A closed process over the abduction of an ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky hasn’t got underway yet: Dima’s episode comes last in the number of crimes that the suspects are indicted for. The case hearing, which lasted for three weeks now, is going at slow pace. They either cancel the court sessions or, at the very best, they cross-examine one or two witnesses and stop on that, as far as there’s no one else they can interrogate. It turns out as though the witnesses for the prosecution fear showing up in the courtroom.

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The authorities won’t let anybody interfere the internal affairs of the country, A.Lukashenka declared at the meeting with top officials of Minsk region. The meeting was dedicated to the questions of social and economical development of the regions in the period of 2001-2005.

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It appears that the Belarusian state determined to re-count all the cash, possessed by the population. With this in mind, the Justice Ministry developed a draft project on stepping up measures to tie the cash possessions of the populace. The state intends to impose a total control over the expenses and, of course, the sources of income of their countrymen. In case the program gets ratified and fulfilled, Belarusians will only be able to purchase anything worth over $200 through a bank transfer operation. And it won’t matter whether the individual is paying in foreign cash or in the ruble equivalent.

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Representatives of the Independent miners’ trade union of the Soligorsk company “Belaruskaliy” held a picket in Minsk on November 16. The workers demanded that the authorities abrogate the taxation of the allowances that a miner receives after his dismissal or redundancy. They likewise protested against the reduction of the income tax rate to 13%.

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Alexander Lukashenko figures it’s high time they widened collaboration with the Russians in a defense sphere, including the export of ammunition. According to him, the cooperation of the two states in the area of weaponry consignment to exterior markets, is no secret to anyone. “We have plenty of things to trade and, bear in mind, that we violate no international norms or principles,” – noted Lukashenko.

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Ukrainian customs officers put a stamp “entry-departure” into the passports of the Belarusian travelers at the cross-border point. The data about the individual and his passport information is inserted into a special paragraph. Gomel residents claim that after such registration Belarusians may cross the border daily. However, in three months time the Ukrainian frontier troops will launch a repeated registration.

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The number of unprofitable farms in Belarus is on the rise. “Izvestia” correspondent was told by deputy Minister of agriculture and food Anatoly Rubanik that by the end of the year their number will reach 1,4thsd.

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The number of clients of the “Mobile Digital Systems” (VELCOM trademark) exceeded one hundred thousand users, Interfax was told in the company’s head office.

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Alexander Lukashenko visited yesterday one of the parts of the new ring road, which is currently under construction. Notably, Lukashenko didn’t visit the road section near Kuropaty, which appears to be the most troublesome for the government. The man declared that the works got to be accomplished next year, after which he called on the heads of Minsk and Minsk region Mikhail Pavlov and Nikolai Domashkevich: “You shouldn’t waste any time!” Meantime, the road workers in Kuropaty broke their promise that the works would be held no further than 22 meters away from the road.

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The theatrical play “Tuteishiya” – a symbol of national renaissance, written by Yanka Kupala – was taken off from the repertoire of the National Theatre. This information appeared ahead of the scheduled for Nov.14 and 15 performances. The reason for the cancellation of the play is allegedly a poor condition of decorations. At the same time we learnt about Lukashenko’s new decree on the preparation and organization of the events to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the national poets of Belarus Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas.

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New staff rearrangements took place in the law-enforcement institutions of Belarus. Lukashenko appointed new deputy state secretary of the Security Council and replaced head of the Brest police. Fresh appointments also occurred in Vitebsk and Gomel KGB, as well as in the Defense Ministry. Radio Ratsya therefore foretells the beginning of another anti-corruption campaign.

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Under such heading the independent newspaper “Nasha Svaboda” analyzes the yesterday’s speech of the country’s Finance Minister Nikolai Korbut in the “house of representatives”. The man confirmed that Alexander Lukashenko keeps on “Belarusbank’s” accounts the funds, earned through the illicit sale of arms. According to Korpbut, the means, which the state obtains from selling the so-called special materials of the Defense Ministry – “tanks and other military machinery” – are accumulated in the “Belarusbank” on the presidential “reserve fund” and “stabilization fund” for alleged ensuring of the reliability of population’s hard currency deposits. The Minister admitted that the money from these funds isn’t mentioned in any of the budget provisions. These words practically mean, says “Nasha Svaboda”, that Lukashenko misappropriated himself the money, which belongs to the Belarusian nation.

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Another rise in the minimal wage size will take place in December. Most likely, the size of the minimal wage will be set at the level of 10 thousand rubles. The size of the average salary of the first class worker will be equated to 19 thousand BLR.

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From the New Year the residents of the radioactively contaminated regions, where the level of pollution is estimated at 1-5 curie, will no longer be getting their compensation allowances. Such decision was introduced into a project budget for the year 2002. Symbolic payments, worth 600-700 rubles, won’t be paid out to 1mln.300thsd, citizens. Therefore, the government admitted that it is unable to provide for the normal living standard in the Chernobyl zone. Despite the Finance Minister’s claims about the social orientation of the 2002 budget, the government will cut down the subsidies for the living quarters, transportation, which means that the tariffs on that for the population will augment.

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According to the information of the regional Statistic agency, during the nine months of 2001 alcoholic drinks were sold for the sum of 79,1 billion roubles. It is by 11,6 per cent more than for the same period of 2000 (in comparable prices). While sales volume of vodka and hard drinks dropped by 6,2 per cent, consumption of cheap native wines increased.

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There is a probability that the project of the family of supercomputers “SKIF” creation would stop for economical reasons, or at least would be frozen. The three-year program is sponsored by the budget of the “Union State” of Belarus and Russia, and it was planned to allocate about $11 millions for it. But in 2000 the shortage of funds remained, as the team received only 69 per cent of the money planned. And this year in all likelihood they will receive even less.

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