Poland’s foreign minister has called on Russian authorities to release opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying the Kremlin critic has become „a victim of political persecution”.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court handed Navalny a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, with nine months credited for time already served. The opposition politician blamed the harsh sentence on President Vladimir Putin’s “personal hatred and fear of him,” according to a report from Reuters.
The court’s decision, along with the detention of thousands arrested at pro-Navalny rallies across Russia, is expected to further strain Russia’s relations with the West and trigger new sanctions.
The United States, Britain, Germany, and the European Union have all urged Moscow to immediately free Navalny and the detained protestors, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promising to coordinate closely with US allies to hold Russia accountable.
Source: Reuters, Radio Poland
The Polish government has adopted an energy policy for the next 20 years that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the policy approved by lawmakers yesterday, by 2030, Poland is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by some 30 percent compared to 1990 levels, with renewable sources providing at least 23 percent of the total energy consumed in the country.
In addition to investments in wind power, the first of six blocks of nuclear power plants is expected to be put into operation in 2033, with further blocks to come online every two to three years. According to a statement by the Government Information Center, the use of coal in the Polish economy is to be reduced in a manner that ensures a “just transition.”
Source: Radio Poland
As temperatures continue to drop, local officials in Trójmiasto are warning residents that burning trash in stoves is illegal and can result in heavy fines.
On average, municipal police or “ecopatrols” report being called out to check suspicious boilers and stoves at least twice a day. Over the past seven months, ecopatrols have taken suspicious ash samples for testing nearly 40 times and issued nearly 20,000 złoty fines.
Per current regulations in Gdańsk, violators caught burning rubbish may be subject to a fine of up to 5,000 zlotys and 30 days in jail. Residents can report suspected waste incineration by calling emergency reporting number 986 or through the Gdańsk Contact Center at https://www.gdansk.pl/kontaktgdansk/.
The National Heritage Board of Poland (Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa) has officially announced it will be adding the Gdańsk carillons to Poland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The carillons of Gdańsk have been a recognizable symbol of the city for nearly 500 years, and Gdańsk is currently the only city in Poland with a functioning instrument. Restoring the carillons was a decades-long project of former Gdańsk mayor Paweł Adamowicz, and the city now boasts three working instruments, all managed by the Museum of Gdańsk.
According to the museum, the National Heritage Institute’s designation will enable the city to make further efforts to have the carillons included on UNESCO’s international cultural heritage list.
The Gdańsk carillons can be found and heard in Saint Catherine’s church (Sw. Katarzyny), the Main Town Hall (Ratusz Głowny), and as a traveling mobile exhibition.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Gazeta Wyborcza
Weather
Today will be overcast and cold, with a strong breeze coming in from the northeast and a chance for more snow in the late afternoon and evening. Temperatures will stay close to freezing, with a high of 1°C, or 34°F, dropping to -2°C or 29°F overnight. Similar cold, cloudy weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for some sun over the weekend.
RGEN
