avenue of $12000000000.00 for the saudi government. but the pandemic has had a devastating effect on businesses, especially for hard travel agencies, both in saudi arabia and abroad. got them, got a little more hash and i think close for 2 years now. and there is nothing that can be done about it, but we're in the process of closing the highest number and union handing over a file to the ministry of labor. we ask god to end this, worry this grease and this pandemic for all nathan, my left foot in the car was up for many muslim, the highs remains a lifelong dream and at least for those living in saudi arabia, they'll be able to fulfill it this year. so to hide under 0 ah, i just want to take you through the main stories we're covering this hour and emergency workers in western germany and belgium, searching for hundreds of people believe to be missing after devastating,

unprecedented floods. more than a 160 people are now confirmed to have died, but the figure is likely to rise. germany's chancellor angular markers called the floods of catastrophe, and she's going to visit the region on sunday. meanwhile, in belgium troops, there have been sent to 4 of the countries 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuation efforts, delegations from the afghan government, and the taliban say they're focused on peace as they hold negotiations in caca. the talks of just concluded for the day, but the process has been drawn out and it's now taking place as fighting in the country. escalades taliban has been taking advantage of the u. s. troop withdrawal . launching several offensive and capturing large parts of the country. a former cuban president ro, castro has appeared alongside his success in miguel diaz canal. it to large pro government rally in havana. the islands communist government is pushing back against suggestions of widespread discontent. of the antique government protest

when i'm sure i don't know. my mom, we have come together once again to denounce the u. s. blockade, aggression and terror not, we could not put off this rally. enemy has once again given everything to destroy the sacred unity and peace of citizen, new york and south africans in part. the country have started cleaning up streets, miles and shops after a week of some of the worst violets. the country has seen since the end of apartheid. presidents around the post says the rights were a coordinated and well planned attack on south africa. democracy over 200 people were killed in the unrest which was bought by the jailing of former president j consumer, but quickly developed into demonstrations against poverty and inequality. on the syrian president, bashar assad has been torn in for a 4th time in office after an election. the opposition dismissed. as a foss, sat has been in office now for 21 years. he has refused to resign from the presidency, despite serious civil war and international pressure. over the headlines this hour,

i will see you in about half an hour time listening post is next news. news. news. news. and unprecedented, just like a baker street from the underwood, would have to read on internet shut down. even though i've taken a hard line. the biggest anti government demonstration is lauren richard gilbert. and you're at the listening post where we dig into the coverage and look at how news is reported. and when it's not, cubans waited a long time to get access to information over the internet. they're government

faced with a nationwide protest has been pulling the plot. it's a war of narratives with the authorities turning protest songs into propaganda, whether they're taking penalty kicks or taking a knee. black footballers playing for england are dealing with abuse online, but sports activism is on the rise around the world. and social media is at the center of it all. cuba is witnessing something historic. it's biggest anti government demonstrations in 60 years in response communists. leaders are calling supporters onto the streets to protect the revolution against an opposition movement that has come together online and economy long damaged by the us trade embargo. then devastated by the pandemic, has led to shortages of the basics, food, electricity, water. many cubans say their problems run deeper than that. the days of the island

being digitally disconnected from the outside world are gone. citizens have taken the plot, forms like whatsapp, twitter, and telegraph to talk about economic mismanagement and corruption, what they call the failings of the state. the president miguel diaz can now is pointing the finger at washington for waging a covert information war, orchestrating what's unfolding on the streets through misleading social media campaigns, paid for with us tax dollars. and the cuban authorities have imposed temporary blocks on the internet, making credible media coverage and reliable information that much harder to find. our starting point this week is about the residents of anti government demonstrate cuba has seen and represented demonstration, the term unprecedented gets thrown around in news story, sometimes when it doesn't apply, but what cuba is experiencing right now. protest across the island over

a broken economy. chronic shortages of food and electricity exacerbated by the pandemic, is without precedent. there's been nothing like this since the communist revolution brought fidel castro to power in 1959. the magnitude of these installation is completely new. procure what? the last 60 years, the only example we have is something like b swore c, 994 and it was really easily controlled. but now we have seen thousands of people all over more than 60 cds all the promises. and it was possible, of course, thanks to social media. it's a perfect storm of all kinds of factors. cove, it has really hit hard. the consequences of us sanctions have been dire.

and the government has not been able to give people much relief. but, you know, for a couple years now, cubans have access to the internet. so there's not just one side of the store anymore. and it's also the 1st time that we're seen, the government having to deal with situations like this on the way they react is by using a narrative that is no longer effective. that narrative forged by the state and pushed by broadcast outlets that remain tightly controlled contains some elements of truth. it blames cube as economic problems on the trade embargo sanctions imposed by washington. gail, but it's not the full story since 2018 when the government opened up internet access. even cubans who still support the revolution have been going online,

talking about the mismanagement of their economy. when the protests went national, the authorities imposed an internet blackout that has made it virtually impossible for citizens to get online. and for news outlets on the outside like hours to connect to sources and interviewees on the island. these like coats are working us fuel for the fire right now we are almost 48 hours. we travel are going to actually people asking them to stop to do this because they have not been able to communicate with their families in queue. what they got just creating more problems for the people on the people will keep criticizing the government for a day or by the management of these crisis. these silence

also allows like widespread fake news. any report can come from anyone from anywhere in the country and you don't have way as a journalist or you're going to come and citizen to check whether this information is real or not. you don't have any way to verify human rights lawyer. i of course, as opposed mass black outs, i support the right to receive and spread information. what i don't support is the right for outside aggressors, particularly who are intent on regime change, influencing that country. they're temporarily restricting access to social media site. well that in combination with what we already know about the size, scope, and duration, and manipulation of acumen message by outside the rest of the, to me, not the most unreasonable for that the, this is one of the areas where the cuba story grows and murky. how much of the social media content that's been powering the protests?

how many of the hashtags have been created by cuban citizens, and how much of that has been manufactured by online operatives, hostile ones working abroad? starting with the s o west cuba hash tag, which grew central to the protest movement. researchers have traced its origins to spain from with apparent connection 2 argentine already has limited access to the internet. and so the proliferation of such a hash tag raised a lot of why they were hundreds of thousands of space posed by tens of thousands of big towns. we are able to trace some of the post back to a number of individuals in origin. tina, a country known for right when dedication to meal liberal politics that illustrates the undue influence that's going on right now. so it's, there simply isn't the capacity for this type of publication from the island itself

. i think that that's something people should look into. but i don't think that this whole thing was engineered in the sense that you can't force an uprising. and the u. s. has been trying to force an uprising for years. and ultimately, you have to have a large number of cuban people who are going to go along with the idea of going out into the streets. these are not paid dissidence. these are people who are just desperate and wanting to and wanting change, ah, the u. s. government has also directed hundreds of millions of dollars to cuban activists and new media platforms, critical of the communist government. and that's been paying dividends ever since. miguel diaz can. natalie who later inherited the leadership of the communist party from ro, castro, loosen the government rains on what had been at tightly controlled, poorly funded digital space. after his government imposed the blackouts,

diaz can now said, social media was creating dissatisfaction. rather than reflecting on, i didn't get something dinning at the moment. did a 1000 not as was the only thing talks about pro more john will confront coming bill. you're going to assume that there are even more many of the dog by the story that began us can use of ref for missed and he wants to open up the country to more democratic spaces. neil yes can only open to the content to internet because in order to attract for an investment to monitor nice, they have to open the content to it. they have to. but the 5

years ago in 2016 journalists were covering what they called the cuban thought. when president obama and ro, castro agreed to start normalizing relations, lifting travel restrictions and opening embassies in each other's capitals. donald trump later put an end to much of that. and president biden now says he stands with the cuban people, the same people, the us 1st imposed sanctions on 60 years ago, a stan sibley to protect america from a communist threat that if it ever existed no longer death. if there is one on intended beneficiary of the trade embargo, it would be cubans, political leadership, the sanctions gift. the powers that be in has on something that every government wants. someone to blame and fax, the narrative that is everlasting. the use embargo has actually been in the queue

when economy and the few people live and also have been working on a few sorta queue on government for every mistake they do not taking responsibility for or what the situation in q and regards to their management. u. s. government policies are aimed at creating hunger and desperation and now we have it. and so some of what's going on in cuba is a direct consequence of us policy. but, but not all of it was really have to study this to figure out ok, what was caused by the embargo and what was caused by the internal inability to handle the economic crisis? yeah, of course people should be allowed to take the street however, decides scope and magnitude is being distorted by outside influences masking the reality of the situation of the cuban people. which if you had to call, which would they prefer an end to the cuban embargo or in any to the castro

socialist projects would overwhelmingly be hands off. you book american interior with get me the issue of online racism has dominated political debate in the united kingdom. this past week after black players on the england football team were abused. following the final of this year's european championship bureau, 2020 correct office here to take us through what we saw online after the match. well within minutes of english losing that game on penalties. the 3 black players who missed that penalty cakes because seca jayden, sanchez and marcus rushford were getting abused on social media. some of those posts, even including emergencies of monkeys and british police. now fe, they're investigating several cases of racist abuse. but tracking down those responsible is an easy because most of the accounts are anonymous. so rather than

celebrating their best tournament result in more than 50 years, the aftermath here has been ugly. exact. it's important to keep in mind though, that the racist backlash didn't start with that penalty shootout several black england players face similar kinds of racist abuse before and say that unfair criticism has been leveled at them by the u. k. right. when pref, marcus, russia, for example, he spoken out on child poverty, he frequently the subject of dubious stories in the tabloids about his lavish lifestyle and his quote, luxury homes. contrast that with glowing coverage of campaigning, former football of white, like david beckons. and what about the johnson government? what's its position on the abuse of its footballers? prime minister boys johnson has called the abuse appalling critics among the former and current england. players have accused johnson on his home factory,

pretty patel of being hypocrites because they failed to back. the england team stand against racism, his patel speaking last month about players taking the knee before matches. just support. people participates in that type of gesture, gesture, politics. this ethan expenses. what are in link? another black member of the indian squad from the up in this tweets patel saying you don't get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labeling our anti racism message of gesture politics. and then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we're campaigning against happens. ok, thanks talk. it's not just footballers taking a knee. all kinds of athletes are taking part in acts of protests on tennis and basketball courts, baseball fields and hockey ranks just about anywhere that athletes compete. they're putting their political and social activism out there for sports fans to see ever

since the $900.00 sixties and seventies when african americans like mohammed ali and kareem, abdul jabbar brought the civil rights movement to a wider audience. they've been told the world of sports should not be politicized or as the bron james, the basketball star has been taught, shut up and dribble. that kind of argument just doesn't fly anymore. social media has allowed this generation of athletes to get around billionaire, owners and broadcasters uncomfortable with mixing sports and politics. now they can connect directly with their millions of fans, and that's forcing leaks, federations and the brands that athletes represent to do something they've long tried to avoid. take a position on social issues. let's me post joe who's now one sports activist in the era of social media law. my name is colleen papa. i am former captain of miss national team. for me, football has been always

a great tool for my activism to be voice for voiceless women in a war turn country and mid dominated country like of renaissance, where women and girls have never know. right. one of the great tools that has helped me all the time was the access to the social media. it has given me a platform where i connect with other people around the world. kalita papa is a sport star whose social media messaging has golf game. she aligns with a likes, a basketball player, le bron james football or marcus rushford and tennis player. now me a soccer actually to combine action on the field or to cords with activism on the web. raising awareness about issues like inequality, racism, and police violence. bringing politics into around that hasn't always welcomed it. the world of sports for too long athletes were considered to be unintelligent

performers, which is really not the case. we've seen sports be a vehicle for really important discussions about n p. blackness and teen bigion, 80 homophobia, islam of phobia. we have to remember sports has always been a political bass players for marginalized communities. have more labor that is expected of them. as opposed to like a white straight footballer who doesn't have to worry about their humanity. so fighting for equality and equity, these are things that marginalize athletes have always had to do. what's interesting is that athletes now are seeing an opportunity in color and platforms now to speak up at scale and in collaboration with our lease of similar permanence . you could take the women's m b i as a whole speaking out about racial justice, megan repeat on behalf of the us from football team relation to social issues as well. she stepped up, mark as rush was, took on the british government twice over supplying free school meals to children. poverty is important. remember there's

a huge tradition of actually speaking out. it's a tradition that goes back to at least 1936. the year numerous athletes boycotted, the burning olympics in protest against the rise of naziism in the country. 3 decades later sprinters john carlos and tommy smith brought american civil rights issues into the mexico olympics, raising their fist in a black power salute. they were fighting the same fight as boxing champion. mohammed lee lee was a force in the ring and had heavy weight communication skills modified of legal. but if you'll notice on the most prosecutor, he brought those skills to issues like racial inequality and the war in vietnam. but sports stars have paid the price for their activism. when a li refused to fight in vietnam, he was stripped of his title, embarked from fighting for 3 of his prime years. sprinters carlos and smith were

dropped from the us track teams. and more recently nfl quarterback calling copper nick lost his job for silently protesting social injustice. no other team has touched him since me. when confronted with politics, the sports industry finds itself compromised. it's wary of upsetting conservative audiences. a position summed up in the ninety's by basketball superstar and the face of sports clothing bred nike, michael jordan, who said conservatives by sneakers too. since the late 19 sixty's, the sport industry has grown astronomical levels, right? television, money, advertising money. the influx of corporate sponsorships really skyrocket. so that meant that. 3 athletes like michael jordan figure could be successful on the court, but could be really successful in terms of advertising. and in order to become a corporate icon, you have to have a very sanitized image,

sports off broadcast all over the world. and consumers, if those sports have a wide range of social value, traditional values and sponsors like to play safe. and an asset is outspoken on global platforms about issues that many people are conservative about is a threat to their income streams. and that's a natural class between the desires of capitalism, the desire sometimes of social progress, social justice, what have you call in over the past? decade social media has rewritten the rules, allowing athletes to circumvent media gatekeepers and communicate directly with fans. in 2018, the british football raheem stirling trip to instagram to q sections of the british press a fueling racism with their portrayal of black players. in the past, sterling would have to go through those same media outlets to get his message out. now he can shared with his millions of followers with just one click. as can lead

up, i can tell you that's a game changer. in 2018. unfortunately, our national team faced a major challenge, a culture of sexual abuse in afghanistan, football federation, the creator of that culture was the former president of, of one football federation. and the only thing i was thinking about how i can use my social media channel to raise awareness about what is happening with the national team. we received a lot of hate messages and backlash from the football federation on people who are against our fight or against our campaign. but we managed to gets a lot of support for our place. the ways in which, you know, previous athletes had use platforms for activism. the difference lies in athletes now have their social media at their fingertips. the mohammed belly didn't have twitter. can you imagine if mom a dolly had twitter? i mean, it would be the best twitter account ever, but the thing is, is that their messages in previous days were still,

they were still funneled through media. they were still funneled through journalists who did have their own biases and own agendas. and now there's no filter the evidence of that was all over social media in 2020, when athlete spoke out as never before. yeah, the murder of an unarmed black american, george floyd into the catalog, resulting in an explosion of activism on the street and online. and the global black life matter movement was born and sports stars amplified the message on the very together, leaks, federations and sponsors had no choice but to start paying attention. 2020 was a year where app it's around. the world spoke up almost in an unprecedented manner . and i think that's because you had this combustible situation of the pandemic.

those frustrations built up right in the broader public and that spill out into the sports world. along with the force of the bio circulation of the murder of george floyd, really unleashing the global social process movement and that athletes, them were following the lead of the people in the streets. they didn't create these movements, they were really amplifiers of the issue that will already play. you can do it to raise your game for those keeping score. it would be sports activists. one sports industry. neil. now, brands like nike dose, a new balance or throwing their weight behind sports activists. the u. k. premier league has launched her no room for racism action plan. while the w m. b a from the social justice committee. it's not a stone leagues, and sponsors have suddenly developed a social conscience and are now sacrificing their bottom lines to embrace these causes. they have been made to realize that in 2021. failing to do that won't

hurt, not help their businesses. it's opportunism, fueled more but profit than principal, but the athletes will take it. it's a win win. and now athletes can be crystal clear and has section so to speak up your class. because what company are like, what brand are going to say, we don't want you to talk about this because i will say they want to, to science me. and then what happens then, the fans come out. public support cannot be overstated. here because they're considered consumers. there are clients of companies that are supporting funding, but also they have a say in sport and for too long, the fans and the athletes were regarded as the lesser players in the us. and that's completely focused on attack. now. finally, back to cuba and a case of if you can't suppress them, join them earlier this year and artists collector released a protest song packed area is either homeland and life. that's

a play on fidel castro's motto, homeland or death. a choice that many cubans have rejected by leaving the island. the song went viral in a big political way, so the authorities banded and arrested some of those involved. but they can't make the song go away. instead, they produced a slew of state backed re mixes released on government run television channels and websites. here's one version. it's called homeland or death for life. in cuba, the beat goes on with the next time here at the listening. the really good deal is poor. this is the daddy

does good to get the only thing that really close to the news news news

something was going to change. anything really changed. this is just demick violent . that needs to be addressed at its core. we are in a race against the barrier. know what to say, so we are all looking at the world as it is right now, not the world. we like it to be. the devil is always going to be in the bottom line when i was just there. i'm a hello, i'm marianna mossey and london with a look at our main story now. emergency workers in western germany and belgium is searching for hundreds of people believe to be missing off the devastating floods. 160 people are confirmed to have died, but the figure is expected to rise. and then in belgium, troops have been sent to 4 of the countries 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuation efforts. germany's chancellor anglo merkel is called the floods of

catastrophe and she'll visit the region on sunday. the lawson reports now.