Hearings in the case over “insult of the president” are to start at Shklou court on February 13, 2002 at 10 a.m. It is the first occasion in the history of the court system of the Republic of Belarus. The public prosecutor’s office charges the local activists of the ZUBR resistance movement: Mikhas Kisyalou, Maxim Patupchyk, Ales Paulovich, Dzianis Senakosau, Zmitser Shalashkou, - with the insult of the last dictator of Europe.

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At the Cabinet of Ministers’ session Alexander Lukashenko said the following: “Tell Bolloev (Taimuraz Bolloev occupies the post of the president of the “Baltika” brewery from St.Petersburg) that if I ever run again into materials, made to order on NTV or other dishonest media there’ll be no more place for “Baltika” here, nor for any other Russian firm. If Russian businessmen feel like engaging in liberalization and privatization of companies, let them do it the Belarusian way. No blackmail will succeed in Belarus,”- reports “Interfax”.

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As the BELTA correspondent was informed in the Belarusian Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, this year the political cooperation of Belarus and Iran. It is expected that in 2002 Mikhail Khvastou is to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, exchanges of visits of the parliamentarians are planned. In future the visit of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Hatami.

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Damage inflicted upon the state became the reason for opening legal action against the former deputy chair of the Brest town hall Nikolai Nazaruk. BELTA correspondent quotes the police press-center as claiming that Nikolai Lazaruk deliberately did not require from the “Blik Ltd.” the payment of funds for the development of the town’s engineer infrastructure. By so doing he had allegedly inflicted a $80 thousand damage on the state.

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Slightly over a year ago there happened a rebellion in the Vitebsk juvenile colony #1. Days before the Orthodox Christmas, to be more precise on January 5-6, 2001, the platoon #6 was brought by the commanders to the drill square. All of a sudden the crowd rushed back into their barracks and barricaded the entrance. The guys refused to open the doors to the administration, claiming that they would only negotiate with the town authorities.

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Famous Belarusian artist Aleksei Marochkin criticized the position of the Belarusian Committee for peace, which is imposing its own concept of Kuropaty memorial without preliminary public consent. According to him, the BCP’s initiative is yet another attempt to avoid public discussions on the matter. The painter also insists that they exclude from the document the notion “of historical-cultural value”, referring to the future memorial’s status. “It turns out that murderers and terrorists, NKVD agents founded on the territory of Belarus numerous historical and cultural monuments. I believe that Kuropaty must be granted a special status of the National memorial-necropolis of the victims of totalitarianism,” – underscored Marochkin.

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For the first time in half-year period the “Gasprom’s” leadership declared possible and quite significant reduction of gas industry’s incomes: deputy chair of the company Alexander Ryasanov recently told the journalists that “pure profits of gas suppliers this year will fell by approximately one third – to 73bln rubles.” According to Ryazanov, this happens due to the “Russia’s decision to reduce gas tariffs for the neighboring Belarus – from 30 to 10 dollars per 1 thousand cubic meters since April 1,” – reports GazetaSNG.ru.

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A machinery construction plant in Yuruzan (YuMZ, that produces a brand of refrigerators “Yuruzan”) and the Belarusian “Atlant” plan to create a joint-venture producing refrigerators on the base of the YuMZ, said the president of the association of enterprises and banks of the Chelyabinsk region “PromAss” Viktor Sherruble (that owns 71% of the stock of the plant) to Interfax. Production of the refrigerators by the new joint-venture is planned for October, 2002. Today the enterprise manufactures spare parts for agriculture machines and plans to resume production of the patrons for the firing arms. The state owns 21% of the shares of the Yuruzan machinery construction plant. The state owns the blocking shares of the “Atlant”.

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In 2001 the Belarusian companies, specializing in producing mineral fertilizers, suffered tremendous losses. Losses from the fertilizers’ supplies to the interior market amounted to around 38mln rubles (including “Belaruskaliy’s” losses – 25bln rubles, “Azot’s” – 12bln rubles, the rest being the losses of the Gomel chemical plant). BelaPAN reports that the issue had been discussed at the “Belneftehim” concern’s directorate’s meeting last week. Therefore, the concern’s leadership indirectly confirmed the phenomenon, thoroughly disguised by the statesmen: there occurs a hidden financial support of the agriculture at the cost of the companies’ losses.

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The situation with the Brest region agricultural companies remains tough. According to the Brest regional department for statistics, in January the production of meat at the agricultural companies fell by 17% or 2,1 thousand tons. There also dropped the number of cattle.

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Today the judicial palace #3 of the International tribunal for former Yugoslavia, chaired by the judge Richard Mei, will open court proceedings over the Yugoslavian ex-president Slobodan Milosevic. It will be the first time that any head of state will ever appear in ITFY. The prosecutor general Karla del Ponte is convinced that bringing to account such high-ranking official as Milosevic sure is will help prevent the future crimes and make substantial contribution into the peace process worldwide.

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After a two-week break legal proceedings over the son of the former Prime Minister Mikhail Chyhir resumed. Now the court considers video materials of the investigation, that have been filmed during searches in garages, where Chyhir Jr. allegedly stored spare parts of stolen cars. The defense of Alyaxandar Chyhir drew attention of the court to the fact that some of the padlocks of the garages look damaged, that is why the stolen spare parts could have been surreptitiously placed to the Chyhir’s garages before the search. The prosecution does not agree with the suspicions and insists on Chyhir’s guilt. The participants of the proceedings does not exclude that pleadings of the parties can start this week.

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Procuracy forwarded for consideration into the Central district court of Minsk a legal action against the law-enforcers of that district Marat Novik and Yuri Trus. The policemen are charged with harassing people during interrogations. Analogous cases against police are now considered by the Frunzensky, Moskovsky, Zavodsky and Leninsky courts of Minsk. As a matter of fact, the consideration of cases, involving the law-enforcers, is usually more time-consuming than any other legal actions.

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The Minsk city hall didn’t satisfy the request of the Young Front to hold on February 14 a rally on the Yakub Kolas square, located in the Skarina prospect in downtown Minsk. However, as said by the Young Front’s leader Pavel Severinets, the action will take place, regardless of the position of both mayor Pavlov and Alexander Lukashenko. The rally will commence in Minsk on St.Valentine’s Day at 5p.m. from the Yakub Kolas square.

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In 2001 in Belarus 7 people were sentenced to the capital punishment. 11 more people were sentenced to the live sentence, the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the country Valentin Sukalo informed at the meeting with journalists in Minsk on February 11. As said by him, now 5 people are awaiting for the judgment. As Sukalo said, now capital punishment in Belarus is used to those accused of the double killing – or a crime with a larger number of victims. The number of such sentences is gradually diminishing. Hence, three years ago 13 people were sentenced to the death sentence.

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Belarus and Libya enjoy great political relationships, which aren’t though backed by an economic cooperation, said chair of the “house of representatives” Vadim Popov during his February 11 meeting with the Libyan charge-d’affaires Abdullah Muhammed Almagravi. According to Popov, the current economic relations between the two countries dwell in a “frozen state”. Nonetheless, he says, the situation cannot be changed for the better except through the recently set up Belarusian-Libyan intergovernmental commission for trade-economic cooperation.

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Russian concern “Baltika” demands Belarusian partners to return 10.5 millions USD that were invested by the concern into reconstruction of Minsk brewery “Krynitsa”. “Baltika” had to resort to the extreme measures because the Council of Ministers of Belarus has not made a decision to give the working control of shares of Krynitsa to the Russian company.

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The Ministry of economy of Belarus raised on February 8 by 25% all tariffs on electricity for the population. From now on 1 kilowatt-hour for the urban residents, living in apartments with gas stoves, costs 24 rubles (previously – 19,2). Same is the cost of electricity, utilized by the Ministry of healthcare hospitals, horticulture societies, garage construction cooperatives, elevators etc. Electricity tariffs for countryside population and urban dwellers, living in flats with gas cookers, will increase from 13,9 to 17,4 rubles.

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In January Belarus witnessed the highest inflation growth over the past 16 months. According to the Ministry of statistics and analysis, the consumer prices rose by 6,1%. A higher index was registered in September 2000 – 6,8%. In December 2001 the consumer prices rose by 5,5%, while in January 2001 – by 4,8%. According to the government’s estimations, this year the rise in the consumer prices must amount to 20-27%. Therefore, one forth of the distance has been covered within one month’s time.

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Vitebsk region authorities forbade the teenagers aged under 16 to be present at public places without their parents at 9p.m. until 6a.m. during the academic year and from 11p.m. until 6a.m. during the holidays. For violating this norm the parents will face administrative punishment in the form of a warning or fine of up to three minimal wages. The functions of the punitive body are placed with the commission for juveniles.

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