UNESCO recently announced it had added Ukrainian borscht soup to its official List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The traditional beetroot soup features in the national cuisine of several countries in central and eastern Europe, including Poland and Russia. In Ukraine, the preparation of borscht is a traditional focal point of family gatherings and community events.

Following the Russian invasion, Ukraine asked UNESCO to fast-track the processing of its borscht application as a case of „extreme urgency.” Since the dish’s origins are unclear, Ukraine and Russia have both lobbied for borscht to become a part of their country’s official cuisine.

Upon hearing of UNESCO’s decision, Ukraine’s culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko declared that “’victory in the war for borscht is ours,” adding that Ukraine would continue to be victorious in the future.

Source: Radio Poland

Russian troops have reportedly taken control of the city of Lysychansk after weeks of fierce fighting and airstrikes on the city.

Russian troops crossed the Donets River in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine and strengthened themselves in occupied Lysychansk, according to reports from the Ukrainian General Staff.

The victory gives Russia control over most, if not all, of the Luhansk region and provides a pathway for troops to advance southwest into the neighboring province of Donetsk.

Russian troops are reportedly focused on trying to take control of other towns in the surrounding regions as they prepare to lead an assault in the Donbas.

Additional civilian deaths were reported in the neighboring province of Kharkiv on Sunday as a result of Russian shelling in the village of Bezruky. According to local authorities, three people, including two men and a woman, were killed in the attacks, and an 81-year-old woman was injured.

Source: New York Times, Radio Gdańsk, PAP

Polish film composer Bartosz Chajdecki has been nominated for the prestigious 2022 Public Choice Award of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA).

The 42-year-old Polish composer was nominated for his score for “The Champion,” the feature film debut of director Maciej Barczewski. The film tells the story of Tadeusz “Teddy” Pietrzykowski, a pre-war Polish boxing champion who was forced to participate in boxing matches during his three-year internment at Auschwitz.

One Polish critic described Pietrzykowski as “a symbol of hope for victory over Nazi terror and of the fight to preserve human dignity in a place whose goal was to deprive man of dignity.”

Chajdecki’s contenders for the Public Choice Award include such household names as Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, Gabriel Yared, and Dario Marianelli.

Voting for the Public Choice Award runs until 22 August on the website of the World Soundtrack Academy (www.worldsoundtrackawards.com). Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony during the Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium, on the 22 of October.

Source: Radio Poland

In honor of Independence Day today in the United States, the American Corners library near Gdańsk Forum is offering a special lecture on American films and holiday traditions.

The lecture will kick off at 17:30 with a special musical performance of “Something Rotten” featuring guest actor Jerzy Baduszek Michalski, a featured soloist of the Musical Theater in Gdynia.

Michalski’s musical performance will be followed by the lecture “July 4 on the big screen: blockbusters, big words, and a spoon of tar” led by Dr. Bartosz Filip, a film lecturer at the University of Gdańsk.

Dr. Filip will use film fragments from Hollywood blockbusters to highlight the depictions and representation of American Independence Day in cinema, including movies that strengthen the American spirit, along with provocative productions that reveal dark pages in American history.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit: https://fb.me/e/2x4h0Z3MO

Source: facebook.com/AmericanCornerGdansk/

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy in the morning with thunderstorms and a strong western breeze picking up in the early afternoon. Temperatures will peak around a high of 26°C, or 78°F, dropping to an overnight low of 13°C or 55°F. Slightly cooler weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain in the morning and early afternoon.

Elizabeth Peck