In January-August 2007 the official exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble against the US dollar shrank by 0.3% to make up Br2,147 for $1 as of September 1, 2007, representatives of the National Bank of Belarus told BelTA. The exchange rate went down by 0.09% in August alone. Meanwhile, the exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble against the Russian ruble went down by 3.3% to reach Br83.78 for RUR1. In August the Belarusian ruble gained 0.2% against the Russian one. Over the last eight months...

Official delegations from Gomel’s twin cities in Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania will take part in the celebrations in honour of the 865th anniversary of founding of Gomel. The celebrations dedicated to the Day of Gomel are scheduled for September 8-9. The largest delegation will come from Russian towns of Bryansk, Kursk and Murmansk, from St. Petersburg’ districts Vasilyevsky Ostrov and Kirovsky, as well as from Moscow oblast, BelTA was told in the ideology department of the Gomel town...

In January-August 2007 the official exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble against the US dollar shrank by 0.3% to make up Br2,147 for $1 as of September 1, 2007, representatives of the National Bank of Belarus told BelTA. The exchange rate went down by 0.09% in August alone. Meanwhile, the exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble against the Russian ruble went down by 3.3% to reach Br83.78 for RUR1. In August the Belarusian ruble gained 0.2% against the Russian one. Over the last eight months...

On August 31 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed decree #397 “On enhancing financial welfare of pensioners”. In accordance with the decree, beginning September 1, 2007 labour pensions will be recalculated on the basis of the Br 663,600 average wage. As a result the average retirement pension will go up by 7.5% to Br 315,300.

In line with the 2008 draft budget, investment projects will get maximum support, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said during a session of the Council of Ministers. The session focused on the president’s draft decrees “On approving most important parameters of the socio-economic development forecast of Belarus for 2008” and “On approving the monetary policy guidelines for 2008”, laws on the 2008 budget and on introducing amendments and addenda into several laws of the...

On August 30 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko chaired a meeting focusing on prospects of the development of the High-Tech Park in Belarus. The Park of High Technologies was set up by president’s decree #12 of September 22, 2005. Director of the High-Tech Park administration Valery Tsepkalo reported that there are 29 companies, one sole trader and six business-projects registered in the park. Belarusian companies account for 60%, foreign companies account for 27%, joint ventures...

A national exposition of Belarus will be presented at the 12th international industrial-economic forum “United Russia” scheduled for September 12-16 in Nizhniy Novgorod, BelTA was told in the unitary company Belinterexpo of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, About 70 Belarusian companies and organizations will take part in the forum. Among them – the State Committee for Science and Technology, the Education Ministry of Belarus, the National Academy of Sciences, the...

The International Finance Corporation /IFC/ will invest $110 million in Belarus’ economic sector, representative of the World Bank’s Mission in Belarus Bell Craig told a press conference on August 28 in Minsk. “$110 million is the volume of investments, which the IFC has already allocated for Belarus. About 50% of the sum will be injected in the real sector of economy. This year the IFC jointly with Detroit Investments Co. will funnel $20 million into the juice production in the town...

Inflation in Belarus will stay within the predicted range of 6-8% till the end of the year, Belarus’ Deputy Economy Minister Vladimir Adashkevich told media today. Over the first seven months of the year consumer prices in Belarus swelled by 4.1%. Meanwhile, consumer prices in Russia went up by 6.6%, Ukraine — 5.6%. According to the Deputy Economy Minister, the changes of the indicator were good in January-July 2007. “I think we will be able to reach the forecast figures at the end of...

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko demanded that corruption crimes should be resolutely detected at all levels of power. The head of state issued a corresponding instruction as he heard out a report by Prosecutor General Piotr Miklashevich today. According to the press service of the President of Belarus, the President was informed that in January-July 2007 the number of corruption-related crimes slightly declined in comparison with the same period of last year, which was attributed to a...