In the United States, lawmakers will today begin the trial of former President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump, who ended his term as president last week, is accused of inciting an insurrection which saw the US Congress building ransacked by a mob of his supporters. Those against Mr Trump claim it was his words at a political rally earlier in the day which drove the mob to attack Congress on January 6th. Mr Trump denies responsibility for the attack and has condemned the violence.
The trial will take place in the Senate, the upper house of Congress, which was itself a target of the insurrection. The 100-seat Senate is currently divided 50-50 between Mr Trump’s own Republican Party and the Democratic Party, which opposes him. Convicting the former president will require a two-thirds majority, meaning the Democrats will need to convince 17 Republicans to vote against Mr Trump.
If convicted, Mr Trump could be blocked from running for federal office in future, cutting off hopes of a 'Trump 2024′ presidential campaign.
Supporters of the ex-president have described the trial as divisive and have called for the country to move on.
Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has kept a distance from the trial, telling CNN yesterday that he does not believe Democrats will find enough votes to convict Mr Trump.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has said delays in receiving vaccine doses are lengthening the country’s fight against COVID-19.
Speaking to the British Financial Times newspaper, President Duda added that the slowdown in vaccine deliveries could be costing the Polish economy around one billion zlotych per day.
In recent days, numerous vaccine shipments to countries around the world have been hit with delays and cancellations as demand surges and producers struggle to keep up. European nations have been hit especially hard, with Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca all announcing problems with supply to EU states. According to reports by the Guardian yesterday, Europe may receive just half of the 100m doses ordered for the first quarter of this year.
The European Commission yesterday threatened to block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the company announced a 60% cut in vaccine supply to EU member states.
The EU has so far lagged behind other developed nations in vaccine rollout, administering just 2 doses per hundred people on average. The US meanwhile is at 6.6 per hundred and the UK has surpassed 10 doses per hundred people. Poland, in line with the EU average, stands at 1.9 according to Oxford University’s OurWorldInData.org website.
Find more vaccine data here:
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
But in a piece of good news, vaccine producer Moderna yesterday announced its vaccine appears to be effective in fighting new mutated strains of the virus discovered in the UK and South Africa.
Gdansk has opened its first 'playground for adults’.
The playground, located close to Jelitkowo beach in Ronald Reagan park, includes swings, a roundabout, and a hammock as well as bike racks and benches. New LED lighting has also been brought to the park.
The project was paid for with funds from the Citizen’s Budget, which allows Gdanskers to suggest and choose their favourite local development ideas. Other recent Citizen’s Budget projects have included library renovations, bike paths, and new greenery installations.
Gdansk buses and trams are now live on Google Maps.
Thanks to open data from the ZTM Gdansk public transport authority, passengers can now see trams and buses moving in real-time on the map, including information about delays and changes to service. Google Maps will also show the locations of ticket machines and accessibility information for wheelchair users.
The project brings Gdansk in line with other major Polish cities including Warsaw and Krakow in having live transit updates.
Partly cloudy as we go into the afternoon, with temperatures around 1C, 34F.
Clouding over into the evening though with a chance for some snow showers overnight.
Some sunshine on the way tomorrow but temperatures dropping down below freezing with some snow likely on the way in the coming days.
Radio Gdansk News/Thomas Holdstock
