Iran is ready to help Belarus in building a nuclear power station. As informed by Interfax, it had been stated at a press-conference today in Minsk by Abdolhamid Fekri, Iran`s Ambassador to Belarus.

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A caricature of Russian President Vladimir Putin has won the World Press Cartoon prize beating over more than 800 works submitted to the contest held in Portugal, EuroNews informs. The author of the caricature is Swedish artist Riber Hansson.

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Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Belarus in next two weeks. BELTA correspondent has been informed about that by Abdolhamid Fekri, Iran`s Ambassador to Belarus.

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Constant attention has been paid to strengthening of the country’s defense in Belarus. The country does its best to make its Military Forces guaranty its integrity and security, be mobile and ready to repel any aggression. That was declared today by A.Lukashenka at the ceremony of delivering state awards.

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Barysau policemen in mufti burst into an apartment of a young activist Ivan Shutko. He was taken to a police department and warned that his participation in actions in defense of the church of St. Joseph in Minsk is fraught with grave consequences. As we have informed, actions and prayer services in defense of St. Joseph and a monastery complex are held near the building daily. Belarusian citizens demand to return the building to Catholics, and not to turn the sacred place into a hotel.

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Belarusian delegation to Eurovision contest is headed by a deputy chairman of the Belarusian TV and Radio Company Yury Azaronak who occupied a position of a press-secretary and deputy prosecutor general of Belarus.

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Right- defending organization Amnesty International submitted a report running that certain countries continue to deliver considerable amounts of weapons to Sudan irrespective of the international embargo in connection with the conflict in Darfur. China and Russia are the largest two weapon deliverers to Hartum, according to the organization’s data. It also mentions Belarus, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in this connection, the BBC broadcasts, pointing out that Russia and China have not commented on the statements of the Rights defending organization, yet.

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General consulate of Estonia in Minsk is closed today. As said by Consul Erik Siigur, for security reasons diplomats cannot go out of the building when pickets are held.

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As it was reported 7 May by head of the Lenynsky department of internal affairs of Brest Yuri Karpinchik, 21 April in the evening the senior schoolboy of one of the regional schools was detained by the militiamen when he was applying graffiti to the building in Savetskikh Pagranichnikau Street. The graffiti is supposed to be political because particularly for the words ”For Freedom!” or “We Wish the New” people may be punished this way in Belarus.

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Alyaksandr Lukashenka was reported on the investigation of the criminal case of several upper managers and owners of furniture shops who dealt with deliveries and sales of expensive furniture in Belarus, the Interfax was informed at the press service of the head of the state on the outcomes of the report of deputy head of the President’s administration Natallia Pyatkevich to A. Lukashenka.

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9 May the public appeal calling for prevention of the older part of Grodna demolition is to be submitted of the public prosecutor’s office of the Grodna region. As one of the activists of the public campaign launched for protection of the historical center of the city Ales Zaleusky reported to the BelaPAN, at present signatures under the appeal are being collected.

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Conservative human rights organizations U.N. Watch and Freedom House have stated that four countries, Angola, Belarus, Egypt and Qatar, out of 15 competing for 14 seats on the Human Rights Council, are unfit to sit on the U.N. human rights body, because they themselves are authoritarian regimes and violated rights. Their presence would cast a shadow on meaningfulness of the organization’s existence.

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Andrey Dynko, a Belarusian journalist who is an editor with the private weekly Nasha Niva, was presented with the 2006 Lorenzo Natali European Commission Prize at a ceremony in Brussels on May 4.

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Zmitser (Dzmitry) Fedaruk, 18, was elected chairman Malady Front (Young Front), an unregistered youth organization, at a founding conference held in Minsk on May 7. Aleh Korban was elected deputy chairman and eight people were elected to the Malady Frond board.

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A trial over activists of the Young Front is to start on May 30 in the court of Savetski district of Minsk. The case of young activists is to be considered by Judge Ruslan Aniskevich. The Charter’97 press-center has been informed about that by Young Front activists. The criminal case against Zmitser Fedaruk, Aleh Korban, Anastasiya Palazhanka, Alyaksei Yanusheuski and Barys Haretski has been brought up under Article 193of the Criminal Code, “activities on behalf of an unregistered organization”.

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