There are fewer jobs available in the West, writes Gazeta Wyborcza in the headlines.

Press reviewed by Alicja Baczynska

The financial crisis is taking its toll on the economies of Great Britain, Ireland and Spain, three popular destinations of Poles seeking jobs abroad, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. The slowdown in the countries is largely down to the problems on the real estate market, which, in turn, spells trouble for Polish immigrants. Construction was up till now one of the most common sectors for employing Poles. Ireland has already seen unemployment rise to 6.3 percent, whereas in Britain it is estimated that 700,000 people will lose their jobs by the end of 2009. The grim economic situation is very likely to deter Poles from migrating there. And it’s no secret that in such hard times it is the immigrant who is the last to be employed and the first to go.

“There will be a lawsuit for covering up windows with advertising banners,” writes Życie Warszawy about Poland’s first building wrap advertising case filed by a tenant. The woman is suing both the housing community and the company which had installed the advertisement on the building wall, on the grounds that the banner covered 84 apartments, as opposed to the agreed 12. Strangely enough, it has so far only been the owners of the large banners who have taken tenants to court for tampering with the advertisements placed over their windows. This case may very well avert this trend.

According to a survey conducted by Rzeczpospolita, the majority of Poles is satisfied with the performance of the state-owned TV stations. They do, however, prefer the stations to be financed with advertising revenue rather than licence fees. A mere 13 percent of the respondents claim otherwise, which is a change that may be attributed to negative comments on such fees recently made by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and other politicians of the ruling Civic Platform party. Respondents were also questioned what the state TV’s public mission was. The most common answers included broadcasting domestic and international news, covering current social issues, and transmitting programmes for children.

Inefficient psychological centers are to blame for fathers being separated for months from their children after divorce, writes Dziennik. The so-called diagnostic and advisory family centers are the first step to fight for the rights of the fathers to see their offspring. Before the trial goes even a step further an expert opinion from such a center is essential, which means eight months’ wait. The proceedings may be further complicated by the mother, who may fail to turn up with the child for a given appointment, which happens in five percent of the cases. An official from the Ministry of Justice has said that the performance of the centers has been under close scrutiny for years, and has concluded that most of the time it is these psychological institutions that are responsible for such a lengthy waiting period.