Spouse of the convicted Supreme Soviet deputy Andrei Klimov Tatyana Klimova-Leonovich had an extended date with her husband Jan.12-15.

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Around 10 thousand police enlisted personnel faced various sorts of penalties last year - this is well around 10% of their total amount. This figure was announced at the yesterday`s press-conference by the Minister for the Interior Vladimir Naumov. Naumov confessed that most cases of violations were discovered by the Ministry on its own. He noted that there exist many more cases of abuse of power among police.

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This was announced at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers by the deputy Minister of Finance Anatoly Sverzh. The president plans to set up a special fund in order to fulfill his promise and lift the people`s salaries to $100 level. As far as there`s no way they can review the budget, the government placed a major emphasis on saving budget funds. Expectedly, the saved capital will be accumulated in a special budget fund.

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January 12 saw the very first price-increase on vodka this year. From now on one bottle will cost consumers 1548 rubles ($1,3). The change has been caused by the 10% growth of tax duties, levied on this sort of production from January 1.

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Since Jan.15 the phone calls to all former USSR Republics will require dialing the international code (8-10). BelaPAN reports from the "Beltelecom" office that the last countries, where one could call via old codes, are Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

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Journalist, laureate of the National human rights award Valery Schukin wasn`t allowed to visit the Jan.16 press-conference by the Minister for the Interior Vladimir Naumov. Police spokesman major Bykov declared that it was only the state-run media, whose representatives could cover the event. However, under the Law on "Press and other media" the access to such press-conferences is free for all journalists. Despite his press ID, Schukin was detained at the entrance to the police headquarters and driven out of the building.

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REPRESENTATIVES OF SOME 30 CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTED SYAMON DOMASH AS THEIR SINGLE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE TO RUN AT THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE 2001

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Procuracy employees have ten days at their disposal to determine what measures must be applied against the "Nasha Svaboda" editorial board for its publishing of the article "Medical conclusion". On Monday the State Committee for Press officially forwarded the article for the examination into the procuracy office. The material was printed last Friday, while on Monday there appeared rumors that Pavel Zhook - the paper`s publisher - will face legal action on slander charges.

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Jan.16 the activists of the Borisov affiliate of the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gromada) held an unsanctioned picketing at the central Borisov square, demanding that Alexander Lukashenko pass through psychiatric examination.

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"Psychiatrists diagnosed Lukashenko as suffering from mental disorder", "A goofy president arrives in Moscow", "Lukashenko is mentally retarded" - such headings appeared these days at the on-line and traditional Russian media.

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Belarusian FM statesmen demonstratively ignored the invitation to the reception, commemorating the 25th anniversary since the passage of the Helsinki Conclusive act of the Summit on security and cooperation in Europe. The reception has been hosted by the OSCE AMG group, which has been operating in Minsk for the last couple of years. The government`s attitude to the OSCE AMG looks more like an open confrontation, especially this is true of their relations in the last month.

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"Cultural sports` visit on political-economic issues," - that`s the way one may characterize Alexander Lukashenko`s recent voyage to Moscow. It is no secret that the man is welcomed only in dictatorial states. Pretending that the key purpose for his arrival was opening the week of the Belarusian culture in Russia, in reality Lukashenko sought to lobby the problem of obtaining Russian loans for his re-election and tried to clarify Moscow`s attitude to the upcoming presidential ballot. And, of course, played another game of hockey.

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