Eight thousand soldiers equipped with boats, amphibian craft, helicopters and bulldozers are ready to fight flooding in Poland as temperatures are expected to rise following heavy snowfall, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has said.
Forecasters predict that, following a wintry spell, the mercury will climb across the country towards the end of the week. Snow which hit Poland in recent days is expected to start melting rapidly, posing a risk of local flooding. The army will be brought if asked to help by local authorities, public broadcaster Polish Radio reported. Territorial Army troops were deployed to help fire-fighters reinforce embankments on the Vistula River last week after an accumulation of ice caused flooding in the central city of Płock.
The Visegrad Group (V4) countries will continue to work on strengthening regional cooperation and fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the prime ministers of the four nations pledged in a declaration following a regional summit in Kraków, southern Poland.
The gathering was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of the group, which brings together Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Visegrad Group came to life in the historic Hungarian town of Visegrad on February 15, 1991. On Wednesday in Kraków, the V4 leaders discussed future challenges, regional cooperation, relations with the US, the EU’s eastern policy and relations with Russia.
Poland will be one of the hosts of the men’s European Volleyball Championship in September, the sports ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The tournament will go ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic and, apart from Poland, will be held in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Finland. Matches in Poland will take place in Katowice and Kraków in the south, and in the northern city of Gdańsk. Deputy Sports Minister Anna Krupka said that 25 games during the championship will be played in Poland, more than in the other host countries. The tournament will run from September 1st to 19th .
And finally, researchers from the Department of Molecular Biology at the university of Gdańsk have been granted a patent for their work researching ways to combat Alzheimer’s disease.
The patent covers their invention relating to the use of particular kind of a chemical call flavonoids which are commonly found in plant products such as soy-beans. The researchers have discovered that one particular kind of flavonoid appears to have great potential in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The scientists are continuing their research and are hopeful that their research may one day lead to drugs that can combat the effects of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative neurological diseases.
Today marks the end of the current cold spell and it will be a cloud day with chances of sleet showers in a moderate breeze. Temperatures will reach 3 degrees centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to 1 degree overnight. Saturday will continue to warm up with sunny spells and a gentle breeze and temperatures of 5 degrees during the day and 1 degree overnight.
Martin Caren/ako
