Polish President Andrzej Duda traveled to Italy over the weekend with First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda to attend the World Food Forum this week.
The President and First Lady paid an unofficial visit to the Vatican yesterday, where they paid tribute to John Paul II on the eve of the 44th anniversary of his election as the head of the Catholic Church.
As part of the World Food Forum, Duda will meet with the UN Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and give a speech at today’s plenary session.
Duda will meet with other officials to discuss the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on global food supply chains during his visit to Rome. According to Jakub Kumoch, the head of the presidential International Policy Bureau, the meeting “will be an opportunity” for Duda “to tell non-European countries what the food crisis is about.”
The World Food Forum (WFF) will be held from 17 to 21 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
According to Ukrainian officials, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was again under attack early this morning, this time by kamikaze drones.
Writing on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko described “three explosions in quick succession” in the Shevchenkivskyi district near the city center. As a result of the attacks, a fire broke out in a non-residential building in the area, with additional damage to several residential buildings.
Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the President of Ukraine, again appealed for air defense systems in a post on Telegram, writing that “there is no time for delay” and asking for “More weapons to protect the sky.”
During a virtual meeting of the G7 last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to members for more air defense and anti-missile systems to combat the 2,400 “Shahed” kamikaze drones Russia has reportedly procured from Iran.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, PAP
Over the weekend, the facade of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw was illuminated with a special tribute to Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz, who was the first woman ever to summit K2 and the first European woman to summit Mount Everest.
On October 16, 1978, Rutkiewicz became the first person from Poland and the third woman in the world to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth at 8,848 m (29,031.7 ft). Her ascent also coincided with the historic election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope 44 years ago.
During a later visit to Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II met with Rutkiewicz, saying it was God’s will “that on the same day we climbed so high.” Rutkiewicz reportedly gave the Pope a stone she had brought back from the summit of Everest.
Rutkiewicz disappeared on May 12, 1992, en route to summit Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world at 8,586m (28,169 ft). She was last seen by Mexican mountaineer Carlos Carsolio some 300m from the summit. The exact circumstances of her death and the location of her body remain unknown to this day.
Last year, the Polish parliament passed a resolution to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her death and designated 2022 as the “Year of Wanda Rutkiewicz.”
Source: PAP, Radio Poland
Polish tennis phenom Iga Świątek defeated Croatian Donna Vekić in three sets (6:3 3:6 6:0) earlier this morning to take home the top prize at the San Diego Open in the US state of California.
The win marks Świątek’s eighth WTA title and 64th match-win this year. According to official Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) sources, Swiątek now boasts the “most match-wins in a single season since Serena Williams won 78 matches in 2013.”
As one commentator from Tennis World explained, Swiątek’s latest victory has established her “as the most dominant player on the WTA Tour,” and she is “now the face of women’s tennis.”
Source: PAP, wtatennis.com, tennisworldusa.org
Weather
Today will be cool and mostly cloudy, with little chance of rain during the day and a gentle breeze coming in from the south. Temperatures will peak around a high of 19°C, or 66°F, dropping to a low of 9°C or 48°F overnight. Cooler weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for some rain overnight and early tomorrow morning.
Elizabeth Peck
