Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya yesterday to discuss regional security and other issues. They also discussed „support for free Belarus on the international stage, the situation in Belarus, Lukashenko’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the issue of Polish prisoners in Belarus,” according to the Polish president’s office.
Tsikhanouskaya previously met with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who reportedly assured her that „Belarusians fleeing war-torn Ukraine will find shelter in Poland and that freedom fighters may count on Poland’s support. „At a briefing afterward, government spokesman Piotr Müller praised the Belarusian opposition for playing „a prominent role in encouraging anti-war sentiment.”
After yesterday’s meeting with Duda, Tsikhanouskaya announced a major „Conference of Belarusians” to be held in August. According to her, the event will bring together organizations and activists „campaigning for the democratization of Belarus and for the creation of an independent and just political arrangement.”
Source: Radio Poland
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a new political crisis and calls for resignation after two of his top cabinet officers resigned yesterday. The resignations of Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Wednesday were reportedly in response to Johnson’s handling of sexual misconduct charges against Chris Pincher, who Johnson appointed as a senior member of his government.
Johnson initially declared he did not know about the accusations against Pincher before appointing him, claims that were recently debunked by several news outlets. Then he apologized for hiring Pincher, but the shifting narrative inspired the resignations of Sunak and Javid, followed by the resignation of solicitor general Alex Chalk and others.
It isn’t the first time the Prime Minister has been accused of covering up his involvement or awareness of scandals involving members of his government. The infamous Partygate scandal, in which Johnson was accused of attending parties at Downing Sreet despite lockdown restrictions, ultimately resulted in him facing a vote of no confidence in Parliament.
While Boris Johnson survived last month’s vote and is now protected for a year, his support was severely eroded after 41% of his own party voted to remove him.
Source: New York Times, PAP
Polish officials announced on Tuesday that 78.2 percent of students passed their matura exams this year, an improvement over last year. At a press conference on Tuesday, Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek announced that „nearly 10,000 more students passed their high school exams this year than last year,” an improvement he attributed to the return of in-person instruction in schools after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The results in Pomerania were slightly lower than the national average, with 76.4% of students passing and 16.9% able to resit or „amend” one portion of the exam in August. The Polish Matura exam is a rite of passage that determines Polish teenagers’ future to a large degree and consists of a mixture of elective and mandatory subjects. High school students in Poland who fail one compulsory subject can resit that portion of the exam in August. Students who fail more than one mandatory subject must wait a year before retaking the entire test.
Source: Radio Gdansk, Radio Poland
Gdańsk police are looking for witnesses to a June 5 erratic driving incident in the area of Długi Targ, Stągiewna, and Chmielna Streets.
The 30-year-old suspect in the case, Maciej P, was arrested last month on accusations of causing a traffic accident and posing a direct threat to the life and health of pedestrians nearby. He is also accused of attempting to kill another pedestrian by deliberately running them over with a car and shooting a woman at a cafe with a pneumatic pistol.
Anyone who was in the area of Długi Targ at 02:40 on June 5, 2022, and witnessed the erratic and potentially life-threatening driving of a man in a rented Renault Clio with license number KR 4YE23, should contact the police officer in charge of the proceedings. Information can be provided by phone by calling 47 741 61 87 or by sending an email to maciej.zablotny@gd.policja.gov.pl.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and warm, with very little chance of rain and a slight breeze coming in from the west. Temperatures will peak around a high of 20°C, or 68°F, dropping to an overnight low of 12°C or 54°F. Slightly cooler weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain in the late afternoon.
Posłuchaj:
Elizabeth Peck/MarWer
