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Financial Times: Behemoths in Belarus Belie Stalling Economy

London's Financial Times published another piece on Belarus economy. About a year ago the leading European business newspaper released a special supplement devoted to promotion of Belarus as an attractive investment destination. This week, Jan Cienski in Minsk describes how the Belarusian authorities are trying to raise some cash without losing control over the state-owned large enterprizes: The parking lots of Belarusian heavy truckmaker Belaz offer a hard-to-miss clue to how the ex-Soviet republic is tackling the downturn. They are packed with unsold bright yellow behemoths. The reason for the enormous inventories is that the government – through the four largest state-controlled banks – has pumped cash into the state-owned enterprises that make up three-quarters of the economy. The International Monetary Fund foresees no contraction in Belarus this year, in contrast to the deep recessions taking place in neighbouring Ukraine and Russia. Keeping state enterprises afloat has preserved jobs – unemployment is officially only 1 per cent. However, the policy could be storing up trouble for the banking system. Andrei Kobyakov, the country's deputy prime minister, says that the banking system’s non-performing loans are only 4 per cent. But Standard & Poor’s, the rating agency, says problem assets in the financial system could rise to as high as 35-50 per cent “in a reasonable worst-case scenario”.

15 November 2009

The Internet, Free Expression, and Authoritarianism

Tuesday, November 17th 2009, 2pm-5pm

15 November 2009

В.Вячорка і Л.Баршчэўскі ў Вашынгтоне

9 November 2009

15 Years and Counting: Inside Lukashenka’s Belarus

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe invite you to a briefing with top Belarusian pro-democracy leaders 15 Years and Counting: Inside Lukashenka's Belarus November 12, 2009, 9:00AM-10:30AM Panelists: Vintsuk Viachorka Co-Chair, United Democratic Forces of Belarus former Chairman, Belarusian Popular Front Lavon Barshcheuski Author; former Chairman, Belarusian Popular Front Alexander Lukashuk Belarus Service Director, RFE/RL, Inc. (by videolink from Prague, Czech Republic) moderated by Amb. Michael Kozak, Senior Advisor, US Department of State

9 November 2009

Zapad-09: Russia and Belarus Play War

PDFPrinthttps://belarusdigest.com/story/zapad-09-russia-and-belarus-play-war/

5 November 2009

Russian-Belarusian exersices made Poland ask for help from US

Poland’s foreign minister called upon the US to deploy its troops on the territory of the country to defend it from military aggression.

5 November 2009

Філіп ГОРДАН: «Мінску трэба прайсці вельмі доўгі шлях»

Мінску трэба прайсці яшчэ “вельмі доўгі шлях” для паляпшэння двухбаковых адносін са Злучанымі Штатамі Амерыкі, лічыць памочнік дзяржсакратара ЗША па справах Еўропы і Еўразіі Філіп Гордан. Пра гэта ён заявіў на слуханнях па палітыцы адміністрацыі Барака Абамы ў дачыненні да АБСЕ.

29 October 2009

U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing “Advancing U.S. Interests in the OSCE Region”

Excerpts on Belarus from the US Helsinki Commission hearing held on October 28, 2009 in Washington, D.C.: Present: Philip H. Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs; Alexander Vershbow, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

20 October 2009

Belarus Journalist Irypna Khalip to Be Honored at National Press Club October 26

Iryna Khalip of Belarus Wins Courage in Journalism Awards from the International Women`s Media Foundation. 2009 Courage in Journalism Award winners: Iryna Khalip of Belarus, reporter and editor in the Minsk bureau of Novaya Gazeta; Agnès Tailé of Cameroon, media consultant and former reporter for Canal 2 International, radio and television; and Jila Baniyaghoob* of Iran, freelance reporter and editor-in-chief of the Web site Kanoon Zanan Irani (Iranian Women`s Center). The 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award winner: Amira Hass, a reporter and columnist for Ha`aretz Daily, anewspaper based in Tel Aviv. For more in-depth bios of Iryna Khalip please visit this link. WHEN: Monday, October 26, 2009 @ 7:00 p.m.** WHERE: The National Press Club, Washington D.C.

18 October 2009

Belarusians in Washington Mark 16th with Film Screening Documenting Soviet Atrocities

On October 16, 2009, a screening of "The Soviet Story" followed by a reception was organized by members of the DC chapter of the Belarusian-American Association (BAZA) as part of the activities aimed to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus.

8 October 2009

Belarus May Win from the Change of US Missile Defense Plans

On Sept. 17, to Russia’s satisfaction and to Poland’s chagrin, President Obama announced canceling US plans to build a missile base in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. The revelation came on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland and was widely seen as US betrayal of its Eastern European ally.

28 September 2009

Нью-Ёрк, 18 кастрычніка 2009: сьвяткаваньне 60-х угодкаў БАЗА

У 1949 годзе была заснавана найстарэйшая арганізацыя беларускай дыяспары ў ЗША - Беларуска-Амэрыканскае Задзіночаньне (БАЗА). З гэтай нагоды БАЗА сумесна з іншымі беларускімі арганізацыямі Нью-Ёрка ладзяць сьвяткаваньне 60-й гадавіны працы. Праграма ўключае дзённую частку, што будзе праходзіць у беларускай праваслаўнай царкве ў Брукліне, а таксама вячэрнюю забаўляльную частку, што пройдзе на арэндаваным прагулачным караблі. ДЗЁННАЯ ПРАГРАМА (пачатак а 1:00 папаўдні)

22 September 2009

DC-based and Belarus-born Evgeny Morozov on Internet and Authoritarianism

Evgeny is known to Belarusians of Washington because of his article in Newsweek on how this blog had been shut down ealier this year. You can watch his talk on how authoritarian regimes use internet below.

19 September 2009

Debut of Belarus Free Theater in Washington (in Russian)

PDFPrinthttps://belarusdigest.com/story/debut-of-belarus-free-theater-in-washington-in-russian/

18 September 2009

Belarus United 70 Years Ago

Yesterday was the seventieth anniversary of yet another alteration of the Belarusian borders. On September 17, 1939, Western Belarus was reunified with Eastern Belarus and the Red Army marched into Poland. The reunification was made possible by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, concluded between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany a month earlier.