Today’s news round up in Poland

Start your day with a summary of today’s top stories from Poland’s leading news sites.

TVPInfo.pl – Zbigniew Rau, the Polish foreign minister, has criticised Radek Sikorski, one of his predecessors, for suggesting the US may be behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the public broadcaster TVP reported. Rau said that Sikorski had taken the "wrong side" in the hybrid war between Russia and Nato. The foreign minister added that it was far more probable that Russia was behind the alleged attacks on the pipelines, which, he said, may have been motived by a desire to sow greater division in Europe when it came to energy security.

TVN24.pl – The private broadcaster TVN reported that Poland’s human rights Ombudsman had written to the police force in the city of Torun to explain details regarding the arrest of a 17-year-old girl. The girl was arrested by police for writing in chalk on the pavement outside a church a pro-LGBT statement that also criticised the Catholic Church over paedophilia cases. The Ombudsman wanted to know why the girl was handcuffed when video evidence suggested that she was not resisting arrest and posed no threat to the officers. Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, an MP, has also become involved in the case, questioning the behaviour of the police in their handling of a minor.

Rz.pl – The newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported on the weakening zloty. On Wednesday USD 1 was worth PLN 5.06, 10 grosz more than on Monday, while the zloty has also fallen against the euro and the Swiss franc. The worsening exchange rate, exacerbated by domestic and international issues, the paper said, could help drive inflation upwards and make goods more expensive, hitting Poles in the pocket. This problem will outweigh any advantages exporters now have from the weakening Polish currency.

Wyborcza.pl - Teachers often use their own money to buy equipment for their classes, the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported on Thursday. It highlighted the case of one elementary school teacher in Czestochowa who worked out that she once spent over PLN 4,000 (EUR 829) a year on equipment such as paper and pens. Teachers buying school supplies has become so common-place now that the ZNP teachers’ union has launched a campaign to stop teachers "sponsoring their lessons". The campaign also highlights the facts that teachers also use their own phones and computers for their work.