Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko met with Presiding Judge of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo on 17 July, BelTA has learned. The meeting focused on the performance of the national court system after general courts and economic courts were merged, further optimization of the court system, and ways to improve law enforcement practice in a number of areas. The head of state said: "I am most of all concerned about the merger of our courts although it happened a long time ago. I would...

Belarus should assert itself on the world stage, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting to discuss Belarus' foreign policy priorities at the current stage, BelTA has learned. "At the modern stage of development, the Belarusian state needs to build its foreign policy and foreign economic activities in a new way, a more ambitious and aggressive way. I believe that the time has come for Belarus to assert itself on the world stage, to promote and protect the national...

Belarusian farmsteads have welcomed tourists from 74 countries, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry. Agro-ecotourism is a relatively new tourism option for Belarus. Today there are more than 2,000 farmsteads situated in picturesque locations across the country. The farmsteads welcomed over 300,000 tourists last year, which was 2.5% more than in 2015. All in all, the Belarusian agro-ecotourism facilities provided Br14.6 million worth of services in 2016, up by...

The Independence Day military parade will involve about 6,000 people and 500 vehicles, Vladimir Makarov, the head of the information department, spokesperson for the main directorate for ideology at the Belarusian Defense Ministry, told a press conference on 26 June, BelTA has learned. The military parade will be one of the highlights of the Independence Day celebrations. It will involve about 6,000 people, including the support staff. The parade will feature 500 units of military...

The international scientific conference Minsk and Minskers: Ten Centuries of History will take place in the Belarusian capital city on 7-8 June, BelTA learned from the Minsk City Hall. The forum is dedicated to the 950th anniversary of Minsk. It is organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), the History Institute of the NASB, the Minsk City Hall. The conference will focus on a wide range of topics, namely ancient Minsk of the 11th - 13th centuries, Minsk in the...

The average life expectancy of Belarusians is forecast to make up 74.5 years in 2017, BelTA learned from Yelena Bogdan, the head of the central office for medical aid organization at the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry. The government program People's Health and Demographic Security is well underway. In 2016 all the tasks set forth in the program were accomplished. The program was described successful during the meeting of Belarus' Council of Ministers. "The target was to increase the...