Morawiecki welcomes new UK PM

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki joined world leaders yesterday in congratulating former UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on her new position as UK Prime Minister.

In a post on Twitter, Morawiecki said he was look[ing] forward to our great cooperation,” going on to call the Polish-UK partnership “key to Europe’s security.”

“In troubled times,” he concluded, “it is important that we stick together.”

Truss replaced Boris Johnson as Britain’s PM earlier on Tuesday, a day after she was elected leader of the Conservative Party.

The ex-foreign secretary was then officially invited to form a government by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and began announcing her picks for Cabinet ministers late last night.

Source: Radio Poland, bbc.com

Duda meets with Nigerian president

President Andrzej Duda began his tour of Africa this week with a visit to Nigeria, the largest country in Africa in terms of population.

Duda met with Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari to discuss closer cooperation between the two countries, particularly concerning the current energy crisis.

Duda emphasized Poland’s intention to increase energy supplies from Nigeria to Poland as part of Poland’s current strategy of energy diversification to reduce dependence on Russia.

Source: PAP, Radio Poland

Health Minister encourages fourth COVID-19 dose

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski recently announced that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccination would soon be available for the entire adult population in Poland.

Niedzielski confirmed official support for a fourth coronavirus dose based on updated recommendations from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which recently authorized additional vaccines designed to counter the newer Omicron variants.

According to Niedzielski, the peak of the current wave has already passed “without the majority of the population even noticing,” largely due to resistance developed from previous vaccinations and increased exposure over the summer.

At present, he claimed, there are no plans for distance learning, and “most likely” the government “will not introduce any epidemic restrictions.”

The nearly 21 927 new COVID-19 infections reported this week is a noticeable decline from the previous week, in which nearly 27 000 (26 969) coronavirus infections were reported, including 4,663 re-infections.

Source: PAP, Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Świątek through to US Open quarterfinals

Polish tennis phenom Iga Świątek made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s singles competition at the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in New York.

Earlier this week, the top-seeded 21-year-old Pole beat Germany’s unseeded Jule Niemeyer 2:6, 6:4, 6:0 in their fourth-round clash at Flushing Meadows.

Świątek came from one set down to win the match, making history in the process, as she became the first Polish woman to reach the last eight at the US Open.

Swiątek next faces off against 8th-seeded Jessica Pegula on Wednesday at 19:00 local time in New York, or 1:00 Thursday morning in Poland.

Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com

Poland advances to knockout phase of EuroBasket 2022

Poland on Tuesday defeated the Netherlands 75:69 in their fourth game at the FIBA Men’s EuroBasket 2022 tournament, securing a place among the final 16 teams in the competition.

Forward Michał Sokołowski and center Aleksander “Olek” Balcerowski propelled Poland to a hard-won victory against their Dutch opponents, securing the Poles a place in the knockout stages of EuroBasket 2022.

Balcerowski was “the most influential man on the floor, dominating with his height and dunks,” with the center collecting “16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, earning the 21-year-old the highest efficiently rating on the team,” according to the official fiba.basketball site.

The Polish team is currently in second place in Group D after their initial surprise (99:84) upset against co-hosts the Czech Republic last week, followed by a disappointing (59:89) loss to Finland on Sunday and a triumphal return to form (85:76) against Israel yesterday.

The Poles play their last group D game against undefeated group leaders Serbia on Thursday.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Weather

Today will be mostly sunny and warm, with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the northeast. Temperatures will peak around a high of 19°C, or 66°F, dropping to an overnight low of 7°C or 44°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with temperatures expected to drop on Friday as rain showers move in over the weekend.