The largest Polish satellite has been launched into space. The Americans are proposing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In France, a private plane, a Fouga CM.170 Magister, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during an air show. Here are five things to know on Saturday, August 17.
1. The largest Polish satellite flew into space
On Friday, the largest Polish satellite to date flew into low Earth orbit on board SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. EagleEye, or “Eagle's Eye,” will allow for observations of Earth with exceptional resolution.
As Creotech experts point out, EagleEye “has a chance to introduce Poland to the elite group of countries with the ability to create such advanced space systems for domestic needs, the European Space Agency and clients from around the world. So far, only eight entities in Europe have proven their ability to build and test in space a satellite weighing at least 50 kg.”
READ ALSO: The largest Polish satellite flew into space
2. Proposed ceasefire in Gaza
The United States has presented To Israel and Hamas a compromise proposal for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the White House announced on Friday.
As assessed by the president Joe Biden“we are closer to an agreement than ever before.” Washington hopes the deal will be approved next week, but Hamas wants something different than what is written in it.
Gaza ceasefire negotiations underwayHAITHAM IMAD/PAP/EPA
3. The plane crashed into the sea during the show
A private Fouga CM.170 Magister plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Friday during an air show near the town of Lavandou in France – informed the authorities of the Var prefecture.
The pilot could not eject because the plane is not equipped with a system that would allow it, AFP explained. After the plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, a search for the pilot was launched, coordinated by the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Operational Surveillance and Rescue. His body was found a short time later.
4. The President has decided on the Polish candidate for EU Commissioner
President Andrzej Duda has agreed to Piotr Serafin being the Polish candidate for European Union Commissioner, it was announced on Friday afternoon Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.
Currently, Serafin serves as head of the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, and in 2014-2019 he was head of Tusk's cabinet when he was President of the European Council.
5. German daily writes about Poland's “sensational” success
“Poland is putting pressure on China and is succeeding. For the German government, this is an astonishing lesson,” writes Christoph von Marschall on the website of the German daily “Tagesspiegel.”
The article argues that President Andrzej Duda during his visit to China asked Xi Jinping to use his influence to put pressure on Alexander Lukashenko.
Duda allegedly threatened that otherwise Poland would be forced to completely close its border with Belarus – writes Marschall, citing the director of the Strategic Studies Center at the Warsaw Enterprise Institute (WEI).
Main image source: HAITHAM IMAD/PAP/EPA