LOT Airlines has joined other international carriers in suspending flights to Minsk and avoiding Belarusian airspace after Belarus diverted a Ryanair plane to arrest a dissident journalist and his traveling companion.

Yesterday’s announcement came after top Polish officials condemned Belarus for intercepting a Ryanair flight carrying Roman Protasevich, a journalist critical of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The flight was forced to land in Minsk on Sunday, at which time Protasevich and his Russian travel partner, Sofia Sapega, were both detained by Belarusan authorities.

The two have since appeared in separate video “confessions” that family members and others say show signs of being made under duress. Both Protasevich and Sapega remain in custody in Minsk, a situation Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has described as “an act of state terrorism.”

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

The Czech government has agreed to withdraw a motion it filed with Europe’s top court for Poland to close a major lignite mine near the Czech border.

According to PAP, the Czech Republic had complained that the mine’s operations were environmentally damaging to areas on the Czech side of the border.

Speaking at a recent EU summit, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the Czech Republic had agreed to withdraw its lawsuit to the CJEU in return for an agreement to assess and take action to mitigate environmental damage caused by the mine.

The two governments „have agreed to set up an expert committee to investigate environmental issues related to the open pit” mine, while the Turów mine itself has committed to reducing the outflow of groundwater caused by its operations, as well as construct embankments to help contain dust.

The Turów power plant, supplied with lignite from the nearby mine, provides between 4 and 7 percent of Poland’s power output. The mine’s license was due to expire last year in April, but the Polish government recently extended it until 2026.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Poland will launch a lottery with prizes of as much as 1 million zloty (EUR 222,000) to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Michał Dworczyk, the official in charge of Poland’s vaccination program, announced the lottery at a press conference yesterday, explaining that although 69% of Poles have declared they want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, “the biggest challenge was making sure they do it.”

Every 2,000th person taking part in the lottery will win 500 złoty, with two participants winning one million złoty and a hybrid car. Municipalities will also be encouraged to compete to get the highest vaccination rates, with the first 500 cities or towns to reach a rate of 75% being awarded 100,000 złoty each.

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

Spain’s Villareal CF football team arrived in Gdańsk yesterday and will face Manchester United tonight in the European Cup Final.

Due to ongoing concerns with COVID, both teams are restricted to interactions only within their “tournament bubble,” which includes players, members of the training and medical staff, activists, sponsors, and people delegated to help the finalists by the hosts of the event.

It’s estimated that some 10,000 people will be in the stands of the newly renamed Polsat Plus Arena in Gdańsk Letnica tonight. This includes roughly two thousand fans of each team and the lucky recipients of the 3.5 thousand “open” tickets sold by lottery.

Fans, medical services, and accredited journalists will be able to ride for free on Polregio and SKM Fast City Railway both today and tomorrow.

Unfortunately, due to the renovation of the railway line, the stadium cannot be reached directly by train, but special tram and bus lines will be running before and after the tournament. Detailed information and timetables are available in Polish on our website.

Radio Gdansk will be hosting a special English Service pre-game show with music, interviews, and live commentary before and during the match.

Join our mixed panel of experts, fans, and footballers starting at 17:00 today on Radio Gdansk DAB2 or listen in online at https://radiogdansk.pl/RGonline/Radio_ON_LINE/index2.html

Tonight’s Liga Europa match is set for a 21:00 kickoff in Gdańsk Letnica.

Weather

This afternoon will be a mix of sun and rain, with a light breeze coming in from the south and a good chance of rain in the late afternoon and early evening. Temperatures will peak around a high of 16°C, or 60°F, dropping to a low of 9°C or 48°F overnight. Clouds and a chance for rain will stick around into tomorrow, with a chance for some sun and warmer temps over the weekend.

Elizabeth Peck/mw