Latest news with #Poland
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Billionaire Fired From Polish Media Firm He Founded in Family Feud
In Poland, one of the country's biggest media businesses is embroiled in a rapidly escalating family dispute that's playing out like a real-life version of the hit television show 'Succession.' The saga at Cyfrowy Polsat SA, which has been running for months, ramped up on Tuesday when the company dismissed its billionaire founder Zygmunt Solorz as well as its chief executive.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
German officials up in arms over oil, gas deposit found in Poland
Local politicians in north-eastern Germany were up in arms on Tuesday, after news broke that a major oil and gas deposit has been discovered in neighbouring Poland, with some experts also cautioning against extraction. The find off the Polish Baltic coast by Canadian company Central European Petroleum (CEP) was hailed as a possible "breakthrough moment" in Poland, but officials across the border in Germany were quick to point out that extracting fossil fuels should not take priority in times of climate change. "Our future does not lie in oil from the Baltic Sea, but in energy from the sun, wind and biomass," said Till Backhaus, environment minister of the coastal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which borders Poland. "The project stands for a backward-looking industrial policy in terms of climate policy, which is contrary to the interests of the environment and tourism on the German side," he added. Major breakthrough? The Wolin East offshore oil field discovered by CEP is said to be located around 6 kilometres from the port city of Świnoujście on the fringes of north-western Poland. Parts of the city are located on the island of Usedom, which is divided between Germany and Poland. According to the results of test drilling, the recoverable reserves of crude oil and natural gas are estimated at 200 million barrels of oil equivalent. CEP said the Wolin East site is estimated to represent "the largest conventional hydrocarbon field" ever discovered in Poland and "one of the largest conventional oil discoveries in Europe in the past decade." If the deposit is confirmed, this "may prove to be one of the breakthrough moments in the history of hydrocarbon exploration in Poland," said the country's chief national geologist Krzysztof Galos. "The future development of this site may significantly contribute to strengthening Poland's energy security and reducing its dependence on external hydrocarbon suppliers," he told news agency PAP. Mining could begin in three to four years, with the field estimated to be able to cover 4% to 5% of Poland's annual oil demand for several years, according to Galos. CEP has held a licence for exploration off the western Polish coast since 2017. Officials and experts sound alarm Officials in the German part of Usedom were less euphoric, however, with the mayor of the town of Heringsdorf noting the area's status as a nature conservation area. "We are a spa and holiday resort. We do everything we can to keep our beaches, our town and the sea clean," said Laura Isabelle Marisken. "Heavy industrial gas and oil extraction right on our doorstep, it's obvious that this is a massive intrusion into our natural environment." The German Institute for Economic Research also advised against exploiting the oil field, noting not only possible considerable negative consequences for tourism, but also the risk of cross-border pollution caused by an accident. "In addition, the promotion of fossil fuels thwarts climate protection goals," said Claudia Kemfert, head of the institute's Energy, Transport and Environment Department. "The costs and benefits [of the project] are therefore disproportionate."
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The key weapon Daniel Dubois must use better in Oleksandr Usyk rematch
The jab is the simplest and most effective weapon in the arsenal of any fighter. It is both an offensive and defensive tool - scoring points and serving as a placeholder for follow-up punches. Whilst Daniel Dubois is known for his concussive power, his jab is an underrated asset that he deploys to set up highlight reel knockouts. However, in his first encounter with Oleksandr Usyk, it proved ineffective. But why was this the case, and are there any changes Dubois can make in the rematch this weekend to bring his jab back into play and claim the undisputed title? Statistics gathered from the first Usyk vs Dubois fight and the next three fights of the Brit tell an interesting story. Activity level Having an active jab is important both on the attack and on the back foot. It allows a fighter to break the rhythm of their opponent in retreat and force them into their defensive shape going forward. In Wrocław in 2023, Dubois threw 163 jabs at an average of 18.1 per round. When compared to his following fights against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, it is easy to see that Dubois was not firing his jab off enough against Usyk. In his next three fights, he averaged nearly 30 more jabs thrown at 192.3, which is a more impressive number when considering none of those fights went the distance. Against a man like Usyk, having an inactive jab allows him to get into a rhythm and put his stamina and output advantages to work. Even if it isn't always landing, a jab acts as a deterrent, especially one with the power of Dubois behind it. His best-performing round for jab output against Usyk, round two, was still the lowest total of any of his following three fights with Miller, Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. Accuracy Dubois' jab accuracy was one of his biggest failings in the first fight. From his total of 163 jabs thrown, only 10 landed in the entire fight. That gives him 6.1 per cent accuracy rate. For context, through his next three fights, he averaged 58.3 jabs landed at 23.8 per cent accuracy - almost a fourfold increase in accuracy percentage against Miller, Hrgovic and Joshua. If you convert that into jabs landed per round against Usyk, it reveals a shocking 1.1 jabs hit the target for Dubois. This perfectly exemplifies where it went wrong for Dubois. When the jab is failing to find the target, Dubois is stifled and cannot set up any of his work, which leaves him at sea, desperately trying to counterattack against a master technician in Usyk. In the first fight, he tried to use his jab to close the distance to Usyk and follow up with a powerful right hand to the head or body. But when the jab does not land on the target, it forces Dubois to reset and try again, allowing Usyk to counterattack. Who is responsible for the ineffective jab? It would be easy to blame the man throwing the jab for its inefficiency, and against any other fighter, you might be right. But with the benefit of being able to compare his performances, it shows us that it was Usyk who nullified the jab of Dubois. Usyk used educated and varied pressure to force Dubois to miss. His smart defence incorporates in-and-out movement, a high guard, and plenty of lateral movement to never present a static target or come forward in a straight line. If we compare this to Jarrell Miller, who also put the pressure on Dubois throughout the fight, we see that Dubois used his jab as a much more effective weapon. Miller's pressure, in comparison to Usyk, was uneducated, plodding forward and following Dubois rather than cutting off the ring. This makes it exponentially easier to land a jab. This shows in the stats. Dubois landed his jab with 46.2 per cent accuracy against Miller, having thrown almost double, compared to the aforementioned 6.1 per cent against Usyk. Usyk's ability to maintain his variety, output and movement at heavyweight is something a traditional heavyweight like Dubois is always going to struggle to adjust to. It's clear that Usyk won the battle of the jabs and was able to use his southpaw tricks to muzzle Dubois' lead hand. The Ukrainian threw 101 more jabs than Dubois and landed four times as many. What can Dubois do in the rematch? The number one priority for Dubois in the rematch should be to slow the feet of Usyk. This was a major factor in his jab being ineffective. Usyk operates out of a strong high guard, which he added to his game when he made his foray into the heavyweight division. Dubois can use this to access the body by throwing a feint jab to the head to freeze his guard. He could then follow up with a spearing jab just above the protector of Usyk in the early goings, and the investment will pay dividends in the late rounds, slowing down the feet of the unified champion. It is, of course, not quite as simple as that. Usyk will have a game plan of his own. But if Dubois can focus his early offence on the body, then he can look to capitalise as Usyk makes his adjustments through the middle rounds and land some heavy combinations behind his jab. Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Poland prepares 40-page ‘how to' guide to coping in case of war
Poland is preparing a manual on how to cope in case of war or natural disaster, an interior ministry official says. The 40-page pamphlet - titled "Safety guide" - aims to strengthen national resilience amid heightened regional uncertainty, including conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. It will include advice on getting clean water, responding to air raids or blackouts and locating bomb shelters, as part of the first public awareness campaign of its kind in Poland in decades. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has repeatedly warned that the threat of a global war is serious and real, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine and allegations of Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks against the West. Russia has repeatedly denied that it engages in sabotage or cyberattacks on other countries and says it has no intention of starting a war with NATO. "Wars are not won on the front lines. The Ukrainian example shows it very clearly," said Robert Klonowski, Polish interior ministry deputy director. The booklet warns that during a crisis, supplies of food, medicine, and gasoline could run short, the government said. The booklet, which will be released online in September in Polish, will later be translated into English and Ukrainian, with plans to produce a Braille and children's version, the ministry added. Ministry plans to deliver printed copies to all 14 million households in Poland. Poland, which borders Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, has been a leading voice calling for members of NATO to spend more on defence, and is itself allocating 4.7 per cent of gross domestic product to boosting its armed forces in 2025.
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
70 years on and Stalin's ‘gifted' skyscraper still looms over this Polish city
Seventy years after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin 'gifted' Warsaw its towering Palace of Culture and Science, the skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings. The Palace, marking its 70th anniversary on 22 July 1955 when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc, was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name. "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30 km (19 miles)away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board. Younger people no longer see it that way, she said. After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed. The Palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007. It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended. "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the Palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there. "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said. The Palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated. Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the Palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark. Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the Palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity. "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said. Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists. "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed."
