Poland’s official candidate for EU Commissioner, Krzysztof Szczerski, has withdrawn his nomination after being offered the Agriculture and Rural Development portfolio in the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen.
In a conversation with PAP, Szczerski claimed he felt compelled to resign as he lacked experience dealing with agriculture, adding that it would be better “to give this position to someone who can do it in a responsible manner.” Szczerski nominated Janusz Wojciechowski to take his place, a decision which was confirmed on Monday by a spokesman for Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Wojciechowski is a long-standing MEP who previously served as vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Since 2016, he has been serving as an auditor with the European Court of Auditors. According to government spokesman Piotr Müller, Wojciechowski is a person who has consistently „focused on agricultural matters” in his professional and political experience.
Source: PAP
https://www.pap.pl/en/news/news%2C501585%2Cpolish-eu-commissioner-candidate-resigns-over-proposed-dept.html
Fire in Gdynia blamed on electric scooter
A fire which started on a balcony in Gdynia last night is being blamed on an electric scooter malfunction.
A similar event occurred a week ago in Sopot, where the battery of a scooter left on the sidewalk along Ulica 3 Maja caught fire. Additionally, a scooter explosion caused a fire in a building in Poznań last month, and in June a battery in a scooter on a balcony in Warsaw also exploded.
While no one was injured in the blazes, their frequency, combined with other risks inherent to the usage of electric scooters, has become a cause for concern. Opponents of electric scooters cite several additional problems, including whether scooters should be used on sidewalks or bike paths and how users can be encouraged to park them properly.
Currently, there are two companies offering electric scooter rentals in Trójmiasto: Blinkee and Quick Ride. The legal question of scooters being classified as bikes, mopeds, or pedestrians has yet to be resolved, resulting in confusion over whether scooters should be used on bike paths or sidewalks, which has directly contributed to several minor accidents across the country.
Additionally, rental scooters are not subject to parking regulations, and as such are often left in inconvenient locations such as the middle of sidewalks, causing mobility issues for pedestrians. Quick Ride has taken steps to resolve this issue by requiring users to document that they have parked the scooter properly.
As the fire in Sopot was determined to be an act of vandalism, Quick Ride is asking all users and residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious situations or parking issues directly to the company at 516 448 632.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
https://radiogdansk.pl/wiadomosci/item/98551-kolejny-pozar-elektrycznej-hulajnogi-tym-razem-splonela-na-balkonie-w-gdyni
https://radiogdansk.pl/wiadomosci/item/98314-pozar-elektrycznej-hulajnogi-w-sopocie-strazacy-byl-gesty-dym-zbadalismy-ja-tez-kamera-termowizyjna-zdjecie
American joins Sopot basketball roster for 2019 season
Professional basketball team Trefl Sopot has expanded its roster to include Nana Foulland, a 23-year-old center from the US.
Foulland will join fellow Americans Jeff Robertson, Cameron Ayers, and Carlos Medlock, along with New Zealand native Jack Salt, for the 2019/2020 season. Like his colleagues, Foulland began his basketball adventure in the US, playing college basketball for Bucknell University, where he was named Patriot League Player of the Year in 2017, averaging 15 points per game in his last season. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Foulland joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2018 NBA Summer League, later playing in the Israeli Premier League as well as the Romanian Ekstraklasa League, where his team won a bronze medal.
Fans will get to see Foulland in action when Trefl Sopot’s season kicks off September 28 with their inaugural match against King Szczecin.
14th annual Goldberg music festival kicks off today
The 14th annual Goldberg classical musical festival highlighting the musical heritage of old Gdańsk kicks off today at 7pm in Dwór Artusa.
The festival was founded in 2006 to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, an 18th century harpsichordist and composer born in Gdańsk.
As a student of Johann Sebastian Bach, Goldberg’s name became famous largely due to Bach’s composition entitled The Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), an aria and 30 variations reportedly written for Goldberg to perform for Count Kaiserling of Saxony.
The festival, which runs through Sunday, features various interpretations of early music using original instrumentation. For more information on the festival, visit https://www.trojmiasto.pl/festiwal-goldbergowski
Source: Trojmiasto.pl
https://www.trojmiasto.pl/festiwal-goldbergowski
