Svetlana Alexievich, a Nobel Prize winner and a member of the opposition council that seeks new elections and talks with Alexander Lukashenko about a peaceful end to his 26-year rule, was called in for questioning by Belarusian investigators.

Before being questioned, she told reporters that the council does not seek a coup, but wants to unite society. “I don’t feel guilty, I feel that everything we did was absolutely legal,” she said. The interrogation lasted about 15 minutes, and Aleksievich used the right not to incriminate herself. She remained in witness status.

Lukashenko’s security services have begun to target the opposition council and leaders at state-owned enterprises after more than two weeks of protests. The president has called the so called council unconstitutional and ridiculed protesters as alcoholics, prostitutes and puppets of foreign powers.

“Maybe the world will help us so that Lukashenko will start talking to someone,” Alexievich said to a crowd as she arrived at the Investigative Committee in the capital Minsk on Wednesday. “Lukashenko will only talk to Putin, but he must start speaking with the people. Maybe Putin should be brought in somehow.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the issue a domestic matter and said external meddling is unacceptable. The U.S. has denounced the elections, and European Union foreign ministers may give the go-ahead this week to blacklist 15 to 20 Belarusian officials deemed responsible for repression and election fraud, according to a senior EU official.

Against the background of events in the country, the Belarusian ruble is rapidly depreciating against the dollar and the euro. On Wednesday, the dollar rose in price to 2.6483 Belarusian rubles, the euro - to 3.1286, the Russian ruble, to 3.5062 rubles per 100 Russian rubles. The dollar reached an all-time high, writes Tut.by. The last record was set in March this year.

“Belarus should become a strong concrete bridge between Russia and the West.”

Opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has asked the EU to call for a new vote, while saying the protests are not geopolitical. Undermining ties with Russia is “not in the interest of Belarusian society,” opposition politician Pavel Latushka said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Another opposition leader, Maria Kalesnikava, an ally of Tsikhanouskaya and one of the most visible opposition members in Minsk, has been summoned for questioning Thursday.

“I refused to answer any questions and said all information can be found on the coordination committee’s website,” Alexievich, who won a 2015 Nobel Prize in literature, told Bloomberg after spending less than half an hour with investigators. She said they consider her a witness, and she didn’t sign any non-disclosure agreements.

Two members of the coordination council were sentenced to 10 days in jail on Tuesday, the first arrests of opposition leaders since former banker Viktor Babariko was jailed in June. It marks a shift from the police’s initial, brutal reaction, when at least 5 people died and 7,000 people were detained, some of whom say they were tortured.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde that the time has not yet come for negotiations with Russia, but the opposition is open for dialogue with everyone.

Three Belshina employees said they were fired for trying to organize a strike.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs counted 4.8 thousand protesters in the country on Tuesday, 51 people were detained. The portal Tut.by reported this with reference to the ministry. The department estimated the number of those who came to the pro-government rallies much higher - 16.7 thousand people.

The Lithuanian Migration Department reported that 11 Belarusians have already asked for political asylum in the country.

While the entire population around the world is trapped indoors in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, people continue to create hilarious coronavirus memes to prove that no quarantine can take their sense of humor away.

Whether you’re stuck at home on lockdown or simply working from home, it’s been difficult escaping all the negative headlines in the news. Fortunately, if there is one thing you can always rely to boost your mood is a good laugh. Here are some of the best memes compiled by Bemorepanda that have put a smile on our faces, and proved that we’re all in this together.

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Every dog has its day, and for canines in Nepal that phrase could not be more literal. The five-day Nepalese Hindu festival of Tihar started this week and the second day is known as Kukur Tihar or "day of the dogs".

Dogs are celebrated and blessed with a Tika - a red mark applied to their forehead. The animals are also given flowers and offered food as part of the festival. Even though ‘Kukur Tihar’ is essentially celebrated in Nepal, several Hindus in India celebrate it too.

Many took to social media to share pictures celebrating the occasion with their furry friends and boy, do they look adorable!

Bemorepanda has collected a compilation of the best 50 pictures for this year festival that will make your heart melt.

1 Happy Good Doggo day everyone

2 Nepalese Festival that celebrates Dogs. Today is a special day in Nepal also known as ‘Kukur Tihar’ that is reserved for man’s best friend. It is dedicated solely to thanks Dogs for their loyalty and friendship.

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12 The second day Dipawali is called Kukur (dog) Tihar. On this day, all dogs, whether pets or strays, are offered treats and worshipped by placing a tika on their forehead and garlands of marigolds around their necks. This day marks the special relationship between humans and dogs, where dogs are thanked and celebrated for their loyalty, service and companionship.

Dogs occupy a special place in Hinduism, not just as loyal companions but also as messengers of Yama and incarnations of the god Bhairava. 

13 In Hinduism, it is believed that dogs are the messengers of the God of Death, Yama, and guard the underworld empire. They are, somehow, heaven’s gatekeepers. The story in the Mahabharat epic is quite interesting. On his final journey to Swarga to attain the state of God, Yudhishthira lost his brothers and wife along the way, but a dog followed him until he reached the gate. Yudhishthira, then, refused to abandon his friend, the dog, and didn’t want to enter heaven without him. Eventually, the dog turned out to be Yama, the God of Death, who was testing Yudhishthira’s virtues; Yudhishthira had renounced heaven instead of renouncing his friend, the dog, proving he transcended the achievements of the royal sages.

14 Day of the Dog which is celebrated in Nepali Culture across the world. Kukur Tihar honors dogs in all of their aspects as Gurdians, Companios,and Friends. In pictures you’ll notice a wreath of flowers hanging on neck. This floral necklace called malla which is a mark of respect and dignity

15 The festival brings together the key aspects of nature - people, animals and colours. As part of the celebrations, cows, crows, dogs and oxen are worshipped across the country symbolising the manifestation of various gods.⁠⠀

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On the Kukur (dog) Tihar day, the Nepalese Hindu community worships dogs owing to their religious significance as the guard of Lord Yama, the god of death. It is also believed that dogs can lead the souls of the dead to heaven.⁠⠀

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Dogs 🐶 are offered special prayers with tikka, garlands and delicious foods. We have compiled several images of dogs being honoured for their role as man's best friend in providing companionship and security.⁠⠀ .

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