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 – The public broadcaster ran a story on the arrest of a man described as a central figure in the illegal tobacco trade. The activities of the shady 60-year old deprived the state treasury of an estimated PLN 281 million (EUR 60mln). He apparently imported tobacco from Germany and declared that the product was then exported to the Baltic states. But in reality the tobacco was delivered to the counterfeit cigarette industry in Poland.

Wyborcza.pl – The newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza wrote about a number of factors getting in the way of government plans to have German Patriot missiles deployed to western Ukraine. The newspaper wrote that if the Patriots had been in Ukraine they would not have been able to stop the missile that killed two Poles earlier this month. It also said that the US, the home country of the missile system’s manufacturer, opposes the Patriots being moved to Ukraine, and that the German systems date back to the 1980s.

Rp.pl – Less rubbish being collected may mean that people are using household waste as fuel to heat their homes, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita warned. It quoted research conducted on rubbish collection in the town of Lowicz that showed a 20 percent year-on-year decline in the amount of waste collected between March and September, with a particular decline in the amount of paper. The newspaper said that this could reflect a national trend of people hoarding combustible material to heat their homes during the winter.

TVN24.pl – The private news network TVN24 reported how Czestochowa council is looking to suspend subsidies spent on school religion classes, which would be a first in Poland. The popularity of the lessons have declined in recent years. Out of 870 pupils in one Czestochowa school, TVN reported, only 371 attend religion classes. The council contributes around PLN 3 million (EUR 640,000) a year to the classes, and is looking to save money.