Despite rain and cold weather, an estimated 20,000 Russians gathered in Moscow yesterday to demand the release of those detained and arrested during a series of protests earlier this summer. Independent sources put the number of authorized march participants closer to 25,000, with notable attendees including barred opposition candidate Lyuba Sobol, jailed activist Ilya Yashin, and de facto opposition movement leader Alexey Navalny, who was also jailed over the summer.

The rallies in July and August, which saw tens of thousands of disenchanted Russians repeatedly taking to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the current government, mark the largest sustained protests in Russia in over a decade.
After opposition candidates were barred from participating in the September 8th elections for Moscow City Duma, residents were encouraged by Navalny and others to “vote strategically,” resulting in Putin’s United Russia party losing a third of its seats.

The protest yesterday was in support of those sentenced to jail time, subjected to fines, or being prosecuted for crimes such as assaulting a police officer. Public outcry has already lead to the release of some of those previously detained, including Russian actor Pavel Ustinov. In his speech on Sunday, Navalny declared optimistically that he was “sure more people would be released because of this rally.”

Source: PAP

The Rugby World Cup currently underway in Japan has been a series of firsts along with some very surprising upsets.

For starters, this is the first time the Rugby World Cup has been held in an Asian country, with hosts Japan capitalizing on their home-field advantage by pulling off “one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history” with a win over second-ranked Ireland last Saturday.

Similarly, on Sunday Wales recorded their first Rugby Cup win over Australia since 1987. The Wallabies threatened to stage a comeback in the second half but the Welsh held on to win 29-25, leaving them in prime position for a top-tier finish and potentially smooth sailing through the quarter-finals.

The group stage matches continue today with Scotland and Samoa facing off shortly after noon today, followed by world champions New Zealand against Canada on Wednesday at 12:15 CET. Hopes are high for another upset before the competition ramps up in two weeks’ time with the start of the knock-out stages.

Opera Bałtycka opened its 2019/2020 season this weekend with a series of inaugural gala concerts featuring the works of renowned Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko.

The performances were part of the ongoing “Year of Stanisław Moniuszko” celebrations around Poland to commemorate 200 years since the birth of “the father of Polish national opera.” Moniuszko’s works are filled with references to folk themes from the peoples of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and last night’s gala featured some of his most well-known works, including a choral setting of Adam Mickiewicz’s „Crimean Sonnets” and selections from the opera “Straszny Dwór,” or “The Haunted Manor.” The repertuar and performance were reportedly met with standing ovations.

Source: trojmiasto.pl

In case you missed the opera, Filharmonia Bałtycka will be offering a musical workshop tomorrow for children ages 4-12 based on Moniuszko’s “haunted” work.

The workshops will incorporate words, music, and images from “The Haunted Manor,” and participants will be asked to “help out” Moniuszko by completing puzzles with fragments of songs from the opera.

Additionally, Moniuszko himself will be in attendance to narrate a story based on Polish and Lithuanian poetry and accompanied by a live performance of songs like “Dziad i Baba” and “Evening Song.”

The free workshops begin at 9:30 and 11:15 in the White Room of the Philharmonic.

Source: https://www.filharmonia.gda.pl/

For new residents of Gdańsk, the European Solidarity Center is offering free Polish language lessons, conversational courses about Polish culture, and workshops on civic engagement as part of the “CZEŚĆ” program.

Those interested in Polish language courses at the beginner and advanced levels should come to the Solidarity Center this evening at 6pm for a placement exam. Additionally, the CZEŚĆ program offers a cultural discussion group in Polish every other Thursday, as well as monthly workshops on civic engagement (in Polish with language support) on weekends. Registration for the courses is open now through the 10th of October.

For more information on the CZEŚĆ program visit https://ecs.gda.pl/czesc

Source: ECS

RGNews/EP