Monday, February 13, 2012

Belarus

Canada Imposes Sanctions On Belarus

December 19, 2006 -- Canada is imposing trade sanctions on Belarus in a bid to pressure the country's rulers to respect human rights and democracy.

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December 19, 2006

Under the sanctions, Canadian exports to Belarus will now require an official export permit, and officials say these permits will generally be denied except for humanitarian exports of food, clothing, and medicine.

In a written statement, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay cited flawed elections and the continued imprisonment of democracy supporters as examples of the flagrant abuse of human rights and the rule of law by Belarusian authorities.

(Reuters, AFP)

Russia And Belarus

The main Moscow-Minsk railway line(Tass)

TO MERGE OR NOT TO MERGE: For over a decade, Moscow and Minsk have been working on a project to form a single state, the Russia-Belarus Union. However, every time the two countries seem on the verge of making progress, one or the other steps back, leaving the entire effort in doubt.

Putin, Lukashenka Press Ahead With Unification

Has Putin Promised Lukashenka Fair Weather?

Tensions Remain In Putin-Lukashenka Talks

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RFE/RL's coverage of Belarus. RFE/RL's coverage of Russia.

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (center) drinking beer with soccer fans in St. Petersburg on January 19.

Candidate Putin Offers Russian Soccer Fans Free Flights To Euro 2012

Russian soccer fans concerned about making it to Kyiv for the Euro 2012 championships need worry no longer. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has announced the country's leading airlines will provide free transport to and from at least some of the Russian team's matches. More