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.

Do you drink a lot while you sit at home?  

The head of the Ministry of Health, Mikhail Murashko, during a speech in the State Duma, said that in Russia during the pandemic of the coronavirus COVID-19, people egan to die more often from alcohol.  He did not provide statistics, but noted that it is based on operational monitoring data on mortality rates.

 Murashko also recalled the agency’s initiative to increase the age of alcohol sales from 18 to 21 years.  According to him, now it is precisely from the age of 18 that mortality rates increase sharply, especially in men.  And this must be fought.

 Murashko noted that in conditions of self-isolation, the consumption of alcoholic beverages increased by 2-3%.  However, alcohol in the current situation can have a negative effect on immunity, making you more vulnerable to the virus.  

There are a lot of interesting stuff to do at home during the pandemic. It is the moment to spend all your time with your family, plan healthy meals and do sport. Maybe is the time to lose some weight? Do some exercises. Or maybe you want to increase your knowledge, so here you go with online courses.

Do not perceive alcohol as a method to waste your time during quarantine!

At most festive events, parties, etc. taken to drink. But for one reason or another, not everyone can and wants to drink alcohol. Someone needs to work the night shift, someone takes medication, breastfeeds, or is forced to remain sober because of their small children, for whom an eye and an eye, or even trying to “tie up” ...

 

If you or your guests are one of those people, then we at Bemorepanda know how not to feel like a black sheep in a cheerful company. It's very simple - prepare non-alcoholic cocktails. Firstly, in appearance they cannot be distinguished from alcoholic ones, secondly, in the morning you will not get sick with a hangover, having sorted out the excess, and thirdly, they are simply delicious.

 

Internet users have shared simple recipes for delicious drinks

 

So arm yourself with a pen and notepad and write down the non-alcoholic cocktail recipes shared by netizens. We are sure you will find several suitable for you.

 

 

1. Shirley Temple is the gold standard non-alcoholic cocktail. Sprite, grenadine and maraschino cherry. — Nuttonbutton

 

2. “Wash a few lemons, cut them into slices, remove the stones, mix (zest and all) with water, filter the pulp and add grenadine and sugar (all amounts to taste). Refrigerate and serve with plenty of ice. Perhaps the most refreshing drink in the world. — gregusmeus

 

3. “Lychee juice, sprite + fresh mint leaves. The ratio of juice and sprite is 3:1. - rim2809

 

4. “Apfelschorle is the national alcoholic drink of Germany. This is a mixture of apple juice and soda (not seltzer; minerals are important). I make two or three parts juice to one part soda, but some people do 1:1. It's less sweet than regular juice, and the minerals in the soda give it a slightly savory flavor." — joelluber

 

5. Strawberry Cucumber Mojito:

• Strawberry
• 1 cucumber
• fresh mint
• real lime sachets (1 per cocktail)
• sparkling water of your choice
• sweeteners (optional) such as simple honey syrup, agave syrup, or date syrup 

 

 

6. “Lemonade, lavender syrup and seltzer water. I also love using peach syrup with this combination!” — disneyprincessspeach

 

7. "Ginger beer with lemon." — MadiRuve

 

8. "Pineapple and orange juice with grenadine." — thecampcook

 

9. Spicy Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca Cocktail:

• 2 glasses of cold water
• 2 cups watermelon (peeled), de-seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• juice of 1/2 lime (no more than 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, coarsely chopped
• ice cubes or crushed ice (optional) 

 

10. Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri:

• Strawberry
• lime
• simple syrup
• lemon-lime soda like Sprite or 7up 

 

11. Virgin Mango Orange Mojito:

• mango juice
• Orange juice
• lime juice
• fresh mint
• regular seltzer water
• granulated sugar 

 

 

12. "Pink Berry":

• 1 handful of blackberries
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
• 1 bottle of ginger beer to taste
• 1 oz (29 ml) lime juice 

 

13. Blueberry Maple Mojito:

• 8-10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
• 1/3 cup natural blueberry juice with no added sugar
• 1/2 cup soda
• some frozen blueberries for garnish

 

14. "White Russian soft drink with salted caramel":

• 4 tsp instant coffee
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp Sahara
• 4 tbsp. l. salted caramel sauce
• 100 ml cream
• 4 sprigs of rosemary for serving 

 

15. “I like ginger beer + juice (pineapple, orange, guava). It's quite sweet, but very pleasant, especially for a party." —saltyspidergwen

 

 

16. “Grapefruit juice with fresh jalapenos and sprite. You can easily cut out jalapenos if you're in a busy bar or don't like spicy food." — apart-nose-8695

 

17. "1 glass of watermelon juice

• mint leaves, soda
• sugar syrup
• lime juice
• crushed ice

 

Add mint leaves, crushed ice, lime juice and sugar syrup to a glass. Pour watermelon juice and soda." — BharatsKitchen

 

18. "Ginger beer and grapefruit juice." — menerenebene

 

19. "Palo-Marita":

• ½ cup grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup (you can also use sugar syrup)
• ¼ cup soda
• ¼ cup lemon juice 

 

20. Spicy Grapefruit Ginger Cocktail:

• 100% grapefruit juice for this non-alcoholic cocktail
• ginger beer
• lime juice
• fresh mint
• fresh jalapeno peppers 

 

 

21. Rosemary Cranberry Cocktail:

• cranberry juice
• maple syrup
• rosemary
• and some spices 

 

22. “Soda water with added juice and/or soda and/or frozen or fresh fruit. I like sparkling water with pineapple-cranberry juice, ginger ale and frozen berries.” — justforme31

 

23. "Coca-Cola Zero (diet cola) and grenadine... Dancing all night!!" — Representative_Ad807

 

24. "Espresso and tonic with a slice of lemon." – penlender

 

25. "Hugs on the Beach"":

• Orange juice
• cranberry juice
• peaches
• sugar syrup
• circle of lemon or orange for garnish 

 

26. “Tonic with cranberry juice and lime. Looks like a cocktail, tastes refreshing and makes me feel at ease." — Netflix_and_backrubs

 

27. "Coca-Cola + orange juice." — TheRealClose

 

 

28. "Club soda and grenadine." — CoolIceCreamCone

 

29. “I make a bubbly mixture of cider and sorrel tea and it tastes so good!” — JustAnotherAviatrix

 

30. Pomegranate Cranberry Cocktail:

• cranberry pomegranate juice
• club soda
• lime juice
• fresh mint leaves (optional) 

 

31. Tropical Cocktail:

• 2 chopped pineapples
• 1/4 lemon
• 2 glasses of water
• 1/2 cup ice
• mint leaves for decoration
• 1 banana (optional)
• 1 pear (optional) 

 

32. Pineapple Passion Fruit Soda:

• 1 and 1/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 passion fruits, cut in half
• 2 liters of sparkling chilled water - taste.com.au

 

 

 

33. "Cherry Cocktail":

• crushed ice
• 900 ml cherry nectar
• 1.2 liters of sparkling water

 

34. “One of my favorite recipes uses grenadine, lemon juice, simple syrup, apple cider vinegar and egg white. It's quite sweet, but the taste and texture make it really fun." — lilfliplilflop

 

35. "A little plain blueberry syrup (you can make your own or buy it) or a little more if you want a sweeter taste."

• sparkling water 8 oz (235 ml)
• juice of 1/2 lime
• mint or basil" 

 

36. “I use sparkling grape juice, lemon juice and juniper/cardamom/anise infused syrup for a great drink.” — Lenfantscocktails

 

37. 4 cups boiling water

• 8 hibiscus tea bags
• 1/2 cup honey
• ice
• 2 glasses of sparkling water
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• strawberries for decoration

 

 

38. In equal amounts:

• Apple juice
• cranberry juice
• Orange juice
• crushed ice
• orange slices for garnish

 

39. 1 glass of freshly squeezed orange juice

• 2 tsp granulated sugar SPLENDA
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 handfuls of ice

 

40. Pineapple, Apricot, and Lime Punch:

• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup apricot juice
• 1 glass of ginger beer
• 1 glass of sparkling water
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• crushed ice
• to serve: 2 limes, thinly sliced

 

41. Melba Peach Punch:

• 4 yellow peaches
• 1 glass of pineapple juice
• 250 g raspberries
• 4 cups ice cubes
• 1.25 liters chilled lemonade 

 

42. "Blue Hawaii":

• 1 cup blue Gatorade (any flavor of blue)
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1 glass of pineapple juice
• 2 maraschino cherries (optional for garnish)
• 2 slices pineapple (optional - for garnish)

 

 

43. Lime tonic. — onugirl90

 

44. Watermelon Lime Cocktail:

• frozen watermelon
• freshly squeezed lime juice
• water
• seasoning "Tajine"

 

45. Appletini:

• Apple juice
• lemon juice (freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes best)
• Granny Smith Apple Syrup - gives it a nice green color and adds a bit of astringency to the flavor and ice cubes 

 

46. Strawberry Coconut Cocktail:

• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• ½ cup sliced cucumber
• pour 1 glass of ice-cold coconut water