31 October 2006
Lukashenko says that he will provide Putin with "detailed analysis" of implementation of Belarusian-Russian agreements

Aleksandr Lukashenko told the visiting governor of Russia's Stavropol Province on Tuesday that he would provide Vladimir Putin with a "detailed analysis" of the implementation of Belarusian-Russianagreements by the two parties at their forthcoming meeting in Moscow.

According to the Russian president's press office, the meeting is scheduled for November 9 and 10.

While receiving the governor of the Stavropol province, Aleksandr Chernogorov, the Belarusian leader said that he was thoroughly preparing for the forthcoming meeting.

He said that he had tasked the government with analyzing the agreements between Belarus and Russia within the framework of the Union State and finding out what results had been achieved.

After this information would be offered to Mr. Putin, it will be sent to all Russian provincial governors, said Mr. Lukashenko.

"We are experiencing a specific period in the formation of our Union State," he said. "I won't say it's an easy period. We have problems. Now even at the highest level, there is no clear understanding of what we should do today, tomorrow and what we should finally come to. We have already drifted to talking about economic integration. If we approach the matter this way, then a customs union is enough. In Belarus, our union is understood in a deeper and broader way. We are building the Union State, this speaks for itself."

At the same time, he noted, there are very good conditions for doing the utmost in the formation of the Union State. "There's a stable environment in Belarus and Russia is on the rise; we can settle many issues," he said. //BelaPAN

30 October 2006
Austrian Airlines Group: new safety regulations for hand luggage

As of 6 November 2006, new safety regulations for hand luggage apply to all departures and onward flights from EU airports as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland in order to meet the requirements of the revised, EU-wide Security Regulation. Liquids, gels and sprays not exceeding 100 ml per container are allowed to be carried in the hand luggage. These items must be packed all together in one transparent, re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum one litre capacity. One bag is permitted per person. The exceptions are baby food (if children are also travelling), special dietary requirements (e.g. for medical purposes) and medication that passengers need during the flight. For medicines and dietary products a medical confirmation or a prescription have to be carried along.

Laptops and electronic equipment such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras as well as jackets and coats will be screened separately at the security controls.

Liquids, sprays and gels that are purchased in a duty free shop at an European airport or on board of an aircraft registered in the EU will be handed out to the passenger in a sealed plastic bag, in which it has to be transported.

To enable smooth handling, the Austrian Airlines Group recommends to pack all baggage accordingly. All items and bags that do not meet these requirements may not be taken on board the aircraft. Due to intense security controls and new procedures, passengers should plan for longer waiting times especially in the first weeks after launching the new EU regulation.

The Austrian Airlines Group has been flying to Belarus on a regular basis since 1992. Austrian flies Vienna-Minsk-Vienna twice a day at the moment.

30 October 2006
Lenin Communist Youth Union of Belarus opposing the country's possible incorporation into Russia

The Lenin Communist Youth Union of Belarus (LKSMB) opposes the possible incorporation of the country into Russia, LKSMB leader Dmitry Yanenko told BelaPAN.

The head of the pro-opposition group accused Moscow of attempting to force Belarus to "surrender sovereignty and independence in exchange for economic privileges."

"Our organization believes that the Belarusian ruling elite has placed itself in a dilemma of choosing between independence or incorporation by Russia," Mr. Yanenko said. "We are confident that Aleksandr Lukashenko's interests and the interests of Belarus are antipodal today."

At its enlarged session on October 29, the organization's Central Committee decided to amend the charter, calling efforts to strengthen the statehood and sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus as the union's major mission, Mr. Yanenko said.

He also stressed that LKSMB, which was revived in February 1992, has advocated the sovereignty of the country.

"We live in the 21st century and should thus think about the future of our country instead of hoping to revive the USSR. The collapse of this great country in 1991 was a hard blow to us. However, the loss of sovereignty and independence by Belarus would be a much harder blow," said Mr. Yanenko.

28 October 2006
Lukashenko makes government appointments

Aleksandr Lukashenko on October 27 made several government appointments. In particular, Mr. Lukashenko appointed Leonid Gulyako, chairman of the Committee on Religious and National Affairs, as authorized representative on religious and national affairs, and Vladimir Tsalko, chairman of the Chernobyl Committee, as deputy minister of emergency situations, according to the Belarusian leader's press office.

In addition, the head of state gave his consent for the appointment of:

--Robert Chasnoit as first deputy minister of health;

--Andrei Kharkovets as first deputy minister of finance;

--Pyotr Zhabko as first deputy minister of economy;

--Vladimir Aleshkevich as first deputy minister of sports and tourism;

--Valery Voronetsky and Andrei Yevdochenko as deputy ministers of foreign affairs;

--Valery Shevchuk as deputy minister of health;

--Valentin Gurinovich, formerly director general of the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), as deputy minister of industry;

--Leonid Shenets as deputy minister of energy;

--Vladimir Naidunov as deputy minister of economy;

--Viktor Nazarenko as first deputy chairman of the State Committee on Standardization;

--Sergei Pyatkov as first deputy chairman of the State Property Committee;

--Vadim Melnik as director of the transport ministry's Aviation Department;

--Viktor Yankovenko as director of the Tourism Department at the Ministry of Sports and Tourism;

--Valery Degalevich as director of the Department for Construction Control and Supervision at the State Committee on Standardization;

--Vyacheslav Osipenko as director of the foreign ministry's Department for External Economic Activity;

--Aleksandr Kurlypo as director of the finance ministry's Securities Department;

--Vladimir Adamushko as director of the justice ministry's Department for Archives and Record Keeping;

--Lev Dubovik as deputy chairman of the State Committee on Standardization and director of the Committee's Energy Efficiency Department;

--Anatoly Lytin as deputy minister of transport and supply lines and director of the ministry's Department for Road Construction and Maintenance (Belavtodor).

--Natalya Zhernosek as director of the State Property Committee's State Property Fund;

--Gennady Dysko as Vitebsk regional prosecutor;

--Mikhail Batranets as director general of Mobile Digital Communications (Velcom). //BelaPAN

28 October 2006
Miss Europe suffers from anti-semites

Alexandra Rosenfeld, who was elected Miss Europe on the October, 27th, has already got to know costs of glory. Immediately after winning the title Rosenfeld, who is Jewish, received lots of anti-semitic comments on online websites and forums.

Besides winning the crowns of Miss Europe and Miss France, this year she was voted as Miss Elsas. She also competed for France at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant in Los Angeles, California on July 23.

Alexandra Rosenfeld is 19 years old. She lives at Saint-Thibéry and studies tourism. Her filmography consists of episodes in some French TV programs, including reality show "Fort Boyard".

27 October 2006
Roman Catholic believers petition Lukashenko over work permits for Polish priests, nuns

A group of Roman Catholic parishioners in the Grodno region have petitioned Aleksandr Lukashenko to reverse the authorities' decision to bar several Polish priests and nuns from working in Belarus.

The Committee on Religious and National Affairs under the Council of Ministers in August refused to renew work permits for seven priests and five nuns working in different parishes of the Grodno diocese, a source with the diocese told BelaPAN. The authorities explained that the Polish citizens held jobs that should be offered to Belarusian graduates of Roman Catholic seminaries in Grodno and Pinsk.

A petition in support of the Poles signed by a few thousand people was sent to the Grodno regional government in September, but the latter produced no reaction.

Aleksandr Kashkevich, bishop of the Grodno diocese, called on Catholic believers earlier this month to pray for all priests and nuns working in the diocese.

27 October 2006
Kozulin is in "cheerful mood," wife says

The wife of Aleksandr Kozulin said that the former presidential candidate was in "a cheerful mood." "That's what the prison administration told me today," Irina Kozulin told BelaPAN on Thursday.

According to the woman, the opposition politician continued his hunger strike. He was to meet with one of his lawyers on October 26. "However, Igor Rynkevich fell ill and could not travel to the correctional institution. The other lawyer, Dmitry Goryachko, failed to put other matters aside in order to visit my husband," Mrs. Kozulin said.

The lawyers are expected to visit the politician on October 30.

Dr. Kozulin went on an open-ended hunger strike in the Vitba-3 correctional institution near Vitebsk on October 20, saying that he protested what he called the illegal reelection of Aleksandr Lukashenko for a third term this past March. The leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" also wants to use the hunger strike for drawing the attention of the international community to the situation in Belarus.

Ex-lawmaker Sergei Skrebets, an inmate at the same facility, joined the protest in token of solidarity with the former presidential bidder.

27 October 2006
KGB chief denounces European Parliament's decision to award Milinkevich Sakharov prize as biased

Stepan Sukhorenko, chief of the Committee for State Security (KGB), has denounced the European Parliament's decision to award Belarusian opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevich its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought as biased.

"It is a biased situation and it cannot be described in any other way. As a citizen, not a government official, I am surprised at it. If there are no more persons to be awarded the Sakharov prize, Europe has become 'depleted," General Sukhorenko told reporters in Minsk on Friday.

Mr. Sukhorenko complained that KGB had much work to do amid the "West's interest" in Belarus. He accused the West of continuing interfering in the country's internal affairs and financing opposition groups following March's presidential election.

The Conference of Presidents, the political groups' leaders of the European Parliament, decided to award the prize to the Belarusian politician on Thursday.

Named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize was established in December 1985 by the European Parliament as a means to honor individuals or organizations who dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedoms. The prize comes with a certificate and a check for €50,000.

The politician was nominated for the prize by the EP's Delegation for Relations with Belarus. He promised to spend the money on assistance to political victims in Belarus. //BelaPAN

24 October 2006
Austrian Airlines Group: Consistent optimisation and consolidation as the basis for profitable growth

Financial Result of the Austrian Airlines Group, January to September 2006

Preamble: The present interim financial statement has been prepared according to the same accounting methods as the annual financial statement as at 31 December 2005, in which adjustments were made to the balance sheet reporting of aircraft overhauls (maintenance reserves) based on IAS 16 and to the calculation of the depreciation of aircraft components. Correspondingly, the reporting of previous years has also been retrospectively adjusted in accordance with IAS 8. Due to its sale, Airest was deconsolidated in the report period. The Travel Value Wien (TVW) subsidiary is to be disposed of by 1 January 2007. The assets and liabilities to be assigned are reported in the balance sheet.

An Overview of the Third Quarter Financial Result

23 October 2006
Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation will open a computer classroom in Chechersk school

Mr. Andre von Graffenried, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the Republic of Poland and Republic of Belarus will open a computer classroom in Chechersk School #2 on October 25, 2006. The classroom was built up with the assistance of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as part of the project "Information and Communication Technologies for Development in Chernobyl Contaminated Areas".

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is a branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation in charge of the international cooperation. Together with other federal institutions the SDC is responsible for the general coordination of actions in the field of development, cooperation with Eastern European countries, and also rendering of humanitarian aid. In the Republic of Belarus the SDC is represented by the Swiss Cooperation Office Belarus opened in 2001 in Minsk.

The project "ICT for Development in Chernobyl Contaminated Areas" has been implemented in Gomel region since 2003. So far 11 schools of Bragin and Dobrush districts have been provided not only with computer equipment, but also with the Internet access. The Internet expenses are covered by the SDC. Students now have the opportunity to exchange information: within the framework of the project eight schools have developed own websites and update them regularly. Teachers of those schools completed their training at the Republican Center for Internet Education.

The aim of the SDC’s project is to eliminate the actual digital divide between rural and urban areas and to offer children and adults, residents of the Chernobyl-affected regions, an opportunity to improve their life quality.

Local residents and authorities welcome the project. They acknowledge that it opens new prospects for their children. Therefore the SDC seeks expansion of the program and involvement of Belarus’ partners at the district, regional and national levels. In 2006 the SDC established cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Informatization, Beltelecom and Svyazinforservis Co. The cooperating parties equip computer classrooms and provide the Internet connection for rural schools of Mogilev and Gomel regions. Beltelecom is supposed to provide the Internet connection using the xDSL technology. Svyazinforservis will undertake current Internet expenditures.

That was how the computer classroom was arranged in school #2 of Chechersk. It will be soon provided with the Internet facilities. The opening of the classroom in Chechersk may be regarded as outgo to a new qualitative level: 15 schools of the Krasnopolye, Cherikov, Kostyukovichi, Bykhov, Slavgorod, Kormyany, Khoiniki, Vetka, Narovlya, Loev and Yelsk districts will be provided with the Internet connection by the end of 2006. An extensive training program for local teachers is planned in cooperation with the State Center for Internet Education.