Renowned scholars, researchers, respected international experts, development professionals and civic activists from Belarus and abroad will gather in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius on May 25 and 26 to debate the “Future of Belarus” at an international conference dedicated to the 20 years of independent research in Belarus and the establishment of the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS). As Prof. Oleg Manaev, the founder of IISEPS noted, the “gathering takes place at the time where actual political development and public opinion is widening in a difficult period of Belarus` history”.
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News from Belarus
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International news on Belarus
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Last week, some opponents of the Belarusian regime called for a demonstration outside the Belarus National Theatre's performance in London. In fact, that theatre has nothing to do with political persecutions and actually represents a part of Belarusian culture disliked by many in the Belarusian regime. Should it be regarded as a part of the Belarusian regime nonetheless?
At the end of trading on the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange on Friday, May 18, the U.S. dollar rate grew up by Br40, or 0.49%, up to Br8.210 thousand against the previous day. The last time when the dollar rate exceeded Br8.2 thousand was more than two months ago - March 6, 2012. Also May 18, the euro rate went up as well - by Br10 (0.1%) to Br10.400. Meanwhile, May 18 the Russian ruble decreased by Br2.5 (0.95%) to Br261.5. As a result, the ruble rate rose by 0.12% to a basket of foreign currencies.
In Belarus, one should score at least 7 out of 100 points for the centralized testing to participate in the enrolment competition, said the Ministry of Education. The Ministry has established two conversion scales of the CT results: for applicants for higher education of stage I and for those willing to get secondary education. This is provided by the decree № 29 of the Ministry of Education "On establishment of the conversion scale of the results of centralized testing for academic subjects and Repeal of regulation № 15 of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus of April 3, 2009."
The Belarusian finance ministry expects to iron out all differences with the Anti-crisis Fund of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and secure a third tranche of the Fund's $3-billion loan at talks in Astana next week, Minister Andrey Kharkavets told BelaPAN on Thursday. Minsk expects that the talks would help resolve differences that have delayed the disbursement of the $440-million tranche to Belarus, he said. The Belarusian Council of Ministers and the National Bank of Belarus, in their joint letter, have already assured the Anti-crisis Fund that the country's monetary policy will conform to its recommendations as much as possible, the minister said. The letter is being studied by the Fund, he added.
Belarus plans to double its share in world industrial production by the end of 2020. A corresponding statement was made by First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Uladzimir Siamashka at an opening ceremony of the Belarusian Industrial Forum, Xinhua reported. According to him, the share of Minsk in global industrial production has increased from 0.06% to 0.13% over the past decade. Currently, the Belarusian industry is developing successfully with the growth in industrial output making up was 8.5 percent in the last decade. Particular attention is paid to energy efficiency and conservation. The country has approached the levels of Canada and Finland in respect of this indicator.
On May 14, 28 members of the US House of Representatives appealed to International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Rene Fasel not to hold the 2014 world championships in Minsk. The politicians argued that the people of Belarus lack basic civil rights, that the situation inside the country has deteriorated significantly since the honor to host the championship was awarded to Belarus in 2009 and that the “unrestrained climate of repression” creates a concern for the safety of players, coaches and fans who will attend the event (Charter97.org, May 14).
The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Friday reiterated his opposition to moving the 2014 world championship from Belarus, BelaPAN said. Speaking at an IIHF congress in Helsinki, Rene Fasel stressed that "sport cannot and should not be a political tool." "I don’t think there is anyone here who is for violation of democratic and human rights," he said. "Our organization is, by definition, democratic with all members being able to stand up and say what they think and we will always stay that way."
Belarus must commit to a “consistent strategy based on stabilization and reform” to secure financial aid, the International Monetary Fund said after completing a mission to the former Soviet republic. “Program negotiations would require agreement among all policy makers -- including at the highest level -- to adopt a comprehensive package to restore stability and to embark on the path of deep structural reform,” the Washington-based lender said in a report on its website today.Policy Briefs
18 May 2012 - 14:39
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18 May 2012 - 14:22
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14 May 2012 - 12:02
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11 May 2012 - 12:32
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8 May 2012 - 15:18
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Lukashenka expressed on several occasions the hope that Russia would increase the volume of its subsidies to Belarus, taking into account that the West "wants to bend" him. Defence Minister Jury Zhadobin said that Russia should help through preferential supplies of gas and crude oil, so that the Belarusian military personnel get the same salary as Russian personnel: the significance of Belarus as Russia's western outpost increases in connection with the US' plans to deploy anti-missile defence sites in Central European member countries.
BISS presents the ninth issue of the BISS Trends - quarterly monitoring of the Belarus’s political, social and economic development. The first quarter of 2012 can be regarded as a pause before Belarus finally has to address a crucial geopolitical challenge. The end of this period saw the country in a position of considerable uncertainty, which is largely due to the impending geopolitical choice of its administration: Belarus will either embark on a multi-vector policy, or aim exclusively at further integration with Russia.