The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced a major new programme of infrastructure investment, with tens of billions of euros set to be spent on Polish rails and roads. The €44 billion investment is part of the government’s flagship „New Deal” initiative aiming to boost economic growth post-pandemic.
Making the announcement in Warsaw on Monday, Mr Morawiecki said the investment of PLN 200 billion would span the country and would especially focus on renewing rail infrastructure.
The announcement came as the PM signed the contract for the construction of a new high-speed rail line between Warsaw and Łódź. The new line could cut journey times between the two cities to just 45 minutes and could later be extended to Poznan and Wrocław.
The new line, which would be Poland’s second high-speed route, would also connect to the planned Central Transport Hub – a massive new hub airport and railway interchange being built west of the capital.
Children aged 12-16 can register for the Coronavirus vaccine from this week in the latest step of the country’s vaccination rollout.
Registration for the jab opened up to over-12s on Monday, following the authorisation of the first vaccine for the age group by the European Medicines Agency late last month.
Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose vaccine is authorised for 12-to-18-year-olds, though Moderna announced yesterday that it too had asked for approval from the EMA.
Both Moderna and Pfizer claim their vaccines demonstrated 100% efficacy in third stage trials on adolescents.
Russia and Ukraine are at loggerheads once again, this time over a football shirt.
The spat began on Sunday after Ukraine’s national team unveiled their jersey for the upcoming Euro 2020 football tournament. The shirt caused anger in Russia as photos showed it emblazoned with an outline map of Ukraine including the Crimean peninsula.
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, claims it as its own, though this is not recognised internationally and Ukraine continues to claim the peninsula.
The Euro 2020 competition is set to kick off later this week, with several matches due to be held in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Polish tennis star Iga Świątek has advanced to the quarter-finals of the French Open after overcoming Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in a stunning fourth-round match yesterday.
Świątek beat the Ukrainian in two sets – 6:3, and 6:4 – to secure her place in the quarter-finals. The Pole was the favourite going into the encounter, but the Ukrainian put up fierce resistance and the match was not an easy one for Świątek.
The win means Świątek will now face Greece’s Maria Sakkari tomorrow for a place in the semi-final.
But there’s no rest for wicked – the Polish icon is today with her doubles partner, America’s Bethanie Mattek, as they face the Croato-Slovene duo of Darija Jurak and Andreja Klepač, with the winner moving on the doubles semi-final.
And one of Gdansk’s most esteemed sons is to be remembered by UNESCO’s „Memory of the World” initiative.
Five works by renowned 17th century Gdansk astronomer Johannes Hevelius will be added to the Polish national list, including „Selenography” – Hevelius’s study of the lunar surface.
Hevelius was one of the leading astronomers of the age, but he also served as mayor of Gdansk and was an esteemed member of the city’s beer-brewing guild.
Weather
Looking like another gorgeous day today with temperatures in the low 20s Celsius, that’s around 70°F.
High UV index today so remember the sunscreen if you’re heading outside.
Tomorrow looking just a good, a beautiful day with lots more summery weather on the way.
