Health/Grey Gold Across Europe, elderly people and their relatives are sharing a terrible experience: understaffed with overworked caregivers, the situation in care homes can become a threat to the lives of residents. The Covid-19 pandemic escalated the already dire circumstances for many. But while there is a shortage of care workers almost everywhere given the ever-growing need, international corporations and investors are making huge profits. HELP US CONNECT THE DOTS ON EUROPESupport cross-border journalism 18 June 202406:30(UTC)Last modified12 July 202408:44Lipno is located in the Wielkopolskie province in central PolandPhoto: Ole Jørgen Bratland / EquinorEquinor’s third solar plant in Poland, Lipno has started test production. This brings the company’s onshore renewables capacity in Poland to ~200 MW, and further strengthens its position in one of the fastest-growing renewable energy markets in Europe. Lipno is located in the Wielkopolskie province in central Poland. The 53 MW solar plant was developed and will be operated by the Polish renewable power producer Wento, Equinor’s 100% subsidiary. Equinor acquired Wento and its 1.6 GW pipeline of solar projects in 2021. Three years after the acquisition, Wento has grown from a small-scale solar developer into a multi-tech power producer operating three solar plants and one onshore wind park in Poland with a total capacity of ~200 MW. “Wento’s journey showcases how we leverage our investments in local development companies to build a material and profitable onshore renewables business in select markets,” says Anders Bade, senior vice president for onshore and markets within Renewables at Equinor. Accumulated annual production from the portfolio operated by Wento is estimated at approximately 280 GWh of power per year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 140,000 Polish households. Equinor’s energy trading house Danske Commodities has signed a balancing agreement with the Lipno solar plant and will be responsible for commercializing the produced power in the Polish power market. Lipno is expected to yield returns in line with prior guidance for renewables in Equinor. Danske Commodities provides route-to-market for Wento’s assets in operation, building upon almost 15 years of power trading experience in Poland. “We have developed a distinct business model that allows us to efficiently scale our onshore renewables portfolio and create value uplift from power trading,” says Anders Bade. Since the acquisition, Wento has built on its project pipeline, effectively doubling it to over 3 GW of opportunities in various stages of maturity. The pipeline has been diversified beyond power generation to also include battery storage, which adds flexibility and enhances value creation potential. “Poland is actively developing renewable energy to increase domestic power capacity and enhance energy security. For Wento and Equinor, this represents an exciting opportunity to be a leading player in a growing renewable energy market,” says Wojciech Cetnarski, CEO of Wento. Earlier this year, Wento won the Polish Capacity Market Auction with four battery storage projects totalling about 400 MW/1,6 GWh. The final investment decisions for the projects are expected in the next years. Battery storage systems will be key for Poland’s future grid stability as the country increases the share of renewable power. “Equinor aims to be a reliable energy partner for Poland and support its energy transition. We are building a broad energy offering in the country, diversifying generation sources and energy supplies,” says Michał Jerzy Kołodziejczyk, Equinor’s country manager in Poland. In addition to investing in onshore renewables, Equinor is engaged in the development of three large-scale offshore wind projects Bałtyk I, Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III together with Polenergia. Equinor is also supplying natural gas from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to Poland via Baltic Pipe. Equinor Brasil Energia Ltda., a subsidiary of Equinor ASA, has entered into agreements(1) with Brazilian company Prio Tigris Ltda., a subsidiary of PRIO SA (PRIO3.SA) for a sale of its 60% operated interest in the Peregrino field in Brazil. 30 April 2025 Equinor delivered adjusted operating income* of USD 8.65 billion and USD 2.25 billion after tax in the first quarter of 2025. Equinor reported net operating income of USD 8.87 billion and net income at USD 2.63 billion. Adjusted net income* was USD 1.79 billion, leading to adjusted earnings per share* of USD 0.66. 30 April 2025 NYSE: EQNR) will after the annual general meeting 14 May 2025 commence the second tranche of up to USD 1,265 million of the share buy-back programme for 2025 as announced in relation with the first quarter results 30 April 2025 elderly people and their relatives are sharing a terrible experience: understaffed with overworked caregivers the situation in care homes can become a threat to the lives of residents The Covid-19 pandemic escalated the already dire circumstances for many But while there is a shortage of care workers almost everywhere given the ever-growing need international corporations and investors are making huge profits Age of Empires 4 season 4 adds a new magic-infused biome Follow us for daily PC games news, guides and reviews on X, Facebook, Google News, and Steam. Or sign up to our free newsletter. 23 June 202308:30(UTC)Last modified22 February 202409:27Zagórzyca solar plant in Poland(Photo: WSP)Equinor’s second Polish solar plant, Zagórzyca has started test production. This is another step towards building a material renewable portfolio in Poland, which is one of Europe’s most rapidly growing renewable energy markets. “Equinor aims to be a reliable energy partner for Poland and support its energy transition. We are building a broad energy offering in the country, including onshore and offshore renewables, and gas supplies through the Baltic Pipe,” says Michał Jerzy Kołodziejczyk, Equinor’s country manager in Poland. The 60 MW Zagórzyca solar plant is located in the Damnica municipality in the north of Poland. It was developed and will be operated by the Polish renewable power producer Wento, Equinor’s 100% subsidiary. Equinor acquired Wento and its 1.6 GW pipeline of solar projects in 2021. Two years after the acquisition, two solar plants in Poland are ready and another one is under construction. “Today we inaugurate our second solar plant Zagórzyca, doubling our solar capacity in Poland to around 120 MW. Our first solar plant Stępień is already in commercial production, and another one, Lipno will be commissioned in 2024. We are also maturing other opportunities within onshore renewables and battery storage in Poland, in line with our market-driven power producer strategy,” says Olav Kolbeinstveit, senior vice president for onshore and markets within Renewables at Equinor. Zagórzyca will be in operation for 30 years and will annually produce 61 GWh of power, which is equivalent to electricity consumption of 31,000 Polish households. Equinor’s wholly owned energy trading house Danske Commodities will be responsible for marketing and bringing the electricity from Zagórzyca to the Polish power market. Around 500 people were involved in the construction of Zagórzyca that comprises 111,000 solar panels over an area of around 55 hectares. “By using local contractors, we contribute to building knowledge and skills within solar developments in the Polish supplier industry,” says Wojciech Cetnarski, CEO of Wento. EN.css-cffauy{z-index:100;top:0;left:0;position:fixed;width:100%;box-shadow:0 3px 6px #12121216;background-color:#fefefe;}EN.css-1guj067{cursor:pointer;z-index:200;}.css-1626l02{width:24px;height:2px;background-color:#010101;margin:4px 0;-webkit-transition:0.4s;transition:0.4s;}.css-7mrc72{height:50vh;overflow:hidden;position:relative;} Health / Grey Gold Health / Grey Gold The town's newly-constructed lookout tower is 14.5 metres high and offers magnificent views of its surroundings People are enjoying some truly spectacular views of Kamenický castle The newly-constructed lookout tower is located at Balážka in the town of Lipany in eastern Slovakia, regional daily Korzár reported Everything that is connected to nature is perfect especially for families with children,” Katarína Kačmarská of Lipany said for Korzár She visited the new attraction with her family “It offers a great view of Kamenický castle The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.skSubscribe now for full access Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail) PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk Care Home Professional Raid is part of an investigation into charges of ‘trust organised money laundering and corruption’ Police raids have taken place in six European countries as part of an investigation into former senior employees of French multi-national nursing home provider Orpea Investigate Europe reported that a “sweeping cross-border operation took place in France Italy and Portugal on 11 and 12 January” The raid comes as part of a wider investigation into charges including “trust organised money laundering and corruption” As many as 84 French police officers were reportedly involved in the raids alongside members of the other nations’ police forces An Orpea spokesperson commented that the group is “fully cooperating” Investigate Europe claims the ongoing investigation and raids are focusing on Lipany an allegedly illegal holdings company set up and owned by former Orpea executives The international investigation remains ongoing The new revelations about Orpea led to a 19% drop in its value on the Paris stock exchange which has a project to open a centre in Merl is alleged to have used a Luxembourg holding company to embezzle money which saw the group's shares drop by 19% on the Paris stock exchange the world's leading provider of care for the elderly has not escaped the storm that has been stirring it up since the revelations made at the beginning of the year in journalist Victor Castanet’ book Les Fossoyeurs Investigate Europe highlighted the dubious financial practices after Castanet made allegations of abuse in Orpea's care homes in France According to the most recent revelations Luxembourg holding company especially “shares in numerous Ehpad and clinics managed by Orpea” in France and in three other European countries and “carried out dubious financial operations” The former head of Orpea Italy has been identified as being in charge of the operation has never made any profit and has never distributed any dividends Its activities were described by Investigate Europe as “entirely debt-based” Orpea did not wish to make any official comment stressing that judicial investigations are underway and that a complaint had been filed for misuse of social assets But it also adds that internal audits were underway and that several people had been dismissed Among them was former financial director Sébastien Mesnard France Info's investigation unit was taking a close look at Kaufrog the Orpea group's central purchasing unit based in Switzerland which supplies nearly 400 establishments in France The salaries of Kaufrog's executives were a cause for concern in particular those of three French managers but who also had a one-time contract with Kaufrog “If we add up the annual salaries of these three managers this corresponds to almost seven years of food budget” a former director of Orpea told France Info there is also the question of the reality of the work of these managers said: “It is our duty to shed light on the accusations made against the group This is what we have been doing for the past four months through extremely thorough investigations and audits several channels of information have enabled us to detect potentially criminal facts which call into question individual behaviour.” Orpea's application to open a branch in Merl was submitted in January but no date has been set for the centre's opening This story was first published in French on It has been translated and edited for Delano Last week, we wrote about some of the biggest tourist destinations in the Czech Republic a list headed by Prague Castle and many of the country’s popular zoos One of the more unique attractions that fell just short of making that list was the relatively new Lipno Treetop Walkway a 675-meter long walkway with a 40-meter observation tower that was completed in 2012 and has welcomed around 1.3 million visitors since then it’s one of the country’s most-seen locations drawing crowds that compare with the picturesque castle in nearby Český Krumlov The structure itself is a unique one, designed as an observation point in the tradition of the country’s famed lookout towers But instead of a straight shot to the top of the tower a wooden walkway first brings visitors on a journey over the nearby treetops before a winding path take them higher you don’t need to worry about walking all the way down: a lengthy slide can get you back to ground level within seconds the Lipno Treetop Walkway is open daily from 9:30 – 19:00 But it can also offer some spectacular views of the surrounding forests in the autumn and winter Standard entrance fee for adults is 200 CZK, with a 390 CZK ticket granting combined access to the nearby Forest Kingdom More info can be found via the official website Following in the footsteps of the Lipno walkway similar projects are planned for elsewhere throughout the Czech Republic Construction is already underway on a walkway in Janské Lázně in the Krkonoše mountain region Your morning coffee deserves a great companion. Why not enjoy it with our daily newsletter? News from Czechia, curated insights, and inspiring stories in English. France concluded that the company had been responsible for the death of an elderly person under its care in 2017 which is looking to open a care home in Luxembourg despite being plagued by multiple controversies has been convicted by a French court for allowing the death of one of its patients through negligence The patient had been hospitalised as a result of a fracture of both femurs for which no explanation was found Orpea has been ordered to pay €65,000 in damages to the deceased’s son The court’s decision came after a judicial expert’s assessment stating that the patient’s injury had occurred in the care home facility The care home’s staff had signaled the elderly person’s substantial weight loss and drowsiness since August 2016 but Orpea had not contacted an attending physician or the family A book by journalist Victor Castsanet had alleged cases of abuse in Orpea’s care homes in France after which the government launched an investigation Meanwhile a number of complaints by families of residents registered at Orpea have been filed in France Luxembourg’s family ministry is currently evaluating Orpea’s application to open a care home in Merl in the capital and In January 2022 Orpea became the subject of  in its care homes in France Castanet’s book published on 26 January is the source of the accusations In May the assisted living company landed in hot water once more after cross-border journalism cooperative Investigate Europe published a report alleging that Orpea had used a Luxembourg holding company Lipany to embezzle money There is no better way to enjoy the lovely fall colors than on a road trip through South Bohemia which boasts some of the most stunning natural sceneries in all of Czechia We’ve plotted an ambitious seven-day itinerary that hits many of the country’s beloved landmarks – some of which are quite challenging to reach without a car – as well as a few overlooked gems that every local should have on their bucket list This article was written in association with ExxonMobil. See our partner content policies here. This is an update of an article originally published in 2014. View this post on Instagram Co dodat? 😍🌅 A post shared by Lipno.cz (@lipno.cz) on Apr 20 Lake Lipno in South Bohemia is probably the most well-known Czech resort Two of the more popular resort towns are Frymburk and Černá v Pošumaví The Lipno area offers lots of activities for families including a chair lift ride for the views and Aquaworld Two-wheel loving families will enjoy the special family route in the Bike Park while older children can experience a rope park Note that public transport options aren’t the best. To Lipno nad Vltavou, there’s usually at least one direct bus a day (four hours, 45 minutes) or train journeys requiring at least one change (four hours, 10 minutes). A post shared by Máchovo jezero (@machovojezero) on Jul 18 Train transport to Doksy takes anywhere from two to three hours and will require at least one change Money’s tight this summer, but ya gotta get out of Prague! Don’t go far but enjoy some water sports and woods at Lake Slapy to say the least – you can camp or stay in a cheap pension The fifth-largest reservoir in the Czech Republic (everyone needs a claim to fame) sailing and windsurfing are all options for the amphibious among you There’s accommodation available in villages dotted up and down either side of the river Měřín has a marina and restaurant in addition to pensions plus a spa, Vojenská lázeňská a rekreační zařízení. They have an aqua and wellness center, plus bowling, tennis, and volleyball courts. Resort Beach Nová Živohošť is a good camping option Slapy is a less than one-hour bus ride from Prague A post shared by Kudy z nudy (@kudyznudy_cz) on May 2 The silence of Šumava Everyone who has been to these secluded mountains in southern Bohemia seems to comment on how quiet and peaceful it is Šumava’s best feature is probably her lakes Black Lake (Černé Jezero) is the country’s biggest naturally formed lake you can follow the marked red trail to Devil’s Lake (Čertovo Jezero); Black Lake can be reached via the yellow hiking trail from Špičácké sedlo Be sure to purchase a hiking map and have plenty of water and food on hand if you are planning some hiking. For easier exploration, there are a number of nature trails, typically well-marked and graded. The Jezerní slat trail takes you through peat bogs while the Vintíř’s trail is a cross-border trail following an old Bavaria-Bohemia trade route. Enter another world with a wander through Boubínský prales one of the most important primeval forests in Europe and fallen tree trunks covered in moss will certainly make you feel you took a wrong turn somewhere Most of the villages in the region are small and focused on tourists (skiing is popular here in winter) Železná Ruda is a good option; there are hiking trails to the lakes from here as well as cycle paths and an information center to help plan trips For more tips on where to swim see 19 Czech Swimming Lakes. The Czech Republic will have another spa town as of July 1 as the country's Health Ministry approved the official designation of Frymburk as a natural therapeutic spa town The South Bohemian locale on the banks of the Lipno Reservoir joins the ranks of UNESCO-recognized Czech spas in Karlovy Vary Frymburk will become the fourth spa town in South Bohemia and the 36th in the Czech Republic but it's just the second to receive the designation since 1989 The town has a population of just 1,400 people but attracts tens of thousands of tourists annually and plans to accommodate 200 guests for spa treatments daily This landmark designation opens the door for the development of spa facilities similar to those in other Czech locales but uniquely tailored to Frymburk’s environment and medical infrastructure The spa’s treatment offerings will focus on balneotherapy utilizing natural peat for various treatments and will include physical and movement therapies like fitness Frymburk’s Wellness Hotel will spearhead these initiatives utilizing the healing properties of local peat harvested from nearby forests The Wellness Hotel will undergo significant renovations including the conversion of a conference hall into a comprehensive modern spa facility "[I have] an indescribable feeling of joy, because I have been waiting for this day for the last 15 years of my life," Frymburk Mayor Oto Řezáč stated through a press release We met a huge number of different conditions we now have confirmation from the highest places that Frymburk is a place beneficial to health." amounting to tens of millions of Czech crowns are planned for infrastructure and promotion throughout Frymburk The Wellness Hotel is already constructing a spa pavilion and undergoing other renovations to accommodate the upcoming spa services The town is also developing infrastructure around its peat harvesting sites including access roads and environmental impact assessments Frymburk is enhancing its tourism amenities creating scenic rest areas and trails in the surrounding forests "This is just the beginning for us," Řezáč adds "We have a huge amount of work ahead of us