#belarus
„Jalnic”: 
#Belarus, aliatul Rusiei afectat de sancțiuni, apelează la micul stat african Gambia pentru a-și consolida flota aeriană deficitară.
Alexander Lukashenko has officially assumed the office of 'president' of Belarus for the seventh consecutive term.
The Polish Border Guard reported that on March 24, nearly 90 attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus into Poland were recorded, all of which were prevented. One person was detained for aiding illegal migration. The migrants behaved aggressively toward Polish patrols.
Just now, dictator Lukashenko declared himself “president” of Belarus for the 7th time in a row. He’s the first — and ONLY — person to ever hold the office since it was created.
“Half the world (Actually Only Donald Trump) DREAMS of our ‘dictatorship,’” he said at his “inauguration.”
#AureFreePress #News #press #headline #Ukraine #Russia #Putin #EU #NATO #Belarus #lukashenko
"Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the country had "asked the Russians, if possible, to build a second power plant", according to the official Belta news agency's report on a speech made to the Federation Council during his official visit to Russia.
Lukashenko, who held talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at which the two countries' closening economic integration and a second nuclear power plant was discussed, said: "The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has become the most high-tech and large-scale project in the history of Belarusian-Russian relations."
He said that the Belarusian nuclear power plant had been built despite opposition from Lithuania, Poland and some internal fears dating back to the Chernobyl accident.
The main reason for a second power plant was the projected increase in electricity demand as cars, heating and industry are increasingly electrified: "That's why we asked the Russians, if possible, to build a second power plant. We will build it ourselves, except for the reactor. We have specialists."
He was quoted as saying he thought the plant could be located near the eastern border, which would enable the provision of electricity to neighbouring Russian regions if necessary. He also said that other joint projects being developed bilaterally included a Centre for Nuclear Research and Technologies.
According to Russia's official Tass news agency, a spokesperson for the country's state nuclear corporation Rosatom said: "The issue of building a new nuclear power facility in Belarus is being explored. We are considering several layout variants."
The Russian President's website's report of their statements and press conference following the talks does not specifically mention a second nuclear power plant, but quoted Putin as saying: "Energy is a priority area of Russia-Belarus cooperation as well. Our country has traditionally supplied oil and gas to Belarus on favourable terms, which is a serious help for the Belarusian economy. A common electricity market has been formed and is operational; a major bilateral project for the joint construction of a Belarusian nuclear power plant has been completed. The plant meets about 40 percent of Belarus’s electricity needs. We see good prospects for deepening partnership in other high-tech areas as well."
In November last year, Belarus's Ministry of Energy said that a feasibility study for a second nuclear power plant - or an extra unit at the current site - was being drawn up for decision in 2025.
The existing Belarus nuclear power plant is located in Ostrovets in the Grodno region. A general contract for its construction was signed in 2011, with first concrete for unit 1 poured in November 2013. Rosatom began construction of unit 2 in May 2014. They are both VVER-1200 reactors. The first Ostrovets power unit was connected to the grid in November 2020 and, the energy ministry says, the plant will produce about 18.5 TWh of electricity per year, equivalent to 4.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas, with an annual effect on the country's economy of about USD550 million. The second unit was put into commercial operation on 1 November 2023."
"Women and girls face particularly extreme risks, with significant reports of sexual abuse by #Belarus forces, including rape and gang rape," says the report.
https://euobserver.com/Migration/arf740e957
A court in Belarus has sentenced a Japanese citizen to seven years in prison for spying, prosecutors said Monday, in a case that officials in the Russian-allied country have not fully explained. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/18/japan/politics/belarus-japanese-man-spying/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #belarus #espionage #belarusjapanrelations
U.S. MAY IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON RUSSIAN ENTRY: The United States is preparing new restrictions on the entry of citizens from 43 countries, including Russians and Belarusians. #Russia and #Belarus are in the orange category, which involves strict restrictions on visa issuance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/trump-travel-ban.html