Today in Brussels the EU countries are discussing concrete measures on implementing the travel ban on their territory, imposed on Alexander Lukashenko and seven of his Cabinet’s members, reports the Russian service radio “Svaboda”. This decision was passed by the EU last week in connection with the unfavorable human rights situation in Belarus and OSCE AMG staffers’ expulsion from Minsk. Last week the Czech authorities ruled to bar Lukashenko to enter their country and engage in the Prague summit of the NATO’s Council of Euro-Atlantic Partnership.

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Delegation, represented by the chairman of the United Civil Party Anatoly Lebedko, BPF leader Vintsuk Vyachorka, chairman of the Belarusian Association of journalists Janna Litvina, deputy chair of UCP Alexander Dobrovolsky and head of the human rights center “Vesna” Ales Belyatsky will be on November 25-28 on a working trip to Berlin. In course of the visit, reports the UCP press-service, there will be held meetings in Bundestag, Foreign Ministry and headquarters of the Christian-Democratic Union of Germany.

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With the assistance of the United Civil Party Valentina Adamovna Gonchar, Vera Mikhailovna Rozum (Gennady Karpenko’s mother) and Alla Petrovna Klimova will spend two weeks in one of the recreation resorts in Druskininkai.

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“Czech visa denial to the Belarusian president didn’t cast any shadow on NATO’s summit,” – declared the secretary general of NATO George Robertson during his November 22 press-conference in Prague. “The decision was passed by the Czech Republic concerning one individual, and there followed a quite predictable reaction from the Belarusian ambassador in NATO, who voiced his president’s missive,” – said Robertson. According to him, “it was quite an angry feedback”.

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An upsetting incident occurred during the 4th Congress of the Ukrainian Federation of trade unions. In this connection representatives of the organizations from the International Confederation of free trade unions, invited to the Congress, disseminated the statement, in which they manifested indignation over the conduct of the head of the Belarusian delegation, who interrupted the speech of the ICFTU representative, publicly called him “provocateur” and shouted from the hall: “Get him away!”.

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The most lucrative of all “McDonalds” fast food restaurants in Minsk – the one near the railroad station – will be closed for at least two years. Therefore, a lengthy court dispute between the US company and the Belarusian State University, ended, to no surprise, in the latter’s victory. It should be noted that the issue has long grown into a political problem and such a resolution of the dispute came as no wonder to anyone.

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“Belarusian Congress of the democratic trade unions’ membership status in the International Confederation of free trade unions will help spare our organization from demolition at the hand of the ruling regime,” – reads the statement of the Belarusian Congress of democratic trade unions, forwarded on November 23 to the secretary general of the International Confederation of free trade unions Gai Rider, with a request on the “immediate” acceptance into this influential structure.

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Alexander Lukashenko by his November 22 decree appointed elections into the local councils of deputies of the 24th convocation, due to be held on March 2, 2003. The issue has been raised for consideration at the November 22 meeting, hosted by the Administration.

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On Saturday the US embassy in Minsk official confirmed that the American administration upholds the agreement of the 14 EU member-states to impose travel ban on Alexander Lukashenko and eight more officials from his Cabinet. “A decision on joining the EU travel ban has already been passed and will soon be voiced officially,” – said the US embassy official in his interview to “Interfax”.

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The ruling of the Ministry of economy of November 1 lifted the cost of the natural gas by 58,3-73,1%. From now on, in the blocks of flats with the installed gas counters and gas heating, the cost of 1 cubic meter of gas rose from 50,23 to 79,5 rubles during the heating season and from 59,5 to 103 rubles in summer period. In the living houses without gas counters, but with gas stoves and centralized water heating, one tenant will now be obliged to pay 825 rubles (103,1 rubles for 8 cubic meters) a month instead of the previous 476. Therefore, the population will pay for a thousand cubic meters of gas $54,3 rather than $31,6 (according to the official rate), reports BelaPAN.

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Among the figures, which are monthly published by the Ministry of statistics, there appear some optimistic data. However, the general situation in the society is quite upsetting: in stores babushkas are peering hard into the meat rows in search for sausages and soups, homeless are digging deep in the trash cans, hoping to find glass bottles, villagers tell in the trains that somebody stole last night vegetables from their winter reserves.

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