A joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade has started combined military drills in the western Ukrainian city of Yavoriv, near Lviv. The joint maneuvers, codenamed Three Swords 2021, are being held at an exercise site of the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre.
Over 1200 troops and 200 vehicles from the three countries are scheduled to take part in the drills, which are planned to last until July 30. According to officials, LITPOLUKRBRIG was formed over five years ago to conduct peacekeeping and crisis-response operations and to help enhance military cooperation between the three countries involved.
Source: Radio Poland
A prominent Polish business association is calling on the government to speed up its inoculation drive to boost Poland’s economic recovery. The Employers of Poland entrepreneurs association published a statement on its website yesterday pushing for a more efficient inoculation program to help prevent the negative economic effects of another potential lockdown.
The organization pointed to the real possibility of a fourth wave of the pandemic in light of declining vaccination rates and the rapid spread of new SARS-CoV-2 strains like the Delta variant. The association, which brings together over 19,000 entities represented by sector-specific employers’ organizations, also said efforts to counteract fake news online and a pro-vaccination educational campaign are needed for Polish society to achieve herd immunity.
Source: Radio Poland
Health officials in Poland have confirmed that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is becoming more dominant in Poland, mirroring developments in other countries.
According to the Ministry of Health, 173 Delta variant cases have been reported in the country so far, with the variant representing 45 percent of the 114 new coronavirus infections reported in Poland on Saturday.
As of yesterday, some 350 (348) COVID-19 patients were in hospitals nationwide, 60 of them on ventilators, with nearly 90,00 (88,767) people quarantined for possible coronavirus exposure. As of Friday, Poland had injected more than 17.6 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with just under 16 million (15.9 million) residents registered as being fully inoculated.
Source: Radio Poland
The Gdańsk zoo in Oliwa is celebrating the recent birth of four desert cats, who can now be spotted with their mother in the outdoor enclosure of the Lion Pavilion.
The four kittens were born in early June to 2-year-old female Maolie and 14-year-old Abu, who became the oldest desert cat in Europe to father a litter. The three males and one female have all been properly chipped, wormed, and weighed, with each kitten coming in around 0.5 kg (1.1 lb).
Desert cats, also known as Arabian sand cats, are generally quite small, weighing between 1.5–3.4 kg (3.3–7.5 lb), with large ears and furry paws to help them hunt and navigate in the deserts of North Africa and Central Asia.
In recent years, the number of desert cats in the wild has been decreasing due to habitat loss and hunting, and they are currently included in the European Animal Protection Program. As a result, zoos like the one in Oliwa play an important role in protecting and breeding these fantastic felines.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny and warm, with a strong breeze coming in from the northwest and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will peak around a high of 26°C, or 78°F, cooling off a bit overnight with a low of 16°C or 60°F. Temps will cool off a bit tomorrow, but the sunshine will remain into Tuesday, with a chance for some rain returning midweek.
EPeck/tm
