Belarus - главные новости
04.02 / 15:32
Swiss Journalist Detained By Police In Minsk Is Released After Questioning
The Vyasna human rights center in Belarus says police in Minsk have released a Swiss journalist from custody who was detained earlier on January 31 in the Belarusian capital. The rights group said it received information from the Swiss Embassy in Minsk at about 5 p.m. local time that journalist Luzia Tschirky
31.01 / 20:56
Art creates an image and generates income. Cultural experts propose to facilitate the export of works of art and allow the sale of souvenirs in craft centers
More than four years ago Belarus was the first in the post-Soviet space to codify legislative and regulatory documents on culture. This is the Code adopted in 2016. Four years have passed, and the realities of today and the practice of applying individual provisions suggest which aspects and articles need to be adjusted. Constructive proposals were voiced within the framework of the dialogue platforms in Grodno.
29.01 / 20:40
Lukashenka's henchman uses clever trick to avoid sanctions
One of the biggest Belarusian businessmen Alyaksei Aleksin almost ended up on the EU sanctions list. This is a case where 'almost' counts. Aleksin is said to be one of those who were crossed off the list at the last minute. But the office of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her associates may finally get the entrepreneur, who is sometimes called «Lukashenka's purse», under sanctions. By all appearances, the businessman is well aware of it. Otherwise, how else to explain the fact that Aleksin decided to «get ahead of the game» and to prepare the landing spot? (Almost) everything is given to children The well-dive
29.01 / 14:33
крипто
Minsk for rent: Lukashenka's administration earns millions from real estate
«We are the largest operator in the market of non-residential real estate in the Republic of Belarus,» the website of the Main Economic Directorate of the Presidential Administration (MEDPA) says. And this is not the case when the Belarusian authorities attribute their achievements to themselves. A noticeable part of the office real estate in all districts of Minsk belongs to MEDPA. It operates
29.01 / 14:22
Belarus Authorities Fail To Investigate Torture Accusations, Amnesty Says
Belarusian authorities have failed to investigate allegations of torture by protesters detained during anti-government demonstrations calling for the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a report issued on January 27 by Amnesty International says. The report says the victims, not the perpetrators, are being punished and called on the international community to take steps to deliver justice and hold the perpetrators accountable.
28.01 / 22:08
технологии
Jailed Belarusian Blogger Losik Ends Hunger Strike After Six Weeks
Ihar Losik, a popular Belarusian blogger, says he has ended a hunger strike he began almost six weeks ago* to protest charges that he helped organize riots over a disputed presidential election that has triggered a wave of protests — and a harsh crackdown by the officials under Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian leader who has held power since 1994. «I have decided to end my hunger strike. Why have I done so? I did it on my own volition… I was simply moved by the unbelievable wave of
26.01 / 14:49
Controversy around Belarusian national flag explained
Belarusian state propaganda is trying with all its might to discredit the white-red-white flag as «the banner of collaborators». Their main argument is that under these flags «Nazis were greeted» and its history «knows no good». Sometimes it is explicitly referred to as a fascist symbol, as Vi
26.01 / 14:44
Minsk Court Upholds Extension Of Belarusian Opposition Figure Kalesnikava's Pretrial Detention
A court in Minsk has upheld an extension of the pretrial detention of Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava, who faces national-security charges after she urged people to protest against a disputed presidential election. «Maryya Kalesnikava's defense appealed the extension of her stay at a detention facility with the Minsk City Court on January 21. The legal arguments were tur
26.01 / 14:43
Belarus Stripped Of 2021 World Pentathlon Championships Due To 'Instability'
Just days after it was stripped of the world ice hockey championships, Belarus has lost another international sporting event it was due to host, amid a violent government crackdown on peaceful protests over a disputed presidential election last year. The UIPM Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships, which were due to be held in Minsk in June, have been postponed “due to instability” in the country, the International Union of Modern Pentathlon said in a statement on January 22, adding that an announcement regarding an alternative venue would be made in the coming days.
26.01 / 14:24
Worse Than Zimbabwe? Belarus Goes Tremendously Down In International Safety Ranking
Belarus has dropped from 16th to 114th place in the international safety ranking. This follows from the data of the global database Numbeo, which ranked the safest and the most dangerous destinations in the world for 2021.
22.01 / 19:35
технологии
Tsikhanouskaya To Address UN Security Council Over Belarus Crackdown
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya will address the United Nations' Security Council this week over an ongoing crackdown on protesters and independent media in her country. Tsikhanouskaya's press team said on Telegram that she will raise the issue of jailed activists and reporters at an online session of the UN Security Council on January 22.
22.01 / 19:13
технологии
Leaked Belarusian Audio Points To Plan For Barbed-Wire-Bound 'Camp' For Protesters
Arrests, beatings, forced exile, and even death. Belarusians have paid a high price for raising their voices in opposition since authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed a landslide victory and a sixth presidential term in an
22.01 / 19:10
технологии
As Belarus Protests Enter Sixth Month, Lukashenka Repeats Vague Promise Of Change
MINSK — Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has rejected Alyaksandr Lukashenka's renewed pledge to draft a new constitution by the end of this year and put it to a referendum. «Only one new constitution can be adopted in Belarus — the people's constitution. People will write and discuss it. And the man who fell into terror against the
22.01 / 20:05
World Champion Kickboxer May Face 'Torture, Repression And Even Death' If Extradited From Russia To Belarus
World champion kickboxer Alexey Kudin faces possible extradition from Russia to his homeland of Belarus amid concern the athlete may be politically persecuted and tortured. Kudin, nicknamed the Brick, was detained in Moscow after fleeing to Russia in the autumn, the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund wrote on Instagram January 21.
22.01 / 19:35
Belarus axed as host of ice hockey tournament over 'security concerns'
Sponsors of IIHF championships had begun to drop out after violent government crackdown on protests The international ice hockey federation (IIHF) has said it will not hold this summer’s world championship in Belarus, amid concerns that it would be a propaganda coup for the country’s hockey-mad dictator,Alexander Lukashenko. In a statement, the federation said it had made the decision “in the face of the growing safety and security concerns related to both the rising political unrest and Covid-19”. M
22.01 / 19:10
Exiled Belarusian Police Commander Says He Was Warned Of Murder Plot
A former commander of the Belarusian riot police says Berlin security officials warned him in 2012 that they have information about a plan by the Belarusian KGB to kill him. Uladzimer Baradach spoke to RFE/RL about the alleged plan in an interview published on January 12, commenting on a recently published audio tape from 2012 that apparently spells out plans to murder Baradach and two other opponents of Belarus's authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Germany.
21.01 / 15:18
Why top Belarusian businessmen become 'honorary consuls'?
More than three dozen honorary consuls of foreign countries work in Belarus. Officially, this is not a diplomatic job. However, such a title gives certain preferences. Thus, one can find many representatives of the top Belarusian businessmen among the «honorary consuls». From the article you will learn which businessman represents which country and what «perks» he can expect for that. Is an honorary consul just a figurehead? Not exactly. Honorary consuls are not concerned with issues of citizenship and
21.01 / 15:08
Budget for 2021: security forces in the black, culture in the red
The Ministry of Finance has published the draft budget for 2021. We have compared it with the previous year funding for law enforcement agencies and state employees. We also get indirect evidence that the authorities are planning at least one vote in 2021. Elections and referenda As much as 13.5 million rubles have been allocated to
21.01 / 15:08
крипто
Big Brother is unwell: Why Synesis was hit by European sanctions
Belarusian company Synesis became the first IT-company to fall under the European sanctions. The arguments of the EU Council are as follows: the company provided the authorities with video surveillance platform, which allows facial recognition. The European officials are sure that Synesis benefits by supporting Lukashenka's regime. Synesis has already said it plans to challenge the inclusion in the «black list». The company believes that there are «no legal or rational grounds» for this. What does Synesis do and does it really help identify protesters? Changed citizenship for tenders The co-founder — and mos
21.01 / 15:08
First private security firm moves to special forces training base
In summer, Euroradio reported in detail about the connection between the company «GardService» — the first Belarusian private security firm (PSF) — and the Presidential Administration as well as businesses of people from Alyaksandr Lukashenka's inner circle. Since then, a lot has changed in the company, and the ties have become even more obvious. Six days before GardService was supposed to start operating at full capacity, the
07.01 / 17:20
технологии
7% Of All Deaths. Over 100 Healthcare Workers Die From COVID-19 In Belarus
On 2 January, Doctor of Medical Science Svetlana Sorokina published on her Facebook page a list of healthcare workers who died from coronavirus. It contains the names of 103 doctors, nurses, paramedics and orderlies from all over Belarus.
07.01 / 17:45
Frosty The Protester: Belarusian Man Arrested For Snowman
HOMEL, Belarus — A man in Belarus, where longtime leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka is under popular pressure to step down, is facing charges over a snowman in his backyard. The man in the Homel district had scrawled across his creation: «Long live Belarus,» a popular slogan of the country's protest movement. Photos of the white figure also show him decked out with a
07.01 / 17:20
18+
Belarus May Abolish Death Penalty And Other Amendments To Criminal Law
The existing criminal legislation of Belarus will undergo changes. The “first package” of proposals has already been adopted and approved by the parliament at the end of 2020. The “second package” of amendments, which includes the abolition of the death penalty, is currently in progress. It will be considered in the spring and will likely come into force in 2022.
06.01 / 13:18
Former Belarusian Official Vouches For Authenticity Of Tape Alleging Lukashenka Hit Squad In Germany
A former senior Belarusian Interior Ministry official has vouched that a 2012 audio recording that allegedly spells out plans to kill several opponents of leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Germany is authentic. Ihar Makar, a former deputy commander of the Belarusian Interior Ministry's counterterrorism unit, said the tape allegedly of a former top Belarusian KGB officer was «fully authentic.» «I have 100 percent proof that the tape is authentic.
05.01 / 18:43
технологии
Teachers 'urged' to sign postcards for Lukashenka
The Communist Party of Belarus, which was headed by Ihar Karpenka before his appointment as Minister of Education, has launched a campaign «People's President». According to it, the communists propose to send a postcard to Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Participation is «voluntary-compulsory». As evidenced by the leaked order of the administration of Baranavichy University, the Ministry of Education had instructed state institutions to support the project. They demand from
05.01 / 18:43
технологии
18+
крипто
The Telegram App Gives Voice To The Oppressed In Belarus And Russia. But Hate Groups Are Using It Too.
In a year marked by tightened restrictions and unrest, Telegram sent a clear message to authoritarian governments who tried to keep it quiet in 2020. But as the app, which has earned a reputation as a free-speech platform, looks to spread the word in Iran and China, its popularity among messengers of violence and hate remains a concern.
05.01 / 18:57
Kremlin propaganda attacks on US dollar repeated on Belarusian TV
US sanctions will lead to the decline in trust in the dollar, and in a few years the US currency will collapse. This “prophecy” about the fate of the American currency appeared on the screens of Belarusian televisions on December 23. “Experts predict oblivion of the dollar: the active application of sanctions by the US government seriously undermines the value of the dollar as a store of value. Over the years, this will lead to a reduction in the use of the American currency, Russian experts believe. The US dollar will simply lose its status as a reliable store of value and means of payment,” the news anchor from Belarus 1 reports with a serious face. Who are the “experts”? Euroradio found
05.01 / 18:54
Protesters have taken to the streets of Belarus since the election in August 2020 they say was rigged
Synesis holds a special place among the Belarusian companies that have come under the EU sanctions. An IT firm and resident of the Minsk-based Hi-Tech Park, the company has created the Kipod video surveillance platform, which the EU believes security forces in Belarus use to identifying protesters. But Synesis is connected with the Belarusian regime much more closely than simply as a developer of a video surveillance system commissioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Euroradio has learned that a businessman close to Lukashenka is directly related to the company. Cigarette smoke When it comes to Synesis LLC, three of its owners are
05.01 / 18:48
Belarus charges independent journalists with tax evasion
Four independent journalists who have been critical of President Alexander Lukashenko face seven years in prison on charges of «large-scale tax evasion. Four staff at an independent Belarusian press association have been charged with tax evasion, a lawyer for the group's founder said Thursday. Yulia Slutskaya, a journalist who founded the Belarusian Press Club in 2016, has been charged with
05.01 / 18:31
Pope Accepts Resignation Of Minsk Archbishop
The Vatican said Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Minsk, who was briefly prevented from reentering Belarus after he criticized the Belarusian government's harsh crackdown on opposition protesters. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was allowed to return to Belarus last month after being stopped from reentering the country following a trip to Poland in August. While there, Kondrusiewicz criticized the crackdown on protests against the contested reelection of strongman Alya
05.01 / 18:31
“Our Duty Is To Preserve Our Country.” Lukashenko Awards Minsk Riot Police
“Riots, blitzkrieg or colour revolutions did not work in Belarus,” said Alexander Lukashenko during his visit of the special police force to the Minsk city police department, that is Minsk OMON or riot police, on Wednesday, 30 December. Below are the highlights of Lukashenko’s speech, the names of those whom he awarded and what he received in return.
05.01 / 18:31
Tape Alleges Lukashenka Plot To Murder Opponents In Germany
A European online newspaper has published what it says is a 2012 audio recording of a top Belarusian KGB officer discussing alleged plots at the time to kill three opponents of Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Germany. EUObserver said in the report published on January 4 that the voice on the tape belonged to the then-chairman of the Belarusian KGB Vadzim Zaytsau. The attacks on the three never took place, but the plot dis
31.12 / 20:18
крипто
Lukashenka's Long Rule Over Belarus Looks Set To Survive 2020. What About 2021?
Ever since he came to power in 1994, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has used controlled elections and other levers at his disposal to prolong his own power and to restrain or eliminate rivals — in some cases literally, according to those who believe he was behind the unsolved disappearances of several opponents.
31.12 / 20:18
Belarusian Catholic Leader Returns After Forced Exile
The Catholic archbishop of Minsk is in Belarus for Christmas after authorities lifted a four-month ban on his entry to the country amid massive anti-government protests. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the leader Belarusian Catholics, was denied entry on August 31 as he returned from a trip to neighboring Poland. The 74-year-old spiritual leader was barred from his homeland after he criticized the crackdown on protests against the contest
31.12 / 20:08
U.S. Congress Urges IIHF To Deprive Minsk Of Ice Hockey Championship
Members of the U.S. Congress and European parliamentarians wrote an open letter to President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel, asking to deprive Minsk of the right to host the 2021 World Ice Hockey Championship. Democratic Congressman Bill Keating shared the letter on Twitter.
24.12 / 23:57
технологии
Chernobyl fears resurface as river dredging begins in exclusion zone
Scientists warn of threat of nuclear contamination from work on giant E40 waterway linking Baltic to the Black Sea The river running past the Chernobyl nuclear reactor is being dredged to create an inland shipping route, potentially resurfacing radioactive sludge from the 1986 disaster that could contaminate drinking water for 8 million people in Ukraine, scientists and conservationists have warned. The dredging of the Pripyat began in July and is part of an international project to create the 2,000km (1,240-mile) lon
24.12 / 22:49
технологии
крипто
BELAZ wants to enlist state support in Russia to fight Komatsu and Caterpillar
BELAZ was interested in the possibility of concluding a special contract for the production of mining dump trucks in Russia, TASS was informed in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the department noted that there have not yet been official applications for the conclusion of SPIK from the Belarusian automobile plant to the ministry.
25.12 / 00:04
U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves New Ambassador To Belarus
The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the appointment of Julie Fisher, deputy assistant secretary for Western Europe and the European Union, as the new ambassador to Belarus.
25.12 / 00:04
EU Officially Slaps More Economic Sanctions On Belarus Over Crackdown
The European Union on December 17 imposed a third round of economic sanctions on dozens of Belarusian individuals and entities over their suspected involvement in a crackdown on ongoing pro-democracy protests. The latest round of sanctions was initially announced on December 16 and officially adopted during a meeting the next day of the European Council. They include restrictive measures imposed on the head of Belarusian
24.12 / 22:49
Russian Railways plans to launch the high-speed train “Swallow” on the route Moscow – Minsk
The site of Russian Railways posted a message about a new train schedule, which refers to the launch of high-speed “Swallows” on the route Moscow – Minsk. The site of Russian Railways posted a message about a new train schedule, which refers to the launch of high-speed “Swallows” on the route Moscow – Minsk.
24.12 / 21:34
криптобиржи
“In recent months, inflation has accelerated higher than expected”, National Bank decides on the interest rate
The refinancing rate stays at 7.75% per annum. The decision was taken by the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus at a meeting on monetary policy on October 14, 2020.
24.12 / 21:29
“I Don’t Even Think Of Leaving.” Miss Belarus Released After 42 Days In Detention
Miss Belarus 2008 and former press secretary of Brest Dynamo Olga Khizhinkova was released. She served 42 days of arrest for participating in a number of unauthorised protest rallies.
24.12 / 21:28
Russia Approves $1 Billion Loan Promised By Putin To Belarus
On Monday, 21 December, the governments of Belarus and Russia signed an agreement on the provision of a $1 billion loan to Belarus, the press service of the Belarusian Finance Ministry reported. It will be transferred in several tranches.
23.12 / 17:12
Russian, Belarusian Officials Agree On New Level Of Cross-Border Security Cooperation
Russian and Belarusian authorities last month signed a new cooperation agreement that allows for police and security operations in Belarus by troops from the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), which is controlled directly by the Kremlin, according to a copy of the deal just made public. An official Belarusian legal portal published the four-page agreement between the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the Federal Service of the Rosgvardia on December 18.
23.12 / 17:06
U.S. Senate Approves Law Expanding Scope Of Sanctions To Use Against Belarus
The U.S. Senate has approved the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act, expanding the scope of who can be subjected to U.S. sanctions and providing support to independent media. U.S. Senator Jim Risch (Republican-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Fore
23.12 / 17:04
Even IT sector: 50% of Belarusians had income drop in 2020
SATIO, together with the independent research center BEROC, have once again asked a thousand residents of Belarus about the coronavirus, income and the future. Did the second wave of coronavirus hit harder than the first? How has income changed? Is the work process strongly affected by the threat of detention of employees? This is what the Belarusians answered.The main concern is the collapse of the healthcare system As many as 73% of respondents are confident that the situation with COVID-19 in Belarus will worsen in the near future. In November, th
23.12 / 17:04
Belarusian Press Club's Chief Detained; Offices And Homes Searched
MINSK — The head of the Belarusian Press Club, Yulia Slutskaya, has been detained by police in Minsk. Authorities have also searched the offices of the independent jo
21.12 / 21:12
Беларусь
ID-card instead of passport: what will change for Belarusians
This is expected to be a key step in the development of new e-services. Pavel Tkach, the First Deputy Minister of Communications and Informatization, told BelTA about the new identity documents, who is testing them, how ID-cards will help in the creation of electronic government and whether there are prospects for the appearance of digital passports in Belarus.
