Hundreds detained as Belarus struggles to quell protests

By Andrei MakhovskyMINSK (Reuters) - Belarus authorities detained hundreds of people on Saturday during an attempt to hold a street protest in the capital Minsk, amid rising public anger over falling living standards and an unpopular tax on the unemployed.A Reuters reporter saw hundreds of police deployed to block off access points to the square where the protests were due to take place.Saturday's demonstration is the latest in a wave of protests since February that pose the biggest challenge in