BELARUSIAN SAVINGS BANK FACES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.

Legal authorities in Minsk last week opened a criminal investigation into a series of alleged unlawful acts by Belarusian Savings Bank officials. Charges focus on loans (amounting to the equivalent of nearly $10 million) to commercial enterprises without guarantees for repayment. The scope of the investigation widened when President Aleksandr Lukashenko ordered a probe into the authenticity of gold coins minted in the United States for the Savings Bank. The first set of 1,000-ruble coins arrived in Belarus at the end of 1995 but were returned to the US due to alleged flaws and overpricing. (8).

Killer Snows In Kazakhstan.