US Presidential candidates clash in first debate Last night’s eagerly anticipated debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden rapidly devolved into personal attacks and name-calling as moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News struggled to keep the debate on track.
The evening’s topics covered a wide range of issues: the current Supreme Court nominee, Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, accusations of tax avoidance by Trump and members of his family, the continued civil unrest across the US in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and the current administration’s refusal to pressure Russia regarding its alleged support for Taliban attacks against US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Most worrying for many commentators, however, was President Trump’s apparent refusal to openly condemn violence by white supremacists and his repeated assertions that the upcoming presidential election “is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen” due to the prevalence of voting by mail.
The two candidates are set to face off again in a town hall style debate in Miami, Florida on October 16, with the election set to follow on November 3.
Source: BBC, Reuters, NYTimes, PAP
Health minister announces plans for targeted COVID-19 restrictions
After a spike in coronavirus infections, Poland’s health minister on Tuesday announced plans for new restrictions in areas hardest hit by the epidemic.
In “red” zones, where the risk of COVID-19 is considered to be the highest, pubs, bars and restaurants will have to close at 20:00, state news agency PAP reported.
Both there and in “yellow” zones – areas judged to have the second-highest level of risk – people will be obliged to wear face masks in open spaces. Such rules have up until now applied only to “red” zones.
In Pomerania, the districts of Bytów and Sopot are currently in the yellow “warning” zone for restrictions, while the district of Kartuzy is one of only two poviats in Poland currently in the “red” zone.
Details on when the new restrictions will take effect are set to be released later this week and will be updated on the website of the Ministry of Health: https://www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/aktualne-zasady-i-ograniczenia
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
EU approves aid to Polish airports
The European Commission announced yesterday that it had approved a PLN 142 million (~EUR 32 million) “Polish aid scheme to compensate airports for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak.”
Poland banned all international and domestic air passenger services at its airports beginning March 15, with several bans and restrictive measures continuing on until the end of June.
Under the plan approved by the Commission, Poland’s authorities will be able to compensate airports for any revenue losses suffered during that period, according to the ec.europa.eu website.
Source: Radio Poland
Świątek advances in French Open
Polish tennis phenom Iga Świątek beat the Czech Republic’s Markéta Vondroušová in two sets (6-1, 6-2) on Monday to advance on to the second round of the French Open tennis tournament.
The 19-year-old is Poland’s last hope for a victory after fellow Poles Magda Linette, Kamil Majchrzak, and perennial favorite Hubert Hurkacz were all eliminated in the first round of the competition.
Świątek will face off today after 13:00 against veteran Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) for the chance to advance to the third round.
Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com
Festival of Music to feature Polish choral works
The 2020 Gdańsk Festival of Music continues this evening with a performance by the elite professional Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis. The choir will be performing works by renowned Polish composers Henryk Mikołaj Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki.
The concert will take place tonight at 19:00 at St. John’s church in downtown Gdansk, and will also be available to watch online at http://www.gdanskifestiwal.pl or on the YouTube channel of the Gdańsk Music Festival.
Weather
Today will again be partly cloudy and cool, with a light breeze coming in from the northeast and only a slight chance of rain during the day. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday with a high of 17°C, or 62°F, and an overnight low of 13°C or 55°F. Similar weather is expected to continue on into the weekend, with additional clouds and rain returning early next week.
RGEN/EP
