As the Brexit clock winds down, the EU has said it plans to allow a further extension but has yet to agree upon how long such an extension could be. EU representatives met last week in Strasbourg to discuss once again delaying the date of the UK’s departure from the EU, with France expressing concern over the lack of progress on the part of the UK. The move comes after the British parliament failed last week to ratify an agreement on the terms of the UK’s exit.

An announcement on the length of the extension is expected in the coming days just as British lawmakers prepare to vote whether to hold early elections in December, a key condition put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in potentially agreeing to a delay.

Tune in to Radio Gdańsk English Service on Tuesday for the latest Brexit updates.

Source: PAP

Fans of English rugby rejoiced on Saturday as England defeated reigning world champion New Zealand 19-7 in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Despite not losing a World Cup match since 2007, the All Blacks were dominated throughout the match by a “sharper, faster, stronger, and more disciplined” English team. England hasn’t won a rugby World Cup since 2003, and remains the only country from the Northern Hemisphere to do so.

England’s victory will pit them against the winner of today’s Wales vs. South Africa match, in which the South Africans are highly favored to win. The final match is set to take place next Saturday, November 2nd, at 10am Central European Time.

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-world-cup/2019/10/26/england-vs-new-zealand-rugby-world-cup-2019-live-score-latest/

Ukrainian director and former political prisoner Oleg Senców was in Gdańsk Friday to personally collect his Neptune award from Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz in recognition of his achievements in support of the values of freedom and solidarity.

The honor was originally awarded to Senców during the Solidarity of Arts festival last August, at which time he was still serving a twenty-year sentence in a Russian labor camp. Senców was arrested in 2014 on the charge of conducting terrorist activities in Crimea, and was only released last month as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

In his final statement before being convicted in 2014, Sencov referenced 20th-century Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, reminding his audience that “cowardice is the biggest sin” and encouraging Russian citizens not to be afraid of being brave.

During Friday’s ceremony at the European Solidarity Center, Senców expanded on this sentiment, arguing: “We can support [Russian citizens] from the outside, set an example for them…whether something changes depends only on them; they have to do it themselves.”

Europeans got an extra hour of sleep last night as all across the EU clocks were reset to Winter Time per an EU directive from January 2001.

The time change in Poland is regulated by an ordinance of the Prime Minister, which is set to expire in 2021. In recent years there have been repeated calls in the European Parliament to abolish the practice entirely, with public consultations conducted by the EC in 2018 showing overwhelming support (84%) for eliminating the time change.

According to a CBOS study from last March, more than three-quarters of all respondents (78.3%) are against the time change, with only 14.2% voting to retain the existing system. The overwhelming majority (74%) of adult Poles would prefer Central European Summer Time to be extended indefinitely.

Daylight savings time was introduced across Europe and North America in the last century as a means of saving energy, particularly during times of war during the oil crisis of the 1970s. Scenarios related to permanent summer or winter time adoption in Poland are available on the Central Office of Measures website at: https://www.gum.gov.pl/en/services/time-service/187,Time-Service.html

Weather

Today will be mostly overcast and breezy, with some rain expected in the early afternoon. Highs will reach around 14 degrees Celsius or 58 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures dropping tomorrow to a high of only 11 degrees Celsius, 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and an increasing chance of rain showers throughout the day.

RG News