THE Irish ambassador to Belarus is en route to the capital, Minsk, to try to end the travel ban on children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

Russian oil began flowing again through a Belarusian pipeline, signalling an end to a dispute that caused relations between Minsk and Moscow to plummet and sent ripples of doubt across Europe.

Russian oil began flowing again through a Belarusian pipeline late tonight, a top Belarusian oil official said.

A Belarusian government delegation led by the country’s deputy prime minister today arrived in Moscow to hold talks on a trade dispute that has led to a suspension of Russian oil supplies to Europe via Belarus, ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

A price increase for Russian natural gas will be painful, but manageable, a Belarusian official said today, while urging Moscow to scrap a new customs duty on oil exports to Belarus.