PiS announced Czarnek as its candidate for prime minister after the election

Jarosław Kaczyński announced in Kraków on 7 March that Przemysław Czarnek would be Law and Justice’s candidate for prime minister after the next parliamentary election. The declaration was made during the party’s convention held under the slogan “Time for Poland. A Programme for Poles”. The PiS leader said the party wanted to bring about the formation of a new government after the 2027 election.

After the announcement, Czarnek took the stage and confirmed that he accepted the party’s nomination. During the event, Jarosław Kaczyński also indicated that Mateusz Morawiecki would be expected to play an important role in the economic sphere of a future government arrangement.

The announcement is a political declaration by the party rather than a formal state nomination. Under the constitution, the Prime Minister is designated by the president after the parliamentary election. Czarnek is a PiS MP, a former minister of education and science, and one of the party’s deputy leaders.

SAFE to finance joint defence procurement in the EU

The programme Security Action for Europe (SAFE) is designed to support defence investments of European Union member states through long-term loans provided by the European Commission. The instrument provides up to €150 billion financed by EU borrowing on capital markets.

The funds are intended primarily for joint procurement of weapons, ammunition and other military capabilities by member states. The programme requires at least two partners to participate in a joint procurement project. SAFE also allows participation by Ukraine as well as countries of the European Economic Area and EFTA.

Nineteen EU member states have expressed interest in taking part in the instrument. The Council of the European Union has approved financing for the first group of 16 countries after assessing their national defence investment plans. Following this decision, the European Commission is signing loan agreements with participating states. The next stage of the programme involves the disbursement of pre-financing for approved defence projects.

A soldier of Poland’s GROM special forces unit. Photo: Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum / CC BY-SA 2.0

Iga Świątek begins her Indian Wells campaign

Iga Świątek will begin her campaign at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells on Saturday. The Polish player, seeded number 2, will face American qualifier Kayla Day in the second round. The match is scheduled for Stadium 2. It is due to start not before 13:00 local time. That means it will begin not before 22:00 Polish time. Świątek enters the tournament in the second round because of her seeding. The BNP Paribas Open will run until 15 March. A win in this match would send the Polish player through to the third round. It will be Świątek’s first appearance in this year’s edition of the tournament.

False materials about Iran conflict circulating online

As the conflict involving Iran escalates, false videos and images presented as current war footage have begun circulating on social media. Among them were clips described as Iranian missile strikes that in fact showed fireworks during celebrations of a football victory in Algeria and footage from a music festival in France. A video circulated as an explosion at a nuclear facility in Iran was in reality taken from a 2017 ammunition depot fire in Ukraine.

Another clip presented as the downing of a US aircraft over Iran was identified as a fragment from a computer game. Online users also shared a computer-generated image depicting the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei under rubble. Some false posts also claimed attacks on US naval vessels and military bases. These materials appeared online at the same time as authentic information about military operations in the region.

The Briefline verifies every dispatch before publication using several independent sources. The editorial procedure includes comparing institutional statements, visual materials and publicly available media reports.

Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 competition begins

Competition at the Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 began on Saturday in Italy. The event runs until 15 March and features 79 medal events across six sports. According to official figures, 611 para-athletes from 55 delegations are competing in the Games.

The opening ceremony took place on 6 March at the Arena di Verona. The first full day of competition includes events in para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para ice hockey, para snowboard and wheelchair curling. The first medals of the Games are being awarded on Saturday in the downhill events in para alpine skiing and in the para biathlon sprints. Group stage matches of the para ice hockey tournament are also scheduled during the day.

Venues for the competitions include Milan, Verona, Tesero and Cortina d’Ampezzo. It is the first Winter Paralympic Games held in Italy since Turin 2006.

Ukrainian intelligence strikes Crimea, helicopter and vessels destroyed

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) reported a strike on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea carried out by the special unit “Ghosts.” According to the statement, the operation targeted Russian military assets on the peninsula. Ukrainian intelligence said the attack destroyed a Ka-27 helicopter, a Project 22460 patrol vessel named “Okhotnik,” and a Project 1496M1 sea tug.

Footage released by HUR is said to show additional strikes on a radar station associated with the S-400 system, a Project 16640 vessel, and a BK-16 landing craft. The operation was reported to have taken place on territory of Crimea currently under Russian control. The announcement was published by Ukraine’s military intelligence service.

Russian authorities have not presented their own detailed account of losses related to the reported strike. Attacks on military targets in Crimea remain part of Ukraine’s operations against Russian forces operating behind the front line.

Trump calls on Iran to surrender unconditionally

US President Donald Trump said on Friday, 6 March 2026, that there would be no deal with Iran short of “unconditional surrender”. Trump wrote this in a post on social media. In the post, he also said he wants the selection of “a great and acceptable leader or leaders of Iran”.

He added that the United States, together with allies and partners, is to work towards rebuilding Iran and strengthening Iran’s economy. Trump said on Thursday that he wants to take part in selecting Iran’s next leader. The report did not specify a timeline or procedure for implementing these demands. Trump’s post was presented as part of an ultimatum addressed to Iran.

Poland activates EU mechanism for citizen evacuation

Poland has activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism in connection with the evacuation of citizens from the Middle East. The information was reported on 6 March 2026. Activating the mechanism means the European Commission will provide coordination support in preparing logistical operations. Under the procedure, the Commission may cover a significant part of the costs of the operation.

Poland has joined a group of 10 European Union countries that have requested such support to bring their citizens back from the region. Italy was reported to have been the first to request activation of the mechanism. The mechanism is to be used to coordinate evacuations and to settle costs under EU procedures.

Photo: Jakub Hałun (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Polish Cup semi-finals drawn, dates set

The Polish Football Association has scheduled the Polish Cup semi-finals for 7 and 8 April 2026. Third-tier side Zawisza Bydgoszcz will face Górnik Zabrze, while Raków Częstochowa will host GKS Katowice. The semi-finals will be played in Bydgoszcz and Częstochowa, with Zawisza and Raków listed as the home teams. A reserve date for the semi-finals has been indicated as 1 April 2026. That date falls one day after the World Cup qualifying play-off finals scheduled for 31 March 2026.

Raków are also due to play Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League round of 16, with those matches scheduled for 12 and 19 March 2026. The first legs of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals are scheduled for 9 April 2026. The Polish Cup final is scheduled for 2 May 2026 at the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw.

CENTCOM releases footage of strike on Iranian drone carrier

US Central Command said on 6 March that an Iranian drone-carrying vessel had been hit and caught fire. The statement named the ship as IRIS Shahid Bagheri. CENTCOM released footage showing the effects of the strike.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that over the past three days US bombers had struck nearly 200 targets in Iran, including in the Tehran area. Cooper said that in the past hour B-2 bombers had dropped dozens of bunker-buster bombs. He listed, among the targets, underground ballistic missile launchers and command facilities.

Cooper said that as a result of US actions more than 30 Iranian vessels had been destroyed. He said the number of Iranian ballistic missile attacks had fallen by 90% and drone attacks by 83%. The admiral said the next target is to be Iran’s ballistic missile programme.