Russia announced plans on Saturday to suspend its participation in a UN-brokered deal to secure the export of grain and other agricultural produce from Ukrainian ports.
The announcement came hours after Russia accused Ukraine of using drones to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. Moscow claims the targeted ships were part of the internationally-brokered grain export deal, which was set to expire on November 19.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia was using “a false pretext to block the grain corridor which ensures food security for millions of people.”
According to Russian officials, seven unmanned underwater vehicles and nine unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in a “massive” drone attack early Saturday morning.
One warship was reportedly damaged, with Russia claiming that British forces were involved in the attack, as well as the “planning, provision and implementation” of last month’s “terrorist attacks” on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) refuted claims of British involvement in either event, responding that Russia was “peddling false claims of an epic scale.”
Source: Radio Poland, BBC
Europeans got an extra hour of sleep last night as all across the EU clocks were reset to Winter Time per an EU directive from January 2001.
In recent years there have been repeated calls in the European Parliament to abolish the practice entirely, with public consultations conducted by the European Commission in 2018 showing overwhelming support (84%) for eliminating the seasonal time change.
According to a recent IBRiS survey, nearly 80 percent of adult Poles are against the change from summer to winter time and would prefer to extend Central European Summer Time indefinitely. In Poland, the time change is regulated by an ordinance of the Prime Minister, which was renewed last March.
Discussions on the matter were suspended at the European level during the pandemic with the most recent directive from the European Commission now in force for the next five years.
Daylight savings time was introduced across Europe and North America in the last century as a means of saving energy, particularly during times of war and during the oil crisis of the 1970s.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, PAP
Three people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in the Kokoszki Retirement Home in Gdańsk yesterday evening.
Eleven firefighters were called out around 19:00 on Saturday after receiving reports of a fire in a building on Kalinowa Street.
When firefighters arrived, they discovered a bed in one of the rooms had caught on fire. The fire was quickly extinguished, but two staff members and one resident suffered from smoke inhalation and will likely require treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.
Twelve other people were evacuated to another part of the facility while the building was ventilated. The cause of the fire has not yet been established.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Thousands of additional police officers are patrolling roads across Poland as millions of Poles set out to visit the graves of their loved ones to mark All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2.
Polish police on Friday launched their annual “Operation Torch” road safety campaign, stepping up traffic patrols during the long holiday weekend. Officers said they would be checking to ensure that motorists are sober, adhering to the speed limit, and abiding by road safety rules.
According to police data, eighteen people were killed and 345 injured in 288 accidents during the holiday weekend last year. Officials are encouraging drivers to remain cautious and alert during their holiday travels over the next few days.
In Gdańsk, members of the Straż Granica will be on hand at various cemeteries to provide order, information, and instruction to visitors. ZTM Gdańsk will also run additional tram and bus lines to facilitate public access and alleviate traffic congestion.
Updated information on transit options and access to cemeteries during the holiday weekend is available online.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be cool and mostly cloudy and cool, with very little chance of rain and a slight breeze from the west and later north. Temperatures will peak around a high of 15°C, or 59°F, dropping to a low of only 8°C or 46°F overnight. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for some rain returning later in the week.
Elizabeth Peck/jk
