Updated at 13:53,23-12-2024
Why Belarusians avoid conscription
On 5 March a soldier from a border unit near the city of Hrodna committed suicide while on duty. Although over the past couple of years the authorities have taken serious measures to reduce the number of deaths and amount of abuse in the army, such incidents continue to occur. read more 
Deep dive into business, or How to promote diving in Belarus?
Belarus is landlocked. But it has people who love the undersea world. Sasha Makurin, diver and swimmer, started a new diving school “Three Bolts” in Minsk and plans to take advantage of Belarus’ famous lakes. read more
Belarus at war with its “social parasites“
On 2 April, Alexander Lukashenka signed a decree against “social parasites”. From now on, individuals who do not pay taxes will lose be forced to submit around $240 annually into the the state’s coffers. read more 
Belarus turns to pro-Western nations in the Middle East
Belarus's recent leaning towards pro-Western nations in the Middle East follows fast on the heels of rapprochement with the West. On 6-7 May, Joint Belarus-Saudi Committee on Cooperation will meet in Riyadh. On 15 April, Belarus opened an embassy in Qatar. read more
From sanctions to summits: Belarus after the Ukraine crisis
Belarus is returning to the international spotlight, but for once, not just as the “last dictatorship in Europe”. The two summits that Minsk hosted in the past year on the conflict in east Ukraine indicate a tentative shift in Belarus’s political alignment. read more 
Jailed Belarusian opposition figure transferred to harsher prison
A court in Belarus has decided to transfer jailed Belarusian opposition politician Mikalay Statkevich to a maximum-security prison for alleged rules infractions committed at a lesser prison facility. read more 
“Coalition for non-recognition“ to insure Belarusian election results
The issue of international recognition / non-recognition of the presidential elections results in Belarus has determined the Democratic Forces’ electoral strategy. Last week, they signed an agreement on the conditions for the recognition of the election results, impossible for Lukashenka. read more 
Belarusian industry to downsize workforce in 2015
Amid recession on the Russian market, lay-offs have become a major requirement for the survival of the domestic enterprises in 2015. In late March, official unemployment rate in Belarus reached 0.9%, a 73% increase compared with 2014. If Belarus wants to preserve the competitiveness of Belarusian read more 
Minsk gains political weight in the eyes of Kremlin as mediator of Russo-Georgian relations
The Belarusian authorities are attempting to give new impetus to diplomatic cooperation with Tbilisi in order to expand the "window of opportunity" in their relations with Western capitals, and develop their new capacity of mediator and peacemaker, gained during the Ukrainian foreign read more |
