Despite last-minute negotiations and an ardent plea by former Prime Minister Theresa May, Boris Johnson’s freshly-negotiated withdrawal agreement failed to obtain enough votes to pass the House of Commons yesterday.
Per the Letwin Amendment and the Benn Act, if no deal was approved by 11pm yesterday the British Prime Minister was legally required to request an extension from the EU. Johnson reportedly did so in the form of an unsigned letter, followed by a signed letter expressing his opposition to a “further extension” which “would damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners.”
In a response on Twitter, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki portrayed the Commons’ vote “not as a rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement but as a postponement of its acceptance.” Morawiecki went on to reaffirm Poland’s support for a positive approach to the UK withdrawal agreement, as “avoiding a chaotic, no-deal #brexit should be our top priority” in the EU.
It is now up to EU officials, including EU Commission President Donald Tusk, to formulate an official response while Johnson attempts to make his case before the UK Parliament on Monday.
Source: PAP
US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history last Friday after successfully conducting the first all-female spacewalk. Members of Congress joined NASA for a livestream of the event, during which time the astronauts received a call from President Trump congratulating them on “this historic event.”
According to Meir, for her and Koch “it’s just coming out here and doing our job” an effort she noted was made possible by a “long line of female scientists, explorers, engineers, and astronauts” paving the way.
“We have the right people doing the right job at the right time,” explained NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This is historic because those two right people are women.”
This was Koch’s fourth spacewalk and Meir’s first; they were conducting routine maintenance on the International Space Station to replace a faulty battery charge/discharge unit. The first ever spacewalk was conducted by Soviet Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov over fifty years ago, on March 18, 1965. Leonov passed away earlier this month at the age of 85.
Source: NASA
In the runup to Netflix’s highly-anticipated live adaption, fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s “Witcher” series gathered at Moszna Castle in southwestern Poland last weekend for “Witcher School,” a four-day live action roleplay (LARP) event designed for adult fans of the popular series.
While staying at the castle as “witcher trainees,” participants learned skills such as fencing, archery, blacksmithing, and alchemy in their quest to hunt down monsters and delve into the fantastical world of the Northern Kingdoms.
According to organiser Piotr Kucharski, participants from Poland and around the world have been coming to Witcher School since 2015, with many returning to discover how their characters have developed as the storyline progresses. Each session is treated as a new episode, with enrollment opening October 22nd for events taking place next March and April.
Largely due to the monumental success of the The Witcher video game series, Sapkowski’s novels have been translated into over twenty languages and Sapkowski himself has become a recognizable cultural icon around the world.The Netflix series, featuring Superman actor Henry Cavill as Geralt, is set to be released in the coming months.
For fans of football or good old-fashioned rivalry, the Tricity Derby football match between Arka Gdynia and Lechia Gdańsk kicks off today at 3pm in Gdynia.
Unfortunately, due to safety and security concerns, Lechia Gdańsk fans are not allowed to attend the match, a situation Arka Gdynia midfielder Michał Nalepa described as “a pity” in an interview with Radio Gdańsk yesterday.
His comments echo those of Lechia team captain Flavio Paixao, who on Friday expressed his “regret that the guest sector will be empty.” Paixao has frequently been a thorn in the side of the Yellow and Blue, with a last-minute game-winning goal in 2017, followed by decisive goals in two separate matches in 2018.
The two teams have faced off at regular intervals since 1964, with Lechia winning 16 matches to Arka’s 11, though Arka hasn’t won a match against Lechia since 2008. Their most recent meetup in April of this year ended in a draw, leaving both teams anxious for a rematch.
For updated information on the match or to listen to interviews in Polish with the players, tune in to RGEN News tomorrow or check out our Sports section online.
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and overcast, with an expected high of 16 degrees centigrade, or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. There will be a slight chance of rain overnight, with clearer skies and similar cool and slightly wet weather expected for tomorrow.
RGEN NEWS/EP/dr
