The European Union’s executive has cleared EUR 650 million worth of Polish state aid to the national air carrier LOT, which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The EU executive said that the aid measures consisted of a EUR 400 million subsidized loan and a capital injection of around EUR 250 million.
The measures were approved under temporary state aid rules that the European Commission originally adopted in March and then amended several times over the course of the year. The aid measures aim to restore LOT’s equity and liquidity position in order to ensure continued air transport services, the European Commission also said.
Source – Polskie Radio
Poland offers Germany help in fighting coronavirus
Poland has offered medical equipment and help in fighting the coronavirus epidemic for German areas close to the two countries’ border, a deputy foreign minister in Warsaw has said. The minister said that Poland has offered respirators, heart monitors and domestically-made protective suits. He added Poland has also said it could admit some patients from some hospitals on the German border area to a hospital on the Polish side.
Since the spring, Poland had provided assistance to a string of countries including Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Belarus and Georgia, and had also sent aid to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.
Source – Polskie Radio
Four detained after drug bust at Polish border
Police in Poland say they have detained four men and thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large amount of marijuana into the country, in a joint operation with border guards. Investigators believe the suspects may have brought around 48 kilograms of the drug, with a total street value of some PLN 2.8 million into Poland from Spain before being nabbed. In a swoop, officers seized around 7 kg of marijuana hidden in the spare tyres of a delivery van that crossed into Poland. The suspects could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Source – Polskie Radio
Gdańsk Wrzeszcz train station to undergo a facelift in 2022
And finally, a tender has been put out for the renovation of Gdańsk Wrzeszcz railway station that could see the station with a new facelift by 2023. Under the plans, the existing buildings would be dramatically renovated, although the interior of the station would remain mostly unchanged. The estimated value of the investment is approximately PLN 14.2 million. For comparison, the ongoing reconstruction works at Gdańsk main station are costing around PLN 100 million. Any contractor awarded the job would have 18 months to complete the works and the deadline for bids is January 26th.
Source – dziennikbaltycki.pl
Weather
Today will be a cloudy day with sunny intervals in a gentle breeze and temperatures reaching 6 degrees centigrade (43 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to 1 degree overnight. Tomorrow will be a rainy day with a gentle breeze and temperatures reaching 5 degrees centigrade during the day and 2 degrees overnight.
That was the Radio Gdańsk English news and weather.
Martin Caren/mw
