Old Wine in New Bottles?

Tension in the relationship between Belarus and Russia has remained in the shadow of the more visible discord between Russia and Ukraine, stemming from the latter’s now-spoiled efforts to sign an Association Agreement with the EU at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November. The quarrel between Belarus and Russia arose from a bout of assertive behavior on the part of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. For those who assume...

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"Mystery guest" in the hotel Garni

We continue our series of publications devoted to Minsk «star» hotels. As a reminder, the correspondent of Onliner.by stays at the hotels as a "mystery guest" and shares his impressions. "Minsk"  and "Victoria" were the first hotels which took up the challenge. Now we will find out what level of service is provided in the three-star hotel "Garni". Later you can assess "Yubileinaya", "Crowne Plaza", "Europe" and "President-Hotel...

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Top 200 Belarusian businessmen in 2013 (ranked from 101 to 150)

This is the second part of  "Top 200 Belarusian businessmen in 2013" ranking which includes persons placed on positions from 101 to 150.  ...

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"Mystery guest" in the Robinson Club

Robinson Club, a luxury country club and restaurant was opened in 2012. Located on Minsk Sea shore it gives visitors a wonderful opportunity to see beautiful Belarusian nature. But how about having a lunch there? Onliner's "mystery guest" has visited the place and gives his verdict:  for price over 849 thousand Belarusian rubbles he got gazpacho with giant dose of garlic and almost perfect steak...

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Top 200 Belarusian businessmen in 2013 (ranked from 151 to 200)

Traditionally, in the end of the year the popular electronic daily newspaper "Ezhednevnik" (The Daily One) ranks the most successful and influential businessmen in Belarus. The ranking is based on available  commercial information as well as expert opinions. There might be some differences in estimation of wealth and influence of particular members of the list but in general the ranking gives true picture of "who is who" in Belarusian business. Now we present you first part of the list which includes people who are placed on positions 151-200....

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"Mystery guest" in the hotel Victoria

Hotel "Victoria" is one of the newest and well-located hotels in Minsk. It is just opposite Komsomolskoye Lake and Park Pobedy, a huge green area not far from city center. The hotel claims to have superior service and offers it visitors not only accomdation but various business services and entertainments such as a casino and a night club. The "mystery guest" from popular Bealrusian portal Onlinder.by booked a room in hotel "Victoria" and now...

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Belarusian economy horoscope for 2014

Recently government exchanged views on the current and future state of the economy with parliamentarians. The obvious conclusion – the situation is complicated. “This year was very difficult,” - said Belarus Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich at the joint meeting of both houses of the National Assembly on November 22. But it’s too early to summarize. Basic economic regulations including Decree about indicators, budget and budget-laws must be...

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"Mystery guest" in the hotel Minsk

Hotel Minsk is definetely one of the most popular hotels in Minsk. Indeed, being located near Independence Square and close to all "places to be" in Minsk this hotel is favoured by many foreign visitors. But is it staying there worth money the hotel charges its customers. This review will help to find ou...

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Time to worry about savings in USD?

 During autumn certain rumours have begun spreading in Belarus about possible ban on withdrawal of deposits in foreign currency  from Belarusian banks. They appeared after the publication of the article in the govermental newpaper “Respublika”, in which the author wrote about the reasonability of the banks refusal of accepting deposits in foreign currency in general. People are also worried with current state of Belarus trade balance which...

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Fee for a new course

Intergation of Ukraine with the EU will  hurt its aviation industry. But Belarusian industry can benefit from the aggravation of relations between Russia and Ukraine after the latter's convergence with the EU.    Not so long ago, in Belarus was on an official visit Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov. According to him, one of the main purposes of his trip was to develop joint projects with Belarus in the field of industrial...

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Apartments for sale in Minsk - October 2013

Review of the residential property market in Minsk in October 2013    In September, the  long-term growth  of residential real estate in Minsk for the first time significantly slowed down . In mid-October we could see that was a turning point and since then we have observed only decline in prices. Reaction of buyers and sellers on trends and changes one can find in this October review of  Realt.by.    Against...

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Potash wars

Uralkali CEO under arrest A top manager of Uralkali has been arrested in Minsk under allegation of insider trading and damaging national interests of the Republic of Belarus. He may face up to 10 years in prison but he is just a little figure in chess game between Russia and Belarus. The stakes are high – it is control of world potash market...

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Prices go crazy

Minsk apartments for rent The rental market has undergone significant changes over the past six months. Thousands of ordinary people faced with the challenge of finding housing. Meager selection and exorbitant prices for apartments of bad quality - so experts describe the situation. July has always been a kind of calm before the storm, before arrival of non-resident students. Not now. The number of rental apartments for offer has consistently...

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Tapas bar at Internatsionalnaya

For those who are a big fan of Spanish cousine it is worthwhile to visit Tapas bar at Internatsionalnaya which offers wide range of dishes There are different ways to start a story about Spanish cuisine, but without a mention of "tapas" this story will never be complete. Tapas bar for the Spanich is not the only place where you can eat and drink, it is primarily a place where three basic rules of Spanish hospitality are connected: good food,...

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Silver Fish won gold at Universiade

Alexandra Gerasimenya photosession Belarusian swimmer Alexandra Gerasimenya nicknamed "Silver Fish" for her 2 silver Olympic medals in London has won a gold medal in Kazan and did a photo session for a sport newspaper "Pressball" In Kazan the XXVII World Student tournament goes on. In the final swim on the 50 meter butterfly distance the Belarusian Alexandra Gerasimenya was unattainable for rivals, setting a new record for the Universiade and...

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Fury is not over

Miss Minsk 2013 photo scandal The picante story of Miss Minsk 2013’s frivolous pictures has been frozen by silence both from organisers of the show and the winner Yana Kanstavenka herself. The only statement received from her was her status in the social network VKontakte.  If briefly,  she recognises that the photos taken in the night club Dozari are of her but denies any wrongdoing. Moreover, she proudly confesses that her lifestyle...

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Miss Minsk 2013's indiscreet pictures revealed

Miss Minsk's nude pictures scandal Social networks users within only one day after Yana Kantsavenka, a stunning 21-old student of High School of Tourism, won a Miss Minsk 2013 beauty contest  in Palace of Sport discovered various pictures of her doing thing that a lot of people would consider inappropriate for Miss Minsk. Moreover, other winners also appears to be involved in the scandal as some of them being a go-go dancer and a stripper. But official reaction from the organisers has yet to come...

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Best places to get wet

Swimming pools in Minsk It is not always possible to get into any of Minsk swimming pools without doing some formalities first. Some of them require medical check to be allowed in, some are only for members. But if you want to do swimming just now there are some options available.  Quite a few swimming pools in Minsk are open for everyone and do not ask papers. There are certain issues, of course. These swimming pools are pretty busy...

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True story of Kennedy's assassin

Lee Harvey Oswald in Minsk Lee Harvey Oswald once said about Minsk: "There was no place to spend money, no nightclubs and bowling, no entertainment". Interesting facts about the official Kennedy's assassin life in the Belarusian capital. How Lee Harvey Oswald lived, where he worked and with whom he communicated while he lived in Minsk -- that's the story below as told by one Belarusian blogger In October 1959, Lee Harvey Oswald, the...

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Festival at Nyasvizh

Belarus cultural events Festival of opera and ballet "Evenings of the Bolshoi Theatre at the  Radziwill castle" will be held in Nyasvizh from 21 to 23 June. Almost immidiatelyy after nn June 28 the other art-fest "Ursula Radziwill' Theater" will take place. In the middle of the XVIII century, the Princess Urszula Radziwill founded a professional theater in her residence Nyasvizh, in which the audience watched opera and ballet performances....

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Prices are still on a rise

Residential property in Minsk - May 2013 For recent years May on Minsk real estate market was the average standard month. Most buyers are not in a hurry and at the same time activity does not fall sharply, as it happens in the summer months. The current May was no exception to this rule. Nevertheless, there were a few quite interesting events. Facts and figures of the last month of spring in review of Realt.by. The increased demand for apartments...

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Indian delegation in Minsk

Belarus - India Only signing an Agreement on free trade between India and the Customs Union will open the way to the Indian market for Belarusian products Despite the high level of political relations between Belarus and India, trade between our countries is weak. According to the Foreign Ministry of Belarus, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2012 amounted to 494.6 million USD. The Indian market imported  over...

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S & P upgrades Belarus to "positive"

Belarus economy Standard & Poor's rating agency has revised its outlook on Belarusian economics from "stable" to "positive", noting the continued stabilization of the economy. Ratings is affirmed to 'B / B'. S & P experts point out that the government has tightened fiscal and monetary policies, which helped to stabilize the economy. "In our view, a further reduction in inflation and easing pressure on the exchange rate are the main signs...

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Minsk needs money to support its paternalistic policy

Belarus economy In 2012, the Belarusian economic model has reached peak of its current capability. Now the only way to keep the economic growth without structural reforms and avoid collapse in  the end of the year, such as currency crises as in 2009 or 2011, is attracting new borrowings  from abroad. This has already been said openly by senior Belarusian officials. But lately, in Minsk did not succeed in the relationship with the creditors,...

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A Spanish low-coster will fly to Minsk

Vueling Airbus A320 will fly to Minsk from Barselona Vueling, a Spanish low cost airline is going to start flying to Minsk from Barselona during the summer season. It is the very first time when a company which is positioning itself as a low cost airline begins flights to Minsk 2 Airport. Service operates on Sundays and will last till 15th of September 2013. Presumably, the aircraft will be Airbus A320. The flight codes are: VY7692 BCN0055...

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Fashion industry is having a party

Belarus Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2013/2014 will take place on April 23-28 Like in the last season, Belarus Fashion Week will be running on two sites:  the main runway will be at BelExpo  exhibition center at Pobediteley, 14  and the additional program OFF SCHEDULE, designed to show works of  young designers and the presentation of new brands which will be at Museum of the History of Minsk (Mikhail Savitsky Art Museum)....

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Between two armadas

The geopolitical location of Belarus makes it a field of confrontation of strategic interests of NATO and Russia As the number of publications in the media, the Ministry of Defence of Lithuania urged Belarus and Russia for greater transparency in the implementation of planned for September of this year, the next large-scale Russian-Belarusian military exercises "West-2013". Lithuanian party has been advised of their conduct, through the OSCE,...

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Foreigners in Belarus: a Chinese lecturer

Expats in Belarus A Chinese lecturer talking about Belarusians which are kind and well-behaved, but drinls heavily  Chinese woman Na Siao, the teacher at Republican Confucius Institute of BSU, shared her impressions of Minsk and its citizens. ...

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Battle for Ukraine

European integration Chances of integration of Belarus into the European Union depends not only on restoring democracy but, rather, on desire of the EU member states to accept new candidates from the East. And now the main test for them is Ukraine. If the EU accepts Ukraine, Belarus’ perspectives to join this club will look more realistic.  Being heavily involved in Russian media sphere few Belarusians paid attention to Ukraine-EU summit...

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Better longer, but quietly

Belarus economy in 2012 Belarus Ministry of Economy presents economic results of 2012 and make some predictions for 2013 Risk-free source of development for Belarus in the "era of modernization" are foreign and domestic private investment, according to the Ministry of Economy. This idea is contained in the report of the Minister of Economy Nikolai Snopkov at the meeting of February 13, which was devoted to the results of 2012. ...

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Foreigners in Belarus: A Lithuanian student

Expats in Belarus A Lithuanian student talking about studying at University and Belarusian "Trasianka" Katya Bolohovetskaya, a student of MSLU, born in Lithuania, Klaipėda. In 2008 year she entered the University in Minsk. ...

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Foreigners in Belarus: an Indian yoga teacher

Expats in Belarus  An Indian yoga teacher talking about the Belarusian moonshine, sports and the President  of Belarus Indian music, the smell of spices and aromas met the correspondent of TUT.BY at a shop of the Ayurveda goods. The new hero of the project "Minsk through the eyes of a foreigner" Bikash Nakhar turned out to be frank, benevolent and smiling, with the internal harmony. Bikash Nakhar, the teacher of yoga and the seller...

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A Belarus model in Malaysia

Belarus models abroad Former gymnast from Belarus enjoying every minute in Malaysia Belarusian model and dancer Alesia Bylina enjoys Malaysia’s laidback culture and warm weather so much that she has been here for the past seven years. “Malaysia has taught me to take things positively and be more easy-going,” she said...

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Foreigners in Belarus: A German banker

Foreigners in Belarus A German economist talking about snipers eating sunflower seeds and about potato pancakes with an apple sauce Most of Belarusians see Minsk as a reserved and conservative, clean, with broad streets and prospects, city. What image is formed by a person who has visited the capital of Belarus for the first time? The new project created by TUT.BY will familiarize its users with the foreigners who are living, studying, working...

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Visitors prefer apartments

Accomodation for tourists 3* and 4* hotels do not get about 25% of their revenue, losing competition to "rent for a day" apartments, analitycal egancy EnterInvest concludes  in their Minsk hotel real estate market study. 3* and 4* hotels lose annually about $ 27 million of revenue due to severe competition with rental apartments: their cost is lower and the quality is on the same level as in Minsk hotels. According to experts the volume...

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Nobody is trusted

Belarus politics Anxious mood prevailing in the world outlook for 2013 and only in Belarus, there was little doubt in maintaining status quo. While the Western media is trying to imagine what we are up to in  2013, only lazy did not mentioned similarity to 1913 - the last year of peace before the First World But in fact, no other details are the same, except for the general anxiety: then, hardly anyone could have predicted the coming...

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Hoping for the better, expecting the worst

Belarus property market Expectations of a new crisis make Belarusians to invest in property The property market is an indicator of the economy in any country in the past year was unusually generous for Belarus for positive trends. This primarily concerns the growth of demand in the residential sector, which resulted in increase in the number of transactions. Paradox: the poorer Belarusians became, the more real estate they buy! But if you...

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