One person was killed and one injured in an explosion on Thursday at a plant in southern Poland that produces explosives for mines, according to fire-fighters.
Fifteen crews have been deployed to the site, fire-fighters said. The blast was reported to be felt up to a few kilometres away. Nitroerg, owned by Polish state-run copper producer KGHM, is Poland’s largest manufacturer of explosives for civilian use and one of the largest in Europe. Poland’s State news agency reported that there was no blaze at the plant.
Source – Polskie Radio, wiadomosci.wp.pl
Hotline to help Polish teachers with remote learning know-how
Polish teachers struggling with technology needed to conduct classes remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to call a special hotline for help. Poland plans to reopen schools for young children on Monday, with children in grades 1 to 3 of elementary education returning to on-site learning. The Polish Education Minister said on Thursday that older children would have to continue attending classes online as the epidemic persists. He added that the new hotline was one way the government was supporting distance learning. Poland on Monday began testing teachers for COVID-19 ahead of the return to normal classes for the youngest pupils. He also said that around 80,000 teachers had been tested as of Wednesday, with some 2 percent of them found to be infected with the coronavirus.
Source – Polskie Radio
Billions for Polish state-owned rail carrier under 10-year deal
Poland’s infrastructure ministry has signed a ten-year contract worth over PLN 21 billion with state-owned rail carrier PKP Intercity. The public service contract, which runs until 2030, will allow PKP Intercity to offer more passenger trains between Polish provinces. The president of PKP Intercity stated that an increase of 84% in capacity is forecast as a result of the deal. At the same time, the carrier plans to increase the number of passengers to 74 million in 2030. In 2019, i.e. before the pandemic that thwarted the operator’s plans, there were 48.9 million passengers. The contract will also mean the delivery of more modern and comfortable trains.
Source – Polskie Radio, www.rynek-kolejowy.pl
Gdańsk Shipyard one step away from being entered on the UNESCO list
And finally, Gdańsk shipyard is one step closer to being included on the the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. In February last year, the World Heritage Center positively verified the application for entering the Gdańsk Shipyard on the UNESCO list. Now it has been positively assessed by experts from the International Council for the Protection of Monuments and Historic Sites, which is a key element of the procedure for entering on the UNESCO list. The final decision on this issue should be made in the middle of this year.
Source – Polskie Radio
Weather
Today will be a cloudy day with the chance of heavy snow showers during the day and a moderate breeze and temperatures reaching -2 degrees centigrade (28 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to -4 degrees overnight. Saturday will continue to be cloudy with chances of heady snow showers and temperatures will reach -2 degrees centigrade during the day plummeting to a very cold -11 degrees overnight.
That was the Radio Gdańsk English news and weather.
Martin Caren/mw
