At the proceedings on the case of the former officer of the Ministry of the Interior special squadron “Almaz”, Valery Ignatovich in the Minsk regional court, an appeal about summoning Vasil Lyavonau, former Agriculture Minister, as a witness, was rejected. As BelaPAN found out, the appeal was from the victims’ side. They believe that Vasil Lyavonau, who during the pre-election campaign met ex-Prosecutor General of Belarus Aleh Bazhelka, could verify the evidence of Pavel Sharamet, Russian TV reporter.

---

The investigation committee of the Minsk city court returned files on the so-called “picket in Viktor Gonchar’s memory” case for a forth revision to the Moskovsky district court of Minsk, reports “Izvestia”. As you remember, the case consideration started in early September last year. In particular, member of the United Civil Party Vladimir Romanovsky submitted his complaint over the Minsk city hall’s decision, which banned to hold picket on Gonchar and Krasovsky’s disappearance anniversary on the approximate place of their abduction.

---

Representatives of the Iraqi car-building factory “Mohre Sazan”, who have recently visited the Vitebsk plant “Komintern”, announced their intentions to purchase three machines from their Belarusian counterparts. The newspaper “Vitbichi” reports that this year alone the Belarusian plant sold its machine-tools to Brazil, Turkey and Syria. Five machines, equipped with digital control systems, were dispatched to the Indian affiliate of the popular “Suzuki” company. At the moment the plant is working on the orders from Latvia and Estonia.

---

Consumer price index rose over the January-November this year, as compared with the analogous last year’s period, by 38,5%. BELTA correspondent was told in the Ministry for statistics and analysis that the average monthly growth since early this year constituted 3%.

---

A kindergarten, a school and a few blocks of the residential area of the Ermina village (Gomel district) were left without electricity and hot water. The reason for that was the breakdown of the equipment at the station, which is heating the village. The collapse occurred on December 11. The village council ruled to close the kindergarten and forbade the junior schoolchildren to attend their classes. The senior pupils come to studies in upper clothes and sit in the classrooms with their gloves on.

---

There are only two first aid vehicles, catering for the needs of 15 thousand residents in Krasnopolye (Mogilev region). Needless to say that one can never cope with such a huge chunk of work having only two ambulance cars at his disposal. Those, in need of urgent healthcare assistance, have to wait for the doctor for 1,5-2 hours. The problem lies within the acute shortage of fuel for vehicles. No money for gas had been allocated in more than 2 months period. According to another version, the money simply never reached the addressee.

---

The border crossing point “Kamenny Log”, based on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, will be put in operation after the technical repair works in May 2002. Our correspondent reports that the custom’s office’s daily capacity provides for the transit of 2000 vehicles (including 1000 cars and 1000 trucks). They already built special offices where the cars will be searched and the documents examined. As you may already know, the re-equipment of this border crossing point is carried out within the TASIS program framework and the European Union earmarked $1mln344thsd for its reconstruction.

---

Over 11 months of this year there have been registered 561 incident of HIV infection, which is 4% more than in the year 2000. In total, by December 1 the number of the HIV-infected Belarusians reached 3840, BELTA quotes chief physician of the national center of AIDS prophylactics Lilia Meleshko. The woman also noted that the lead in the number of dangerously infected belongs to the Gomel region and Minsk city. The overwhelming majority of sick patients – 97,3% – are adults under 40.

---

This week saw a 23,9% increase in the demand for Minsk flats, while the supply’s growth amounted to only 4,2%. BELTA was told by the president of the public association “Belarusian society of evaluators” Nikolai Trifinov, in charge of the market’s examination, that the prices on living quarters rest on pretty much the same level as last week. There’s also an increasing demand for one-room and two-room apartments, while that for the three and four rooms ones remains way lower. This discrepancy finds expression in the price level, concluded the specialist.

---

The head of the investigation group on the case of the former General executive of the Minsk production association “Atlant”, Leanid Kaluhin, declined the petition about change or of the cancellation of the measure of accused up-keep. Kaluhin was detained on November 21 and since that time was held in the pre-trial detention center in Minsk.

---

At the disposal of Mikalai Markevich, editor-in-chief of the Hrodna-based independent newspaper “Pahonia” shut down by the authorities, appeared a letter signed by the Minister of the Foreign Affairs Vasil Puhachou. This letter was addressed by Puhachou to the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus, which earlier passed a ruling on Pahonia’s liquidation. In this message it is said that Freimut Duve, OSCE representative on Mass Media Freedom, sent a letter expressing concern relating the newspaper closure.

---

Deputies of the “house of representatives” voted against the inclusion into the budget-2002 of a provision, envisaging the financial support of the Kuropaty memorial construction. Out of 81 MPs, present at the session, only 15 voted in favor of the idea. The rest either voted against or abstained.

---

Another BPF Congress, assembled to approve of the tactical plans of the party, voted to re-elect Vintsuk Vyachorka as the organization’s leader. The delegates also discussed such issues as the elections into the local bodies, BPF’s participation in democratic coalitions, along with the boycott of the possible elections into the “union’s parliament”. BPF didn’t split up in two, as some expected, while Vyachestal Sivchik, defeated by Vyachorka with a serious vote difference, never showed up at the Sunday session.

---

Judge of the Vileika town court Vladimir Emelyanovich ruled to fine chair of the local UCP branch Vladimir Malyarchuk 20 minimal wages. Same verdict faced Aleksei Sudak for his desire to learn truth about Lukashenko’s missing opponents.

---

Chair of the Gomel regional council Alexander Yakobson is set to learn how the department of the interior affairs is using the budget funds. The official gave concomitant instructions at the meeting of the coordination council for “crimes’ prophylactics”, held on December 15.

---

Belarusian government passed a ruling “Measures for Trade Union Rights Protection” that forbids centralized funding of membership fees for trade unions through accounts departments of state enterprises. According to the representative of the Ministers’ Council, this ruling will have positive influence on the economy of an enterprise, as “trade-union dues remittance slow down the work of accounts departments and increase the quantity of papers”. “At the same time these dues do not have any economical significance, it is just transfer of money to non-state organization, and the question of their funding is a personal matter for every worker, member of the trade union”, -- he said.

---

Belarusian trade centers, which where established during numerous visits of A.Lukashenka in different Russian regions last year, are being closed. The leadership of the concern “Belreursy” informed about liquidation of 11 Belarusian trade centers, because of their economic failure. They will be liquidated in Rostov, Kostroma, Volgograd, St.Petersburg, Smolensk and other regions.

---