Polish President Andrzej Duda lauded Poland’s assistance to Ukrainian refugees during a speech at the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in New York yesterday.
According to Duda, Poland has provided wide-ranging assistance to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian aggression and „made every effort to integrate refugees into our national systems of healthcare, education, and employment.”
Pointing to support for Ukraine and Ukrainians as a manifestation of „Poland’s solidarity and social resilience,” Duda went on to highlight „the necessity for enhanced and trust–based collaboration in the energy sector,” such as Poland’s approach toward „investing in (the) diversification of energy supplies and promoting (a) just transition.”
He argued that „on top of solidarity and the adaptive capacity, resilience also manifests itself by connectivity” and that „infrastructure connections remain the backbone of socio–economic progress everywhere.”
Duda is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, according to Poland’s state news agency, PAP.
Source: Polskie Radio
The European Commission announced it has approved a Polish plan to offer EUR 44.7 million worth of state aid to corn producers affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to the European Commission’s statement, „the purpose of the measure is to support agricultural producers” that are „at risk of losing financial liquidity due to the difficulties on the agricultural market caused by the current crisis.”
Targeted aid will not exceed EUR 250,000 per beneficiary and will be granted no later than December 31, 2023.
In a related matter, Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development and Trade Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Monday that Ukraine had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia in connection with the extension of the embargo on Ukrainian agricultural products by these countries.
In an interview with Polsat News yesterday, Polish government spokesperson Piotr Müller emphasized that Poland continues to support Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian attacks but will not back down „when our economic or agricultural interests are threatened.”
Today is day 573 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk
Sixteen productions, including a hand-painted animation feature, will vie for awards in the main competition of the 48th annual Polish Film Festival, which opened yesterday in Gdynia.
Many of the festival submissions have a distinctive historical flavor, including Paweł Maślona’s „Kos” or „Scarborn,” which tells the story of Polish-American independence hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, Krzysztof Łukaszewicz’s „Raport Pilecki” on the life of WW2-era hero Captain Witold Pilecki, and Olga Chajdas’ „Imago,” which profiles a Soldarity-era punk rock singer in Trójmiasto.
Other highly-anticipated productions include „The Peasants,” a hand-painted animation by the directorial duo of D.K. Welchman (formerly known as Dorota Kobiela) and Hugh Welchman, based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winning Polish author Władysław Reymont.
One of the films premiering yesterday, a fantastical children’s story based on Janusz Korczak’s novel „Kajtek Czarodziej,” also has a local connection, as the lead role is played by Eryk Bieunkiewicz, a young actor from Gdynia.
The film, which will have its official cinema premiere in November, is one of five children’s films competing for the Golden Lion Children’s Award, determined by the volume of applause following the film.
The 48th annual Polish Film Festival will be held in venues around Gdynia through September 23. More information and a full schedule is available >>>HERE.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
A new exhibition on the life of Polish war hero Witold Pilecki opened over the weekend at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk.
Entitled „The Face of Courage. Witold Pilecki (1901-1948),” the exhibition details different aspects of Pilecki’s life through a series of interactive photographs that can be viewed through telescopes within the installation.
According to museum staff, the unusual exhibit is designed to appeal to youth while showing that Pilecki was not only „one of the bravest people during World War II” but „also a husband and father.”
In 1940, Pilecki volunteered to be captured in order to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he reported on conditions and organized a resistance movement within the camp. He escaped Auschwitz in April 1943 and went on to fight in the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. After the war, he was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death by the Communists for activities hostile to the People’s Republic of Poland.
The „Face of Courage” exhibition is located next to the statue of Pilecki on the square in front of the World War II museum and will be on display through the end of the year.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will start off cloudy and wet, with skies clearing somewhat in the afternoon, accompanied by a light breeze from the southwest. Temperatures will be noticeably cooler than yesterday, with an afternoon high of 21°C or 70°F, dropping to a low of 14°C or 57°F overnight. Slightly warmer weather accompanied by sunshine is expected tomorrow and Wednesday, with a chance for some rain later in the week.
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Elizabeth Peck/MarWer
