BELARUS LAUNCHES SATELLITE TV CHANNEL

Belarus on 1 February inaugurated broadcasts of its first satellite-television channel, Belarus-TV, Belarusian Television reported. According to Belarusian Television's main newscast, "Panarama," Belarus-TV programs, which are aired through the Intelsat 904 satellite, can be received in 20 countries in Europe and Asia, including Poland, Germany, France, and the Nordic countries. "The main task of the [Belarus-TV] channel is to supply objective information about life in Belarus to the countries of near and far abroad," National Television and Radio Company head Uladzimir Matvyaychuk said. "We have accomplished a major breakthrough. Today we are in a single information space with the world's leading television channels."