Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Early spring cereals and leguminous crops (excluding corn, buckwheat, and millet) have been sown on 25.8% of the target area in Belarus, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry.

As of 6 April early spring crops were sown on an area of 192,200ha. Progress in sowing these crops reached 67.4% in Brest Oblast, 36.9% in Grodno Oblast, 36.8% in Gomel Oblast, 18.1% in Minsk Oblast, 5.75% in Mogilev Oblast, and 1.44% in Vitebsk Oblast.

Soil for sowing early spring cereals and leguminous crops has been tilled on an area of 397,600ha (53.6% of the targeted area). This year these crops are supposed to occupy 742,100ha.

BelTA

ZHLOBIN, 18 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian steel mill BMZ is busy increasing export shipments. The matter was discussed as Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agribusiness Complex of the Eurasian Economic Commission Artak Kamalyan visited the enterprise, BelTA has learned.

The official was made familiar with the operation of the steel mill, visited the electric-furnace melting shop and the long-product rolling mill where products for consumers from the Eurasian Economic Union are made among other things. The provision of the enterprise with main raw materials was discussed during the meeting with the BMZ management.

BMZ representatives noted that as far as members of the Eurasian Economic Union are concerned, BMZ actively cooperates with companies from the Russian Federation. Russia is an important supplier of the main raw materials and one of the largest consumers of Belarusian metal products. BMZ's export to Russia exceeded 58,000 tonnes in January-February 2021, 8% up from January-February 2020. In monetary terms export to the Russian Federation exceeded $43 million, one third up from the same period of last year. Sales of reinforcing bars, rolled structurals, steel wire, and metal cord are on the rise.

According to the latest data, in January-February 2021 BMZ exported roughly $200 million worth of merchandise to 41 countries. The growth rate exceeded 106% as against January-February 2020.

The Eurasian Economic Commission representative also intends to visit the Minsk-based tractor factory MTZ, the car manufacturer BelGee, and the haul truck manufacturer BelAZ.

The public joint-stock company (OAO) BMZ, the Management Company of the holding company Belarusian Metallurgical Company (BMC), is a high-tech Belarusian metallurgical enterprise. It comprises infrastructure shops and four manufacturing divisions connected by one technological chain. The divisions focus on steel smelting, mill products, pipe products, hardware items. BMZ exports more than 80% of its output every year. The company employs over 11,500 people. It is a compact plant of the European level.

BelTA

MINSK, 17 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian Labor and Social Security Ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are carrying out the international technical assistance project “Strengthening scientific and educational capacities of the Republic of Belarus in the field of demographic data collection, analysis, and use for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”, BelTA learned from the ministry.

The project is aimed at improving the country's capacities in education and research in demographics, monitoring the implementation of the existing documents and programs and development of new ones on population and demographic issues. It shall be implemented in furtherance of the project “Supporting the implementation of the national program of demographic security of the Republic of Belarus” for 2015-2017, which was also carried out by the Labor and Social Security Ministry in association with the UNFPA and with Russia's support.

The Russian government will be the main sponsor of the project. The project budget equals $972,590. The project is meant to strengthen partner relations between the government agencies, scientific organizations, and experts in Belarus, Russia, and other countries.

“The main goal is to ensure that government agencies, scientific and educational institutions efficiently use official statistics and demographic research in developing and implementing the state demographic policy. One of the key activities of the project is to conduct the second Generations and Gender survey. The results of the survey will be used for drawing up and implementing strategic and framework documents. The first survey was conducted in 2017. The second one will rely on international expertise, using the recommended questionnaire and specific rules regarding the sample frame. The second survey will also take into account the experience of data analysis from the first survey,” the ministry said.

The partners of the project in Belarus are the Healthcare Ministry, the National Statistics Committee, the Labor Research Institute and the National Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel of the Labor and Social Security Ministry, the Economic Research Institute of the Economy Ministry, the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Belarusian State University and its Center for Social and Political Studies. The partners from Russia are the Federal State Statistic Service, the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, Moscow State University, the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and the Institute of Socio-Political Research of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

BelTA

MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) - The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) forum “Smart Sustainable Cities: Organizational and Technical Aspects of Development” is taking place at Beltelecom's international switching center on 16-18 March, BelTA has learned.

Taking part in the event are representatives of the ITU, government, regional authorities and also major institutions of science and education. Speakers from Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, experts from the Green Cities Project, UNDP, specialists of Belarus' major companies will share the practical experience and suggest ways of building a smart sustainable city.

A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies and other means to improve living standards, efficiency and services in cities and also competitiveness while meeting the economic, social, environmental and cultural needs of the present and future generations. “At this stage of development of smart sustainable cities, the most important issues include the definition of integrated approaches towards building smart sustainable cities, development of conceptual documents and means to assess the effectiveness of smart sustainable cities. Every year we get more and more technical solutions for a smart sustainable city,” the Communications and Informatization Ministry said.

The program of the forum includes a wide range of thematic reports of international experts in such areas as organizational and technical aspects of smart sustainable cities development. The objectives of the forum are to familiarize Belarusian specialists with the latest global achievements in the area of smart sustainable cities, implemented under the auspices of the ITU, and to consider the proposals of the ITU member countries in the region to unify approaches to the construction and development of smart sustainable cities. Another goal of the forum is to determine the area and procedure for interaction between state and commercial structures in the joint implementation of smart city solutions.

The forum will also include a meeting of the regional group of the ITU-T study group 20 for Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Transcaucasia.

The forum is organized by the ITU jointly with Giprosvyaz and the Communications and Informatization Ministry of Belarus.

BelTA

Belarusian State University (BSU) climbed 100 positions up in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking by subject. The updated rankings in 51 subjects were unveiled on 4 March, BelTA learned from the BSU press service.

“The BSU moved 100 positions up in the QS Physics & Astronomy ranking and placed in the 451-500 group among almost 30,000 universities. This leap was possible thanks to the university's improving reputation among experts and the growing number of articles on these subjects and citations of articles,” the press service said.

The rankings by subjects are meant to help prospective students identify the leading universities in a particular subject. Depending on the subject, the rankings include from 50 to 600 strongest universities in individual subject areas. The QS methodology measures four components: academic and employer reputation based on responses of academics and employers worldwide, average number of citations per paper in the past five-year period, and a university's H-index in this field. The ranking does not take into account large-scale collaborations with the participation of the BSU. Even despite this, the BSU is among the strongest universities in physics and astronomy globally.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology topped the QS Physics & Astronomy ranking. As for Belarus' neighboring countries, the ranking featured 16 Russian universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University (29th), Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (50th), National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (86th), Novosibirsk State University (90th), six Polish universities led by the University of Warsaw (151-200), Lithuania's Vilnius University (301-350), Ukraine's Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (401-450), and Estonia's University of Tartu (451-500).

The BSU is the only Belarusian university that has been in the QS Physics & Astronomy ranking since 2017. The BSU also made it into six ranking by other agencies: Shanghai Ranking Consultancy ranking in physics (201+), Times Higher Education rankings in engineering and technology subjects (601+) and physical sciences (801+), U.S. News rankings in physics (176) and chemistry (612), and the URAP ranking in physical sciences (778). The BSU is also featured in the global university rankings, including the QS World University Rankings at 317, and in the U.S. News best global universities ranking at 367

BelTA

MINSK, 2 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian Architecture and Construction Ministry plans to build over 10 facilities of social infrastructure in Russia before the end of 2025, Architecture and Construction Minister Ruslan Parkhamovich told the media ahead of the meeting of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers on 2 March, BelTA has learned.

“The main driving force behind the export of Belarusian construction services is our holding company Belstroycenter. The company is now simultaneously building about five social infrastructure facilities in the Leningrad and Kaluga regions. We also have good prospects for cooperation with Bryansk and Pskov regions. In general, we are planning to implement more than 12 such projects in the Russian Federation before the end of 2025,” said Ruslan Parkhamovich.

As for housing construction in Russia, major developers from Minsk and the Gomel house-building factory are working in this area. “We are constantly increasing the number of Belarusian contractors in the Russian Federation,” the minister added.

Ruslan Parkhamovich praised the performance of construction organizations last year. “Profitability in the industry was 7%,” he said. Profit from sales for 2020 increased by 48%, as against 2019. According to the minister, wages in the sector showed a good growth, up 13%.

The main areas the ministry plans to focus on this year are unfinished construction, rental housing market, electric housing, as well as integrated individual housing development.

MINSK, 2 March (BelTA) – The healthcare system of Belarus is prepared for the third wave of the coronavirus infection, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich said on the air of the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA informs.

“The caseload is expected to somewhat increase. The pandemic is characterized by waves of activity spread. And the influenza virus is joining,” Dmitry Pinevich said. However, the situation remains under control due to the fact that 40% of the population was vaccinated against influenza. In addition to that, the number of arrivals in the country is small. “We are closely monitoring strains [new COVID-19 variants]. Neither British nor South African variants have been reported in Belarus. We are monitoring how the situation is evolving in the West and in the East,” the minister added.

Belarusian doctors count on immunization in their efforts to combat coronavirus. “It should produce results. Sputnik V is an excellent vaccine; Belarus was the first country outside the Russian Federation to register it. The vaccine has been approved for use in people over 60 years old. This is very important for us. We have also received a good vaccine from China. The first validation batches of the Sputnik V vaccine were bottled at the Belmedpreparaty facilities on Friday. I think we will receive a commercial batch of the vaccine at the end of March,” Dmitry Pinevich concluded.

BelTA

State awards have been conferred on 58 representatives of various professions.

A corresponding Decree has been signed by Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.

They received orders, medals and honorary titles in recognition of the many-year productive work, professional excellence, exemplary fulfillment of service duties, courage displayed in water rescue, attainment of high production results, a big personal contribution to the development of machine building, construction industry, agriculture, transport, education, personnel training, healthcare, science, art and sport.

The Order for Service to the Homeland 3rd Class has been conferred on head of the 72nd guards united training center for warrant officers and junior specialists of the Armed Forces Vladislav Budik, head of the Rescue and Emergency Mitigation Department of the Emergencies Ministry Sergei Novik. The Order of Honor has been conferred on worker of OAO Gomselmash Aleksandr Berezovsky. The Order of Francysk Skaryna has been presented to Director of Minsk gymnasium No. 33 Oksana Yakubovskaya. Yegor Lisha and Ivan Prilepa, operators of the aviation unit of the unmanned aerial vehicles squadron of the 927th training center for operators of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces, have been honored with the Medal for Saved Life.

The Medal for Excellence in Military Service has been conferred on deputy head of the Main Department of the State Border Committee Nikolai Boreiko; the Medal for Excellence in Maintenance of Public Order – on chief enlistment officer for Gomel Oblast Andrei Krivonosov; the Medal for Excellence in State Border Protection – on controller of the Border Control Department of the 18th Border Guard Detachment Maksim Maneiko and head of the 14th Border Guard Detachment Pavel Kharchenko.

The Medal for Labor Merits has been bestowed upon Svetlana Borovkova, administrator of the Yaselda health resort the veterans of war, labor and people with disabilities, and Nikolai Kazyukin, worker of OAO Gomselmash.

The Medal of Francysk Skaryna has been presented to senior lecturer of the Directing Department of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts Aleksandr Vavilov, head of the Soil Science Department of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy Tamara Persikova.

The head of state also presented honorary titles. Head of the Morbid Physiology Department of the Belarusian State Medical University Frantishek Vismont became the Honored Scientist of Belarus. Head of the Tractors, Automobiles and Machines for Environmental Engineering of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy Anatoly Kartashevich became the Honored Worker of Education of Belarus. General constructor of the Harvester Building Center of OAO Gomselmash Sergei Fedorovich became the Honored Worker of the Manufacturing Sector of Belarus.

The Honored Worker of Agriculture title has been conferred on Director of OAO Narochansliye Zori, Vileika District, Gennady Kuchko and Chairman of the agricultural production association Ozery of Grodno District Aleksandr Shishko.

The Honored Worker of Transport title has been conferred on Director of Brestsky Kooptrans Anatoly Bortnik. Weightlifting coach of the Minsk Oblast Olympic training center Vladimir Borzdakov became the Honored Coach of Belarus.

Besides, the head of state signed an executive order to present official letters of commendation to five people in recognition of many-year productive work, professional excellence, a big personal contribution to the implementation of the state policy in the social and labor sector.

This award has been conferred on head of the Organizational, Personnel and Ideology Department of the Labor and Social Security Ministry Nikolai Baranov, director of the Gomel care home for children with disabilities and special needs Galina Dolgopolova, worker of the Belarusian prosthetic and orthopaedic recuperation center Sergei Dubrovsky, first deputy director of the Labor Inspectorate of the Labor and Social Security Ministry Aleksandr Semich, First Deputy Chairperson of the Labor, Employment and Social Security Committee of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Olga Khaduskina.

Written by: belta.by

Belarus Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik has met with Alexandra Solovieva, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The parties discussed the state and prospects of cooperation between Belarus and UNDP, including the implementation of national development priorities, as well as ways to step up joint efforts to minimize the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic in our country,” the foreign ministry said.

They also agreed to keep working together to achieve Belarus' Sustainable Development Goals, promote a green economy, and rebuild regions affected by the Chernobyl accident.

Written by: belta.by

In Maxim Gorky Palace of Culture in Borisov, the opening ceremony of the republican action "Capital of Culture of the Year" was held.

During the year, about 80 events are planned to be held on the territory of Borisov region, which will help to learn about the creative achievements of Borisov residents in the field of musical, theatrical, choreographic and other types of art, professional and amateur creativity.

The opening ceremony of the large-scale action was held with the participation of the deputy chairman of the regional executive committee Ivan Markevich, the chairman of the Borisov regional executive committee Gennady Dengalev, the deputy minister of culture of Belarus Valery Gramada, Metropolitan Veniamin, as well as guests and residents of Borisov and the region.

- “The Cultural Capital of the Year” is a “nomadic” action that takes place in a new place every year, - said Yuri Gramada. - Today Borisov has a huge cultural potential. It is one of the oldest cities in the country. Residents have something to show and surprise.

Within the framework of the event, the ceremony of cancellation of the state postage mark "Borisov - the cultural capital" took place. The artistic basis of the postal envelope was the recognizable places of the city - the railway station, the monument to Prince Boris Vsyaslavovich, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the building on the central square, and the coat of arms of Borisov. The author of the images is the artist Tatyana Dolskaya, designed by Marina Vitkovskaya, circulation of 30 thousand copies.

The event continued with a festive concert, which involved the masters of arts of Belarus, leading art groups and performers of the Minsk region and Borisov district. The main idea of ​​the concert is to tell through dance, music and theatrical art about love for the Motherland and native land, talent, childhood dreams and traditions of the people of Belarus.

Vladislav Gruzdov is one of the brightest young artists who demonstrated his creative skills on stage, together with the dance school "Atmosphere". For the third year he has been studying vocal at the production center "Spamash", with teachers Tatiana Trukhan and Alena Gorbachev, participated in the "Slavianski Bazaar". According to Vladislav, this is not the first time he has taken part in such competitions, but all such excitement makes itself felt.

- I deal with it pretty quickly, my dad taught me. He is our master of sports in barbell, - Vladislav shares his emotions. - As soon as I go on stage, I immediately calm down and charge myself with energy from the viewer. Indescribable feelings!

As part of the opening ceremony of the "Capital of Culture of the Year", guests and residents of the Borisov district took part in creative meetings and master classes on weaving, ceramics, straw construction, and also got acquainted with the history and traditions of the Borisov region within the framework of exhibitions that were organized at the base of the Palace of Culture.

Reference: The republican action "Capital of Culture of the Year" has been held by the Ministry of Culture since 2010. In each of the cities that have been declared the cultural capital, innovative projects are being implemented to present the identity of these cities, develop and popularize the traditions and achievements of national culture, activate creative initiatives, and increase the tourist attractiveness of the regions.

Источник: minsk-region.gov.by