The Polish government has voted against a plan devised by the EU relating to the hosting of refugees.

EU countries on Thursday reached an agreement on a long-stalled revision of the bloc’s rules to share asylum seekers and migrants hosting more equitably, officials informed. Several years of wrangling over asylum policy led to the approval of the deal from a majority of countries representing at least 65 percent of the bloc’s population. Hosting asylum-seekers, including those coming from nations on the bloc’s outer rim, mainly Greece and Italy, is a priority of the deal. The agreement said nations that refused would instead be required to pay 20,000 euros per person into a fund managed by Brussels. Poland and Hungary voted against the proposals, while Bulgaria, Malta, Lithuania, and Slovakia abstained.

Source – Polskie Radio

A Polish film festival kicks off today in New York.

It is the only annual film festival presenting and promoting Polish cinema on the East Coast, the Polish Cultural Institute New York informs. The New York Polish Film Festival will celebrate its 18th Anniversary this year. The main goal of the event is to bring a variety of films to hundreds of viewers in the New York City Metropolitan area, at theatres and online. This year, the promising young generation of Polish filmmakers will represent Polish cinema at the Polish Film Festival in New York. The program will include films that have successfully entered Polish screens and have won awards at many festivals.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland has been elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2024-2026 term.

Poland’s Ambassador to the UN wrote on Twitter: „We thank 177 countries – which voted for Poland at the UN General Assembly – for their support and trust! During our term, we will deliver on our motto: 'Developing in solidarity’.” The UN Economic and Social Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues. It has 54 members.

Source – Polskie Radio

Police officers have detained a young man who conned a pensioner from the city of Tczew (about 30 kilometres from Gdańsk) out of thousands of zlotys of her savings.

The 20-year-old from Gdańsk stole PLN 38.5 thousand from the woman. The man had an ATM card belonging to the victim and a large amount of cash when apprehended by police. The conman had convinced the victim that the money in her bank account was at risk and could be stolen by a hacker. He persuaded the 73-year-old to pay them and hand them over to the alleged prosecutor who came to her house. Thanks to the work of policemen from Kraków and Tczew, some of the cash was recovered. The man faces up to 8 years in prison if convicted.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a sunny day in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 20 degrees centigrade (70 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 9 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will remain sunny in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 21 degrees during the day and 8 degrees overnight.

Martin Caren/aKa