The Polish presidential couple have welcomed a special flame known as the Peace Light of Bethlehem, part of an international Christmas tradition.
The light was brought to the presidential palace in Warsaw on Friday by a group of Polish scouts who earlier received it from their Slovak counterparts. During a ceremony, President Andrzej Duda said that the annual tradition was a symbol of „peace, goodness and warmth.”
He remarked that this year, the Peace Light of Bethlehem „arrives in extremely difficult times,” amid a war across Poland’s eastern border in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East. In a tradition started by Austrian scouts in 1986, the flame is lit at the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem every year.
Source – Polskie Radio
Poland’s president has approved a bill to reintroduce state funding for in vitro fertilisation (IVF), his office said on Friday, amid efforts to boost fertility in the country.
President Andrzej Duda signed the proposed legislation into effect after it was voted through by parliament, despite an appeal to the contrary from the Catholic Church. It is estimated that some 3 million people in Poland are affected by infertility. Under the new rules, the Polish government will spend at least PLN 500 million (EUR 115 million, USD 125 million) a year on combating infertility, including through IVF.
Source – Polskie Radio
Poland’s new defence minister has disbanded a panel reinvestigating the 2010 air disaster that killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński and 95 others near the western Russian city of Smolensk, officials announced in a statement on Friday.
The inquiry was started by the country’s previous government. The statement added that a team of experts would be appointed to „scrutinise every aspect” of the panel’s operations. A Deputy Defence Minister told reporters that it was a „historic moment” that Poland would no longer „spend millions on activities that had nothing to do with explaining the circumstances of the Smolensk disaster.” He added that the panel’s operation „had a lot to do with politics.” The plane crash near Smolensk, western Russia, on April 10, 2010, killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife and dozens of top officials. It is still a source of controversy and recriminations.
Source – Polskie Radio
And finally, the charity group Caritas is set to hold its annual Christmas Eve dinner for the homeless and needy in Sopot.
The event will see around 400 places set at the Centennial Hall of Sopot, for anyone in need – the homeless, the lonely and anyone wanting to celebrate Christmas Eve with others. There will also be carol singing. Doors open at 9am on Christmas Eve. Planning for the event starts two months in advance with students from local schools collecting foodstuff with a long shelf-life.
Source – Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be a cloudy day in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 5 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will turn rainy in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 9 degrees during the day and 7 degrees overnight.
Martin Caren/jk
