The authorities retaliated an outspoken opposition critic Valery Schukin for his involvement in a Freedom March-1 rally two years ago, sentencing him to a 30 minimum wages fine. Another oppositionist, BSDP NG chair Nikolai Statkevich was fined 100 minimum wages. Both men were implicated in violating art.186/3 of the Penal Code (organizing group actions, aimed at violation of the public order).

---

In average 70 Belarusian scholars and university professors move to a different country of residence. Over the period 1996-1999 279 researchers and teachers immigrated abroad, including 25 PhDs. This data was voiced by the head of the Center for monitoring the migration of the scientific and pedagogical staff of the Institute of sociology of the National Academy of Sciences Mikhail Artukhin in his interview to the scientific newspaper "Vedy".

---

The popularity of Belarusian tires on the Lithuanian market is reducing. They still manage to sell some wheels for tractors and lorries, but not light vehicles. "Belshina", in her turn, failed to provide effective advertisement of its program and prove that Belarusian tires are fit for not only Russian Ladas but also Opels, VWs, Mazdas and other makes. Certain negative role was played by unsophisticated price policy.

---

Since 1993 Belarus saw a four-times reduction in state donations for the reconstruction of historical and cultural monuments. As said at the April 16 press-conference by the deputy head of the Committee for reconstruction and conservation of monuments Igor Chernyavsky "the process of curtailing the state subsidies to renew historical and cultural values got underway in 1993, when the state allotted 11mln. rubles (1991 prices) for the purpose." Meantime, he noted, over the last 3-4 years the size of investments, supplied to the Committee by the national budget, amounts to approximately 3mln. rubles (in 1991 prices).

---

"Advisory and Monitoring Group is watching with alarm the public campaign, based around fabricated and therefore false allegations, associating the mission with militarism, guerillas and other illegal activities," - declared OSCE AMG group in response to the scandalous and aggressive statement of the KGB head Leonid Erin, who called the training of election observers, brokered by international structures, a "true recruitment".

---

Eighty workers of the Mogilev "Stroitrest" enterprise handed to the Central procuracy their complaint, pointing to the blatant violations, which occurred during the employees` meeting, designed to single out candidates for the state-run All Belarusian Congress. The workers intend to notify Lukashenko of their possible non-recognition of the Congress outcomes.

---

The investigative committee of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Belarus opened criminal action against the head of the board of the open joint stock company "Belorussky Birzhevoi Bank" Andrei Markovsky.

---

"Methods of crediting the purchase of agricultural machinery, presently being propelled in Russia (with state budget`s funding up to 30% of the acquired Russian machinery) are targeted against the Minsk Tractor Plant and the Gomselmash," - declared director of the Minsk Tractor Plant Mikhail Leonov. At the moment, he says, prices on electricity, offered to Belarusian manufactures are 1,5 times above those, proposed to Russians, despite the common economic zone`s existence. Tariffs on railroad cargo transportations and prices on heat energy are 3-4 times higher.

---

According to the Ministry of statistics and analysis, over the first week of April the growth of consumer`s prices constituted 2%. This year it was the highest index of price growth. For comparison: during the first week of March the prices were elevated by 1,7%, February - 0,9%, January - 1,4%. Since the beginning of this year the prices on goods soared 15,4%. At the same time, according to the official data, 46% of Belarusians are dwelling under the poverty level. Unofficial statistics put this number way higher - 76%. In most countries around the globe this percentage remains under 15%.

---