Poland aims to build Europe’s strongest army

Poland aims to build the strongest army in Europe according to the country’s defence minister. Mariusz Błaszczak made the statement in a media interview on Friday. Błaszczak, who is also a deputy prime minister, told broadcaster Radio Poznań: “The strongest army in the world is the US Army, but indeed we can say that we’re going to have NATO’s second-strongest army. It’s a very realistic prospect and it will happen soon”. He added: “We are consistently strengthening the Polish army, equipping it with modern weapons, which are produced according to NATO standards. They come from the United States, South Korea and the Polish arms industry”.

Source – Polskie Radio

Polish jobless rate second-lowest in EU

The unemployment rate in Poland was the 2nd lowest in Europe at the start of 2023 according to data from Euorstat, the EU’s main statistical data gathering body. Unemployment in Poland was a modest 2.8 percent in January, down from 2.9 percent in December and the second-lowest in Europe. The Czech Republic boasted the lowest jobless rate in the bloc in January at 2.5 percent, while Germany and Malta trailed Poland in joint third place, each with 3 percent. Meanwhile, Spain had the highest seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in the EU, at 13 percent, while Greek unemployment was the second-highest at 11.6 percent, according to the latest available data. The EU average unemployment rate for January was 6.1 percent.

Source – Polskie Radio

Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda wins silver in Istanbul

Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda won the silver in the women’s 60 metres at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul on Friday, taking the country’s medal haul to two in the ongoing event in Turkey. Swoboda finished second in Friday’s final, with a time of 7.09 seconds, to earn her third career European indoor track-and-field medal. Earlier in the day, Poland’s Adrianna Sułek won the silver and set a new national record in the women’s pentathlon at the championships in Istanbul. The 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships run until Sunday.

Source – Polskie Radio

Mayor of Sopot spends 115,000 PLN on trip to America

And finally, the mayor of Sopot, Jacek Karnowski, has spent 115,000 PLN from the city budget on a week-long trip to America it has emerged. The mayor was accompanied by other employees from the city on the trip. In total, eight people went to the United States as part of two delegations. The first group, with the vice-president, left on November 27th and returned after ten days. The second, with the president of Sopot, arrived in the USA on December 3rd and stayed there for eight days. President Karnowski was accompanied by the former Polish ambassador to the USA. The delegation held several meetings in New York, including with representatives of Outright International, on the implementation of the Sopot City of Human Rights project and on tourism at the Tourism Organization.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a cloudy day in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 3 degree centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and -5 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will remain cloudy with some snow showers in places in a gentle breeze and temperatures of 2 degrees during the day and -6 degrees overnight.

Martin Caren/aKa