As the UK enters its last day today as a member of the European Union, about 400,000 Poles living in the UK have not yet applied for “settled status,” which would allow them to stay in the country after the Brexit transition period. According to Polish daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Brexit does not necessarily mean an “earthquake” for EU citizens living in the UK thanks to a transition period which starts on February 1 and is due to last until December 31. The daily added that during this time, EU citizens will continue to have the right to travel freely to and from the bloc. After the transition period ends, EU citizens will need “settled status” to be able to stay in the country. The UK Home Office has said that by the end of December more than 2.8 million EU citizens had applied for settled status, and 2.5 million of them had been granted it. It is estimated that there are over 900,000 Polish citizens living in the UK, comprising the largest group among those applying. EU citizens have until June 30, 2021 to apply.

Source – Polskie Radio

Chinese Cancel Trip to Poland

A group of young Chinese pianists have cancelled their visit to Poland amid the ongoing spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. The musicians were scheduled to perform on February 11th at a concert in central Poland, organised by the local European Arts Centre. The cancellation of the visit comes as the Chinese coronavirus is spreading worldwide with the World Health Organization declaring it a global health emergency as countries start to evacuate their citizens from China and the US advises its citizens to avoid travelling to China.

Source – Polskie Radio

Polish Invictus

A group of Polish war veterans have started a training camp ahead of this year’s Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded military personnel. Twenty-two former soldiers who sustained permanent injuries while serving on missions in various countries are taking part in the camp in Mrągowo, north-eastern Poland, in a report by Polish Radio’s IAR news agency. The Invictus Games are an annual sporting event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans take part in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and indoor rowing. The tradition was started in 2014 by Britain’s Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The fifth Invictus Games will be held from May 9 to 16 this year in The Hague in the Netherlands. They are expected to bring together more than 500 competitors from 19 nations. The Invictus Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for defence personnel who are striving to overcome physical and emotional challenges, according to the event’s website.

Source – PolskieRadio.pl

Gdansk Shipyard UNESCO Application

An application has been made this week for the Gdańsk Shipyard to be put on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is hoped that if successful, the addition will contribute to increased promotion of the city abroad and protect many of the spaces within the shipyard. This is not the first attempt to add the shipyard to the list. In 2009, an application was rejected because the local development plans allowed construction of “almost anything” on the shipyard’s premises. This time however the delegation will submit a draft management plan that tackles concerns in this area. The head of the submissions was quoted as saying, “The success of this initiative is to reconcile the history of this place with the modernity and needs of the city”.

Source: Trojmiasto.pl

The Weather
Today is going to cloudy with showers in a moderate breeze. Temperatures will reach 7 degrees centigrade (45 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and will fall only slightly to 5 degrees overnight. Saturday will remain cloudy with more showers during the day. It will be a little warmer than Friday with temperatures staying around 9 degrees centigrade.

What’s On – Friday January 31st

There’s plenty going on in the Tricity this weekend. Here’s a sample of a few things you might want to do.

• Cirque du Soleil are coming to the Ergo Arena this weekend with their new show Crystal. The First acrobatic performance on ice Crystal is not just an ice show, it’s the very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil. Watch world-class ice skaters and acrobats claim their new frozen playground with speed and fluidity as they challenge the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics. Tickets priced from 128 to 365 złoty with shows taking place at various times over the weekend.

https://imprezy.trojmiasto.pl/Cirque-du-Soleil-Crystal-imp484502.html

• The city of Gdańsk, the Gdańsk Sports Centre and the Recreation Group 3city invites you to the second edition of the free family wandering cycle under the „Activate yourself in Gdansk” program on Sunday between 10am and 1.30pm starting in Gdańsk Osowa at the PoloMarket shop. The walk will talk participants into the natural curiosities of the Osowa forest. At the Spring of Maria, at the halfway point of the route, participants will take a longer break and learn about the interesting history associated with it. The event is free of charge.

https://sport.trojmiasto.pl/Piesza-wedrowka-z-rodzina-edycja-3-2020-imp494462.html

• Do you have talent? Do you consciously develop it? Do you have the opportunity to use your unique skills at work? Or maybe you haven’t discovered your talents yet? Tonight at 6pm you can find out more at the Gdańsk Polytechnic in Wrzeszcz where there will be a meeting from the #CiekawiNauki series, where experts in the field will hold an open discussion and this will be combined with a musical performance later in the evening. The topic this evening is about managing yourself and discovering your own development path. The panel will answer questions on how to discover personal talents, why their improvement is so important and what are the psychological traps of talent. They will also discuss the ideas that modern enterprises have for „picking up” talent and supporting their development and will show the results of scientific research that indicate the sources of talent and the importance of working on talent. The event is free and requires a simple online registration.

https://nauka.trojmiasto.pl/CiekawiNauki-Masz-talent-imp493653.html

RGEN/MC