President Andrzej Duda has hailed the merger of state oil company PKN Orlen with Gdańsk-based Grupa Lotos as “a great economic, political and social event”. He added that the agreement significantly increases the energy security of Central Europe.
As part of the deal, Saudi oil giant Aramco will take a 30 percent stake in Lotos Asfalt, which owns the Lotos refinery in Gdańsk.
Hungarian oil company MOL will buy more than 400 Lotos fuel stations.
The asset sell-off is needed for the merger to meet the requirements of EU competition regulators.
The merger is part of PKN Orlen’s strategy of acquisitions, which included buying the media group Polska Press a year ago.
Source: PAP, Reuters
Parliament is examining whether people with high levels of covid antibodies should be exempt from new workplace covid measures.
The deputy health minister Waldemar Kraska said in the Sejm yesterday that he has asked experts whether the waiver can be justified medically.
The exemption is proposed in an amendment to the covid verification act, which will give employers the power to demand to know whether employees are vaccinated, have tested negative, or have recovered from covid.
With or without the antibodies amendment, the act has yet to pass into law.
Source: PAP
A senior policeman in Warsaw has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The deputy head of the economic crime unit in Praga Północ was discovered in his car with a gunshot wound to the head.
A search had been launched after he failed to appear for duty yesterday.
According to the website rmf24.pl, the car engine was running and the door was locked.
Police commissioner Monika Trzcinka said the officer’s death was a “great tragedy” for the police community where he worked.
Source: PAP
The waiting time for funerals in Poland has doubled, as deaths have increased.
Official figures say 37,000 more people died last year than the year before.
The head of the Polish Chamber of the Funeral Industry, Robert Czyżak, said that undertakers are dealing with 30 percent more business than before the pandemic.
Relatives are often waiting over two weeks to bury their loved ones, and funeral prices have also risen by around 20 percent in some places.
Czyżak said that only a quarter of the funeral directors in Poland operate legally, with the rest being so-called “garage” operators, without permanent employees and infrastructure.
Source: PAP
Entries are being invited for this year’s “Gdynia Without Barriers” competition, which highlights those working to help people with disabilities.
The awards emphasise a broad range of disability-positive actions, including removing physical barriers, shaping a positive image of those with disabilities, and work to raise awareness of their needs.
Nominees can include individuals, businesses and institutions.
The deadline for applications is 11 February, with the finals in May.
Source: radiogdansk.pl
Weather
Higher temperatures and worsening weather are expected in many parts of the country today, with freezing rain and sleet in places. In Gdańsk it will be dry and breezy with a high of 5°C, 41°F. Temperatures will remain steady overnight before a warmer day tomorrow, with 8°C, 46°F expected.
Andrew Carter/ua
