The exiled Belarusian opposition leader, Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya, has called on her supporters to continue peaceful protests against Belarus’s authoritarian President Aleksandyr Lukashenka.
Tsikhanovskaya, who ran against Lukashenka in last month’s contested presidential election, made the comments while in Warsaw for a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Tsikhanovskaya has been living in exile in Poland and Lithuania after being pressured to leave Belarus by authorities.
During the meeting in Warsaw, Prime Minister Morawiecki said Poland was an „open home” for Belarusians suffering repression. The PM offered support and solidarity to groups campaigning for free and fair elections in the country and to Belarusian entrepreneurs looking to relocate to Poland.
Speaking at Warsaw University, Mrs Tsikhanovskaya said Belarus has „passed the point of no return”. She denounced Lukashenka as an illegitimate president and reiterated calls for fresh elections as many voters and experts alike view Belarus’s recent polls as rigged.
After the meeting, Tsikhanovskaya met with members of the Belarusian diaspora in Poland at a new Belarusian community centre in Warsaw. Today, she’s expected to head to the southern town of Karpacz to attend an international economic forum as well as a meeting with the leader of Civic Platform, Poland’s main opposition group.
The western Polish city of Poznan has been named as the host city for a planned US Army corps headquarters in Poland.
The United States Army V Corps forward headquarters is set to host approximately 635 American troops, mostly for planning and coordination roles for the US Army’s forces in Europe.
The V Corps has a long history of service in Europe, occupying an important section of the West German frontier during the Cold War. The unit was dissolved in 2013 but was re-formed earlier this year as plans were announced to boost US presence in Poland. The unit’s flag was ceremonially unfurled in Krakow last month.
The first troops are set to arrive in Poznan in October.
The Polish economy will shrink this year by 2-3%, that’s according to the CEO of the Polish Development Fund.
Speaking at the international economic forum in Karpacz, CEO Paweł Borys said the projection of a 3% drop would still be much less severe than those seen in other EU countries.
Many countries in Europe and around the world are witnessing double-digit falls in GDP in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and the spring lockdown.
Some of Gdańsk’s most famous historic landmarks are now available to explore online.
The Main-Town Hall, Artus Court, Wisłoujście Fortress, and the Gdansk Science Museum are just some of the sites to be virtually explored.
Each site includes 360° tours, high resolution photographs, and an audio guide with a video option for users of sign language.
It’s all part of a project by the Gdansk Museum, which is this year marking its 50th birthday, to make important pieces of the city’s heritage available digitally and for free.
Weather
Partly cloudy today with temperatures feeling cooler than yesterday at 17°C, 63°F, this afternoon with a moderate breeze coming from the West.
A chilly night on the way with temperatures dropping down to 11°C, that’s 52°F, with a cloudy start to tomorrow morning.
TH/am
