Many Ukrainians will celebrate New Year’s Eve in the dark tonight as a result of continued Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine.
In an interview earlier this week, OSCE Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid declared there was “absolutely no justification for such acts, which continue to put millions of Ukrainians at risk.”
Schmid told the Ukrinform news agency that the OSCE was committed to supporting Ukraine and its people” and was “in constant contact” with its “partners on the ground to examine how we can ramp up and coordinate our efforts in this vein.”
During a recent interview with German news agency DPA, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also urged allies to supply more weapons to Ukraine to help defend against Russian attacks.
“Military support for Ukraine is the fastest way to peace,” explained Stoltenberg. “It is in all our security interests to make sure Ukraine prevails and Putin does not win.”
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
Poland’s latest coronavirus figures are “rather optimistic,” according to Polish deputy health minister Waldemar Kraska, suggesting that COVID-19 may be “in retreat.”
In an interview yesterday will Radio Polska, Kraska cautiously predicted that while the number of COVID-19 infections may rise slightly in late January, “it won’t put much strain on the health service.”
Kraska went on to explain that much of the Polish public had acquired a “natural immunity… through interpersonal contacts,” which could result in a form of immunity for the general population if “further boosted by vaccination.”
He was less optimistic about other ongoing public health threats, warning that “flu infections have already reached figures usually seen at the height of the flu season in early February,” while many children, “especially those aged 2 to 4,” were contracting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Health officials like Kraska are urging residents to wear face masks, maintain good hygienic practices, and vaccinate themselves against both COVID-19 and the flu to help protect against infection.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
The cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot will not host their traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations this evening due to concerns over rising costs.
“The amount that we will save by giving up the organization of the Christmas market or the city’s New Year’s Eve is a drop in the ocean,” explains Michał Guć, deputy mayor of Gdynia, “but, unfortunately, looking at the economic situation in the country, it is unavoidable.”
As one Gdańsk City Hall official pointed out, concerts were held in three different districts of the city last year, costing the city roughly PLN 500,0000 – money which will remain in the city budget this year.
Cultural institutions in Trójmiasto are stepping up, however, to welcome in the new year by hosting their own Sylwester festivities.
Opera Bałtycka in Gdańsk is offering a New Year’s Eve Concert featuring favorite operatic works, including arias from Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” a mazurka from “The Haunted Manor” by Stanisław Moniuszko, and excerpts from “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss.
The Gdynia Film Centre will be offering special early screenings of upcoming American, European, and Polish films this evening, and the Musical Theater in Gdynia will host some 70 artists performing Polish and British hits of the 90s as part of its “Rewia 90 & British” show.
At the Atelier Theater in Sopot, Formacja22 Orchestra, together with soloist Sylwia Różycka will perform new arrangements of romantic hits as part of the “O! Love!” concert this evening, while a theatre performance and disco for children will take place this afternoon at Skwer Kuracyjny near the Sopot Sheraton.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Legendary British rock band Pink Floyd recently announced they have raised £500,000 (€570,000) for Ukraine with their new hit charity single “Hey Hey Rise Up.”
The track – the first new piece of music from Pink Floyd since 1994 – was released last April and features the vocals of Andriy Khlyvnyuk, frontman for the popular Ukrainian rock band “BoomBox.”
The funds will be distributed to several charities in Ukraine and Poland, including the Hospitallers, a group of paramedics assisting Ukrainian soldiers, and The Kharkiv and Przemyśl Project, which aids residents of Kharkiv and war refugees coming to Przemyśl in Poland.
On Christmas, the band announced via Facebook that they had raised GBP £450,000 “to help alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people,” which was then supplemented by an additional £50,000 from bandleader David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason.
Gilmour, whose daughter-in-law is Ukrainian, has openly supported Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
Former Pink Floyd band leader Roger Waters stirred up controversy earlier this year after making a string of anti-Ukrainian pronouncements, including insinuations that “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was at least partially at fault for the war’s outbreak” and sending an open letter to Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska suggesting she persuade her husband to initiate a ceasefire with Russia.
Following Waters’ anti-Ukrainian pronouncements, fans said they would boycott an upcoming concert in Krajów in April 2023, which ultimately resulted in the cancelation of his upcoming solo gigs in Poland.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance for rain showers midday and a strong breeze from the southwest. Temperatures will be warmer than yesterday, with a high of 13°C, or 56°F, dropping to a low of 8°C or 46°F overnight. Warmer weather is expected to continue through New Year’s Day tomorrow, with a chance for more rain and cooler temps returning on Monday.
Elizabeth Peck/aKa
