Today's News

Today’s stories:
1. news from the official state press agencies regarding President Lukashenka’s latest activities
2. An article about a couple of new supermarkets that will be built in Belarus (and how they will negate the necessity of smaller markets in the area.
3. The official Biographical profile of the President of Belarus
4. The story of a US diplomat being detained by Belarusian Police.
5. An Article about US attempts to track Lukashenka’s money.
6. The US makes an official apology regarding deaths of adopted Russian and Belarusian orphans.
7. An article about potential BY government re-takeovers of formerly privatized industries.
8. A couple of naked pictures of former Olympic athletes.

Opinion.

I had a thought about what sort of real editorial policy this site needed to have. On the one hand, I could make another western-sided I-hate-Lukashenka hate site, make lists of Human rights violations and political disappearances, print up all of the awful things about Belarus and the president that I could and then sit here and wait for all of my political activist friends to come and tell me how brave I am. Or, on the other hand, I could print pro-Belarusian articles saying how well we were getting along and how progress is happening and the state is finally growing and lifting itself out of its decade and a half super-depression. This way adding some potential positive support to Belarus. Which is right for me?
Frankly I do not know. There is much I disagree with certainly and in fact the more I listen to the government side of things, the more I cringe at how many mistakes are made. Case in point being the support of massive entities such as the hyper-mart (see above) rather than supporting smaller business and independent ownership. These sorts of leaning will of course further feelings of disenfranchisement among Belarusians, exactly as this sort of thing has done in the US.
But on the other hand, chicken and egg arguments aside, there is and has been of late some change, some cleaning up and development and therefore some growth insofar as local living standards. These gains are, and this is from personal experience, nothing compared to television and media images, but they do nevertheless exist.
So I believe it is my choice to ride the fence. I think I would like to show both sides of the coin and let my readers decipher the thought for themselves. Independent thought. Freedom of the mind. Freedom to be a part of one’s community. These are real values as far as I am concerned, and therefore I think are worth supporting and therefore I think I will try and continue to access all the sources of information available. And of course, all of the links are right there on the page every day, so you are free to look for yourself.
And yes, this thinking does apply to the naked women: They were free to have the photos taken. You should be free to see the photos. I assume that the reason for these photos was that the women were either making some sort of statement about physical culture and the beauty of health and fitness or they needed the money. Again, in either case, I agree.

AG


The Official Word


09.09.2005
Alexander Lukashenko extended congratulations to President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmonov on the national holiday - the Independence Day.

08.09.2005
Under the Decree by President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko of 8 September 2005, Alexander Petrov is relieved of the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Bulgaria.



FROM BELTA: THE BELARUSIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY

09.09.2005 15:28:48
BelVillesden to construct two new hypermarkets in Minsk and one in each oblast center

Two more hypermarkets in Minsk and one in each oblast centers will built by the foreign company BelVillesden which has already constructed the hypermarket Gippo visited by president Alexander Lukashenko today.

During the meeting with journalists the head of state said that ‘this is a functional and beautiful hypermarket’. In his words, hypermarkets will be soon replacing private stores. This is why when meeting with entrepreneurs the president offered them to integrate into bigger trading companies. After speaking with Gippo customers Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the fact that it was more convenient for people to do their shopping in big hypermarkets.

The president also declared that the state would support businessmen who were striving to improve public service for the common good.

And as a special for today:

The official Biographical profile of the President


Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko - is one of the most well-known politicians of today's Belarus. He had not been involved in the party or Soviet nomenclature, nor had he held any posts in the top power hierarchy. He belongs to a group of statesmen, whose popularity can, first of all, be explained by their personal merits and by the support of the people.

A.G. Lukashenko is notable for his in-depth understanding of events, hard work, sense of duty, realism, fairness and fidelity to principle. He openly voices his opinions, even to the audience not inclined to agree. When being deputy of the BSSR Supreme Soviet he was the only one to vote against the Belovezh Agreements on the abolishment of the USSR, he was exposing corrupt top officials, boldly, without being afraid of conspiracies and cavils.

Being a resolute opposer of the division of the world into confronting force centers and a supporter of peaceful settlement of all disputable problems in accordance with the international law, he believes that the severage of traditional economic, cultural and human ties between the peoples of the former USSR has a tragic effect not only for their historical fate, but also for the well-being of the rest of the world.

A.G. Lukashenko was born on the 30th of August, 1954 in a settlement of Kopys, Orsha district, Vitebsk region.
FULL TEXT


From the other side

State Department Comment on Belarus Incident with U.S. Diplomat
By Alan Gray, NewsBlaze

Belarusian police detained a U.S. diplomat for forty minutes while in a meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations.

The routine meeting took place in Gomel, Belarus on August 23, 2005. Police entered the meeting and refused to permit the diplomat to leave for forty minutes, without offering any clear explanation, except for an alleged need to check his identification.

MORE...

Washington Tracking Lukashenko's Money.
The Associated Press

The U.S. government has gathered information on bank accounts belonging to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and senior officials of his administration, the U.S. ambassador to the country said Thursday.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ambassador George Krol said the data were being gathered in accordance with the Belarus Democracy Act, a law passed by U.S. Congress in October giving the State Department new authority to impose sanctions on Lukashenko and his government. He did not say in what countries the bank accounts were held.

"As long as there is no democratic society here, as long as the Belarusian authorities maintain their hostile attitude to democracy, this act will guide the U.S. administration and require it to do all it can to support the development of democracy in Belarus," Krol said in the interview, which was conducted in Belarusian and English.
FULL TEXT

U.S. official apologizes for the death of Russian-born adopted children killed in the U.S

09/09/2005 18:50
Representatives of U.S. nongovernmental organizations share the concern of the Russian authorities regarding the death of Russian adoptees

Representatives of U.S. nongovernmental organizations share the concern of the Russian authorities regarding the death of Russian adoptees in the U.S. However, they believe that international adoption should be continued.

"We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Russian government and Russian people with regard to the death of several Russian adopted children in the U.S. Meanwhile, international adoption should not be shut down due to those facts," said President and CEO of the National Council for Adoption Thomas Atwood at the end of a Moscow meeting with Russia's General Prosecutor Deputy Sergei Fridinsky.
More


Re-Nationalization Possible in Belarus.
Combined Reports

On March 31 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made several strong statements regarding the possible nationalization of non-governmental enterprises. According to the president, an unprofitable private enterprise can be made state's property, "We are going to check the efficiency of joint-stock companies, private corporations and other companies. If they are going to pieces and can't work properly but they are still useful for the state, they should be nationalized. And it should be done free without reproaching the government."

Under the words of the Belarusian president, "We shouldn't let anyone ruin these enterprises because their employees are Belarusian people. These enterprises should make a profit not only for their employees but also for the state. We have to clear up the situation in the private sector this year. There should be left only those private enterprises that are still profitable."
MORE

SPORT
Editor’s note: I only printed these because I want more readers…

Photos from the “Erotic Photo competition” amongst for former Olympic athletes….

Yulia Bordovskikh (Russia), basketball
Yulia Chepalova (Russia), ski
Amy Acuff (USA), high jump
Svetlana Khorkina (Russia), gymnastics
Kathy Radzuweit (Germany), volleyball
Franny Rinne (Germany),field hockey
Alina Kabayeva (Russia), callisthenics

For comments straight from the editor about this last "article" and about all sorts of things that a guy has to do to live in Belarus, please check out BEING HAD- The Story...