Polish elected officials offered their official holiday greetings over the weekend and wished for peace for Poles at home and abroad.

In posts on social media, Polish President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda wished “all our compatriots in the country and abroad peace in the world and at our borders, and above all peace in our hearts, so that together we can overcome all difficulties.”

Prime Minister Mateusz Marawiecki also wished Poles “a Christmas full of warmth, joy, and reconciliation…to enjoy with family, in peace and safety” in a video posted online.

In the video, Morawiecki acknowledged that it had been a difficult year for many in Poland due to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine but praised Poles for showing solidarity with their neighbors and opening “our hearts and homes to Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s barbaric aggression.”

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland, premier.gov.pl

Morawiecki joined Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszcak in giving holiday wishes to Polish and American troops during last week’s visit to the Land Forces Training Center in Biedrusko, near Poznań.

Along with the Joint Force Training Center near Bydgoszcz, the base will serve as headquarters for American troops serving on the eastern flank of NATO in Poland, a move Morawiecki claims “will increase security and bring peace to this part of Europe.”

“Poland is safe because it can rely on two solid factors,” Morawiecki explained during his address, “international alliances with the strongest army in the world and the ongoing systematic and very rapid strengthening of the Polish army.”

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, gov.pl, twitter.com/PremierRP_en

Several thousand residents of Słupsk received an unpleasant surprise Christmas morning after their water was shut off due to a burst pipe.

Residents of the Hubalczyków-Westerplatte estate had no water for several hours yesterday after a pipe burst under a newly-built section of Łady-Cybulskiego street.

Service workers from the Wodociągi Słupsk water company were quick to begin repairing the damage, which involved replacing affected sections of piping.

The water supply was restored as of 13:00 yesterday, with no further reports of outages.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Polish tennis star and current world No.1 Iga Świątek has been named the 5th highest-paid female athlete in the world by Forbes magazine.

The 2022 list of “World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes” is dominated by tennis players, seven of whom made it to the TOP 10, alongside one freestyle skier, one gymnast, and one golfer.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka topped the ranking above American tennis player Serena Williams and China’s freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

According to Forbes, Świątek made $9.9 million due to her phenomenal performance this season, with an additional $5m earned through outside contracts and endorsements.

The 21-year-old player took home two Grand Slam titles in 2022, the French Open and US Open, and has stayed atop the global Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking since she moved to No.1 in early April.

In September, Świątek signed with IMG Tennis, a global management company representing the world’s biggest tennis icons. The deal earned Świątek endorsement contracts with global sportswear producer Asics and Polish insurance giant PZU.

The complete list can be viewed on Forbes’ website at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/12/22/the-worlds-highest-paid-female-athletes-2022/.

Source: PAP, Radio Poland

Holiday programming on Radio Gdańsk continues today with an interview with Franciscan Friar Tomasz Janek at 14:20 about the traditional “ruchoma szopka” or “animated nativity scenes” at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Gdańsk.

The interview will be followed by a broadcast of traditional Kashubian and Polish holiday carols at 15:00. The songs were recorded at Radio Gdańsk by Janusz Świątkowski and the Kashubian Song and Dance Ensemble “Sierakowice” as part of the “Pomorskie Bethlehem” album.

Additionally, the “Night Conversations” program with Alicja Samolewicz-Jeglicka will feature psychotherapist and family mediator Anna Bialik as tonight’s special guest. Ms. Bialik will discuss themes of reconciliation and forgiveness in the face of interpersonal conflict.

The “Rozmowy Nocą” broadcast will start at 22:30 this evening.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be cold and cloudy, with a chance for rain showers throughout the day and a strong breeze coming from the south and later west. Temperatures will be warmer than yesterday, with a high of 8°C, or 47°F, dropping to a low of 3°C or 37°F overnight. Slightly cooler weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for clearer skies later in the day.

Elizabeth Peck/pb