The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have appealed to the Belarus authorities to de-escalate tensions, stop using force against citizens and to free detained protesters. In a joint statement the four presidents called on the authorities in Minsk to initiate dialogue with the Belarusian people.
The presidents offered to mediate in order to achieve peace in Belarus. They also called on the Belarus authorities to respect human and civil rights, including the freedom of expression, freedom of the media and freedom of assembly. Thousands have been detained by Belarus authorities amid a crackdown on protesters who accuse strongman President Alexander Lukashenko of rigging his re-election victory. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called for a special summit of EU leaders to focus on Belarus.
Source – Polskie Radio
Two people were seriously injured when a helicopter crashed into the Vistula River north-west of Warsaw on Thursday, fire-fighters said. The Robinson R44 light helicopter went down near the village of Sady, some 35km north-west of the Polish capital, at around 2pm. A police river patrol fished an injured man and a woman from the water and brought them ashore. They were then taken to hospital by an air ambulance, state news agency PAP reported. Fire-fighters were tasked with stopping fuel leaking from the wreckage of the helicopter.
Source – Polskie Radio
Poland will reopen most of its schools to students after the summer break ends next month, the country’s education minister has announced. The minister told reporters that after a prolonged period of distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, traditional in-person classes would be reinstated in most schools nationwide from September 1. He said that restrictions would only be possible in counties flagged as „red” and „yellow,” meaning those with more infections than elsewhere. There are 19 such counties at the moment, of the total number of 380 nationwide. His ministry has rolled out a set of special guidelines for schools to follow in the face of the pandemic. These include compulsory hand washing after entering the school premises and frequent airing of the classrooms.
Source – Polskie Radio
And finally, the archbishop of Gdańsk had his resignation officially accepted by the pope this week. The archbishop turned 75 this week the required age for Catholic Bishops to offer their resignation. The pope may accept the resignation or leave the bishop in office. In this case, he decided to accept the resignation immediately. The archbishop spent the last 12 years as the Metropolitan of Gdańsk, before that for four years he was the bishop of the Warsaw-Praga diocese, and between 1991 and 2004 he was the field bishop of the Polish Army. His term of office has been punctuated by numerous controversies including accusations of alcohol abuse, bullying and intimidation of priests as well as the covering up of paedophilia within the clergy.
Sources – www.trojmiasto.pl
Today will be another glorious sunny day with a light breeze and temperatures reaching 27 degrees centigrade (81 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to 13degrees centigrade overnight. Saturday will remain sunny and hot with a gentle breeze and temperatures again reaching 27 degrees centigrade during the day and 14 degrees overnight.
Martin Caren / fj
