the headlines: as fires continue to burn in the amazon rainforest, brazil's military chief says his government is in talks with four countries offering help: chile, israel, ecuador and the united states. the development comes just days after brazil's government rejected a previous offer of money from the g7 countries. the hong kong authorities have intensified their crackdown on dissent in the region. police conducted a wave of arrests, among those being detained were the prominent pro—democracy campaignersjoshua wong and agnes chow. they've both been charged withjoining and inciting others to join an unlawful assembly. a us military court has set a trial date for khalid sheikh mohammad, who is accused of playing a leading role in planning the 9/11 attacks on the united states. he'll be tried in guantanamo bay from january 2021. he's already been detained for more than 15 years.

is the process of becoming a british citizen too complicated and costly? that's the question a cross—party group of mps is asking, as the government reviews how the process works. currently, people hoping to become uk nationals have to pass a test about life in the uk — but is it too difficult? our home editor mark easton has been to wakefield to find out. # god save our gracious queen... around 150,000 foreigners are turned into british citizens every year, often at a ceremonies like this one in wakefield. but becoming british takes at least six years and, typically, can cost between £5,000 and £10,000, making it among the most laborious and expensive in the world. i will be faithful and bear true allegiance... the home office even charges an extra fiver to take the oath! ..to her majesty the queen, elizabeth ii. .. the government is reviewing parts of the citizenship process

so a good time to ask, how difficult should it be to become british? what does a good british citizen look like? and what does it mean to be british? with the help of research company britain thinks, we've assembled a jury of british citizens in the old courtroom at wakefield town hall. six born and bred here and six who havejust become british. all new citizens must pass a life in the uk test so we thought we would test our jury's knowledge of britain. first, simply colour in the union flag. i've got the right colours but maybe not in the right places! i quite like that as a flag. completely wrong, but quite nice! worth a try. would be uk citizens are also tested on their knowledge of british history. the repeal of the corn laws in 18116 was designed to do what? and geography. can they locate glasgow,

cardiff and norwich on a map? all of which poses another question — is the life in the uk test a good measure of someone's suitability as a citizen? that's horrendous! that was harder than my 0—level in history! we can't answer half of the questions and we've lived here all our lives. anyone disagree with that? yes, i do. i do disagree because if you want to live among certain people, you have to know something about them. next we challenged our two groups, citizens new... it's a little too brewed, i think. ..and long—standing, to make what they regarded as a traditional british cup of tea. always add the sugar in afterwards and the milk in afterwards as well. is that important? yeah, it tastes different. some people say put the milk in first. no. if they don't have a spoon, they put it in first! ah, cunning! it's been suggested that new citizens should feel a sense of responsibility to volunteer in their local community.

do you think that's right? no. no? no. why? because they don't even know the place, they're not familiar with it. what makes you better than me that i have to do it and you can't? it should be an option, if you want to do it. there is one british attribute often mentioned. how important it to know how to queue in britain? very. i think it's the most important thing out of the whole thing we've discussed! queuing! as soon as they come out of the airport, let's teach them how to queue! queueing is key! how should a british citizen behave? among the government's official suggestions — introduce yourself to your neighbours, keep your garden tidy, and only put your dustbins out if they are due to be collected. now, advice like that does seem, well, very british. mark easton, bbc news, wakefield.

it is 2:35am. now on bbc news: witness history. hello, and welcome to witness history with me, tania beckett here at the royal academy in london. today we present five extraordinary moments in history as told to us by the people who were there. it is alternative to prison, the moment you mean expelled ugandans in the 1970s, and an artist couple who wrapped germany's rice target in fabric. but first, we go back to a defining moment in chinese history. in1989, defining moment in chinese history. in 1989, the chinese army opened fire on tens of thousands of stu d e nts fire on tens of thousands of students in the centre of beijing. they'd be demonstrating for weeks, demanding greater political freedom

—— they had been. dan wang was one of the process leaders and here is his account of what happened. the noise of gunfire rose from all over the centre of peking. translation: someone called us from a phone box in the street near tiananmen square. he said, the gunman had opened fire on students. i have never thought anything like that would happen. i was in shock! the troops had been firing indiscriminately, but still there are thousands of people on the streets who will not move back. we immediately organised about 200 students to go to tiananmen square to support the others. but all the main roads were blocked by army lorries. i was in my first year in

peking university. i was 20 years old. i played a leading role from the very beginning of the protests. we went onto the streets to demand democracy. although the communist party had tried to reform, it hadn't done enough. and we wanted to pay tribute to the leader who had just died. —— hu yaobang. he was open—minded. we knew we were surrounded by troops, but people we re surrounded by troops, but people were smiling. everyone was so optimistic that we were going to win. 0n the evening ofjune three, i was in my dormitory in peking university with other students,

discussing the future of our protests. tanks and troops are patrolling the streets of central peking out of the body operation to ci’oss peking out of the body operation to cross student led protests of some reports say more than 2000 civilians we re reports say more than 2000 civilians were killed in last night's army assault on tiananmen square, held for seven weeks by students demanding rated democracy and an end to corruption. other students told mei to corruption. other students told me i had to hide. they hid me in the other universities and i went on the run for about a month. i didn't have a radio to listen to updates about the crackdown. i didn't dare turn on the crackdown. i didn't dare turn on the tv either. after being on the run for the tv either. after being on the runfora the tv either. after being on the run for a month, the tv either. after being on the runfora month, i the tv either. after being on the run for a month, i decided to go back to beijing. because i realised

that the longer a head, the more guilty i would look. i didn't want to live like a rat hidden in a tiny room, to live like a rat hidden in a tiny room , never to live like a rat hidden in a tiny i’oott‘i, never coming to live like a rat hidden in a tiny room, never coming out for daylight. as soon as they went back to beijing, i was arrested. i was in prison for nearly a year before i was put on trial. there, i was sentenced to four years in jail. i even thought i would be executed because there was a number one —— i was number one on the chinese government's wanted list. it turned my life upside down. i had always been a top student, and i was a leader in a communist party youth league. who'd have thought i would end up in prison, and then, in excel? the tiananmen square crackdown changed my whole life.

0therwise, crackdown changed my whole life. otherwise, i would crackdown changed my whole life. 0therwise, iwould be crackdown changed my whole life. otherwise, i would be a poet —— in exile. the former tiananmen square protest leader dan wang. next, the story behind a legal reform that has changed many lives. in 1972, england and wales became the first countries to pioneer a new alternative to prison. it was cold community service. the scheme was soon copied around the world. we hear from service. the scheme was soon copied around the world. we hearfrom one of the people in charge of implementing this new sentence for criminals. britain has one of the world's largest prison population. we maintain 42,000 prisoners in victorian conditions designed for half that number. it costs more than twice as much to send your son to one than eaten. —— eton.

twice as much to send your son to one than eaten. -- eton. short-term prison sentences were not effective. about 70% of people serving less than 12 months were being reconvicted. present in athens was a failure. the younger chaps in here, they come in here, well, with small sentences and go out as animals! the great and the good in legal terms began to think we must be able to do something more constructive as an alternative to prison, and community service was at least a worthwhile experiment to see if we could have some positive results and reduce the level of reoffending. in 1972, the then— home secretary introduced the criminal justice then— home secretary introduced the criminaljustice act, which brought forward community service orders is a new method of reducing the prison population. this was completely new. in fact, it was a world first. as an alternative to prison, an offender is given between 42 — 200 hours. it's a penalty of time and it was

expected to lead to constructive work in the community. i help introduce it in nottinghamshire. i think you could use community service as a springboard for rehabilitation. some people say it's a form of reparation, making up for the damage one has done in the past. we have people in community service for burglary, for theft, grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving, all kinds of offences. come on, you can do better than that. we have negotiated a whole series of tasks with voluntary organisations, with public sector organisations, social services, hospitals, youth clubs... the benefits to the community are obvious enough. this church aisle has had £3000 worth of work done by

offenders. people who had been in trouble felt valued. they learnt new social skills. in that sense, it bore great fruit. sports night at a youth club in nottingham. the instructor is an ex— boxer and an ex— convict. robbie, age 32 has spent 32 years —— two years inside, he would have been injail today if he would have been injail today if he hadn't been given an alternative. all the times i've been inside, i knew no matter what i said what i wrote to people, that eventually i was going to be in trouble again. this time, just, i don't think so. we had more lasting effects in terms of staying out of trouble than those people who had been into prison and didn't have the benefit of community service for them stop and it was

about the third of the cost of prison. we had lots of visitors from overseas countries wanting to study our legislation. we became the most copied piece of legislation in the western world. but i think these days politicians talk up punishment because i suspect it gets you votes with members of the public. the pioneering probation officerjohn harding. now, we stay in the 1970s overin harding. now, we stay in the 1970s over in uganda, in east africa, the dictator idi amin was in power and in august 1970 two, he announced plans to expel the country cosmic asian population —— 1972, does my country's asian population. 60,000 people were given 90 days to leave the country.

we had 90 days to sort everything out and get out of the country and he made an impression that if we didn't get out on time we will be sitting on fire. it is estimated that there are more than 12,000 towns and villages like this in uganda and in every one of them, the government is pressing its campaign against the asian traders. the asian community was really close—knit. we all enrolled together and we all knew each other. each family and all the kids knew each other. not well off but we were comfortable. people started rushing to the embassies and

we had to sign everything over. dad assigned his business and assets over to the ugandan government. he wasn't allowed to take much with him. it wasjust wasn't allowed to take much with him. it was just unbelievable after everything that he earned, he was left with £55. when we first got to the airport, people ‘s luggage was opened out and clothes were thrown around so they could check for gold and money and for some reason my pa rents and money and for some reason my parents put a ring on my finger and we we re parents put a ring on my finger and we were told to get that ring off me and because the ring was so tight, it was a struggle to take it off and my parents tried everything to take this ring off and in the end it was cut off. the scariest bit was we had soldiers with guns and knives surrounding and i'm panicking to get this ring off. it was a relief that

we actually got on the plane. the plane took off and we were safe and probably for my dad, he was probably thinking, you know, he got his family out of the country at last but he was leaving back something that he really loved, the country that he really loved, the country that he really loved. whole families had arrived with little cash. the few belongings that they brought was offering nothing more than sentimental value. the time we arrived, it was the winter time, that made it worse as well with the rain and the snow and i had not seen the snow before. we were scared. we didn't know where we would go. my mum was told to take us to leicester, a town called leicester. we didn't know what it was like. we didn't know any english when i grew up and went to secondary school, i came through a lot of

abuse, racial abuse, from kids, again calling me names and waiting for me outside school and wanting to beat me up and not liking my colour. recently we just went back to uganda, wejust recently we just went back to uganda, we just wanted to see the country that i was born in and why my parents country that i was born in and why my pa rents loved country that i was born in and why my parents loved that country so much. it was nice to go back to the hospital where i was born. it really was an amazing experience. dita watts who had to begin a new life in britain. remember, you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel or you can catch up on all of ourfilms bbc news channel or you can catch up on all of our films along with 1000 radio programmes on our online archive stop just search online for bbc witness history. next we go to cuba. injuly bbc witness history. next we go to cuba. in july 1980 bbc witness history. next we go to cuba. injuly1980 nine, fourtop

cuban army cuba. injuly1980 nine, fourtop cu ban army officers cuba. injuly1980 nine, fourtop cuban army officers were sentenced to death and executed after being convicted of drug track —— trafficking. but critics of the regime believe the case was in fact a political attempt to punish the officers for advocating change in fidel castro's communist cuba. we hear from iliana della fidel castro's communist cuba. we hearfrom iliana della guardia. the daughter of one of the executed when. —— men. daughter of one of the executed when. -- men. aformer daughter of one of the executed when. -- men. a former comrades in arms are fidel castro and hero of the revolution was sentenced last friday to be sentenced by —— killed by firing squad along with other army officers. translation: when they read out that my father and the others were all sentenced to death, it came as a massive shock. my father looked over to where i was sitting but i didn't wa nt to where i was sitting but i didn't want to start crying. but i didn't

wa nt want to start crying. but i didn't want to start crying. but i didn't want to show that weakness. maybe it was my way of giving my dad a little hope. my father, antonio de la guardia was tasked with raking the us blockade on cuba. hisjob was to smuggle in high—tech equipment from the us. my father was accused of being in contact with drug traffickers. it was said that was the only reason he was executed. but for me, it was all about politics. fidel castro wanted to do away with a group of officers who had different opinions to those of the regime. from about 1985, we began to

feel the influence in cuba of the reforms in the soviet union. these we re reforms in the soviet union. these were issues that were being openly talked about here. my friends and i used to sit in the garden with my father and talk about how things we re father and talk about how things were changing in eastern europe, that cuba should changed, too. i didn't imagine that expressing those opinions could mean being arrested and then executed. the trial was filmed every day. it lasted a week and was broadcast each night on tv. it was totally controlled. the accused could only say yes or no. the last time i

visited him injail wasjust days before his execution. by then, it was obvious that we were going to lose him. he asked me to look after my lunch —— younger brothers and my grandparents. the death sentence was carried out onjuly13. the families we re carried out onjuly13. the families were informed by telegram. 0n carried out onjuly13. the families were informed by telegram. on each anniversary of his death, it is my duty to make sure he is remembered as he really was. what i would like i'iow as he really was. what i would like now for my family is for the cuban government to recognise that they committed a great injustice. ileana de la guardia is still in exile in paris. now to one of europe's's most

dramatic public art projects. in june 1995, artist christo and john claude wrapped the former german parliament building, the reichstag, in fabric. more than a million people came to see it and became a symbol of early and's renewal after the fall of communism. one that husband and wife team has cherished. christo and his wife began wrapping the german parliament building in fabric. no drawing can match the complexity of the project. the project started in 1972. the cold war is still in full speed and the berlin wall was built. it was

refused three times, to wrap the reichstag. if the early wall didn't fall, we would never do it. for more than two decades, the artist christo and his wife wanted to wrap the building that symbolised the cold war. i was born in bulgaria in 1935. i escaped to the west, speaking only russian and bulgaria. coming from a communist country, i want to do something involving it. ella make it has been bombed and set on fire, seen warand has been bombed and set on fire, seen war and revolution but never before had the reichstag been wrapped in silver fabric. we never. . . wrapped in silver fabric. we never... is being held by sales and sketches of his other work.

never... is being held by sales and sketches of his other workm never... is being held by sales and sketches of his other work. it cost $12 million in 1995. today it is about 25 million. it is wrapped by nearly 100 rob climbers —— rock climbers. they scaled down 100 square metres of fabric. jeanne—claude and i, we are both artists. we lived together we fight together. that is why i miss them so much. the reichstag was the victorian building with a lot of ornaments, decoration and suddenly it was changed, like a sketch, like what is essential of the height, the width, the forms and they are all hidden by this fragile material that moves with the wind. in constant

motion. the building took on a shrine like nature and was approaching reverence. it is very special and it always changes with the light. first time in history this building is nice and it makes people happy. i came to germany especially to see this project and i think it is great. i don't really know what the point is. it was scenes reminiscent of when the berlin world came down six years ago. everybody came to see the project and there were 5 million people in two weeks in the reichstag. they know that they were seeing something that will never happen again. last night was the final and biggest party with 100,000 people swarming around the building well into the early hours. today, the dismantling work began and germany's forma and future parliament building came linking into the future sunshine. —— former.

the german parliament which arrives in 1998. after two weeks, it is gone forever. it cannot be repeated. something happened that was there forever in that particular unique moment. the remarkable artist christo. that is all from witness his —— history this weekend. we will be back next month with more first—hand accounts of extraordinary moments in history but for now, from me and the rest of the witness history team, goodbye. we start the weekend on an unsettled note thanks to low pressure to the north and west of the uk, it has brought a lot of rainfall to parts of scotland and northern ireland during the course of friday. a wet start to saturday across northern and western areas, quite breezy ahead of it,

dry but that weather front will continue to move its way eastwards through the day, tending to fizzle out by the time it reaches eastern england, but behind it skies brighten up nicely. a few blustery showers in the north and west, the odd heavy one and cooler air beginning to set in here. 20—23 or 24 across the south—east, that is the last of the warmth for now, but that weather front moves through during saturday night into sunday. we are into a much cooler, fresher polar maritime north—westerly, that will be noticeable as we wake up on sunday to a chilly start, plenty of sunshine around, showers to the north and west of the country, a few also across the midlands but southern areas should stay dry. temperatures 11—20, much cooler than of late.

welcome to bbc news, i'm simon pusey. our top stories: days after turning down money offered by the g7, brazil accepts foreign help to deal with the fires in the amazon. hong kong police arrest protesters and pro—democracy lawmakers. the crackdown continues, with a demonstration planned later on saturday now banned. as fires continue to burn in the amazon rainforest, brazil's military chief says his government is in talks with four countries offering help —

chile, israel, ecuador