President Andrzej Duda is in Egypt today to participate in the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

According to Duda’s top foreign policy aide, Jakub Kumoch, “Poland treats the matter of countering climate change seriously,” with the Polish president set to speak at the forum and participate in several panel sessions, including one concerning water access for developing countries.

Polish Ambassador to the UN, Krzysztof Szczerski, highlighted the conference as taking place at a “watershed moment” amid “multiple crises happening simultaneously.”

The Russia-inflicted security crisis, inflation-related economic crisis, food crisis, and energy crisis are all “aggravated” by climate change, Szczerski pointed out. For the next two weeks, the COP27 summit will play host to over 100 heads of state and government, with the goal of adopting new objectives to combat global warming.

Source: Radio Poland

Former Russian Parliament members, opposition politicians, ex-officials, and social activists met for an anti-Putin congress over the weekend in the village of Jabłonna near Warsaw.

In a series of heated sessions, attendees discussed how Putin should be removed from power and what measures could be taken to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, who joined the congress remotely, told the group of Russian dissidents that their first task “is to find some military officer who will be able to eliminate Putin, and task number two is to form an army to take control of Russian territory.”

Organizers of the event, including Russian dissident Alexei Baranovsky, drafted a document that would appoint former Russian Parliament deputies as members of the so-called “Transition Period Parliament,” which Baranovsky described as an alternative state body “able to take the helm when Putin gets toppled.”

Representatives of jailed anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, two of the most prominent Russian opposition leaders and Putin critics, were notably not in attendance.

Source: Radio Poland

Dawid Kubacki became the first Polish ski-jumper in history to win two inaugural competitions in a World Cup series after triumphing in competition again on Sunday.

After winning a sixth career title on Saturday, Kubacki returned to competition in top form yesterday, beating out Anze Lanisek of Slovenia and Marius Lindvik of Norway to take home the day’s top prize.

Kubacki scored a total of 287 points after jumping 131 and 133.5 m, putting him 8.3 points ahead of Lanisk (131.5 and 131 m) and 10 points ahead of Lindvik (131 m and 133.5 m).

Fellow teammate Piotr Żyła finished ninth on Sunday, while three-time Olympic champion Kamil Stoch was disqualified before the competition due to questions about his jumpsuit.

The next ski jumping World Cup event will take place November 25-27 in Ruka, Finland.

Source: PAP

Iga Świątek is out of the WTA Finals after the 21-year-old Polish tennis star lost to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus last night in three hard-fought sets (2-6, 6-2, 1-6).

After breezing through the group stage of the WTA Finals last week, Świątek struggled against her energetic Belarusian opponent on Sunday, with Sabalenka’s powerful serve dominating the match.

Sabalenka will face Caroline Garcia of France tomorrow at 3:00 CET for the WTA Finals title, which will be the first Grand Slam title for either competitor.

Despite the disappointing loss, Świątek had a record-breaking season, winning eight tournaments in total, including the Grand Slam French Open and the US Open. Overall, Świątek won 67 matches this season, the best WTA result on record since 2013, when Serena Williams won 78 matches.

Source: PAP

Radio Gdańsk is hosting a competition for listeners this week in honor of the upcoming Polish Independence Day holiday.

During the daily “Tak Gramy” program, radio listeners are invited to share how they usually celebrate Independence Day. The most interesting responses will win a Polish flag for display outside the window or on a balcony, with the possibility of winning other prizes.

To participate in the competition, listeners should send an e-mail to konkurs@radiogdansk.pl describing how they typically celebrate Independence Day. Photographs, including archival ones, are also welcome.

The competition will close on Wednesday, November 9, with more information available online HERE.

Source: PAP, Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be cool and mostly cloudy throughout the day, with a slight chance of rain and a strong breeze coming in from the south. Temperatures will peak around a high of 10°C, or 50°F, dropping to a low of 4°C or 40°F overnight. Slightly warmer weather is expected for tomorrow, with a good chance of rain in the early morning.

Elizabeth Peck/raf