Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

The Marshal of the Sejm (the speaker of the lower house of the Polish parliament) and presidential candidate from the Poland 2050 party, Szymon Holownia, has said there is a possibility that Polish troops will take part in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine – but only under the auspices of NATO and within its framework.

Source: Rzeczpospolita, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to Rzeczpospolita, a Polish newspaper, in a comment about French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to deploy a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, Holownia said that Polish troops might take part in such a mission.

Holownia said that "a plan [regarding a mission in Ukraine] is starting to materialise on the horizon" but warned that it was far from being agreed.

"From the Polish perspective, our participation in various military activities in Ukraine could only take place under the auspices of NATO and within the Alliance’s structures," he explained.

Earlier, Rzeczpospolita reported that French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering a potential European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine as a safeguard against renewed Russian aggression. He plans to consult with Poland, which he views as a key ally for such an initiative.

According to the report, discussions on this potential mission will be a central topic during Macron's visit to Warsaw on 12 December.

It is also likely that Macron broached the idea with US President-elect Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting last Saturday in Paris.

It is possible that the peacekeeping mission was also discussed during Macron’s meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 12 November and, later in the month, during a meeting of representatives of Northern European countries, Baltic States, and Poland.

Other Polish media outlets have also reported on Macron’s upcoming visit to Poland, noting that it was linked to talks with Zelenskyy and Trump last weekend.

Support UP or become our patron!

More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the Malibu Canyons Fire, which has covered 6 square miles of territory. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated and 7,500 buildings are under threat.

In California, more than 1,500 firefighters are fighting a fire that has forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate, UNN reports citing The Guardian.

Details [1

Firefighters tried to contain a wind-driven fire that forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate the canyons of Malibu, California, despite forecasters' predictions of improving weather conditions.

The fire had covered more than 6 square miles by Wednesday morning. More than 1,500 firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the fire, many of them climbing steep canyons near the flame lines, while others extinguished collapsed stable roofs and charred homes. Officials said seven buildings were destroyed and nine others damaged.

Deep and rugged terrain, as well as strong winds and low humidity, continue to pose challenges for firefighters

– the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement about the incident.

The National Weather Service reported that the strongest Santa Ana winds, dry gusts that sweep from inland areas to the coast, have passed. Forecasters said that all red flag warnings, which indicate high fire danger and Santa Ana wind conditions, have been canceled.

We are much better this morning than we have been in the last 30+ hours

– said Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart at a press conference on Wednesday.

At least 7,500 buildings, mostly houses, were threatened and at least 1,266 people were ordered to evacuate.

Recall

An uncontrolled wildfire burns at least 8,290 hectares near Los Angeles, destroying 132 homes. Due to strong winds, 400 homes are evacuated, and the fire is only 5% contained.

An annual report by the Reporters Without Borders organisation on press freedom says that 54 journalists have been killed worldwide in 2024.

Source: Reporters Without Borders; DW, German international broadcaster and media outlet

Quote: "Around the world, the number of journalists killed for covering conflict zones – in Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine and the region affected by the war in Gaza – has reached a five-year high (57.4%)."

Details: The Gaza Strip has been named the most dangerous region, where nearly 30% of the 54 journalists were killed while conducting their duties. Over 145 media workers were killed in total after the 7 October 2023 attack by the radical Islamist group Hamas on Israel, including at least 35 whose deaths were directly linked to their journalistic activities.

According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 13 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Almost half of all imprisoned journalists worldwide are in the prisons of just four countries: China, including Hong Kong (124), Myanmar (61), Israel (41) and Belarus (40). Eight journalists were arrested in 2024 in Russia. Israel has been systematically reporting detentions since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in 2023: 17 reporters were detained last year.

"Media workers are killed, imprisoned and kidnapped, and too often these brutal crimes go unpunished. We must protect those who inform us. Their courageous work reveals the suffering of people from wars, corruption and abuse of power," Anja Osterhaus, a member of the board of the German branch of Reporters Without Borders, emphasised.

Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Russians had killed 50 priests and destroyed about 700 churches in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Support UP or become our patron!