Ministry of Culture Liquidates State Media Amid Funding Suspension

Poland’s Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz has announced the liquidation of the country’s state-owned media due to the suspension of funding from President Duda. The funding had been suspended by the president due to all CEO’s and boards of directors of the state-owned media entities being replaced by the ministry earlier this month.

Siekiewicz stated that the drastic move is actually intended to ensure the continued operation of these companies saying “The state of liquidation may be withdrawn at any time by the owner.” While the president said that the appointment of board members for state media was “a prerogative of the National Media Council” and the new government’s actions represented a “blatant breach of the constitution.” The law mandates that state media remain impartial to any one political party, and both sides of the dispute claim to be trying to follow this law.

Source: PAP, Reuters, NotesFromPoland

Poland Grants EUR 40m in State Aid to Azoty to Combat Energy Prices

The government has granted EUR 40 million, or PLN 173 million, in public funding to Grupa Azoty to help combat rising energy costs amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

CEO Tomasz Hinc stated that the war had increased the costs of natural gas and electricity, and that the state aid would help compensate the company for the notably higher cost of production.

Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Committee Backs Sweden’s NATO Accession

The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the accession of Sweden to NATO. The final decision will be made during a session of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly. Head of the committee Fuat Oktay, stated that he does not anticipate a quick or simple vote, but the approval of the committee is a significant step in Sweden’s membership process.

Sweden and Finland both submitted applications to join NATO in May of 2022 in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but Turkey and Hungary are yet to approve, with both countries maintaining amiable relationships with Russia.

Source: PAP, Reuters, PolskieRadio

Gdańsk to Host European Rowing Championships

Gdańsk has been selected to host the 2024 championships of Marine Olympic rowing in June. The recent addition to the Olympic program is known as the “Beach Sprint” and consists of running on the beach, entering the boat as quickly as possible, and sailing to a set of buoys and back to shore.

Events in the sport are already held regularly in Trójmiasto, and preparations for the championships will be coordinated by the head of Poland’s national rowing team Rafał Zakrzewksi.

Source: DziennikBaltycki

Weather

Today’s weather will be overcast for most of the day with temperatures ranging from 0 to 7 degrees Celsius or 32 to 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully the wind has calmed down compared to the last couple days and we may be able to enjoy at least an hour of sunshine in the early afternoon.

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Bryce Buren/aKa