The 2022 NATO summit started off on a positive note yesterday in Madrid after Turkey announced it had agreed to back Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids.

According to the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Turkey agreed to drop its previous opposition in return for support in its fight against the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

During the three-day summit, NATO leaders are expected to adopt a new strategic concept, setting out the aims and tasks of the alliance for the coming decade.

Earlier in the week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would increase the number of troops on high readiness to more than 300,000, and adopt a new strategy describing Russia as a “direct threat,” according to reports from Reuters.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters

The Polish government has drafted a bill to enable employees to continue working from home after the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Maląg, the new bill would add the concept of “flexible working hours” or “telework” to Poland’s Labor Code.

Under the draft legislation, employers will be obliged to provide teleworkers with all “necessary work materials and tools,” including equipment. Qualifying work would be performed partly or entirely in a place of the employee’s choosing, in agreement with their employer.

Telework is reportedly set to be a guaranteed option for most female employees who are pregnant, as well as for those who have a child of up to four years of age or a child with a disability.

Source: Radio Poland

Gdańsk residents celebrated World Amber Day yesterday by attending the official weighing and measurement of the world’s largest piece of amber.

The Gdańsk-based exhibit will soon appear in the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of “the heaviest lump of amber,” weighing in at a massive 68.2 kilograms.

According to Amber Museum spokesman Dr. Andrzej Gierszewski, the previous record-holder was a 50-kilogram lump of amber from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which is currently in the collection of a private collector.

The exhibit presented in Gdańsk on Tuesday also comes from Sumatra and was purchased thanks to a grant from Poland’s National Institute for Museums and Public Collections (NIMOZ).

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Iga Świątek has joined her Polish peers in the second round at Wimbledon after defeating Croatia’s Jana Fett 6-3, 6-0 yesterday.

The victory extends Świątek’s winning streak to 36 straight matches. She will face off against Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands on Thursday for the chance to advance to round 3.

Also advancing to round two were fellow Polish players Magda Linette, Maja Chwalińska, and Katarzyna Kawa. Linette will face off today against Angelique Kerber of Germany at 14:40, followed by Chwalińska versus American Alison Riske at 15:15.

Katarzyna Kawa will have the last and most challenging match of the day against No. 3-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia at 17:15.

Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com

Two Ukrainian tennis players are making headlines at Wimbledon as they prepare to face each other today.

Officials expect the second-round match between Anhelina Kalinina and Lesia Tsurenko to be a compelling reminder of Ukraine’s battle against the ongoing Russian invasion.

Kalinina previously said she would use her Wimbledon prize money to reconstruct her parent’s home in Irpin, which was destroyed by Russian bombs early in the war. The 25-year-old has already earned GBP 78,000 (PLN 445,000 ) for progressing to the second round at Wimbledon, PAP reported.

Kalinina told reporters that it was “hard to focus, but for me it matters if I win or if I lose. I’m helping my grandmother and grandfather, who are in occupied territory now.”

The two Ukrainian players have hinted they may prepare “something special” for their match, currently set for today at 12:00 noon.

Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from this year’s Wimbledon in response to their countries’ invasion of Ukraine.

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and much cooler than yesterday, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming in from the north. Temperatures will peak around a high of 22°C, or 71°F, dropping to an overnight low of 17°C or 62°F. Warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with an increasing chance of rain showers in the late afternoon.

Elizabeth Peck