A series of tributes and memorial events took place in Poland on Monday as the country commemorated the 40th anniversary of the imposition of martial law by its former communist authorities.
Religious services and a host of other tributes were held throughout the day at various sites to honour the victims of the communist-era crackdown. In Gdańsk, some 50 residents gathered at midnight in front of the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers at Plac Solidarność to sing the Polish anthem and light candles in tribute.
Many Poles lit candles in the windows of their homes in a symbolic gesture to commemorate the victims of communist oppression, including Grzegorz Przemyk, a young high school student who was beaten to death by Poland’s communist-era secret police.
On December 13, 1981, communist-era strongman Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski imposed martial law to stifle rising opposition, headed by the Solidarity movement. It was the start of a dark chapter in modern Polish history that saw thousands of opposition activists jailed and dozens killed.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Polish President Andrzej Duda offered his condolences after a series of devastating tornadoes killed dozens of people in a number of US states.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Duda extended his „heartfelt condolences to President Joe Biden and to all Americans on the death of innocent victims of the tragic tornadoes”.
At least 100 people are feared dead after a line of severe weather moved through the central and southern United States late last week. The storms spawned at least 50 tornadoes across six US states, including Kentucky, whose mayor called it „the most devastating tornado event in our state’s history”.
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
Poland on Monday signed a two-year agreement to coordinate the European Union’s EUR 35 million vaccination drive for the six countries of the Eastern Partnership.
Six recipient states – Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus – will receive the vaccines free of charge courtesy of the European Commission, with Warsaw tasked with assessing demand and informing EU capitals about the vaccination needs of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries.
The move comes just days before the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, in which Poland and Sweden will join EaP countries to discuss security and rule of law issues, along with climate resilience, the ongoing digital transformation, and economic sustainability.
The summit is set to kick off tomorrow, Dec 15, in Brussels.
Source: Radio Poland, consilium.europa.eu
Acclaimed Polish ski jumper Kamil Stoch came in third at a World Cup event in Klingenthal, Germany, on Saturday, claiming his first podium of the season.
The three-time Olympic champion posted jumps of 132 and 133 meters to finish behind Stefan Kraft of Austria and Halvor Egner Granerud of Norway.
The 2021/2022 ski-jumping World Cup features 35 competitions, including seven team events, hosted in various countries.
The schedule includes the prestigious Four Hills Tournament in Germany and Austria, the Raw Air event and Ski Flying World Championships in Norway, and the season-ending Ski Flying World Cup Finals in Planica, Slovenia.
The 70th annual Four Hills tournament will kick off later this month in Oberstdorf, Germany, on December 29. In February, the world’s top ski jumpers will head to China to compete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Source: Radio Poland, fis-ski.com
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cold, with a slight chance of rain in the morning and a gentle breeze coming in from the southwest. Temperatures will peak just above freezing today with a high of 4°C, or 40°F, dropping overnight to a low of 2°C or 35°F. Similar cold, cloudy weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for some sunshine starting on Thursday.
Elizabeth Peck
