MEPs have approved a loan for Ukraine to the value of EUR 18 billion. The loan will cover roughly half of the estimated EUR 3-4 billion monthly funding Ukraine needs in 2023, the EU legislature said in a statement.
It added that the money would go to supporting essential public services, such as running hospitals, schools, and providing housing for relocated people. The funds will also be used to ensure Ukraine’s macroeconomic stability and restore its critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia, according to the statement. The regulation was adopted on Thursday with 507 votes to 38 and 26 abstentions. The loan now has to be approved by the European Council before the European Commission can disburse the support early next year.
Source – Polskie Radio
Germany’s defence minister has said that the Patriot air defence systems her country has offered Poland are intended for use „on NATO territory,” despite a request from Warsaw that the system be sent to Ukraine.
„These Patriots are part of NATO’s integrated air defence, meaning they are intended to be deployed on NATO territory,” the minister said in Berlin on Thursday. „Any use outside NATO territory would require prior discussions with NATO and the allies,” she added. The minister was speaking after the Polish Defence Minister said he had asked Germany to send the Patriot missile launchers to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russian missile attacks.
Source – Polskie Radio
A Polish scientist, has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to join its Astronaut Reserve. The presentation of the astronauts was made by the Director General of ESA, on Wednesday in Paris during the last day of the ESA Council at Ministerial Level.
ESA contracts will be awarded to six primary corps astronauts and 11 reserve astronauts. Primary corps astronauts are practically guaranteed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and may be able to participate in one of NASA’s lunar missions carried out with ESA. The Pole had to beat over 22,000 candidates from all over Europe in the ESA preliminaries, which lasted a year-and-a-half.
Source – Polskie Radio
And finally, wild boars living around housing estates in Gdańsk have been causing a nuisance, leading to plans to cull a number of them in an effort to control the issue. Locals say this will not solve the problem, as the cull will take place in a wooded area nearby, but the problem boars live in shrubbery around the affected housing estates.
The city says it shoots 150 wild boars per year to keep the population under control. A number of local residents have reported attacks of wild boars on dogs when the boar have been protecting youngsters in their herd. Wild boars are generally not aggressive if they don’t feel threatened but have known to become aggressive when protecting their family group.
Source – Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be a cloudy and grey day in a gentle breeze with temperatures of 1 degrees centigrade (34 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and -1 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will remain cold and dull in a gentle breeze with temperatures of 3 degrees during the day and 1 degree overnight.
Martin Caren
