International association of medics “For the prevention of nuclear holocaust” and organization “Physicians for the public responsibility” addressed Alexander Lukashenko with a request to lift the ban on scientific research, imposed on Gomel professor of medicine Bandazhevsky. The document, signed by 300 scholars reads that the Swiss academics esteem highly the works of Bandazhevsky in the area of radio pathology. “His works stand especially important in light of elaborating the preventive measures to protect mankind from the consequences of technological catastrophes,” – reads the letter.

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“Investigative bodies exert unprecedented tremendous pressure on our family,” – declared former Belarusian Premier Mikhail Chigir during his April 11 press-conference: “Yesterday was two months since the detention of our son Alexander, but there have been no investigation procedures so far. Again yesterday they signed the ruling to prolong our son’s imprisonment to 4 months and 10 days.”

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Kremlin has determined to substitute Lukashenko as the president of Belarus, - concludes the article, published in today`s issue of "Nasha Svaboda": The Security Council of Russia set up a special analytical group, made up of former Belarus KGB agents. The group is supposed to analyze the current situation, search for a descent candidate and promote him through media sources. The minimum expenses for the elections are estimated at $18mln., the maximum - $30 mln.

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Organizing committee applied to the Minsk city hall to hold the annual rally "Chernobyl Shlyach-2001". Originally the initiators of the march decided not to ask for permission. However, during the session of the Coordination Council of democratic forces on April 10 they changed their mind and ruled to address the city hall with a request to allow them hold the April 26 rally at 5-7.30 p.m.

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Alexander Lukashenko ordered his henchmen not to invite US diplomats to the official receptions, where he`s present. Lukashenko voiced this his decision on April 10, while delivering his annual address before the national assembly.

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Leader of the human rights center "Vesna" Ales Belyatsky, serving a 10-days arrest for his part in the Freedom Day protest, has to be set free today, which is two days prior to the due time. The rest of the detainees - Vintsuk Vyachorka, Pavel Severinets and Yuri Belenki will stay where they are - in prison.

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Yuri Svirko, accredited with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the parliament as a foreign correspondent, forwarded a complaint to the prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman over the arbitrary behavior of his security service men, who had forcefully driven him out of the assembly hall in the Government Palace, minutes before Alexander Lukashenko`s floor April 10. Svirko, who, as many other parliamentary correspondents, has a special clearance with a note "AUTHORIZED TO ENTER THE HALL", called in at the Palace on April 10 to listen to Lukashenko`s address. The journalist successfully cleared two security cordons - at the entrance and near the press-center door - but at the last one, leading to the assembly hall and the buffet, he was stopped by the plain-clothed detectives, who told him to wait for the guy, responsible for press.

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Industrial trade unionists passed a decision to hold in April-May 70 pickets in different spots in Minsk. The purpose of the action is to collect signatures under the trade unions` demands. A day earlier the Presidium of the Republic`s council of car-builders` trade union decided at its April 3 session to picket the Ministry of Industry. The protests will be aimed at upholding the resolution of the Feb.14 trade union meeting, held under the motto "Salaries to the level of prices!", during which the protesters declared their demands to the country`s leadership.

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Billion rubles worth salary debt in the Grodno region was reimbursed in shortest possible terms - during just a couple of days. The funds were mostly taken from an advance payment of 5,8 bln. rubles ($4460000), which the storage organizations alloted to the husbandries to harvest the crops in the fall.

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Minsk authorities again introduce restrictions on purchasing and exchanging of living space by those not having a Minsk citizenship. Under the newly adopted decree of the Minsk city hall, residents of other towns and foreigners will be able to buy apartments in Minsk not without a city hall`s permission. This concerns all buildings and forms of property. Moreover, every potential tenant must possess at least 15 meters of living quarters at his disposal. Plus every buyer must pay an additional fee into the state budget for the development of urban infrastructure. The size of these payments hasn`t been defined yet.

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In April Belarus bank will print a new note, worth 10.000 Belarusian rubles (around $8), "Reuters" was told by a National Bank`s representative. "The new banknote will surely appear in April. We`ll shortly release an official notification with all corresponding details," - noted the NB official.

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Pakistan is deprived of its membership with the Non-Alignment movement. This decision was confirmed at the yesterday`s session of the Foreign Ministers of the member-states in Columbia. The proposal to drive out Pakistan, as a guerilla state with anti-democratic regime, was voiced by India. As previously reported, in October 1999 Pakistan`s supreme power was seized by the rebels following a military coup. The Non-Alignment movement was founded in 1961 during the peak of the Cold War, as a natural reaction to the confrontation and nuclear race of the two superpowers. At the moment the alliance comprises over 110 states, including Belarus, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

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