Vladimir Putin has said he will discuss Xi Jinping’s 12-point plan to „settle the acute crisis in Ukraine”, during a highly anticipated visit to Moscow by the Chinese president.

„We’re always open for a negotiation process,” Mr Putin said yesterday, as the leaders called each other „dear friend”.

Russian and Chinese delegations will hold talks throughout today – the main day of the visit.

China released a plan to end the war last month – it includes „ceasing hostilities” and resuming peace talks. China’s plan did not specifically say that Russia must withdraw from Ukraine – which Ukraine has insisted as a precondition for any talks.

Meanwhile the US warned on Friday that the peace plan could be a „stalling tactic”.

The fear in Kyiv is that China’s support for Russia – currently based around technology and trade – might become military, potentially including artillery shells.

Source: BBC

They chew on cables, find their way into residential buildings, and have even been known to destroy cars. Residents of the city centre in Wrocław are struggling to deal with the situation.

The city’s problems with the rodents have been known for some time. Despite regular rounds of pest control, the city cannot cope with the current population of rats, which find ideal conditions in the city centre. The animals are visible not only in courtyards, by garbage dumps and in basements of buildings, but they have also been shown to break into apartments.

Last week, a resident of central Wrocław got scared when she found a rat in her bathroom. The photo she took quickly went viral online via social media. This sparked reaction from the local authorities to address the situation.

Grzegorz Rajter from the city municipal office has admitted that the number of reports of the vermin has clearly increased recently. The official clarified that incidents can be reported to the Department of Environment at the magistrate or directly to the city guard. However, ultimately the issue of deratization is the responsibility of building managers.

Last week, the Wrocław city councillors decided that a pest control program in the centre of town and the wider river Oder region will last for 10 months. Breaks will be taken only in April and October.

Source: PAP

Yesterday, the local state sanitary inspector issued a positive decision on the suitability of the water for human consumption.

At the beginning of March, a bacterium was detected in a part of the water supply serving the area of Wejherowo, 25km north west of Gdynia. About 5,000 local residents could not use running water until now.

It was found that the passage of water along a specific long, practically unused connection of pipe work caused the deterioration of the microbiological quality of water in the network.
The situation was treated seriously and rapidly, as consumption of water with this type of bacteria causes food poisoning. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, a lack of appetite and sometimes dizziness and an increase in body temperature.

Source: PAP, Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be cloudy giving way to some sun at times, with rain only expected in the late evening and overnight. Only a very gentle breeze is expected coming in from the west. Daytime temperatures will see a high of 10°C or 50°F, with expected lows of 5°C or 41°F overnight. Tomorrow’s weather will be warmer, but with overcast skies and rain expected which will likely continue through the week.

Tom Rado/ol