Ukraine blew away the competition at the Eurovision finals last night in Turin, Italy, with audience scores pushing “Kalush Orchestra” and their song “Stefania” to the top of the leaderboard.
Ukraine was in fourth place with 192 points after the initial round of jury votes by country, with Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Moldova awarding Ukraine all 12 jury points.
Ukraine jumped to the top spot, however, once the audience score was announced. The stunning 439 points from audience televoting gave Ukraine a commanding 165-point lead over runner-up Sam Ryder of the UK. “Space Man” by Ryder was a jury favorite this year, in sharp contrast to last year’s entry from the UK, which earned zero points from the jury or audience.
Spain came in a close third with their song “SloMo,” followed by Sweden in fourth and a memorable entry by Serbia in fifth.
While Italy took a respectable sixth place, the remaining members of Eurovision’s “Big Five” were at the bottom of the list, with Germany scoring only six points from the audience and France scoring 17.
The 2022 Eurovision Grand Final was broadcast live from Italy’s Pala Olimpico Arena in the city of Turin.
Source: PAP, Reuters, eurovisionworld.com
The first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US has been delivered to a gas terminal in Świnoujście via state gas company PGNiG.
On Saturday, the tanker “Maran Gas Apollonia” delivered 65 thousand tons of LNG from US company Venture Global LNG, which PGNiG claims will soon become “a major supplier” of gas to Poland. Sixty-five thousand tons of LNG corresponds to over 90 million cubic meters of natural gas after regasification.
Iwona Waksmundzka-Olejniczak, President of PGNiG’s management board, claimed the company was now “able to purchase gas directly from liquefaction terminals under free-on-board contracts,” broadening the “possibilities of securing liquefied natural gas volumes.”
Last month, Russia’s energy giant Gazprom suspended gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria after the two countries refused to pay in Russian rubles, a move European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as “another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail.”
Source: Radio Poland
Spanish journalist Pablo González is spending his 10th week in Polish custody after being arrested on suspicion of spying for Russian military intelligence (GRU).
The freelance journalist, who previously worked for Spanish television and Voice of America, holds dual Spanish and Russian citizenship. Friends and family members, including Spanish journalist Juan Teixeira, have called the allegations “absurd” and demanded he be released or tried immediately.
Polish officials claim they have collected “vast evidence” to support claims González was working on behalf of Russian military intelligence, a crime which could see the journalist face up to 10 years in prison. The evidence is now reportedly undergoing “detailed analysis,” with future hearings set to be held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the material.
The arrest of González on February 27 and his subsequent detention have raised concerns about press freedom during a time of war, with Paris-based NGO “Reporters without Borders” closely monitoring the situation.
Source: The Guardian
World No. 1 Iga Świątek will defend her title at the Italian Open tennis tournament today in Rome after beating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus yesterday.
The top-ranked and top-seeded Pole defeated second-ranked Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals of the women’s singles competition on Saturday, marking Swiątek’s 27th consecutive victory this season.
Świątek is defending her title today at 13:00 CEST against 7th-ranked Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny and warm, with almost no chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the northeast. Temperatures will peak around a high of 17°C, or 63°F, dropping to an overnight low of 7°C or 45°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with cooler temps expected midweek.
Elizabeth Peck/aKa
