The Polish president and first lady are set to visit Rome on Monday to attend a ceremony in which a symbolic Flame of Peace will be handed over to Poland as it prepares to host the 2023 European Games.

Duda’s one-day trip to Rome will focus on the European Games, a major international sports event that Poland will be hosting later this year. Kraków and ten other southern Polish cities are preparing to host the 2023 European Games, one of the continent’s biggest sporting events this year. The 3rd European Games, to be held from June 21 to July 2, will feature 12 days of competition in twenty-nine sports, and more than 7,000 athletes from forty-eight countries are expected to take part.

Source – Polskie Radio

Polish citizens will be offered a 3rd COVID booster shot from April 15th it has been announced.

The booster is targeted at people over 60, those who received a “univalent” second booster, those with impaired immunity and healthcare personnel. Speaking at a news conference the Polish Health Minister said that the decision had been made based on “an analysis of the situation in other countries, recommendations from experts and two weeks of discussions by the health ministry’s COVID-19 task force”. The minister also said that “the state of epidemic emergency” in the country had been extended until the end of April. He added that the main reason for the extension “are the flu infections, which average 28,000-29,000 a day”.

Source – Polskie Radio

The Polish President has approved a 15-year plan for the country’s armed forces this week.

After signing the 15-year development plan, Duda described it as “an extremely important document” amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The president said that the priority directions for the development of the Polish army “will be largely based on the current foundation of ground forces, the air force and the navy”. He added: “But new components have been added, namely the cyberspace forces and the space forces, in line with the challenges posed by contemporary times”. The plan is updated and approved by the president every four years.

Source – Polskie Radio

And finally, police officers from Gdańsk have solved a 26-year-old murder with the help of new DNA sequencing technology.

In May 1997, a postman in Gdańsk was shot and killed by an unknown assailant and the perpetrator stole several thousand zlotys in cash. Based on the improved DNA profiling data a 52-year-old man was arrested this week at an apartment in the city. City prosecutors and the police „X-files” unit which investigates unsolved cases returned to the case two years and re-using DNA evidence secured at the time managed along with a media campaign to jog people’s memories, managed to identify the suspect.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a rainy day in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 5 degrees centigrade (41 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 1 degree overnight. Tomorrow will turn sunny in a fresh breeze with temperatures of 5 degrees during the day and -1 degree overnight.

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Martin Caren/ol