In a behind-the-scenes meeting at yesterday’s Berlin-Libya Summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian President Vladimir Putin that there would be „no normalization of relations between the two countries until Moscow stopped its „destabilizing activities”.
In addition to regional security issues, Johnson expressed particular concerns with Russia’s role in the 2018 chemical attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, an attack which the British government blames on Russian military intelligence.
In a later statement, a spokesman for the Prime Minister characterized the Salisbury case as “a reckless use of chemical weapons and a shameless attempt to murder innocent people on British soil,” a situation which Johnson stressed “could not happen again.”
Due to the recent political shakeup in Moscow and the appointment of a new Prime Minister and ruling government, it is unclear what effect Johnson’s comments will have on official Russian policy.
In addition to Johnson and Putin, several other world leaders were in attendance at the summit, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They were joined by the two main adversaries of the civil war in Libya, with the overall goal of addressing the deteriorating security conditions resulting from the ongoing conflict there.
Source: PAP
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF JAN NOWAK-JEZIORAŃSKI
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the death of one of the most notable resistance fighters in the Armia Krajowa, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański.
Known as the “legendary courier from Warsaw,” Nowak-Jeziorański was a writer, politician, and radio personality who later built a storied career as both a journalist with the BBC and Radio Free Europe and a political consultant to two US presidents.
During World War II, he fought in the Warsaw Uprising and served as a courier and emissary to the Supreme Commander and Commander-in-Chief of the underground Armia Krajowa (Polish Home Army). After the war, he became the editor of the Polish section of the BBC in London, and later served 25 years as the director of the Polish section of Radio Free Europe in Munich.
Nowak-Jeziorański proved invaluable in supporting the democratic opposition in communist Poland, eventually playing a key role in Poland’s accession to NATO and later to the European Union.
He was awarded both the Order of the White Eagle and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honors in Poland and the United States, respectively. Nowak-Jeziorański passed away in Warsaw on January 20, 2005 at the age of 90.
SOURCE: POLSKIE RADIO
Polish ski jumper wins big in Germany
Dawid Kubacki once again proved he’s in top form by securing double wins last Saturday and Sunday during the Ski Jumping World Cup in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany.
He was followed by Stefan Kraft of Austria in second place and overall competition winner Ryoyu Kobayashi in third. Two other Polish ski jumpers also made the top ten, with Kamil Stoch coming in eighth followed by Piotr Żyła in ninth place.
The win marks the third time Kubacki has stood atop the podium at a Ski Jumping World Cup competition this season. He is now in fourth place in the overall World Cup rankings with 664 points, with Germany’s Karl Geiger still leading the pack with 841 points.
Kubacki will be back in action on his home turf this week as the World Cup kicks off in Zakopane on Friday.
Source: PAP
GDYNIA BASKETBALL TEAMS EMERGE VICTORIOUS
Both the women’s and men’s basketball teams from Gdynia triumphed over their rivals in their respective matchups this weekend.
At the Polish Cup finals in Lublin yesterday, the Arka Gdynia women’s team managed to defeat CCC Polkowice to take home the top prize. In a nail-biting final that went into overtime, the Yellow and Blue eventually defeated the previous year’s champions by a score of 83:73.
The ladies of Arka don’t have much time to enjoy their win, however, as they are off to Spain to compete against Spar Citylift Girona on Thursday night as part of the women’s EuroLeague.
In last night’s TriCity Derby at Ergo Arena, the Asseco Arka Gdynia men’s team dominated their rivals Trefl Sopot 86:79, with Gdynia forward Josh Bostic enjoying a great night with 23 baskets scored overall.
The victory bumps Arka up to fourth place in the Energa Basket League rankings with 11 wins and 6 losses, while Trefl stays in sixth with 10 wins and 7 losses. Arka will face off next Sunday against GTK Gliwice, while Club Sopot will try to improve their luck against Starogard Gdański this Thursday at 19:00.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, PAP
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and a bit chilly, with increasingly strong winds coming from the southwest later in the day. Temperatures will hover around 3-4 degrees Celsius (high 30s Fahrenheit) with the perceived temperature several degrees lower due to the wind and high humidity. Partly cloudy and cool weather is forecast for tomorrow, with strong winds set to continue throughout the night into Tuesday morning.
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