MINSK, Belarus - Online, they call for changes in their authoritarian nation of Belarus. Offline, in front of riot police and sympathetic passers-by, they simply clap their hands and stomp their feet. For a third Wednesday in a row, thousands of young social media activists chose the offline approach by holding banned rallies in cities and towns across their ex-Soviet country.

Calls are multiplying on social networking sites for public protests and motorists last week rallied in the centre of Minsk in protest at a sharp rise in the price of gasoline -- unusual for Belarus where people normally show little appetite for street demonstrations.

MINSK, June 22 | Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:11pm EDT MINSK, June 22 (Reuters) - Belarus riot police cracked down on a protest rally against President Alexander Lukashenko in the capital, Minsk, on Wednesday night, detaining scores of demonstrators.

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, blames much of his country's problems on the media, reports Michael Hedges of FollowTheMedia "The panic that has arisen in our country is, in large proportion, the work of journalists," he said at a Minsk press conference on Friday that lasted for five hours.

European Union places sanctions on Belarusian companies, individuals after Index on Censorship campaign At a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg today, European governments agreed unanimously to target sanctions at at least three Belarusian companies.

Currently, The European Union is coping with an unprecedented debt crisis. The media is full of the budget problems in Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy and of course Greece. Whilst these countries get a lot of attention there is a much bigger crisis on in Belarus.

A Russian-backed $3bn (£1.8bn; 2.1bn euros) loan has been agreed for Belarus, the struggling ex-Soviet republic's prime minister has said. However, Russia's finance minister warned that the loan was tied to privatisation and would be ready no sooner than early June. Analysts predict conditions for any bail-out will be stringent.

У Менску і іншых гарадах Беларусі прайшла маўклівая акцыя пратэсту, затрымана больш за сотню чалавек, сярод якіх паўтара дзясятка журналістаў. Актывісты суполкі «Рэвалюцыя пра...

Не, ребята! Это начало КОНЦА Бацьки!Достаточно посмотреть на грустные лицам ментов и веселые лица в автозаках!И сразу становится ясно - кто правее и кто сильнее :) из плюсов у вас там:1. чисто2. красиво3. нет хачейиз минусов - хз, вам видней. но сцуко, гоните нах всех пророссийских оппозиционеров, если не хотите под нашим крабом, тот который премьер щас, бегать ладно.

это ЖЕСТЬ И АХУЙгосударство все делает для того чтобы развязать гражданскую войну мечтает о чем-то таком, только чтобы не простое задержание, а чтобы после него следовал расстрел с минимальным и формальным разбирательством. Так было при Сталине и страна жила в страхе, и от страха была видимость порядка, об этом в принципе и мечтает народ.

З маўклівай і мірнай акцыя ператварылася ў шумную і з масавымі затрыманнямі (дадаюцца новыя здымкі). Затрымліваюць журналіста "Нашай нівы" Алеся Пілецкага

At least 220 people were detained during a protest rally in Minsk. Several thousand people were to gather in the centre of Minsk but it was occupied by riot police who forced the people out the Oktyabrskaya square and soon started detaining them.