Global flashpoints: Poland, UN race, and dockworker strikes
Polish government seizes court control; Greenspan leads UN straw poll; dockworkers strike across Europe against arms shipments.
Global flashpoints: Poland, UN race, and dockworker strikes — This evening (Friday), the Polish government began taking over the Constitutional Court after duly elected judges were not allowed to enter the building. Police forces arrived at the scene, and supporters of the Law and Justice party began throwing objects at the officers. [^1] Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted that restoring the rule of law is a duty, and that the process is difficult and painful but there is no other way. [^1] In the race for UN Secretary-General, Rebecca Greenspan of Costa Rica leads the seventh straw poll with 11 votes, her best result so far, with only four objections. The vote comes amid a broader debate about UN priorities: former UN special rapporteur on torture Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, accuses the United Nations of an 'obsession' with Israel that sidelines atrocities elsewhere. Edwards describes a 'bullying atmosphere' within the organization and says colleagues deliberately failed to investigate Hamas's October 7, 2023 massacre. She noted approximately 50 UN communications concerning Israel since October 7, compared with around 10 concerning Sudan, and 90,000 documented rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past year. Dockworkers in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Morocco struck on Friday as part of an international campaign against arms shipments and to demand better working conditions. "Ports must not be used for the transport of weapons, ammunition, military equipment and troops," the statement said. Separately, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a criminal complaint with British authorities against an Israeli man currently visiting London. [^4] London police have warned that protesters who express support for the Palestine Action organization at a planned demonstration outside the US Embassy could be arrested on terrorism charges. Since July 2025, over 3,850 people have been arrested in the UK in protests against the proscription of the organization. Change Bloc's arithmetic problem: 67 seats, one hard choice — Yona Bartal, writing in Maariv, called on President Isaac Herzog to lead a breakthrough