MINSK — Belarus said Wednesday that it had asked the International Monetary Fund for an emergency loan of up to $8 billion, hoping to stave off a financial crisis in the ex-Soviet republic. The government announcement came a day after it froze prices on a number of basic foodstuffs until July 1 and a week after a 36 percent devaluation of the ruble failed to persuade banks and Belarussians to resume trading at official […]