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World News 28.01: US asks China to broker peace, Polish border wall coming soon

In this episode of World News, we zoom in on the life in Ukraine’s frontal areas in the shadow of the possible Russian invasion, take a closer look at a surprising turn of the US diplomacy manifesting in asking China to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, then we follow up with the construction of a wall on the Polish-Belarusian border with the aim to preventing illegal migration.

For close to a month the West and Russia have been unable to resolve the crisis surrounding Ukraine and the threat of a possible Russian invasion is becoming increasingly dire. Although Moscow claims it has no intentions to attack, Western officials have warned that the military build-up is continuing.

The US has put some of its Armed Forces in a state of high alert in preparation for a possible deployment to Europe. The move is part of a larger effort by NATO countries to prepare for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. While US President Joe Biden stated that American troops would not fight to defend the Eastern European country, the deployment aims to reassure NATO allies on the eastern flank, that the United States is committed to security in the region.

Amid the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the US government asked China for help in solving the conflict diplomatically. The governments of China and Russia have recently demonstrated signs of ever-closer cooperation, while Washington’s ties with the two countries are at the worst in recent history.

The US approaches China, they say ‘none of our business’

To delve deeper into the topic, TVP World has asked Grzegorz Górski, Professor of American Studies at the Jagellonian college of Toruń for his expertise.

“This is very surprising, we know that America and China are in great competition. It’s very hard to understand,” Professor Górski said, adding that “for China, the focusing of America’s attention on Europe is a kind of a gift from heaven so they can have free hands in their activities around Taiwan and other things that might be interesting for them in the Pacific region.”

Prof. Górski remarked that China was preoccupied with their own matters, including the Winter Olympics, and that the country’s response was: “this is your problem, not ours.”

Drawing a parallel from a preceding case of Russia attacking Georgia in 2008 on the eve of the Winter Olympics, TVP World’s guest said that “if Russia wants to invade [Ukraine], maybe the same scenario could be played this year [in Ukraine].”

Professor Górski stipulated expressing his opinion that Russia “is looking to another solution to the situation in Ukraine, so we will not see the same invasion as in 2008.”

To hear more from our guest, watch the entire episode above.

Prof. Górski found it unlikely that Russia would attack Ukraine days away from the Winter Olympics inauguration ceremony. Photo: EPA/Guillaume Horcajuelo

Life in the shadow of war

While the West promises severe economic sanctions and response in face of the mounting Russian danger on Ukraine’s borders, many Ukrainians have had to live under the threat of war for years. Some of them have decided to share their stories – both civilians living among the ruins and soldiers watching the frontlines.

Construction of a wall on the Polish-Belarusian border

The artificial migrant crisis orchestrated by the Belarusian regime on the border with Poland is now marked by much lower numbers of illegal crossing attempts. Though in much smaller groups, the migrants from the Middle East continue to test the defence capabilities of the Polish services, the construction of a physical wall along the border could put a stop to the tense situation.

Meanwhile, in Belarus, the number of political prisoners sharply increased to 1007, in comparison to 967 just one month earlier. However, the actual number of those sentenced for political reasons is believed to be much, much higher. As western countries appeal to the Lukashenko regime to respect human rights, sanctions are already in place for the hijacking plane with civil-right activists on board who was detained in May of last year.

The construction of the Polish border wall continues. Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko

CD Projekt reaches USD 1.8 mln settlement, Australia hit by severe weather conditions

Amidst geopolitical tensions, the world of entertainment is not slowing down. One of the biggest game developers, CD Projekt, has reached a 1.8 million dollar settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed by investors in the US.

South-eastern Australia has been hit hard by a wave of severe weather conditions. The state of Victoria has been experiencing heavy rain, hailstorms and flooding. 4000 households in Victoria were left without electricity.

Omicron overrides Delta as record-breaking infections are reported

As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 appears to have taken over from Delta as the dominant variant of the coronavirus, various countries are considering different approaches to combating the pandemic. Germany and Poland are encouraging their citizens to vaccinate, while Denmark, in a controversial move, decided to lift its restrictions.

Six robbers go on trial over a heist of 18th-century jewels

Not as good as the Ocean’s eleven but still impressive, six members of a criminal organisation went on trial in Germany on Friday over a spectacular heist in which 18th-century jewels were stolen from a state museum in Dresden. According to investigators, the stolen jewels were worth at least EUR 113 mln.

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