Ukraine is continuing to push forward with its counteroffensive, with increasing signs that Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defenses on the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region.
According to a report released on Saturday from the UK Ministry of Defense, The Ukrainian counteroffensive has managed to exert significant pressure on Russian forces in Bakhmut and southern Ukraine.
Analysts wrote, “with Ukraine steadily making gains in the southern regions, it is anticipated that Russia will escalate its efforts in the Kupiansk-Lyman axis over the next two months.”
In occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency claimed over the weekend that a Ukrainian drone strike had targeted a Russian military base in Perevalnoye, a town located more than 200 km away from areas controlled by Ukraine.
While Russia claimed that all 42 attacking drones were intercepted by air defense systems, local residents reported casualties, explosions, and a road closure in the wake of the attack, according to reports in Reuters.
Today is day 550 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio, PAP
Officials in Rzeszów have confirmed the death of an eighth person infected with Legionnaires’ disease as the city takes steps to control the outbreak.
On Saturday, a spokesman for the University Clinical Hospital in Rzeszów, Andrzej Sroka, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the patient who recently passed away had “multiple other diseases, including cancer.”
The number of people infected with the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease has risen to 127, with the local branch of SANEPID recording an additional 14 cases as of Saturday evening.
City officials began disinfecting the municipal water system in Rzeszów yesterday, using chlorine in doses 20 times higher than normal, more than the level of chlorinated pool water.
The system is set to be flushed again today, but local residents are advised to avoid drinking water straight from the tap for the next two days, either boiling it or leaving it for 24 hours to eliminate the excess chlorine.
According to the World Health Organization, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella pneumophila) is usually transmitted through contaminated water, including ice or spray, but is not transmitted from person to person.
Source: PAP, Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk
Poland will face Germany today for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Women’s European Volleyball Championship in Belgium.
The Polish team advanced to the round of sixteen after defeating Ukraine 3-1 in their final group-stage match in Ghent, northwestern Belgium, on Thursday night.
The Poland versus Germany match is set for 20:00 tonight CEST in Brussels.
The 2023 Women’s European Volleyball Championship, also known as the EuroVolley tournament, is being held in Belgium, Estonia, Germany, and Italy from August 15 to September 3.
Source: Polskie Radio, eurovolley.cev.eu
A unique festival celebrating bats and their habitats is underway this weekend at Stara Orunia Water Reservoir near Park Oruński.
Activities at the festival include a family picnic starting at 10:00, a guided outdoor exploration of hibernating bat species, and an immersive, virtual reality bat experience. Creative workshops for crafting jewelry and origami bats will also be available, along with the chance to transform into Batman or Batgirl through face painting.
Despite its original purpose as a gravity-fed drinking water reservoir, Stara Orunia Water Reservoir has become one of the best bat habitats in Pomerania, home to various bat species, including the rare and endangered brown-haired bat.
The reservoir was reopened in May 2018 after extensive reconstruction work, but the facility will only be open to the public until the end of August due to the bats’ hibernation schedule.
The Bat Festival, part of International Bat Night, is free to attend and runs until 18:00 this evening. More details are available on the GIWK website.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Today is one of seven days in the year that the Sunday trading ban is not in force, and shops will be open as usual.
The 2018 act introducing the Sunday trading ban exempts seven Sundays each year from the ban, including the last Sundays of January, April, June, and August, the Sunday before Easter, and the two Sundays preceding Christmas.
Under the act, certain shops are generally excluded from the ban, including establishments conducting postal service activities, as well as confectioneries, ice cream parlors, petrol stations, florists, newspaper shops, and cafes. Penalties for breaking the trade ban range from PLN 1,000 to PLN 100,000.
The next trading Sunday will occur on December 17, 2023.
Source: PAP
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain in the late afternoon and a gentle breeze coming from the northeast. Temperatures will be on the cooler side, with an afternoon high of 21°C or 69°F, dropping to a low of 15°C or 59°F overnight. Slightly warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with cooler temps and rain showers returning on Tuesday.
Listen to the broadcast:
Elizabeth Peck/ol
