The Polish Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned Belgium’s ambassador to voice “disapproval and outrage” at comments made earlier by the Belgian Prime Minister.

During an address delivered last Wednesday at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned the Polish government it was „playing a dangerous game” and “playing with fire…by waging war with your European colleagues for internal political reasons.”

His remarks were reportedly in response to comments made by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in an earlier interview with the Financial Times. During the interview, Morawiecki accused the European Union of making demands with a “gun to our head” while vowing to defend Warsaw’s position if the EU starts a “third world war” by withholding funds in an ongoing dispute over judicial changes and rule of law concerns.

Poland has been ordered to pay EUR 1 million per day by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for not taking action to disband a contested disciplinary chamber for judges. Earlier this month, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that parts of EU treaties were incompatible with the Polish constitution, sparking further controversy.

Source: Radio Poland

Iryna Slaunikava, the official representative in Belarus for Belsat television is missing, with some human rights activists reporting she has been arrested at the airport in Minsk.

Slaunikava and her husband Alyaksandr Loyka were on a plane returning to Minsk from Egypt on the night of October 30. Since their plane landed, they have not been reachable by phone and are reportedly being held in a notorious detention center known for torturing prisoners.

Belsat television, which is funded by the Polish government, previously had its website and social network sites declared “extremist” outlets by the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka.

Two Belsat reporters, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova are currently serving sentences of two years in prison for broadcasting live online a protest in memory of Raman Bandarenka in November 2020.

Slaunikava has been the official representative for Belsat in Minsk for 14 years. She was also responsible for Belsats contacts with NGOs and international organizations operating in Belarus.

Source: Radio Poland

Polish health officials are urging residents to exercise additional caution to safeguard against COVID-19 exposure during the All Saints’ Day holiday.

The appeal comes as the number of new COVID-19 infections continues to climb across Poland, with daily rates approaching 10,000 cases.

The Health Ministry reported 9798 new coronavirus infections and 115 additional deaths on Saturday, the highest daily number reported since April 23.

Of the newly reported cases, most (2009) were in the central province of Mazovia, followed by Lubelskie (1649), which continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

Here in Pomerania, 475 new cases but no additional deaths were reported on Saturday, with the highest number of cases in Gdańsk (159) and Gdynia (90).

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Radio Gdańsk will be airing a specially prepared „Autopilot” program to keep drivers updated on traffic and transit situations during the All Saints holiday.

Reporters will be on location near various cemeteries around Trójmiasto tomorrow from 8:00 to 12:00 and again from 15:00 to 18:00. Tune in to get up-to-date traffic reports and travel suggestions.

For those traveling by public transit, bus and tram timetables in Gdańsk have been updated to accommodate additional traffic, and all lines today with be running on a Saturday bus schedule. Tram 3 will not be running today but will be replaced by line 63, which runs from Nowy Port to Lostowicka Cemetery; other trams, including 2 and 6, will run with increased frequency, typically every 10 minutes.

A complete list of transit changes during the holiday is available here.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be mostly sunny and warm, with a slight chance of rain overnight and winds coming in from the south. Temperatures will peak around a high of 16°C, or 60°F, dropping to an overnight low of 7°C or 44°F. All Saint’s Day is expected to be sunny and clear, with cooler temps and a chance for rain returning on Tuesday.

Elizabeth Peck