WARSAW Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party on Monday nominated three new judges, two of them former hardline PiS lawmakers, to the Constitutional Tribunal, a move its opponents said further weakened judicial independence.
TORUN, Poland/WARSAW Iwona Hartwich was banned from Poland's parliament after camping out for weeks in a corridor last year demanding more state support for disabled people. This week she walked into the building to collect her certificate of election.
By Alan Charlish and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk WARSAW, Oct 18 Central Europe's main currencies mostly firmed slightly on Friday, with a sentiment boost from a newly-agreed Brexit deal offsetting worries about the global economy as China posted weaker-than expected growth in the third quarter. The twin sagas of Brexit and the trade war between the United States and China have shaped risk sentiment in global financial markets this year, with emerging market assets particularly sensitive to developments. Markets got a boost on Thursday when EU leaders unanimously backed the new Brexit deal, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a battle to secure parliament's backing on Saturday if he still hopes to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31. In China, third quarter gross domestic product rose just 6.0% year-on-year, as the trade war with the U.S. hit factory production. At 0848 GMT the Polish zloty was flat against the euro at 4.2825. The Czech crown was 0.14% stronger at 25.668 while the Hungarian forint firmed 0.12% to 330.69. "The market is waiting for the final Brexit news, tomorrow's vote in parliament in London... It's a major, major risk event tomorrow," said a Warsaw-based currency trader. "The zloty is quite strong... I think the scope to move lower in euro/zloty is limited, we've reached the bottom of the range." In Poland, September industrial output and PPI both beat analysts' estimates, rising 5.6% and 0.9% year on year respectively. "0.9% is not a level that would cause anxiety, the market reaction seems neutral to me, because the situation on the markets is determined by global factors," said Grzegorz Maliszewski, Chief economist at Bank Millennium. Czech 10-year yields rose 2.8 basis points to 1.453%, while Polish 10-year paper traded at 2.025%, up almost 1 basis point. Central European bonds often track western European peers, and eurozone bond yields inched up ahead of Saturday's Brexit vote. Stocks were mixed with Prague's PX index rising 0.64% while Warsaw's WIG 20 fell 0.56%. Polish mining company JSW was the worst performer on the WIG 20, falling 3.5% after it reported a drop in coal sales in the third quarter despite an increase in production. CEE SNAPSHOT AT MARKETS 1048 CET CURRENCI ES Latest Previous Daily Change bid close change in 2019 Czech 25.6700 25.6730 +0.01% +0.14% crown Hungary 330.6900 331.1000 +0.12% -2.90% forint Polish 4.2825 4.2824 -0.00% +0.17% zloty Romanian 4.7550 4.7538 -0.03% -2.12% leu Croatian 7.4405 7.4423 +0.02% -0.41% kuna Serbian 117.5000 117.6100 +0.09% +0.68% dinar Note: calculated from 1800 CET daily change Latest Previous Daily Change close change in 2019 Prague 1040.87 1034.300 +0.64% +5.50% 0 Budapest 40627.51 40717.17 -0.22% +3.80% Warsaw 2161.52 2173.75 -0.56% -5.06% Bucharest 9585.69 9558.18 +0.29% +29.82% Ljubljana 873.25 871.28 +0.23% +8.58% Zagreb 2016.63 2011.29 +0.27% +15.31% Belgrade <.BELEX15 744.53 747.83 -0.44% -2.25% > Sofia 565.41 563.67 +0.31% -4.89% BONDS Yield Yield Spread Daily (bid) change vs Bund change in Czech spread Republic 2-year <CZ2YT=RR 1.3980 0.0680 +205bps +6bps > 5-year <CZ5YT=RR 1.1060 -0.0470 +174bps -6bps > 10-year <CZ10YT=R 1.4530 0.0280 +184bps +1bps R> Poland 2-year <PL2YT=RR 1.5010 -0.0090 +215bps -1bps > 5-year <PL5YT=RR 1.7870 0.0130 +242bps +0bps > 10-year <PL10YT=R 2.0250 0.0090 +241bps -1bps R> FORWARD RATE AGREEMEN T 3x6 6x9 9x12 3M interban k Czech Rep < 2.31 2.32 2.25 2.18 PRIBOR=> Hungary < 0.27 0.31 0.31 0.21 BUBOR=> Poland < 1.73 1.70 1.68 1.71 WIBOR=> Note: FRA are for ask prices quotes ************************************************** ************ (Reporting by Alan Charlish and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw, Radu-Sorin Marinas in Bucharest and Krisztina Than in Budapest; Editing by Toby Chopra)
WARSAW Poland's justice minister outlined plans for a further overhaul of the justice system in comments published on Friday, two days before an election the ruling nationalists are expected to win.
WARSAW Long cast as a reclusive backstage strategist, Poland's conservative chief Jaroslaw Kaczynski is testing out a new role as charismatic leader as he campaigns to mobilise the rural vote ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election.
GDANSK, Poland A monument to a battle fought in the opening days of World War Two has become a new frontline in the fight between Poland's ruling nationalists and the liberal opposition in the countdown to a parliamentary election on Oct. 13.
WARSAW With his square, horn-rimmed glasses and measured academic tone, Poland's human rights commissioner seems an unlikely figure to attract a crowd at a rock festival.
WARSAW Poland's Catholic Church has doubled down on the anti-gay rhetoric that has become the nationalist ruling party's dominant theme in recent weeks, drawing a rebuke from liberal politicians who compared an archbishop's remarks to incitement to genocide.
WARSAW Poland's governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) will extend its child benefit programme from Monday, in a move critics say is a clear attempt to buy national election votes that will also divert much-needed investment from public services.
SWIDNIK, Poland Teresa Drzewiecka grew up during World War Two, when German and Soviet troops battled for control of her town of Swidnik in eastern Poland. | Video
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday took Republican President Donald Trump to the brink of impeachment by approving two charges against him over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden.