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Belarus unveiled a proposal on Friday to build a second nuclear power plant in the country capable of supplying energy to the regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

President Aliaksandr Lukashenka raised the plans during a meeting at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin, who appeared to publicly support the idea.

Lukashenka said the plant could be used if needed to supply areas controlled by Russia in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Russia announced the annexation of the four regions in September 2022, referring to them as new territories despite only occupying part of them.

That announcement has not been recognised by any of the international community, with the exception of North Korea, and under Ukrainian law they are referred to as temporarily occupied territories.

Belarus opened its first nuclear power plant in Astravets in 2020 amid protests and concern in neighbouring Lithuania, where there was opposition to the plant’s location, just 40 kilometres away from the capital Vilnius.

The Astravets plant was built by the Russian state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, with a $10 billion (€8.5 billion) loan provided by Moscow.

Putin did not specify at Friday’s meeting whether Russia would provide financial backing for the second plant proposed by Lukashenka.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus’ opposition, slammed the proposal, saying it “all of Europe at risk.”

“By proposing that Putin build a second nuclear power plant in Belarus to supply electricity to occupied territories in Ukraine, Lukashenka once again proves he is complicit in Russian aggression. He is trading Belarusian sovereignty for power and profits from war crimes,” she said.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades, is a close ally of the Kremlin.

He allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and later authorised Russian tactical nuclear missiles to be deployed in his country.

Additional sources • AP

House of Guinness has arrived on Netflix, with the series crafted by Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight.

Set during the 1800s, this historical drama chronicles the genuine and remarkable tale of the Guinness dynasty and their journey to building a worldwide empire.

The eight-part series tracks the Guinness brothers and sisters, featuring Anthony Boyle as Arthur and Louis Partridge portraying Edward, as they carry forward their father’s vision.

During a Q&A session at the House of Guinness screening, Steven Knight discussed the programme’s prospects, expressing optimism that it will run for numerous seasons.

He revealed: “I think what we have got with this show is something that is spectacularly successful in the way that it’s executed.”

“But also it’s like, it’s a very human thing and these people who are doing this thing are making something that I believe is going to be something great.

“It’s like Peaky, it’s going to be huge, it’s going to be great.”

When questioned about producing a second season, he responded: “Yes, of course. We are going to do season two, and three, and four.

“Yes absolutely, we are going to do this all the way to the 1960s.”

Whilst Netflix hasn’t officially commissioned the series for another run, Knight seemingly already has blueprints for a follow-up series.

The final call rests with Netflix, though judging by the show’s early reviews, enthusiasts should remain optimistic. All the stars were unanimous in their eagerness to return for a second season, including Arthur’s star Anthony Boyle, who exclusively spoke to Reach titles.

He expressed: “If they want to do a second season, I’d love to. I think the scripts were amazing and I really enjoyed the cast and directors.

“I loved it, I love the end product. It’s a show I’m really proud of and if they wanted to go again I’d be overjoyed.”

House of Guinness is on Netflix

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Moldova’s electoral commission barred a pro-Russian party from participating in this weekend’s parliamentary elections on Friday, a vote beleaguered by widespread claims of Russian interference.

The outcome of Sunday’s high-stakes vote could determine whether Moldova, a former Soviet republic and a candidate for EU membership, will continue on a path towards the West or be brought back into Moscow’s orbit.

The Heart of Moldova party is one of four parties in the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), which is viewed as one of the main opponents of the ruling pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS).

The Central Electoral Commission’s decision was based on a ruling a day earlier by the Chișinău Court of Appeal, which restricted the party’s activities for 12 months.

The justice ministry requested the restrictions following searches earlier this month on Heart of Moldova party members that led to allegations of voter bribery, illegal party financing and money laundering.

The electoral commission said in a statement that all names proposed by Heart of Moldova will be removed from the bloc’s list of candidates and gave the bloc 24 hours to adjust its list to meet the representation thresholds required by electoral law.

The PAS party has held a strong parliamentary majority since 2021, but risks losing it in the upcoming race, in which it faces several Russia-friendly opponents but no viable pro-European partners.

The BEP says it wants “friendship with Russia,” permanent neutrality and a “state that serves the people, not officials.”

Irina Vlah, leader of the Heart of Moldova, condemned “the abusive decision” and called it a “political spectacle, concocted a long time ago” by the ruling party.

She made a similar statement condemning the court ruling the previous day.

“We have made numerous calls pointing out the crimes that were being committed against us, but there has been no reaction, no change in attitude, which once again confirms that in recent weeks a scenario has been implemented against us,” she said in a statement posted on her Facebook page.

On Thursday, Vlah was banned from entering Latvia, Estonia and Poland, which accused her of “helping the Russian Federation interfere in the preparations for the parliamentary elections.”

Inflaming tensions

The electoral commission’s decision is expected to inflame tensions in an already polarised country where authorities have warned that Russia is spending hundreds of millions of euros to sway the outcome of the vote via an alleged vote-buying operation and plans to incite riots.

Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in Moldova. In a statement on Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed allegations of Russian interference as “anti-Russian” and “unsubstantiated.”

Cristian Cantir, an associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, said that pro-Russian parties may use the ban to claim they are being discriminated against and energise supporters.

“If political competitors break the law and contribute to the Kremlin’s plans to undermine Moldova, an institutional response is necessary for the preservation of the country’s security and democracy,” he said.

“Having said that, the decision will be used by pro-Russian groups as further evidence for their claim of political persecution…These groups will ramp up this rhetoric to mobilise their electorate.”

Additional sources • AP