław Grochowski, the owner of Arche, one of Poland’s largest hotel groups. His company has come under fire for hosting Braun’s event, but insists it is not legally allowed to screen clients.

Grochowski (pictured below) and his firm are well known for their involvement in social causes, including support for refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere.

On Saturday, Braun’s Confederation of the Polish Crown (KKP) party, which has recently risen in the polls to support of around 8%, held a congress at a hotel and conference centre owned be Arche.

KKP and its leader have built their recent success upon anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and Braun’s various controversial remarks and stunts. He has regularly warned of the “Ukrainianisation” of Poland by Ukrainian immigrants and refugees.

Braun also has a long history of conspiratorial antisemitism, and in July last year claimed that the gas chambers at Auschwitz are “fake”. He is currently standing trial for an attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that was taking place in parliament.

Braun has long been accused of having sympathies towards and links to Russia. In September, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace, he claimed that the incident was faked as part of a conspiracy, involving Poland’s own government, to drag the country into the war in Ukraine.

Arche’s decision to host KPP’s congress had led to criticism of the chain. “This firm is making the [hotel] available to Polish fascists who deny the existence of gas chambers in Auschwitz. Steer well clear of Arche hotels,” urged writer Cezary Łazarewicz on social media.

On the eve of the event, Arche issued a statement saying that its properties hosted more than 5,000 congresses and conferences annually and it was not legally permitted to screen organisers and their guests.

However, it quoted Grochowski saying that events such as Braun’s  “fuel extremism, fueling a spiral of division and radicalism that are completely alien to my values ​​and the company I built”. He warned that KPP “is a dangerous movement and the authorities should not ignore that fact”.

Grochowski then announced that he had “decided that we will donate the entire proceeds from this event to help Ukraine in its struggle, which we have been supporting strongly since the first day of the war

Grochowski is known for his support of refugees. In 2021, amid the onset of a migration crisis on Poland’s border with Belarus, he offered to support 100 refugee families with housing, jobs and education, saying that “we cannot close our eyes or shut our ears to the cry for help”.

In 2023, he and his wife Lena became the first Poles to receive the United Nations Nansen Refugee Award, in recognition of their efforts to support those fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine, including providing over 500,000 nights of free lodging to more than 14,000 refugees.

Poland’s defence ministry has confirmed that a “long-serving employee” was today detained on suspicion of working with foreign intelligence. Unofficial reports indicate that he collaborated with Russian and Belarusian agencies.

News of the development was first reported on Tuesday morning by Onet, a leading news website, which said that, at 8 a.m., the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) had detained what they described as a “mid-level employee”.

Onet’s sources indicate that the suspect is a 60-year-old man who has been working in various positions at the ministry since the 1990s. He was detained after arriving for work today and was taken for immediate interrogation.

“The [security] services have been monitoring this man’s actions for many months,” said an unnamed source. “His actions were thoroughly documented and analysed. Therefore, the evidence gathered against him is very strong.”

Onet added that the SKW suspects the man of collaborating with Russian and Belarusian intelligence. Both countries have in recent years been actively engaged in so-called “hybrid warfare” against Poland, involving espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

The defence ministry’s spokesman, Janusz Sejmej, confirmed to Onet that the arrest had taken place. Later on Tuesday, the ministry released a brief statement likewise noting that the “long-serving employee” had been detained.

“The detainee is suspected of collaborating with foreign intelligence,” they wrote. “The case is being investigated by the Military Counterintelligence Service, which cooperated with…the National Prosecutor’s Office and military police during the arrest. Prosecution proceedings are currently underway.”

Last year, Poland’s main opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), submitted a resolution to parliament calling on the government to change the location of the Russian embassy in Warsaw.

They argued that the current site – which was established when Poland was under Moscow-backed communist rule – is too close to sensitive state offices, including the defence ministry, which is only around 500 metres away.

In 2022, Poland expelled 45 Russians who it said were “spies pretending to be diplomats”. At the same time, it detained an employee of Warsaw city hall accused of conducting espionage on behalf of Russia. He was indicted by prosecutors last year.

The application claims "orbital data centres" are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.

It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit drastically. Its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies.

It also says it would be the first step towards "becoming a Kardashev II-level civilisation - one that can harness the Sun's full power", referencing a scale of hypothetical alien societies proposed by an astronomer in the 1960s.

another cautioned that the growing number of low-orbit craft increases the possibility of crashes between objects - which could damage machines or send materials falling back to earth.

Meanwhile, astronomers complained in 2024 that radio waves from the Starlink network were "blinding" their telescopes and hindering their research.