Trade restrictions lead to Belarus protests

Protests have broken out in Belarus after the government made it illegal to export cheese, butter, macaroni and several other food products.

The authoritarian regime has also prevented the export of refrigerators, kitchen stoves and gasoline.

The restrictions are the latest in a series of edicts issued by the government of President Lukashenko, in an attempt to halt a worsening financial crisis.

Controls placed on some goods have led to artificially cheap prices in Belarus. Traders have been taking advantage and selling them across the border in Poland for profit, creating shortages in Belarus.

The new rules are an attempt to stop the trade.

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