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The famous ecological Bellona Foundation, whose expert atomic physician Andrei Ozharovsky was arrested in Belarus, sent an official request to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov asking that his office look into the arrest of the Russian citizen. The request, published on the NGO's website says a representative of Russia's consular mission to Belarus hasn't met with Andrei Ozharovsky yet. Bellona notes that Ozharovsky was arrested for his intent to distribute at the hearing copies of a report entitled "Critical Notes on the State Environmental Impact Study of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant," which he had co-authored. Arrested Ozharovsky has not been given access to a lawyer.

The famous ecological Bellona Foundation, whose expert atomic physician Andrei Ozharovsky was arrested in Belarus, sent an official request to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov asking that his office look into the arrest of the Russian citizen. The request, published on the NGO's website says a representative of Russia's consular mission to Belarus hasn't met with Andrei Ozharovsky yet. Bellona notes that Ozharovsky was arrested for his intent to distribute at the hearing copies of a report entitled "Critical Notes on the State Environmental Impact Study of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant," which he had co-authored. Arrested Ozharovsky has not been given access to a lawyer.

"Belarus seems to be finding it increasingly hard to sell its nuclear energy plans to European nations, both near and far. This time, Minsk's desire to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) close to the Lithuanian border was thwarted by vigorous objections from Austria: representatives of Austrian NGOs and federal authorities expressed a strong disapproval of Belarus's intent at a hearing in Vienna in mid-May. Hearings similar to the one that took place in Vienna have previously been held in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius and Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. Ever since it first brought up the subject of building a nuclear power plant to a controversial Russian project, Belarus has been finding itself more and more hard-pressed to convince its neighbours that they have nothing to fear from the future site. For its location, Belarus has settled on the town of Ostrovets, in Grodno Region, just 23 kilometres off the Lithuanian border, and Lithuania has already made its position known, both as a matter of public opinion and on a state level: No, thank you, Minsk."

Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom has agreed to take part in a tender for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus, the ex-Soviet republic's energy ministry said Tuesday. Belarus plans to build a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 2,000 MW, with the first unit to come online in 2016 and the second in 2018. The plant is expected to have Generation III water-moderated reactors.

Alyaksandr Valchanin, leader of the Union Chernobyl-Belarus, met with Mikhail Rusy, chairperson of the Chernobyl aftermath committee in the House of Representatives, on Monday to discuss the rights of workers involved in the massive cleanup effort after the 1986 nuclear accident. In an interview with BelaPAN, the activist said that he had been pushing for a meeting with the lawmaker for a long time but all of his petitions had been unanswered. The meeting was arranged after Mr. Valchanin petitioned Uladzimir Makey, head of the Presidential Administration, over the matter. The activist described the meeting as "constructive." "Mr. Rusy assured me that we can develop joint projects and representatives of our association would be invited to the committee's meetings. We discussed health resort treatment for Chernobyl cleanup workers, benefits for Chernobyl-affected people," he said. Mr. Valchanin said that the Belarusian authorities were ready to maintain some cooperation with the association. "This is even good that Mr. Rusy is poised for dialogue. I, for my part, offered to use my international contacts for solving the problems of Chernobyl-affected people. It seems to me that the proposal found understanding," he noted. Mr. Valchanin said that the possible registration of the union in Belarus had not been discussed. "But we intend to get registered in our country and will make every effort for this," he said. BelaPAN

"As a threatening nuclear noose around Lithuania tightens, residents are getting organised to protest the proposed construction of three nuclear power plants (NPPs) - in Lithuania itself and neighbouring Russia and Belarus. If current plans succeed, the small Baltic republic may find itself ensnared in a dangerous triangle of three new sites, losing its hard-obtained status of a nuclear-free nation. Andrei Ozharovsky, 17/05-2010 - Translated by Maria Kaminskaya To make their concerns well-recognised, residents of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, held an anti-nuclear march last April 26 to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster and demand a withdrawal of plans by Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania to build three new nuclear power plants in Neman in Russia's Kaliningrad Region, Ostrovets in Belarus, and Visaginas in Lithuania, respectively. They urged the three nations to start developing renewable energy as an alternative to the dangerous atomic plans. "

Campaigners against the construction of a nuclear power plant in western Belarus have been denied permission to stage a series of protests. The group, campaigning under the motto "The Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is a Crime," wanted to demonstrate in Smarhon, Maladzyechna and Vileyka this month, opposition activist Alyaksey Syudak, a member of the group, told BelaPAN. The local authorities in Maladzyechna cited in their reply the "unconfirmed nationality" of the applicants, the Smarhon authorities said that a presidential edict ordering the construction of the plant had not yet been issued, while in Vileyka, the applicants were told that the venue picked up by them was not intended for mass events.

In 2005 two 11-year-old girls from Belarus came to stay in rural Ireland with Philip Watson, as part of a scheme that runs recuperative breaks for children affected by the fallout from Chernobyl. Three years on, Watson tracked them down to see if their lives had changed It's four o'clock on a fine spring afternoon and my girlfriend, Jacqueline, and I have driven for five hours to meet two 14-year-old girls. We are on the other side of Europe, in remote, secretive Belarus, a country ruled by such an authoritarian, old-style Soviet president that it has been described by the US administration as the continent's 'last dictatorship' and only remaining 'outpost of tyranny'.

Astravets regional executive committee denied public activists Mikalay Ulasevich and Ivan Kruk a right to hold informational pickets at the territory of Astravets district Hrodna region. They applied to hold 5 informational pickets 9n November (two in Astravets, others in Mikhalishki, Varanyany and Hervyaty) against construction of a nuclear power station in the region, the human rights centre "Viasna" informs. Public and political activists intended to tell the local dwellers the truth about danger and aftermaths of a nuclear power station construction at the territory of the district which is one of the ecologically cleanest in Belarus and one of the most promising regions for tourism development.

Debates are still ongoing on the issue of possible construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus. The suggested site is in the Ostrovets District in the Grodno Region - or just some fifty kilometres away from neighbouring Lithuania's capital of Vilnius. Bellona's regular contributor Andrei Ozharovsky offers a comment on the developing project and the public sentiment it is causing.

"Lithuania expressed its official disapproval of a plan pushed aggressively by the neighbouring Belarus to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Belarusian town of Ostrovets, just 55 kilometres away from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. The former Soviet republic's concerns were stated in an official note that was prepared by the Ministry of Environment and will be extended to Minsk, said the Lithuanian news agency DELFI.lt Bellona, 08/05-2010 Lithuania's note of concern states, in particular, that Minsk has yet to deliver a comprehensive environmental impact evaluation report on the future NPP and asks that Belarusian officials hold a new hearing in Lithuania where such information may be made available to the public. Belarus, however, is not obligated to take Lithuania's opinion into account, DELFI.lt reported. "

Russia may review military cooperation with Belarus in response to U.S. missile defense plans in Central Europe, but will not return nuclear weapons to the country, the Russian ambassador to Minsk said Wednesday. The U.S. plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in northern Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of a missile shield for Europe and North America against possible attacks from "rogue states," including Iran.

Children affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster have resumed respite trips to the UK after the resolution of a long diplomatic row with Belarus. The eight-month ban was lifted in May following talks between the two countries, the Home Office has said. Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko stopped all foreign trips after a 16-year-old girl who visited California refused to return home. Every year hundreds of children around Chernobyl are diagnosed with cancer.

This study of bone density compares BMD development in 2854 women affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident with two non-contaminated control groups using the DXL Calscan portable bone densitometer device. By Prof. S.S. Rodionova, CITO (Moscow). A new study has been published in the international journal "Annals of Traumatology and Orthopedics" by a research team led by Prof. S.S. Rodionova, founder of the Russian Osteoporosis Society and Professor of Traumatology at the Central Institute of Traumatology & Orthopedics (CITO). Random bone mineral density testing was performed using the portable DXL Calscan device (Demetech, Sweden) on 2854 women who are now between the ages of 15 and 80 years. The device uses a patented technology of dual energy x-ray and laser (DXL) to better eliminate errors caused by lean soft tissue and fat in DXA devices. The Chernobyl accident of April 1986 caused radioactive contamination to the environment in many communities in the Brjansk region of western Russia, near the Ukraine and Belarus borders. While some specific communities within this region were spared from this contamination, other communities were greatly affected. The effects of the environmental damage caused in the affected communities continue to be seen in the form of health problems for their inhabitants. This study examines the increased risk of osteoporosis and future fragility fractures in affected areas compared to control groups.

Twenty-two years ago, the most serious accident in nuclear history disrupted the lives of millions of people. Massive amounts of radioactive materials were released into the environment resulting in a radioactive cloud that spread over much of Europe. The greatest contamination occurred around the Chernobyl nuclear power station in areas that are now part of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. People in Czechoslovakia were not in acute danger, but like others in the communist block they learnt about the nuclear accident many days after it happened and the media censorship ordered by the communist regime prevented them from taking even the most basic precautions.

TEN children from Stolin, in Belarus, will arrive in Malvern for a four-week "health giving" holiday on Wednesday (June 18). The trip is being organised and funded by the Chernobyl Children Life Line Malvern and District Link charity, which has been operating the scheme for the last six years.

German bioenergy expert PvT Capital GmbH and Irish bioethanol developer Greenfield Project Management Ltd today announced their agreement to jointly develop Greenfield's proposed ethanol refineries in Belarus and to make this the first step in creating giant biomass refineries capable of producing a range of biofuels. PvT Capital's agreement to partner with Greenfield also brings on board the Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) of the world-renowned Helmholtz Association of Research Centers..

MINSK - Several thousand supporters of Belarus' opposition marched through Minsk on Saturday to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and protest an alleged government coverup of the disaster's consequences. Many of the 3,000 marchers expressed particular dismay over the government's policy of assigning recent university graduates to work in areas contaminated by the explosion. Reactor No. 4 at Chernobyl, in what is now northern Ukraine, exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing radiation over a large swath of the former Soviet Union and much of northern Europe in the world's worst nuclear accident.

As the Charter'97 press center has learnt from parents, whose children attend the Minsk kindergarten No 111, their kids were not allowed to go out yesterday. Teachers told the parents it was an order of the director, who had received a call from a higher-level agency. The exact reason of this decision is unknown, but staff of the kindergarten says it may be connected with an accident on a nuclear plant in one of the neighbouring countries.

April 26 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Award-winning Dutch photographer Robert Knoth has visited the area worst hit by radioactive fallout - Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia - to document the toxic legacy of Chernobyl and other nuclear accident sites of the former Soviet Union. The Fallout exhibition, which is free, runs from April 18 to May 14 at the Oxo Tower in London.

The United Nations Organization has launched a USD-2.5-million project designed to meet the priority information needs of the communities in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine affected by the Chornobyl nuclear accident. ADVERTISEMENT The information center of the United Nations Organization announced this in a statement. According to the statement, the project is a joint effort by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO).