Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda yesterday in Warsaw to honor the heroes of Poland’s 1863 January Uprising against Russia.
The two officials paid tribute to the January Uprising fighters at the Warsaw Citadel, a 19th-century fortress in the Polish capital where many Poles were imprisoned and executed after the failed insurrection, state news agency PAP reported.
In a speech during the ceremony, Duda noted that the January Uprising “inspired a sense of perseverance and resilience for the public,” along with promoting the idea that the fight was “for our freedom and yours.”
President Nausėda also referenced the now-famous maxim in his comments, praising the heroes of the January Uprising for “inspir[ing] us to continue walking firmly on the path of freedom and justice.”
Officials told reporters that the joint commemoration was aimed at sending a message of solidarity in the face of ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, also attended the ceremony, with the latter reading a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Source: Radio Poland
The European Union approved a new EUR 500 million package of military aid to Ukraine on Monday, according to reports by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and other media outlets.
The bloc’s top diplomats also approved a further EUR 45 million for “non-lethal equipment” for Ukrainian forces trained by the EU’s military training mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), said officials cited by Reuters.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday reportedly agreed to transfer funds from the European Peace Facility (EPF) after a videoconference with the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Dmytro Kuleba.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, PAP
Portuguese manager Fernando Santos is expected to be named the new head coach of the Polish national football team today after news outlets reported seeing him in Warsaw.
President of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), Cezary Kulesza, tweeted a photo of himself and Santos on Monday with the caption: “See you tomorrow at the news conference at PGE Narodowy!” leading many news outlets to speculate that Santos had won the job.
The Polish team has been without a manager since the first of January, a day after the contract with previous coach Czesław Michniewicz ended.
The 68-year-old Santos was the head coach of the Greek national team from 2010-2014 and later the head coach for Portugal, who took home the 2016 European championship title and the 2019 Nations League trophy during his tenure there.
The official presentation of Poland’s new coach is scheduled for today at 13:00 at the National Stadium (PGE Narodowy) in Warsaw.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
As most of the world awaits today’s announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees, two Polish films are already in the running for the “anti-Oscars,” the infamous “Golden Raspberry” or “Razzie” awards.
The lead contender for this year’s Razzie awards is the much-derided “Blonde,” a biopic of the life of Marilyn Monroe based on the book of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The 2022 film, directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas, has been nominated for eight Razzies, including worst picture, worst supporting actor, worst director, and worst screenplay.
Two Polish films are also strong contenders in this year’s race for the Razzies. The sequels to the original “365 days” film –“365 Days: This Day” and “Another 365 Days” – have both been nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards in the categories of worst remake or sequel and worst on-screen couple.
The original “365 days,” based on the erotic novel by Blanka Lipińska, became the first Polish film to win a Golden Raspberry, taking home the award for “worst screenplay “ in 2021.
The winners of this year’s Golden Raspberry awards will be announced at a ceremony on March 11, the day before the official Academy Awards.
Source: PAP, Reuters
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cold, with very little chance of snow and a light breeze coming from the west. Temperatures will stay close to freezing, with a high of around 0°C or 32°F, and a low of -3°C, or 27°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for more snow later in the week.
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