Polish government officials have called for the release of prominent Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny after he was arrested while returning to Russia.
Police arrested Navalny at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport Sunday evening after he flew home to Russia from Germany, where he had spent several months recovering from an attempted poisoning.
Navalny is reportedly facing up to 3.5 years in prison for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence. According to Reuters, the move could reignite political pressure for the US and EU to tighten sanctions on Moscow, especially regarding the contested USD 11.6 billion Nord Stream 2 project to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
In a post on Twitter Sunday evening, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described Navalny’s detention as „another attempt to intimidate the democratic opposition in Russia,” calling for a „quick and unequivocal response at the EU level.”
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
Thousands of children across Poland returned to school today after elementary schools were partially reopened amid signs of a letup in the spread of COVID-19.
Children in grades 1-3 of elementary education were allowed to return to normal classes after a prolonged period of distance learning. The Polish education ministry has rolled out a set of special guidelines for schools to follow in the face of the pandemic, which includes compulsory handwashing, staggered schedules, and improved classroom ventilation.
Last week, Poland tested over some 134,000 teachers and school staff for COVID-19 ahead of the planned return to in-person instruction. According to the education ministry, 2,422 of these tests (2 percent) came back positive, an infection rate deemed acceptable for planned school openings to move forward.
Meanwhile, a host of other restrictions on public life, including the closure of restaurants, hotels, ski slopes, and many retail outlets, will remain in place until at least January 31.
The Polish health ministry reported 6,055 new coronavirus infections and 142 more deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of diagnosed cases to 1,435,582 and the current death toll to 33,355.
Source: Radio Poland
Polish ski jumpers are celebrating again after the Polish team took second place at the ski-jumping World Cup competition in Zakopane on Saturday.
Teammates Piotr Żyła, Kamil Stoch, Andrzej Stękała, and Dawid Kubacki finished a mere 8.9 points behind first-place winners Austria, with Norway rounding out the podium in third place.
It was the second team competition during this Ski Jumping World Cup season. In December, Poland finished third behind winners Norway and runner-up Germany.
The Polish team will have another chance to make the podium next weekend as they head to Lahti, Finland, for the next World Cup competition.
Source: Radio Poland, www.fis-ski.com
A woman was rescued from Poland’s Beskidy mountains over the weekend after attempting to scale Babia Góra peak dressed only in shorts and a sports bra.
Rescuers reported that the woman was taken to intensive care after suffering hypothermia and frostbite to all her limbs.
According to Paweł Konieczny, the head of Poland’s volunteer mountain rescue service, hiking in the mountains in winter while dressed in summer clothes was a „new fashion” among Poles seeking an extreme challenge.
He warned that conditions in the mountains were currently difficult for hikers, with intense snowfall and freezing temperatures, and discouraged hikers from venturing out without “appropriate clothing and additional equipment.”
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cold, with a strong breeze coming in from the southwest and a chance of snow flurries throughout the day Temperatures will remain well below freezing, with a high of -7°C, or 19°F, dropping to a chilly -13°C or 9°F overnight. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with the temperature set to warm up midweek.
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