The American financial crisis dominates headlines in the Polish dailies today.

Press reviewed by Elzbieta Krajewska

"Europe accuses America" writes RZECZPOSPOLITA, quoting European voices blaming the situation in the US for the wave of bankruptcies which has started on this side of the Atlantic. "Crisis plague" writes GAZETA WYBORCZA, but also adds calming comments that if Polish banks had been in any way threatened by serious problems, we would know by now. The crisis also receives headline treatment in the tabloid FAKT, which beside a story about a Polish celebrity who has a pony for a house pet, asks "Can Poland be protected?" and considers the prospects of an economic crisis, whether Poles should be concerned for their savings. Several top economists put their necks out and say that generally Poland has nothing to fear... although the economic situation here can be expected to deteriorate, interest on loans and mortgages will increase and unemployment may rise. Which does read concern for the average family, concludes FAKT.

Back to RZECZPOSPOLITA daily which writes of the fiasco of negotiations in Brussels and the sounding death knell for shipyards in Gdynia and Szczecin. “No help for the shipyards” is the headline to a report on the Polish government's failing to convince the European Commission. Yard unions are understandably bitter: “I can only thank the successive governments, from the leftist SLD, which renationalized the yards, to Law and Justice, which was impotent, to the ruling Civic Platform,” the daily quotes the Solidarity chief from Gdynia.

DZIENNIK daily focuses on UEFA and FIFA's defence of suspended chief of the Polish Football Association. “UEFA and FIFA are at war with the Polish government. Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini say that the only authority in Polish football is still Michał Listkiewicz,” writes the paper, wondering if this means that Poland will have EURO 2012 taken away. DZIENNIK also notes that Listkiewicz has survived two ministers of sport – and that Minister Drzewiecki can't even dream of international backing, especially as Listkiewicz once introduced Blatter “to beautiful Ilona, companion for many years”. 

Over to the Warsaw city daily ŻYCIE WARSZAWY, which lashes out at Warsaw President Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz for publicly saying there were no traffic jams in Warsaw. A spokesman for the president tries to explain that what she actually meant was that the situation was in fact getting better... And staying with ŻYCIE WARSZAWY for the Warsaw Zoo's biggest operation in its history: moving female hippo Aniela, 46, to her new luxurious quarters. “She's changing a ruin for a five-star hotel,” the daily quotes zoo officials. But will she like it? After all she's lived there all her life and for twenty years with partner Gucio and their children...