Prince William meets and thanks soldiers for ‘defending freedom’ at military base an hour’s drive from the Ukrainian border, on surprise trip to Poland this week.

William told soldiers during day one of his hitherto undisclosed two-day trip at an air defence military base in the south-eastern city of Rzeszow, that their work to keep “an eye on” the situation in Ukraine is “really important”.

After arriving at the base yesterday afternoon, the prince, dressed casually in a black puffer jacket and trousers, was shown a missile launcher. The base, made up of a coalition of British, Polish and US troops, is helping to aid support to Ukraine. Major Richard Kaye, who met the prince, said: “We’re here to protect critical national infrastructure in the region.

William also visited Polish soldiers at the 3rd Brigade Territorial Defence Force base and an accommodation centre in Warsaw to meet with Ukrainian refugees who have fled and found sanctuary in the Polish capital.

The prince will later today meet President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace and visit a local food hall to speak with Ukrainian refugees. He is then planned to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the famous monument dedicated to Polish soldiers who lost their lives in conflict.

(The Telegraph / PAP)

Solidarna Polska want to ensure the independence of the state forests of Poland

In a few days, Solidarna Polska will start their campaign of collecting signatures for a civic draft act, to ensure the independence of the state forests and forest management from EU regulations. This is the answer to – as some politicians have said – “the attempts of Eurocrats”.

The initiative, which is supported by some in the forestry industry, is a reaction to an EU proposal, which assumes the transfer of forestry matters from the competence of national authorities to the European Union community. Last week, the party announced that it would submit a civic bill to protect Poland against such regulations.

Representatives in Gdańsk have stated the legislative initiative committee is to be registered in a few days. Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Janusz Kowalski, expressed hope that the new law would be passed during this parliamentary term.

(Radio Gdańsk)

Toruń awarded 2026 World Indoor Championships

The city of Toruń, located 200km south of Gdansk, recently hosted the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 2021 and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe pointed to Poland’s track record as a reliable host.

„Poland is a regular host of World Athletics Series events, having staged the World Athletics Relays in Silesia in 2021 and the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia in 2020, underlying their commitment to our sport on a global level,” Coe said in a statement.
On the same day, the 2024 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships was awarded to the city of Antalya in Turkey.

The next major athletics event will be the World Athletics Championships in Budapest to be held over nine days in August this year.

(Reuters / worldathletics.org)

Defending champion Iga Swiatek withdraws from Miami Open due to rib injury

The world number one was due to play American Claire Liu in the second round of the tournament on Thursday after receiving a bye.
However, Swiatek revealed in a statement on social media that she had been struggling with a rib issue sustained during last month’s Qatar Open, which she went on to win.

She said „I need to take a break to recover and I have to pull out of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup… Time to accept it and get well as soon as possible.”

Swiatek’s withdrawal means that Julia Grabher will take her place in Miami.

The weather

Today will be rainy and overcast for most of the day, with showers continuing into the evening and overnight. A moderate breeze is expected coming in from the south west. Daytime temperatures will see a high of 14°C or 52°F, with expected lows of 7°C or 45°F overnight. Tomorrow’s weather will be similar bringing infrequent showers, with a higher chance of brighter weather as we continue into the weekend.

Thomas Rado