French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a peaceful transition of power in Belarus after meeting with exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya.

President Macron, meeting with Tsikhanovskaya in Vilnius earlier this week, pledged his support for a mediation process, saying „we will do our best as Europeans to help”. He furthermore urged Belarusian authorities to cease unlawful arrests of pro-democracy demonstrators and release political prisoners.

For Tsikhanovskaya, who is in exile after being pressured to leave Belarus by authorities, it was the most high-level meeting yet. She’s expected to speak at the French parliament in the coming days.

Protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka are now in their seventh week with police responses showing no signs of easing. Lukashenka is clinging to power following August’s disputed presidential election, which he claims he won in a landslide but the opposition, along with the EU, UK, and US, say was rigged.

In a coordinated move, the United Kingdom and Canada this week imposed sanctions on Lukashenka and others close to him. The president, along with other deemed responsible for rigging the election, now face travel bans and asset freezes. The EU and US are set to follow suit soon.

Poland has suffered its worst week for coronavirus infections so far, with more than 1000 new cases recorded on each of the last seven days.

While most of the new cases are concentrated in the south of the country, significant outbreaks have been recorded all over Poland, including in Katuzy county, west of Gdansk.

The national infection rate and the number of active cases are both rising despite localised restrictions being enforced in the worst affected areas.

The spike in cases could lead to travelers from Poland once again having to quarantine on arrival in other countries.

The UK is expected to announce new quarantine rules for travelers from high-risk countries later this evening, with Poland being a likely target for such measures.

Despite Poland’s infection rate being significantly lower than the UK’s, British policy has been to require quarantine for those from countries with more than 20 infections per 100,000 people. Poland this week reached 24, meaning quarantine measures for those arriving in the UK from Poland are expected.

Officials will say this evening whether Poland will be added to the UK’s quarantine list or not.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has unveiled his new cabinet following a major reshuffle.

As part of the reorganisation, the number of government ministries has been slashed from 20 to 14 with some smaller ministries merged into larger ones. Unveiling the reshuffle, the Prime Minister said the move would help streamline decision making during the coronavirus pandemic but the government is also looking to ease tensions within the conservative coalition.

Tensions recently flared up between the leading Law & Justice party and two smaller supporting parties, raising the prospect of a breakdown in Poland’s ruling coalition. The new cabinet is designed to appease those smaller parties, with areas like education and justice now lead by strongly conservative ministers.

In another key appointment, the Law & Justice party’s leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski will take up the role of Deputy Prime Minister. Despite being party chairman, Kaczynski until now did not take a direct role in government, though he has long held a great deal of power in Polish politics.

Nations around the Baltic Sea have joined Poland in a new initiative to develop wind power in the Baltic region.

The three Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, along with nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, & Finland as well as Germany and Poland met in Szczecin yesterday to sign The Baltic Declaration for Offshore Wind Energy.

The initiative, which is also supported by the European Commission, looks to develop more efficient wind energy networks, making use of hybrid systems, smart grids, and the latest technology as well as coordinated planning.

Wind energy is set to play a major role in Poland’s transition away from fossil fuels, with projects worth PLN 120 billion being considered over the next two decades.

Today’s weather largely a continuation of the last few days with plenty of cloud around but sunny spells throughout the afternoon. Temperatures today reaching around 16C, 60F.

Remaining mostly the same story tomorrow with a chance of showers later on.

Thomas Holdstock/ako