20:24 Does regime plan to settle accounts with Gazprom by property?

Sources in Russian Gazprom have stated that talks with the official Minsk on gas price in 2008 are proceeding “steadily”. The Belarusian side offers the Russian concern to participate in investment projects in Belarus.

18:27 UN condemns violation of human rights in Belarus

The Third General Assembly’s Committee (SOCHUM) (social, humanitarian and cultural issues as well as human rights problems) approved a draft resolution on human rights in Belarus on November, 21. As the UN news center informs, the document was spearheaded by the USA together with Australia, the EU, Israel, Canada, Switzerland, and Japan. The draft resolution expresses “deep concern” about the ongoing systematic violation of human rights in Belarus and the further erosion of democratic process.

18:02 Belarusian rock musician promised not to perform at oppositional actions

Groups Krama, N.R.M., Palats and Neuro Dubel had an appointment with deputy head of the presidential administration on ideology Aleg Pralyaskouski. He promised that the Belarusian rock musicians would be lifted an unofficial ban on concert organisation. In response he asked not to play at opposition actions.

17:12 Do Authorities support “Black Repartition”?

An underground newspaper “Pinskiy Listok” is distributed to mail boxes in Pinsk. Photos of local public atavists and students with insults addressed to them are published in the leaflet. “They are against you” the heading reads.

16:29 Rainer Lindner: «Tensions remain between official Minsk and Brussels»

German-Belarusian Minsk Forum X begins in Minsk in the evening on November, 22. It is expected that Gernot Erler, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of the FRG, will be present on the opening ceremony.

14:41 Neuro Dubel vocalist: “We haven’t sold ourselves to anyone”

“We haven’t sold ourselves to anyone, and a price hasn’t been set for us,” the soloist of Neurio Dubel Alyaksandr Kulinkovcih told to BelaPAN agency, commenting on the results of the meeting of a group of well-known Belarusian musicians with the head of ideology department of the Presidential Administration Aleh Praleskouski which took place on November 21.

14:23 Ales Lipai, BelaPAN: «Our subscriber are interested, whom president met with»

Founder of the independent news agency BelaPAN Ales Lipai answered the questions of Radio Svaboda on November, 21.

13:36 Zmiter Vaitsyushkevich: «I see no connections between love of audience and show on BT»

“I prefer making music. I am upset with the situation, when Belarusians are divided into the left and the right. I think, we can expect a catch from the authorities,” famous Belarusian musician Zmiter Vaitsyushkevich commented to the Charter’97 press center the meeting between the Belarusian rock musicians and deputy head of presidential administration on ideology Aleg Pralyaskouski and their refusal to perform at the oppositional actions.

13:32 Belarusian Foreign Ministry startle by the UN resolution

“We are sure, the resolution of the General Assembly’s Third Committee concerning Belarus has neither legal, nor political grounds,” Andrei Papou, spokesman of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it on briefing on November, 22, commenting the results of voting in New-York.

10:25 Kasya Kamotskaya: “It’s a dialogue of a cat and a mouse”

What is the attitude of other musicians who are not favoured by the regime either towards the visit of “mistreated” rock-musicians to the deputy head of the Presidential Administration Aleh Pralyaskouski?

10:22 FIFA does not see Belarus on Europe’s map

On November 25 Belarusian football team is to find out its contesters in a group of the World Championship 2010. A special ballot for places will happen in the South African city of Durban on that day.

9:50 Press secretary of United Civil Party «invited» to KGB

Proposal “just to talk” was too compulsive. Katsyaryna Tkachenka received a call on her mobile phone, a number was hidden. A man introduced himself as a KGB agent and invited her to conversation. Unofficial, without summon. K. Tkachenka said form the very beginning: “Send a summon and I’ll come.”

8:32 Swedish experts: «Belarus can’t avoid financial crisis»

Specialists from Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics and economies of Eastern Europe countries (SITE) at the Stockholm School of Economics researched the Belarusian reality and came to a conclusion that if Belarus with its ill balance of payment maintains today’s rates of foreign loans, it won’t be able to avoid financial crisis.