Judge Ala Abakunchyk of the Kastrychnitski District Court in Minsk on Tuesday sentenced prominent human rights defender Andrey Bandarenka to three years in a medium-security correctional institution. read more

Only eight McDonalds restaurants operate in Belarus, and fast food remains a rare treat for most residents. read more

Relations remain frozen between Belarus and the European Union (EU). EU politicians seem to be tired of unsuccessful attempts to make Minsk embark on a path to democracy. The EU continues technical assistance, but progress in other areas is unlikely, observers say. read more

Late in the evening on 29 July Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko phoned his Belarusian counterpart and proposed him to host a meeting of a tripartite contact group on Ukraine. read more

At a meeting on improving anti-corruption legislation, President Lukashenko ordered a single anti-corruption draft law to be prepared and opened to public discussion. read more

On 24 July, Russian Ambassador Alexander Surikov revealed Moscow's proposal to Minsk to take over production of several thousand new components used by the Russian defence industry. read more

On 30 July, the Belarusian foreign ministry held a large-scale commemoration of the first World Day against Trafficking in Persons. read more

Hailed by Belarusian state TV for bringing independence and sovereignty to Belarus, media outside Belarus have offered somewhat different opinions of Lukashenka on his 20th anniversary as Belarus' leader. Here are three of the main narratives used on this occasion. read more

Belarusian and EU diplomats have exchanged visits in an effort to iron out differences that prevent the two sides from improving relations. But a dialogue without reform in Belarus is doomed to failure, observers say. read more

Although many question whether Belarus is really an independent state today, its three independence days paint a different picture. read more

On 23 July, the main Belarusian portal TUT.by blew the Internet up with an article about Belarusians who were going around popping car tires with Russian number plates in Minsk. read more

Organisers of the International Congress of Belarusian Studies officially published its list of sections and panels for the upcoming event. read more