The foreign ministers of Poland, France and Germany have voiced “great concern” ahead of today’s presidential election in Belarus amid “worrying reports of electoral irregularities during early voting.”

In a joint statement, the three foreign ministers urged Belarusian authorities “to conduct the upcoming presidential election in a free and fair manner, including ensuring independent monitoring by local observers.”

According to officials from the Belarusian election commission, more than 1.5 million voters, or roughly 22% of eligible voters, had already cast their ballots as of last Friday, a substantial increase in early voting numbers from previous elections which critics say is an indication of ballot-stuffing.

Six-term incumbent Alexander Lukashenko faces an unexpectedly strong challenge from main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, whose rallies have drawn numbers not seen since the 1990s, including a crowd of more than 63,000 at a recent protest in Minsk.

Source: Radio Poland, guardian.com

Over the weekend, Polish police detained the suspected criminal boss of a gang of fraudsters who had been evading capture by frequently changing his identity.

Officers found forged identification documents presenting the 49-year-old suspected conman as a Ukrainian general, an Italian gendarme, and an international shooting instructor, according to reports by the Polish state news agency (PAP).

In conjunction with the arrest, police reportedly seized luxury cars, expensive jewellery, electronics, and a range of other items valued at PLN 600,000 (EUR 135,000) in total.

The suspect is believed to have headed a gang accused of defrauding over 100 companies of some 3 million złoty. The man was detained last Friday under a European arrest warrant by officers from Poland’s Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP) in the city of Lubań in southwestern Poland.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Some 200 breeders and buyers of Arabian thoroughbreds have congregated in Poland since Friday for the 42nd annual Polish National Arabian Horse Show. Over 140 horses are set to be presented at the world-famous annual event at the site of the state-run stud farm in Janów Podlaski in eastern Poland.

The highlight of the show is today’s prestigious “Pride of Poland” thoroughbred auction, which draws buyers from around the world. Last year, 14 horses were sold at the auction, fetching a combined EUR 1.39 million.

In an interview with Polish Radio, the head of the Polish Jockey Club, Tomasz Chalimoniuk, said that organizing the event had been a challenge due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that the number of participants had to be reduced from 1,200 to only 200 to comply with the country’s sanitary precautions.

The 42nd Polish National Arabian Horse Show officially ends tomorrow, August 10.

20-year-old Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel was in a league of his own yesterday after a 51-km solo sprint allowed him to capture the yellow jersey and win Stage 4 of this year’s “Tour de Pologne,” Poland’s largest cycling race.

After completing yesterday’s gruelling Stage 4 circuit from Bukovina Resort to Bukowina Tatrzanska, Evenepoel crossed the finish line holding up the number ’75’ bib in an emotional tribute to injured teammate Fabio Jakobsen.

Jakobsen suffered extensive craniofacial injuries and had to be resuscitated after a pileup at the finish line of Stage 1 in Katowice last week. Doctors said on Friday that the Dutch rider was in “good” condition after undergoing a complicated five-hour operation involving oral surgeons and ear, nose and throat specialists.

The 5th and final stage of the Tour will take place today, with riders departing from Zakopane this morning and finishing in the Kraków city center later this afternoon.

Source: tourdepologne.pl, Radio Poland

Sunday will be partly cloudy, hot, and humid, with a light breeze coming in from the northwest and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will peak around a high of 28°C, or 82°F, dropping overnight to 17°C or 63°F. Temps will drop slightly tomorrow, with warm, sunny weather set to continue throughout the week.”

Thomas Holdstock/ako