President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda will be among leaders from across the world attending Queen Elizabeth II’s grand state funeral in the British capital today.
The President and First Lady visited London’s historic Westminster Hall yesterday afternoon to see the Queen lying in state and later traveled to Lancaster House to sign the official Book of Condolence. They later joined other foreign officials in a gathering organized by newly-coronated King Charles III, whom Duda officially invited to visit Poland.
The official state funeral is set to begin at noon CEST in Westminster Abbey in London. The service will be followed by a procession to Windsor Castle, where the UK’s longest-serving monarch will be laid to rest next to her husband, parents, and sister.
Source: PAP, Radio Poland
Starting today, Poland and the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will no longer admit Russian citizens traveling for non-essential purposes such as tourism.
Under the new regulations, short-term Schengen visas held by Russian citizens will not be honored, “regardless of which country issued them,” Poland’s Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) think tank has reported.
Authorities claim the decision was made in response to questions of national security and public safety, along with concerns for the moral aspect of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It is unacceptable that, while people in Ukraine are being tortured and murdered, citizens from the aggressor state (Russia) can travel freely within the EU,” the Reuters news agency quoted the Polish government as saying.
The regulations provide for a number of exceptions, including political dissidents, humanitarian cases, family reunification, residency permit holders, and diplomatic, commercial, or transportation services.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
“The Silent Twins,” a drama by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, won the Golden Lion, the top award at the 47th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia over the weekend.
The American–British-Polish co-production is based on actual events and tells the life story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins born in 1963 who later refused to communicate with the outside world.
Growing up in Wales, the twins experienced discrimination as the only black children in the community. As a result, they began to gradually isolate themselves from other children and communicate only with each other in their own imaginary language.
Jerzy Domaradzki, head of the festival jury, praised “The Silent Twins” for addressing topics of cultural and racial exclusion and “invent[ing] a new way of telling a story, which stood apart from other films we saw.”
Michał Kwieciński’s drama “Filip” won the festival’s Silver Lions Award, which also took home the top prize for best cinematography by Michał Sobociński.
Polish director Jacek Bławut took home the coveted best director prize for his film “Eagle: The Last Patrol” and also took home a new award given by Radio Gdańsk for excellence in sound design.
The annual Polish Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in Europe and has served as Poland’s most prestigious showcase of new home-grown movies since 1974.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Poland claimed fourth place at the FIBA Men’s EuroBasket 2022 tournament last night, their highest ranking in over half a century.
Polish basketball fans have something else to celebrate, as it was announced over the weekend by PZKosz president Radosław Piesiewicz and sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk that Poland will be one of four hosts of the European basketball championships in 2025.
The selection guarantees the Polish national team a spot in the final tournament, along with Cyprus, Finland, and Estonia, the other three organizers of the event.
Sopot and Gdańsk are in the running to host the prestigious competition at Ergo Arena, along with Kraków, Katowice, Gliwice, Wrocław, and the National Stadium in Warsaw. A significant factor in the selection process will be the financial offer from each city, with a decision expected by November 21.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, fiba.basketball
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy, with a chance for rain showers throughout the day and a strong breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will stay on the cool side, with a high of 15°C, or 59°F, dropping to a low of 9°C or 49°F overnight. Cool temps and cloudy weather will remain in the forecast for the next several days, with a chance for additional rain tomorrow.
Elizabeth Peck
