Polish president Andrzej Duda has urged EU leaders to step up sanctions on Russia in the wake of the summary arrest and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
As reported in the Financial Times, Duda said that talk of further sanctions was „absolutely justified” given both the treatment of Navalny and Russia’s continued involvement in conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine. Last week, Polish lawmakers passed a resolution calling on Russia to stop acts of „repression” against Navalny and his associates.
Protests flared in cities across Russia on Saturday after Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, was detained last week on his return from Germany. Over 3,000 protestors were reportedly arrested during the crackdowns by Russian security services. According to reports in the Associated Press, Navalny supporters have called for protests to resume next weekend.
Over the weekend, Poland’s Foreign Ministry stated it was concerned over Russia’s „reaction against peaceful demonstrators,” calling on Russian officials to „stop the violation of human rights.” EU foreign ministers are due to discuss their response to Navalny’s detention and the resulting protests in a meeting today.
Source: Radio Poland, Financial Times, apnews.com
Some 200 Polish medics and firefighters have been sent to neighboring Slovakia to help test residents for COVID-19 amid a spike in infections.
The Polish team arrived in Slovakia on Friday and began conducting tests as part of a nationwide coronavirus testing effort. Testing Slovakia’s 5.5 million inhabitants is scheduled to be completed by January 26. Due to a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus infections in Slovakia, the government has extended shelter-in-place orders for Slovak citizens until February 7.
On Sunday, Poland reported 4,683 new coronavirus infections and 110 more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to nearly 1.5 million (1 475 445) and fatalities to over 35,000 (35,363).
Source: Radio Poland
Polish short track speed skater Natalia Maliszewska picked up a silver medal on Saturday in the women’s 500 meters during the ISU European Short Track Championships here in Gdańsk.
This is the third time Maliszewska has walked away with a medal in the 500 meters at the annual European championship. In 2019 she won gold in the Netherlands, followed by bronze a year later in Hungary.
The Gdansk championships are the first short track event held by the International Skating Union (ISU) since the World Cup in the Netherlands last year.
Source: Radio Poland
In the southern city of Kraków, three women caused a stir after applying to play the traditional hejnał bugle call from the tower of St Mary’s Basilica.
The three women were among 30 initial candidates applying to continue a male-only tradition that stretches back over seven centuries. According to Barłomiej Rosiek of the Kraków fire brigade, that tradition will continue, as none of the three female candidates were among the finalists selected.
Rosiek went on to point out that gender was not a factor in the choice of final candidates, as the fire brigade „picked six candidates with the highest level of ability in playing the bugle.”
The traditional „hejnał” is played every hour on the hour with a simple melody cut short in the middle of the final cadence, an homage to the legend of the 11th-century trumpeter shot in the throat alerting the city to an impending Mongol invasion.
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cold, with a light breeze coming in from the west and only a slight chance of rain throughout the day. Temperatures will remain above freezing, with a high of 3°C, or 37°F, dropping to freezing (0°C or 32°F) overnight. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with temperatures set to remain above freezing during the day.
Elizabeth Peck/mw
