Today marks the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi extermination camp which came to symbolize the Holocaust.
A live broadcast of the ceremony, which will feature messages from Auschwitz survivors and an official address by President Andrzej Duda, will begin online at 16:00 today. This year’s commemoration will focus on the over 230,000 children sent to Auschwitz between May 1940 and January 1945, most of whom did not survive.
Over a million people, mainly Jews, as well as Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and other “undesirables,” died in Auschwitz before Soviet Red Army soldiers liberated the camp on January 27, 1945.
The date was officially designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations in 2005.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has formally invited US President Joe Biden to visit Poland, according to one of Duda’s senior advisors.
While officials say it is too early to confirm a specific date for the visit, the extended presence of American troops in Poland, along with US support for the regional Three Seas Initiative, greatly increases the likelihood that such a meeting could potentially take place in the future.
Biden has been busy setting up key members of his administration since he was officially sworn in last week as the 46th president of the United States. Yesterday, the US Senate confirmed Biden’s choice for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, an appointment welcomed in a Twitter post by Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau.
According to Reuters, Blinken has vowed to revitalize American diplomacy and build a united front to counter challenges posed by Russia, China, and Iran.
According to Polish officials, 776,987 people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in Poland so far, including a record 67,743 in a 24-hour period from Monday to Tuesday.
Vaccinations opened on Monday for those over the age of 70, joining other priority groups, including healthcare workers, nursing home residents, people with chronic health conditions, teachers, police, and soldiers.
The head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Michał Dworczyk, reported earlier this week that appointment slots at over 5,000 sites across the country had already been booked out until the end of March, with some 3 million doses already spoken for, or in the process of being administered.
On Tuesday, Poland reported 4,604 new coronavirus infections and 264 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to nearly 1,482,722 and fatalities to 35,665.
Polish star striker Robert Lewandowski has extended his lead in the ranking of the top scorers in Europe’s biggest football leagues this season.
With 23 goals for Germany’s Bayern Munich, the Pole comfortably leads the race for the European Golden Shoe award for the top scorer of the 2020/2021 season. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is in second place, with 15 strikes for Italian club Juventus.
Last month, Lewandowski won FIFA’s 2020 Best Men’s Player award, beating both Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Lewandowski was also named Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, capping off a remarkable year in which the Polish striker scored 47 goals in 44 games for his club and the Polish team.
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and cold, with a light breeze coming in from the northwest and a very little chance of precipitation. Temperatures will remain above freezing during the day, with a high of 3°C, or 37°F, dropping to -2°C or 29°F overnight. Colder weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for snow throughout the day.
Elizabeth Peck/ako
