No clashes for CHL All Stars match tickets?

Organizers of the CHL All Star hockey match and the administration of Minsk Arena promise there will be no two tickets for one seat sold.

Tickets for the All Stars match on January 30 at Minsk Arena have been on sale through TicketPro system for several days. But Minsk Arena representatives said recently the tickets were invalid and advised to return the tickets to TicketPro dealers and to buy the tickets from Minsk Arena instead.

Euroradio has found out what to do if two people will buy tickets through two different distribution systyems for one seat.

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Yahor Hrustaleu’s car stolen in Moscow

The working visit of a famous Belarusian TV presenter to Moscow has resulted in a disaster – Hrustaleu’s favourite “Toyota” was solen right from the yard of his block of flats.

A security guard of a Minsk car park situated in Winners’ Avenue has showed the car of Hrustaleu’s wife to ERB.

Guard: “I have seen Hrustaleu recently and he said that his “Toyota” had been stolen in Moscow. He even had to bribe policemen to make them start the case quicker. Probably, Hrustaleu came to Minsk because he wanted to borrow his wife’s car – the yellow one over there. But he didn’t. He said a few words and left, he was in a hurry”.
ERB: “Has Hrustaleu’s wife stayed in Minsk?”

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Eastern Partnership to defend expelled youth activist from Belarus?

Leanid Kozik, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, who recently in Brussels promissed to stage an action in central Minsk in support of Tatsiana Shaputska, has departed to Belarusachka sanatorium for repair works after an accident.

The first meeting of the organizing committee in support of Tatsiana Shaputska, the press secretary of Malady Front youth pressure group, expelled from the Belarus State University, will take place today at the office of the Belarusian Popular Front, Malady Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich told the European Radio for Belarus

Zmitser Dashkevich: “We are holding the first meeting of the organizing committee to defend Tatsiana Shaputska. Milinkevich, Paganiayla, Seviarynets, Bialiatski, Ina Kulei and other human rights activists and public figures have agreed to join the committee. Also, Siarhei Matskevich who attended the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and is the head of the political section there. We will discuss how to resolve this problem and help Tatsiana”.

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Culture minister Pavel Latushka eyes dismissal of Uladzimir Zametalin?

Belarusfilm executive director Uladzimir Zametalin is likely to resign, the European Radio for Belarus has learned. Relevant papers were allegedly tabled for approval at the Council of Ministers, and decision can be taken shortly.

However, this information is yet to be confirmed by either the Minister of Culture, the Council of Ministers or Belarusfilm.

Meanwhile, film director Yury Harulyou told the European Radio for Belarus that he yesterday met Uladzimir Zamyatalin walking out of the studio and the latter seemed to be extremely deep in his thoughts.

Yury Harulyou: “He was walking very slowly and seemed very deep in his thoughts!”

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Ales Pushkin’s paintings not allowed to leave Belarus for exposition in Sweden

Only 3 landscapes out of the 17 paintings sent to the Ministry of Culture have been allowed to go to Sweden

The artist has informed ERB about it.

Ales Pushkin: “She (official - ERB) has allowed only three landscapes “My beaver”, “Winter Beaver”. She said: “You should better glorify your country with landscapes rather than disgrace it with policemen, barbed wire, all those locks, axes and starling-houses”.

The remaining 14 paintings will be considered by the Ministry of Culture for 10 more days. Meanwhile, the exposition in Kalmar (Sweden) will open on December 4. If the paintings do not get to the train-ferry today, they will not be displayed at the exposition either.


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Anti-crisis manager is the most popular profession

Universities in Belarus shift focus in respond to changes at the labor market.

Folklore specialists and Russian language teachers will not be trained next year. The number of classes for the Russian and Belarusian languages has been cut at secondary schools, while arts culture has been crossed out of the curriculum. Those specialists used to be trained by the Belarusian State Pedagogical University. It will resume these courses when there will be a shortage of specialists in the mentioned fields.

In order to avoid overloading the labor market with professionals in the same field, unibversities call for applications once in several years regarding certain courses. For example, it is possible to enroll for Belarusian Language and Literature/Lithuanian language course and Belarusian language and literature/Polish language course once in two years.

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Are environmental risks of Astravets nuclear station calculated properly?

A possible ulltimate design-based accident will not even lead to civil protection measures, official sources maintain. But Finnish specialists make a 10-time worse forecast that Belarusian optimistic nuclear experts.

The Evaluation of Impact on Environment reviews two options of accidents at the Astravets nuclear power plant. The first one -- the ultimate design-based accident -- is a technical failure the consequences of which can be controlled. The second option is a non-design-based accident the affects of which can onlt be forecasted.

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Expert: Milinkevich's meeting in Prague is a sign for Belarus authorities

Alexander Milinkevich, the leader of For Freedom movement, has met in Prague with Czech foreign minister Jan Kohout to discuss the development of relations between Belarus and the European Union.


Milinkevich's press service reported that during the meeting which lasted for almost one hour "a wide range of issues associated with the development of relations between Belarus and EU was discussed".



The polticians agreed that in 2010 the Czech Republic would continue the programs to support people who are persecuted for political reasons and to invite Belarusian students to study at Czech universities. However, Milinkevich and Kohout have declined detailed comments to the media.

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Natural resources ministry wishes to cash in on fishing amateurs

Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources push for the introduction of a 'fisherman charter" in order to make fishing a recreation to be paid for at all the rivers and lakes across Belarus.

Belarus' national resources minister Uladzimir Tsalko has proposed to introduce fees for amateur fishing in Belarus, when he was addressing the members of parliament. He cited the experience of such countries like the United States, Canada and Finland. In those countries, it is required to buy the so called "fisherman's charter" before setting out for fishing adventures. The minister reckons that Belarus laws that regulate the protection of flora and fauna should be brought "in line with European standards".

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Police promise to take fingerprints from dead man by force

A man who died 10 years ago is suspected by the police in Brest in playing a part in the explosion during the 2008 Independence Day celebrations in Minsk. Law-enforcers threaten to prosecute him for refusing to provide his fingerprints to investigators.

Volha Brailyan, a resident of Brest, burried her husband Ivan almost ten years ago. The burrial the former officer was organized by the military drafting office, Volha told the European Radio for Belarus.

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120 thousand Belarusians do not receive wages at their enterprises

They have been “voluntarily” furloughed. People agree to it and to working half-time upon pain of dismissal.

According to the information of the Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions announced by its head Leanid Kozik the other day, about 300 thousand people have to work halftime in our country now. ERB has found out whether the people really agreed to such a reduction of staff.

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Hearings on nuclear power consequences in Astravets

The first public hearings organized by the government to evaluate environmental risks of the first nuclear power plant in Belarus today took place in the town of Astravets, Hrodna region. Independent experts were denied access to the hearing hall, while Russian nuclear scientist Andrei Ozherovsky was sentenced to 7 days in detention.

The public hearings devoted to the report on the evaluation of environmental consequences of the Belarusian nuclear power plant began on October 9 at 1200. The town which lies next to the planned construction site of the first nuclear station gathered ecologists, scientists, civic leaders, journalists from Belarus and Russia. But not everyone could take a seat at the local cinema to attend the hearings.

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Belarusian count’s photos found in Paris flea market (Photo)

Benedict Tyshkevich pretends to be a karateist and spies on girls in bed in 19th century photos.

The exposition is unique because it is a miracle that photos dating back to the end of the 19th century have been preserved – employees of a French museum bought them from a Parisian antiquarian accidentally. It is the third time the exposition is opened in the last 15 years – the first time was in France in 1994 and then in Lithuania in 2000. Now the 86 photos have finally returned home.

The old well-preserved photos depict Belarusian villagers and their way of life. Here is a man taking on water from a river and here is a woman carrying it home in a basin on top of her head. A guy and a girl sitting on a fallen tree, their legs dangling in the air, talking about something affectionately. A laundress doing the washing with her hardened hands in a trough.

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Students being compelled to work as census takers

The National Statistics Committee has insured interviewers in the forthcoming census with each entitled to a coverage of 3.3 million rubels ($1,100) if one is murdered or raped, Valyantsina Lipnevich, an official with Minsk’s Main Statistics Office, told ERB.

The coverage will be up to one million ($360) for minor harm, she added.


The census will taken from October 14 to 24. The National Statistics Committee will rely mostly on university students. Some students have complained on their blogs that university administrations force them to work as interviewers.

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Presentation of new film by Yury Harulyou cancelled in Minsk

The official reason is an electric wiring failure.

A presentation of documentaries about Belarusian partisans and Felix Dzerzhinsky has been cancelled in Minsk. The film of a Belarusian producer Yury Harulyou “A land of daydream” and the film of his Polish colleague, cultural counsellor of the Polish Embassy to Belarus Veslav Romanowski “Felix means happy” had to be demonstrated in the theatre of the Academy of Arts. Veslav Romanowski has told ERB that he received a phone call this morning and was told that a failure of the electric wiring had occurred in the hall where the presentation was supposed to be organized.

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State stores accused of selling Spice

Belarusian state-run stores sold Spice, a mixture of herms for smoking, confiscated by customs officers from travelers, an opposition activist claimed.

Spice is usually smoked for its cannabis-like effects which are believed to be caused by a mixture of synthetic cannabinoid drugs.

"Spice was sold in konfiskat stores," Ales Urubleuski charged. "The stores are run by the state. Many people saw it on the counters. Unfortunately, we did not manage to take pictures, but everyone knows that Spice was on sale.

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Information ministry forces Avtoradio to take show off the air

The Belarusian information ministry has forced Avtoradio, a Minsk-based private radio station broadcasting at the 105.1 VHF frequency, to take a news-and-music show off the air, citing its failure to "comply with the stated creative concept of ground tv-radio-broadcasting in terms of in-house productions and thematic content."


Avtoradio broadcast "EuroZOOM," a daily one-hour show produced jointly with Warsaw-based European Radio for Belarus (ERB), since June 1. The program, which includes political, European, international and cultural news intermingled with music, has been co-funded by the European Commission in the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy.

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One day in Amsterdam

In order to get a dose of the colorful and hyperemotional Amsterdam, there is no need to dash from a railway station to the nearest coffe-shop. This city, like a narcotic itself, can bring euphoria, can make you think and open up the meaning of life. All you need is to wander the streets without any plan.

If you still meed a plan, at least a plan of the city, a map can be printed out in a special machine free of charge and without annoying people.

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Why was Belarus cut off from internet?

Beltelecom has admitted its mistake and promised to punish those responsible.

Beltelecom has appologized for cutting off internet services in Belarus. The web site of the state monopoly notes that the problems emerged due to the violation of the maintenance procedures.

“The personalities responsible for the maintenance procedures have been penalized. We appologize for any inconviniences", Beltelecom said.


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Who has a quiter sleep: Alexander Lukashenka or Victor Yushchenko? That will be decided in the Ukrainian resort city of Yalta which is hosting the Bodyguard-2009 international tournament. Ukraine and Belarus are considered favorites of the competition.

Out of 24 teams, Vitali Zakrevsky, a spokesman for Ukraine's state security agency, is singling out the northern neighbors.

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"Measures taken" against resolution 991 author, but he remains employed

The foreign economic activities department at the Council of Ministers says the man who authored the notorious government's resolution No 991 should be left alone.

The European Radio for Belarus phoned Henadz Miadzvezeu, the head of the department, where the notorious resolution No 991 had been drafted two months ago. We asked him what happened with the official who wrote that document.

Henadz Miadzvedzeu: "He is alive. If there were any consequences, we could have talked about something. Otherwise, the resolution was cancelled".

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Minsk World Day flies up and bursts (photo)

Minskers showed that it was possible to inflate the world in Horki Park on Monday. It could burst too.

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Hockey players from “Dynama-Minsk” to win to songs of “Krama” and N.R.M.

Furthermore, the hockey players are going to promote the Belarusian language and to invite famous DJs and rock presenters to sports competitions as showmen.

The only Belarusian club of the Continental Hockey League “Minsk-Dynama” has decided to change their approach to their matches. The players have staked on rock’n’roll and the Belarusian language. A representative of the club Yulya Ulasava has told ERB about it.

Yulya Ulasava: “There are three “Dinamo” clubs playing in the CHL : “Dinamo-Moscow”, “Dinamo-Riga” and “Dynama-Minsk”. We clearly understand that we are all “Dinamo” but we are different in some ways. What is the difference between “Dynama-Minsk” and “Dinamo-Moscow” or “Dinamo-Riga”? It is different because it is from Minsk and it is Belarusian. That is why we are going to promote the Belarusian language more and more. Speaking about rock music – hockey is a sport for severe men. Severe men are more associated with rock rather than pop music”.

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Belarus' unification in September 1939 (pictures)

The Red Army was welcomed in Western Belarus with white-red-white flags along with Soviet symbols and swastika.

The Belarusian nation was united on September 17, 1939. Under a deal with Hitler's Germany, Soviet troops entered Western Belarus that was part of Poland. As a result, most of the Belarusian lands were united in the Soviet Belarus.

There is also a certain tragedy in this date, because Soviet secret police NKVD carried out a large-scale clean-up which affected tens of thousand people. But, back then in September 1939, most of the citizens in the Western Belarus lived with a hope for better changes. Disappoinment would come later.

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Yanukevich: Opposition should stop talking about repressions

The European Radio for Belarus proposed blogger malishevsky to converse with newly elected leader of the Party of the Belarusian Popular Front, Aliaksei Yanukevich.

The latter admitted that Lukashenka took a bigger part in the life of the opposition than in the life of ordinary citizens. He is also thinking why Milinkevich is not a member of the Popular Front and why he himself is not part of the For Freedom movement. He also explains why the Popular Front will be in the opposition to the United Civic Party in case the latter gets power. Yanukevich also tells if he is going to work for Milinkevich in case the Popular Front nominates its own candidate. He has promised to think about the difference between the chairman and the leader of a party. He has even admitted that the opposition should not talk a lolt about political repressions

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Lithuanian journalist: "I didn't believe some Lukashenka's answers

Ahead of his visit to Alexander Lukashenka's visit to Lithuania, Rita Miliute and Edmundas Jakilaitis, the journalists from Lietuvos ryto TV channel talked with the Belarusian president. Edmundas Juakilaitis shared with the European Radio for Belarus how Lukashenka reacted to the questions about the disappeared Belarusian politicians his personal life and whether the journalist believed all the answers.

Euroradio: Did the questions that you had prepared for an interview with Lukashenka go through any kind of censorship at the Office of the President or his press service?”

EJ: “No. We did not send our questions to the press office. We had only agreed the topics with my colleague Rita Miliute from Lithuania's national TV, and she sent several ideas for our conversation with the president of Belarus. We never send questions for approval as this is a bad practice for a journalist”.


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Tractor Belarus to set new world speed record – more than 100 km/h

This is the ambitious plan of our tractor’s modernizers – a Russian machine-building company “Bison”.

The company has turned the 25-year-old “Belarus” into a super tractor. One can hardly recognize the domestic machine – it has extreme looks and new insides. They had to remake the machine completely. The press secretary of “Bison” Victor Demidov has informed ERB about it.

Victor Demidov: “The changes have affected the engines, transmission and fuel system – to cut it short, the tractor was dismantled”.

At the same time, according to the press secretary, no expansive details have been installed in the tractor. They used only “native” details that were technically modified.

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Belarus enterprises economize on modernization of Russian military equipment

"Economizing, economizing… They have their own business; they want to make money themselves", says a representative from Sukhoi's aircraft designer bureau.

Some media reports suggest that the Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi, which manufactured the Su-27 jet fighter, points to the wrong modernization of the Belarus air force fighter that crashed during an air show in Poland, as the cause of the accident.

"Minsk has long since avoided to coordinate the modernization of the aircraft with the main manufacturer, counting on the buyers in the third countries. Thus, the equipment is upgraded with a potential risk. Possibly, the Su-27 accident in Radom is part of those risks", wrote the Russian newspaper Izvestia quoting an anonymous expert at Sukhoi company.

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Еўрарадыё з'ездзіла ў Галандыю і прыдумала... тэлепорт!

Слухай штодня з 28 верасня па 9 кастрычніка ў 11:30 рэпартажы пра Галандыю, адказвай на пытанні і ты ЗМОЖАШ ТЭЛЕПАРТНУЦЦА Ў АМСТЭРДАМ*!

Табе падаецца гэта смешным?
Памятай! Добра смяецца той, хто смяецца ў Галандыі!!!

*Для тых, хто не верыць у тэлепорты, будуць рэальныя, фізічныя прызы.



Слухаць і ўдзельнічаць!