Minsk, Belarus
Belarusian men need to lose weight so that women will sleep with them, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said last week. In an address to political supporters, the Soviet-style dictator said the birth rate in his country was unacceptably low. Men, he said, are at least partly to blame because of their “failure to keep a healthy lifestyle, their lack of physical exertion, and their overeating, particularly late at night.” When our men “groan and moan and cannot breathe, weigh 300 pounds and cannot walk, our women turn to Western men.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
Codeword: December 14, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
