Belarus

President Lukashenko has extended his congratulations to tennis player Aryna Sabalenka on her victory at the 2026 Brisbane International and her brilliant start to the new tennis season, BelTA reported from the head of state’s press service

The Palace of Independence opened its doors to participants of the traditional New Year's Eve Ball for young people, part of the run up to 2026; the event saw the participation of over 350 young dancers and was attended by President Lukashenko

11th Christmas Readings “Enlightenment and modernity: personality formation and the challenges of the times” opened at the National Library with the participation of clergy, government representatives, cultural figures, social workers, teachers, students

Sugar beet harvest in Belarus has been 100% completed; Agriculture and Food Ministry confirmed all 108.000 hectares yielded 5.899.000 tonnes of sugar beet, higher than last year and 83% of the produce has been transported to public collection points

New Decree No.388 “On improving the procedure for moving into rental housing” aims to reduce the waiting time to move into new state-owned rental apartments, cutting it from up to 200 to 30 working days from the date the building is approved for occupancy

Repurposing of agricultural land will be prohibited, no lands from the agricultural land pool will be allocated for construction or plots; this especially applies many abandoned and unused plots in small communities, Belarus media reported

The final stage of the 14th national beauty pageant Miss Belarus 2025, held at the Palace of Sports, was attended by President Lukashenko to underline the cultural significance of the event; 854 girls took part in the selection process

Following Poland’s closure of all border checkpoints with Belarus, over 1.000 vehicles are waiting at the Belarusian border to enter Lithuania, the State Border Committee’s press service told media BelTA

The national canoe sprint team got five medals at the 2025 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships: one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes, with Volha Klimava winning the champion title in the Women C1 5.000m

A meeting to discuss the operations of KGB, the State Security Committee of Belarus, was convened by President Aleksandr Lukashenko; key discussions focused on potential improvements to the agency's work

The International Environmental Forum was held in Altai on 25 July, with Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan taking part; among key issues were the development of national parks and biodiversity conservation

111.520 travelers from 38 countries included in the visa-waiver program have been welcomed in Belarus since 1 January 2025; most travelers came from neighboring countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Poland