The number of global infections from corona virus has now passed more than half a million and the US has become the country with the highest number of corona virus infections at over 85,000 positive tests. In encouraging news, a new study has found that Poland has the highest proportion of hospital beds for elderly people in Europe. The large number of beds for people aged 70+ could help the country in its battle with Covid-19. In the UK, anyone continuing to break coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and face arrest as other countries have imposed or consider imposing stricter self-isolation rules.

Source – Reuters, First News

Poland’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador yesterday to protest at a tweet by a high-ranking Russian parliamentarian that Warsaw had refused to let Russian planes carrying aid to virus-struck Italy pass through Polish airspace. The foreign ministry said that Russia’s ambassador to Warsaw was told that Poland was „outraged” at the accusation which the foreign ministry referred to as “absurd” and “reprehensible”.

Source – Reuters

Poland’s state bank BGK will issue bonds worth around 16 billion zlotys ($3.9 billion) in 2020 and 2021 as part of a wider plan to combat the coronavirus impact on the economy, the government said in draft legislation published yesterday. The draft also said that the state will buy the bonds back from 2021 to 2025, spending around 2.5 billion zlotys a year in the first year and then around 3.7 billion zlotys a year thereafter. The government also announced a package worth over 200 billion zlotys ($48 billion) to help the economy, while the central bank cut interest rates by 50 basis points earlier this month.

Source – Reuters

Four hundred years after the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic from Britain to the United States, a group of engineers plan to have a crewless-ship also named the Mayflower, navigate itself along the same 3220 mile route. The voyage is due to begin in September and the new Mayflower could become the first full-sized, fully autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic, organizers IBM and marine research group Promare say. The original Mayflower ship with its crew of around 30 transported 102 British settlers from England to America in July 1620. They would become the first of the so called Pilgrim Fathers to land there. A hull designed and built in Gdansk set off by road for Plymouth in the UK this week, where final work will be completed.

Source – Polskie Radio

Weather

Today is going to be partly cloudy with sunny intervals and a gentle breeze. Temperatures will reach 10 degrees centigrade (50 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to -1 degree centigrade overnight. Saturday should be sunny with a gentle breeze allowing temperatures to rise to a respectable 12 degrees centigrade during the day, dropping to 3 degrees centigrade overnight.

Martin Caren/aż