News on 3.10.2007

3.10.2007

Telekom Austria buys Belarus MDC for $1 billion 2

20:35, — Economics

VIENNA (Reuters) - Telekom Austria has agreed to buy Belarus's second-biggest mobile phone operator MDC, continuing its drive to tap rapid growth in emerging European phone markets, the company said on Wednesday. Telekom Austria will initially buy a 70 percent stake in MDC's parent, Cypriot company SB Telecom, for around $1 billion in equity and debt, and has an option to buy the remainder of SB Telecom for $450 million in 2010, it said.

BPF and UCP leaders comment on international support of European March

20:26, — Politics

The organizers of the action “European March ‘For Freedom’” hope to get a support from the West, the participants of the press-conference dedicated to the March arrangements, held on October 3 in Minsk, said. Chairperson of the committee, the Belarusian People’s Front vice leader Viktar Ivaschkievich said that a meeting of politicians with the EU Ambassadors had been held on October 2.

Charhinets intimidating Belarusian Internet 9

19:58, — Politics

2 October the autumn parliamentary session was opened. Today the project of the law “About information, informatization and information security“ was examined. The bill includes the articles aiming to directly regulation of the information in the Internet. Will it be possible to use censorship in the Internet and increase control?

How Putin could be heading for a fall

18:35, Simon Tisdall, Guardian — Politics

The US general in charge of Norad, the North American aerospace defence command, unwittingly gave a clue this week as to why Vladimir Putin is so popular. The resumption this year of unannounced sorties close to US and Nato airspace by Russia's strategic bombers were becoming a real worry, said General Gene Renuart. "If the Russians would file a flight plan just to state their intent and general routing, that would ease our concerns," he said. "It reduces tension as you're out chasing around after unknown aircraft."

Chairman of EP Delegation for relations with Belarus urges to stop repressions before the European March

18:33, — Politics

Bogdan Klich, Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Belarus welcomed the organizing of the European March in Minsk and called the Belarusian authorities to stop the repressions against the oppositional activists on the European March’s eve.

«Tovarishch» and «Narodnaya Volia» counted and released 1

17:12, — Politics

Today the militiamen detained 30.000 copies of “Tovarishch” and 11.000 copies of “Narodnaya Volia”. Dubrouna militia chief ordered to deliver the news-papers to the District Internal Affairs Department.

Piatkevich is daydreaming

16:29, — Politics

The bill “On trade unions” was compiled in full accordance with all the conventions that Belarus takes part in, Vice Head of president’s administration Natallia Piatkevich told BelaPAN.

Andrei Sannikov: «Mean actions of authorities can exclude them from list of partners in negotiations with EU» 3

14:28, — Politics

“The detainments of the organizing committee members and activists of the European March Campaign can cross out the hopes of the authorities to get the opportunities of cooperation with Europe. As appears from the statement of EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European March is considered to be the respond of Belarus to the EU proposals. Forasmuch, such mean actions of the authorities can exclude them from the list of possible partners in the negotiations”, - Andrei Sannikov, participant of the negotiation group of the European March organizing committee, international coordinator of Charter’97 declared, commenting the 15 days arrests of the European March organizing committee member Zmiter Barodka, democratic activist Leanid Navitski, and human rights activist Sviatlana Harohavik.

Kaliakin thinks Belarus won’t join EU within 30 years

12:56, — Politics

29 September the conference “Building European House Together” took place in Kiev. On the conference Werner Estmayer, German North Rhine-Westphalia Landtag Member said that Belarus has a possibility to become a member of the European Union on condition of the democratic society development. The “Zavtra Tvoyei Strany” correspondent has studied the opinions of the Belarusian politicians on the conditions under which Belarus can enter Europe.

Kyiv waiting Minsk’s explanations of deportation of politician

12:26, — Politics

Official Kyiv has not yet received the explanations of the Belarusian side what was the reason that Ukrainian politician Eduard Kovalenko, party “Spas” leader, wasn’t let in Belarus in September. Andrei Deshchitsa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaker declared it to “Novyi Region”

Austrian company is to purchase a Belarusian mobile operator

11:30, — Economics

An Austrian telecommunication company Telekom Austria agreed to purchase 70 percent of shares of the Cyprus company SB Telecom Ltd that owns the Belarusian mobile operator MDC (trademark Velcom) for approximately EURO 70 mln ($ 1.0 bln), the Austrian company reported on Monday.

«Tovarishch» and «Narodnaya Volia» detained on Belarusian Russian border

10:28, — Politics

Zmiter Yanenka, vice-editor of “Tovarishch” said that to “Beloruskiy Partizan”. The news-paper “Tovarishch” belongs to the Party of Communist Belarusian. The officially registered in the Ministry of Information editions were being delivered from Smolensk to Minsk for their further spreading. Not far from the border the car was stopped by the law enforcing bodies’ staff for freight checking.