Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Belarus

Oil Source Of Latest Russia-Belarus Energy Dispute

Belarus's Naftan oil refinery (file photo) (Bymedia.net)

January 7, 2007 -- The energy feud between Russia and Belarus shows no sign of ending soon.

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January 07, 2007

Russia on January 6 warned Belarus to scrap transit fees on Russian oil. Belarus, meanwhile, said it was taking Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft to court for failing to pay.

Belarus announced it would charge the export fee after Russia imposed an export duty of $180 a ton on oil sold to Belarus. Belarus has already agreed to pay double for Russian gas deliveries.

(AFP, Reuters, AP)

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

'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