In Kuropaty there took place an opening ceremony of re-erecting the memorial sign “From the people of USA to the Belarusian nation”. The memorial sign had been first planted at the mass burial site of Stalin’s victims on January 15, 1994. Back then the former US president Bill Clinton personally engaged in the event. However, last summer the memorial suffered badly from hands of some vandals. Today its second opening ceremony was attended by the US ambassador in Belarus Michael Kozak. In his introductory speech the diplomat said that the memorial sign is again installed in remembrance of those, who fell victim of Stalin’s repressions. After saying that Kozak kindled a candle and announced a minute of silence in memory of the innocently killed.

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Wives of six Belarusian dissenters, who disappeared, were arrested or perished under unsolved circumstances, sent a letter to Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski with an appeal to ask the master of Kremlin Vladimir Putin to assist in investigation on their husbands’ fate. Tomorrow, on Wednesday, Putin goes to Poland with a state visit.

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Vladimir Malei and Gennady Samoilenko, sentenced by the Leninsky district court of Brest to 15 days of arrest, addressed the OSCE AMG ambassador in Belarus with a request to tell the OSCE and the European Parliament’s leaderships about “new facts of violation by the Belarusian authorities of art.19 of the Pact “On civil and political rights”.

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The Ministry of industry abrogated the labor contract with Mikhail Leonov in connection with the criminal proceedings, instituted against him. On January 14 Leonov was relieved from the previously occupied post of the director general of the Minsk Tractor Plant under art.259 of the country’s Labor Code. In the order of the Ministry of industry it is written that the basis for the abrogation of agreement with Leonov is the letter from the presidential Administration of January 11 and the Cabinet’s ruling of January 14. Back on January 9 the procuracy reported that Leonov was dismissed from post upon Lukashenko’s order, following the concomitant report of the prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman.

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Russian investors will take part in the privatization of the Belarusian companies under equal conditions with the domestic investors. This was mentioned during the meeting of the deputy Minister of property relations of Russia Vladimir Mamigonov in the Department for managing state property of the Ministry of Economy of Belarus, reports IA “Ekopress”.

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Governor of the Kemerovsky region Aman Tuleev offered Alexander Lukashenko to set up on the Kuzbass’s territory the first international coal mine. The governor’s press-service reports that in a letter to the Belarusian leader this idea had been conveyed back in December, during the Belarusian official delegation’s visit to Kemerovo. However, then the Belarusian side said that the cost of construction works is too high – 430mln rubles. Today, notes Aman Tuleev in his letter, there emerged new proposals, lowering the costs twice due to the practice of licenses and certain innovations.

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Official visit of the delegation, representing Belarusian “national assembly”, chaired by the chairman of the “Republic’s council” Alexander Voitovich, to China will take place on January 17-24. The schedule of their visit envisages talks with the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Assembly of people’s representatives Lee Pen, deputy chair Hu Tsintao, deputy premier of the State Council Tsyan Tichen. The delegation members intend to visit the Khubay province, which cooperates with the Brest region, as well as the towns Ukhan, Shantchzen, Syogan, Shunde and Guantchzou.

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Last week “Krynitsa” brewery was visited by the governmental commission, headed by the Vice-Premier Alexander Popkov. The purpose of his visit was to evaluate the results of the first stage of reconstructing the plant within the framework of the investment project “Baltika-Krynitsa”. Meantime, it is known that in March the production of the new type of beer at the “Krynitsa” plant won’t begin according to the schedule, reports “Belorusskaya Gazeta”.

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In 2001 the country recorded the reduction of growth rates of the Belarusian economy. According to the Ministry of statistics and analysis, the volume of the gross domestic product rose by 4,1%, as compared to 5,8% in 2000. The production of industrial goods rose by 5,4% (7,8%), agricultural – 1,8% (9,3%).

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Three days before the new year salary indebtedness in Homel region reduced from three billion roubles to about 20 million roubles. It happened mainly due to credits. But it would inevitably affect December salaries’ payment. But it would happen tomorrow. And now the order is performed.

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According to the forecast of social and economic development of the capital for the year 2002, this year a demand for labor force will diminish, and the unemployment rate will increase. Unemployment rate estimate in Minsk by the end of 2002 is 1.6 percent of economically active population, the “Vecherny Minsk” newspaper informs.

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To cut down expenses on hot water supplied to population and state-run enterprises, municipal services of Belarus have diminished the temperature of water and in some areas the hot water is not supplied at nighttime. Because of strong frost more energy resources were spent on hot water and central heating. Now municipal services have to economize. It concerns particularly boiler-houses that work on hard fuel and on natural gas. Such boiler-houses constitute more than a half of their entire quantity in the country. Gas supply will be reduced by 15%.

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At the Madrid court proceedings over an attempt to smuggle into Spain 11 tons of cocaine, among the 36 suspects are 10 Russian marines, 3 Belarusian and 3 – Estonian. This information was provided to RIA “Novosti” by the Spanish judicial authorities. Another Russian national, a 65-year old senior sailor of the “Taamsaare” trawler, with which the Columbian and Spanish drug dealers transported cocaine, was killed in Spanish riot police attack on the vessel.

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Ludmila Karpenko, wife of the deceased under strange circumstances on April 6, 1999 Vice-Speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet and Lukashenko’s outspoken opponent Gennady Karpenko, applied for political asylum in Germany. Charter’s press-center learnt this from the well-informed sources. As you remember, a few weeks ago Ludmila Filippovna Karpenko headed to Germany together with her family – her son, his wife and their daughter. Ludmila Karpenko chairs the “Gennady Karpenko’s Foundation”, which is currently investigating into her husband’s tragic demise. In case the lady receives political shelter on the German soil, she will coordinate the organization’s activities from there. As you remember, over two years ago the family of the disappeared ex-Interior Minister Yuri Zakharenko received political asylum in Germany. Karpenko had numerously reported of the constant pressure, which the authorities exerted on her and her family in Belarus. She complained about problems with employment, telephone and apartment’s eavesdropping, surveillance.

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An intolerant, corrupt regime that helped found, finance and diplomatically defend the Taliban is - remarkably - still considered "friendly" to America. The Saudi Arabian dictatorship, whose only real allegiance is to keeping power, can never be a reliable ally of the United States. The Bush administration should keep this track record in mind as America manages a broad tactical coalition that includes other rotten authoritarian regimes like those in Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Egypt and China. For such dictatorships are not only unreliable partners, but breed the very terrorists we must now defeat. Promotion of American interests, including removing the causes of terrorism, will demand the fostering of democratic governance worldwide.

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Former director of the “Atlant” refrigerator-producing plant Leonid Kalugin was placed in the mental hospital “Novinki” last Wednesday but his lawyer was told this by Kalugin’s relatives not until Friday night. Lawyer Pylchenko is convinced that the investigation deliberately evaded the law, which demands the special detective’s order in cases when the arrested person has to be placed for an expertise into the hospital.

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Homel Investigation department officially charged director of Homel radio works Anatol Kirykau, who was detained on January 5. As the chief of economical crimes’ department of Investigation department Mikhail Zagorsky informed, director Kirykau was accused on charges related to Article 424, part 3 of the Criminal Code – abuse of power that led to grave consequence. According to this Article an offender can be sentenced to up to 8 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. Investigation department believes that the director intentionally signed a contract for delivery of furniture to Germany and the damage caused to the state was equal to 87 million roubles.

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On January 16 there must take place another meeting of the “Belorusskaya Gazeta” shareholders. According to the demand of some stockholders, the meeting’s participants are supposed to consider the issues of financing the Russian-Belarusian company for the past year. So far, no documents have been obtained by the shareholders.

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Last week (7-13 of January) US dollar’s exchange rate to BLR grew at the majority of the market sectors. Besides, the difference between the exchange (official) and market rates (it has reached almost 5%), and between the market and bank exchange rates. The last is allegedly connected with an unofficial demand of the National Bank not to exceed 60-rouble difference between the official and bank quotations of the American currencies.

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