Apocalypse tomorrow: 2016 the year of growth in prices

"For the future of independent Belarus" is the pre-election slogan of the incumbent.
Just a month ago, Alyaksandr Lukashenka reminded everyone:
Belarusians will have to pay more the next year. According to BelaPAN, communication services in the next year will rise in price by 40 percent, travel in the metropolitan transportation - by a third, and the railroad - twice. The government plans to increase price for communal services by 5-7 dollars in the equivalent and other prices regulated by the government - by an average of one-tenth.
ALYAKSANDR YARASHUK, CONGRESS OF DEMOCRATIC TRADE UNIONS:

"This decision is among the unpopular ones and, of course, it can spoil the mood of those who potentially have to vote for the government. Therefore, they waited until the next year, as well as other payment increases."

Along with an increase in tariffs, experts predict further decline in economic indicators, which will be followed by more urgent need for foreign loans. The significant price increase in this case is simply inevitable, says economist Vasil Matskievich.
VASIL MATSKEVICH, ECONOMIST:

"This is a requirement of our external creditors, both Russia and the International Monetary Fund. To get a loan, our government has to raise prices for transportation and utility services."

Before the election, the government held them as much as possible. However, after another "elegant" victory we should expect less enthusiastic approach in taking care of the population welfare. Majority of surveyed Minskers, however, do not doubt this.
SURVEY

"I think it is not getting better."

"I think it will get worse. Many factors, including the fact that a lot of money will be spent on the elections, which we already known who will win at.

"It definitely has to improve. A new person will come to power, and there will be new prospects for development."
Apart from Alyaksandr Lukashenka, currently there are 7 potential candidates fighting for the presidency. One of them - businessman Viktar Tsyareshchanka - sees three ways to solve the economic problems of the country.
VIKTAR TSYARESHCHANKA, POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENCY:

"You can go for 20 more years with Moses and come to a certain drop in output and living standards. You can listen, you can work together and you can find a way to solve this. But there is another way - somebody else will become president."

However, Moses is entirely not willling to give up his seat.
Volha Zharnasiek, belsat.eu/en/ 
http://belsat.eu/en/articles/apocalypse-tomorrow-2016-year-growth-prices/

Pavel Seviarynets: Pray for a new Reagan in America

Pavel Seviarynets
PHOTO BY BELAPAN

The USA must require real steps from Lukashenka: release of political prisoners, mass media freedom, and transparent elections.

Pavel Seviarynets, the co-Chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, told in his interview with charter97.org, commenting on the arrival of American congressmen to Minsk.
- At the meeting with Lukashenka an American congressman Dana Rohrabacher declared the necessity to restore full-rate diplomatic US presence in Belarus. How do you assess the diplomatic conflict between our country and America since 2008 and this statement of a congressman?
- Aliaksandr Lukashenka's unwillingness to implement international norms, including those in the sphere of democracy and human rights, were the reason for the conflict. The leadership of the US Embassy was indecently expelled from Belarus, later the number of employees reached pre-war minimum. It happens at least when such relations are close to the "Cold War".
The West took it and since then the American Embassy has had to conduct its activities in a minimal format. There are talks about “liberalization", revision of relations after the Minsk agreements and a war situation in Ukraine. Unfortunately, it is all done behind "closed doors", without meetings with representatives of the Belarusian democratic community and bears the character of a backroom dealing.
There is nothing wrong if it resumes the work of the Embassy of the United States. But if the situation in Belarus is taken as a norm, and the arrival of several employees will be enough for the normalization of relations, then this will be a signal for Lukashenka. Signal for further election fraud, imprisonment of political prisoners, destruction of the Belarusian economy and its close ties with Russia. Thus, nobody asks him to step up.
- Do you think the American diplomacy is acceptable in this case? What should be new conditions for resumption of the Embassy?
-The United States could act hard and step by step, on a specific "road map", considering a difficult situation for the Belarusian regime, to win back a space for democracy in Belarus.
To require real steps: the release of political prisoners, liberalization of mass media and free elections. Generally speaking, the American diplomacy has enough levers of influence, but, unfortunately, it has lack of vigour.
Situation both in Ukraine and Belarus shows that the American administration and diplomacy has lack of persistence that was illustrative of Reagan. Speaking frankly, I just pray for a new Reagan in power in America - a religious, determined person, who can say "no" to dictators like Vladimir Putin or Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
Then it is possible to make major changes. Otherwise, the situation will be preserved and the West will constantly face problems in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. So, the Belarusians, the Russians, the Ukrainians will suffer the tyranny in Belarus and Russia.

Kilde:  http://charter97.org/en/news/2015/8/4/162982/

Cat Vitushka from Vitsebsk

Leaflets depicting a cat named Vitushka appeared in Vitsebsk.

It is unknown who is the owner of the cat, but his or her position is clear: cat Vitushka asks not to “spam the mailbox with invitations to the elections”. There is no sense in voting after cat Barsik was not registered as a candidate, Radio Svaoda reports.
The message is intended for “members of election commissions and other activists of the electoral process”.
According to the Vitsebsk residents who saw the leaflets, many agree with cat Vitushka and don't plan to vote in the presidential elections not because cat Barsik was not registered by the Central Election Commission as a candidate, but because the outcome of the “elections” is already known, as experience of previous “elections” shows.

Kilde: http://charter97.org/en/news/2015/8/4/162980/

U.S. Congressman: We need to build up relations with Belarus from scratch

“The USA needs to build up relations with Belarus from scratch,” Californian congressman and member of the Republican Party Dana Rohrabacher claimed.
“The American President said that the USA needed to reload its relations with Russia some time ago,” the congressman reminded. “We can also speak about a reload now [in the relations with Belarus]. The USA and all the others states need to take a detached view of the situation and think of the way to improve our relations. The USA-Russia and USA-Belarus relations have not been developing in a positive way recently and the problems should be solved together.”
The two countries’ cooperation in science may help ‘return our relations to the positive state’, Rohrabacher said. He will talk about his impressions of Belarus in the first place when he returns home, the congressman added. “We are being told that Russia and Belarus are hostile to the USA but I have noticed no proof of it during my visit,” the American politician said.
The delegation of the U.S. Congress arrived in Belarus on August 2. The trip was initiated by the USA. The congressmen visited the place where victims of Stalin’s repressions were killed in Kurapaty and the territory of the former Nazi concentration camp in Maly Trastsyanets on the first day of their visit.
The delegation met with President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Alyaksandr Huryanau on August 3.
The American congressmen will also meet head of the National Bank Pavel Kalaur. The visit will finish on August 4, BelaPAN reports.

Kilde: http://euroradio.fm/en/us-congressman-we-need-build-relations-belarus-scratch

Belarus’ Independence Declaration adopted 25 years ago

The BSSR Supreme Council adopted the declaration of Belarus’ state sovereignty 25 year ago – on July 27, 1990.
The document announced the independence of the BSSR and the supremacy of the state power in the republic and independence in all foreign affairs.
The Supreme Council gave the declaration the constitutional status on August 25, 1991. It was the basis for changes made in the BSSR Constitution adopted in 1978.
The country changed its official name to the Republic of Belarus on September 19, 1991. New state symbols were introduced – the white-red-white flag and the National Emblem ‘Pahonya’. The leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine cancelled the state agreement on the creation of the USSR (1922) in December 1991. The new Constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted on March 15, 1994.
Belarus celebrated its Independence Day on July 27 in 1991-1996. The day was changed to July 3 (the day of Belarus’ liberation form fascist invaders) after the referendum of 1996.
Photo: 90s.by
Kilde: http://euroradio.fm/en/belarus-independence-declaration-adopted-25-years-ago

Svenske dykkere hevder de har funnet ubåt i svensk farvann

Ubåtvraket ble funnet i forrige uke på den svenske østkysten, melder svenske Expressen. Funnet ble gjort av vrakjegere fra Ocean X Team, men de ønsker ikke gå ut med informasjon om nøyaktig hvor funnet ble gjort.

De ønsker heller ikke å si noe om funnet ble gjort der fjorårets ubåtjakt pågikk.

- Vi er 110 prosent sikker på at ubåten ligger i svensk farvann, sier Dennis Åsberg i Ocean X Team.

Funnet ligger om lag 1,5 nautiske mil fra kysten, og gruppen hadde fått koordinatene til funnstedet fra et islandsk selskap. På sine nettsider hevder teamet at det er en russisk miniubåt de har funnet på havets bunn, men disse opplysningene har foreløpig ikke blitt verifisert.

- Vi startet å søke fra den posisjonen det islandskse selskapet hadde angitt, og fant denne ubåten ganske fort, sier Peter Lindberg i Ocean X Team til Expressen.

Ifølge teamet er ubåten 20 meter lang og tre meter bred. Det er ingen synlig skade på skroget, og dørene skal være lukket.

- Det er ikke en bulk, rive eller skade på skroget, sier Peter Lindberg.

- Dette tyder på at mannskapet kan være om bord i vraket, sier Åsberg.

Forsvaret analyserer opplysningene

- Vi vet at det er en ubåt. Alderen på det er umulig å si noe om, men det har et moderne utseende. Det er vanskelig å si hvor lenge det har ligget der, og vi må gå ned igjen, sier Åsberg.

Ocean X-teamet vil fortsette å utforske vraket, men har vært i kontakt med Forsvaret og vist filmmaterialet av vrakrestene.

- De har vært i kontakt med oss og vi kan bekrefte at vi analyserer materialet, sier Anders Kallin, pressevakt ved det svenske forsvaret.

De kan ikke gå ut med mer informasjon nå, men Kallin kommer ikke på svenske ubåter som er meldt savnet.

Svensk ubåtjakt

Funnet har blitt gjort knapt ett år etter at den svenske etterretningstjenesten fikk informasjon om en mulig fremmed ubåt i den svenske skjærgården utenfor Stockholm.

Det svenske forsvaret bekrefte i november at det var en ubåt fra en fremmed makt som krenket svensk territorium i oktober.

Kilde:  http://www.dagbladet.no/2015/07/27/nyheter/svensk/sverige/ubat/40348025/

Zmitser Dashkevich: Kremlin's appetite increases

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Co-chairman of the Young Front and a former political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich has given advice on what to do for Belarus not to repeat the fate of Crimea and Donbas.

The Young Front has compiled a list of organizations of the "Russian world" - the Kremlin's top 100 centers of aggression in Belarus. The list includes organizations such as the United Rus, Young Rus, community of the Russian National Unity, PRD recruitment spots and the Cossack organizations and clubs that conduct "Russian parties".
The co-chairman of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich gave an interview to the Radio Racyja where he noted that the organization from the list will be among the first to hang a Russian flag if Russian tanks enter Belarus. Work during the making of the list testified that the "Russian world" in Belarus is very large, noted the activist.
"We assume that this is just the tip of the iceberg, only what is formally shown in the media, only what the Black Hundreds show off. When some registered organizations with the support of the state carry out some paramilitary maneuvers, shootings, unite the youth, give them weapons and medals under the patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church and officials - it is very scary. We must understand that after 20 years of struggle with the national opposition, Lukashenka rebuilt this "Russian world". Even if he wanted to dissociate himself from it now, it is very difficult to do, because for 20 years the structures of the "Russian world" have been rebuilt. While earlier it was done quietly, it is now gaining momentum, because the appetites of the Kremlin are, of course, growing."
Mr Dashkevich sees a big problem in Belarus supporting at the state level organizations of the "Russian world": "For example, activists of the Young Front or other non-registered organizations cannot gather in a group of more than 10 people - they immediately get arrested by riot police, and this is done in relation to people who are promoting the national idea and Christian principles. At the same same time, there are quiet meetings of the people who claim that "there is no Belarus, that Belarus is some fake historical absurdity."
According to a former political prisoner, the activity of the organizations similar to the "Black Hundreds" needs to draw attention of the state structures, which may have sane people who can start launch investigations. Mr Dashkevich advises to patriots to switch to the Belarusian language, which, in his opinion, will never allow Belarus to follow In tracks of Crimea and Donbas.
"Polls show that 30-40% of population in Belarus advocate for the Belarusian languagea to become a single state language in the country. Let them speak Belarusian tomorrow. No Russian chauvinist tomorrow will come to Minsk or some other city and say "Russian world is here" when one in three in the streets will speak Belarusian. This is the most important thing," said the co-chair of the Young Front.
racyja.com, belsat.eu/en/