This year there will be about 85,000 first-year students in Belarusian universities, BelTA learnt from First Deputy Education Minister of Belarus Alexander Zhuk. He has noted that 43 state-run and 10 private universities were offering courses in 350 fields and 1,000 majors. State-run universities will enroll 75,300 students (0.8% down as against 2006), including 42,500 full-time students (1.3% down). This year there will be 30,800 state-funded student places in state universities (1.4%...

The experience of recourses economy of the Gomel municipal services can be used in other regions of Belarus, Minister of Housing and Municipal Economy Vladimir Belokhvostov told BelTA. A two-day session of the board of the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Belarus has opened in Gomel. Within the framework of the session, specialists of the ministry are visiting a number of municipal facilities of the region. In particular, representatives of the ministry visited the company...

On July 17 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, BelTA has been told in the press service of the head of state. The Head of State said Belarus “attaches great importance to the UNCTAD activity.” President Alexander Lukashenko has thanked UNCTAD for assistance with Belarus’ accession to WTO. Alexander Lukashenko stressed Belarus puts much emphasis on the UNCTAD...

The possibility of building an open-air artificial ice skating rink in Gomel’s central city park named after Lunacharsky is under consideration. BelTA learnt from the park administration, a contest had been announced for the project for building an all-year sports and recreation centre for family leisure. An artificial ice skating rink occupying 600 square meters will be the key element of the centre. The cost of the investment project has been provisionally estimated at Br1 billion....

The UNCTAD supports Belarus at the WTO accession talks. The statement to this effect was made during a meeting between Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky and UNCTAD Secretary General Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi. The Prime Minister of Belarus thanked Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi for his personal support of Belarus during the WTO accession talks. Sergei Sidorsky also noted the role of the UNCTAD in helping Belarus intensify its exports to foreign markets. According to him, Belarus attaches a...

Mutual trust between Belarus and China on the political level is the foundation of bilateral cooperation in trade-economic and other areas, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said when meeting with China’s Finance Minister Jin Renqing. “We have been eyeing each other for a long time, especially China proceeding from the traditional Chinese wisdom, the Belarusian leader said. – The political trust helped us build a good foundation of trade-economic and other relations. We have no...

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has launched the pipe rolling shop at the Belarusian Steel Works (BMZ trademark). The Head of State was informed that every year the shop will manufacture up to 250 thousand tons of hot-rolled seamless pipes which can be applied both in the municipal economy and oil and gas industries. The shop has been designed and equipped with cutting-edge gear in the shortest period – in 2,5 years. The new manufacture has created around 500 jobs. Belarusian...

A nuclear power plant will be built in Belarus by 2018, head of the hoisting equipment supervision department of the Industrial nuclear supervision department of the Emergencies Ministry of Belarus Aleksei Shcheglov told a briefing. Construction of the plant is set to begin in 2008. In the near future a tender for construction will be invited. According to Aleksei Shcheglov, the site of the future plant has not been selected yet. There are two options: Bukhov region and Shklov-Gorky...

Belarus’ gold and foreign currency reserves will soon reach $3 billion, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus Piotr Prokopovich informed Belarusian Head of State Alexander Lukashenko today. As BelTA was told in the presidential press service, Alexander Lukashenko was informed about the performance of the Belarusian banking system in H1 2007. For the six months of the current year Belarus’ gold and foreign currency reserves grew by $1.189 billion against the same period...

Today President of Belarus met with the Chairman of the Board of the National Bank, Piotr Prokopovich, to receive his regular report. The inflation in Belarus will not exceed 8% in 2007, Piotr Prokopovich said during the meeting, BelTA has been told in the presidential press service. The country has met the H1 Consumer Price Index targets. During the period under review the index increased by 3.6%. According to Piotr Prokopovich, the stability of the prices and national currency allows the...