welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: joe biden appears in public for the first time with his new election running mate kamala harris. i have no doubt that i picked the right person to join i have no doubt that i picked the right person tojoin me i have no doubt that i picked the right person to join me as the right person to join me as the next vice president of the united states of america, and thatis united states of america, and that is senator kamala harris. lam incredibly that is senator kamala harris. i am incredibly honoured by this responsibility, and i am ready to get to work. i am ready to get to work. i am ready to get to work. i am ready to get to work. anger continues over alleged vote rigging in the belarus election. the country's president compares the protestors to criminals and the unemployed. beirut‘s children will carry the physical and psychological scars of last week's explosion into adulthood, a stark warning from doctors in the lebanese capital.

and the uk economy shrank by a fifth during lockdown, the biggest slump of any major country. the democratic candidate for the us presidential election, joe biden, has officially unveiled his running mate, kamala harris, at a special event in the state of delaware. the california senator is the first black and asian american woman on a presidential ticket. our north america editor jon sopel was at the press conference and sent this report. please welcome vice—presidentjoe biden and senator kamala harris. in the city wherejoe biden started his career nearly half a century ago, he was back today to launch the ticket that he hopes will propel him and kamala harris to election victory in november, to be president and vice—president.

kamala, as you all know, is smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter for the backbone of this country. she's ready to do this job on day one. after the most competitive primary in history, the country received a resounding message, that joe was the person to lead us forward. and, joe, i'm so proud to stand with you. hi, hi, hi, hi, sorry to keep you. that's all right. are you ready to go to work? oh, my god, i am so ready to go to work. the moment you find out from the boss you've got thejob. first of all, is the answer yes? the answer is absolutely yes, joe. joe biden‘s call to kamala harris ending months of speculation and creating history, the first african—american woman to run for vice—president, all the more surprising given that she gavejoe biden hell

during the race to become the democratic nominee. i do not believe you are a racist, but i also believe, and it's personal and i was actually very...it was actually very hurtful. but that is also the attraction. do you solemnly swear to support the constitution... she was sworn in as a senator byjoe biden when he was still the vice—president. i prosecuted banks... the former california attorney—general is tough, she's smart, and brought her prosecutorial skills to the senate, making life uncomfortable for a number of senior administration officials. attorney—general barr, has the president or anyone at the white house ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone? um, i wouldn't, i wouldn't... yes or no? could you repeat that question? racial justice. .. and the hope of party strategists is she will enthuse younger voters, african—americans and progressives. donald trump is already sharpening his knife.

i thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful of anybody in the us senate. she is also known, from what i understand, as being just about the most liberal person in the us senate. voiceover: slow joe and phoney kamala — perfect together, wrong for america. the trump campaign has already christened her ‘phoney kamala', a trojan horse for the radical left. but with today's launch and the messaging around it, joe biden and kamala harris are determined to define themselves, without any help from republican opponents. jon sopel, bbc news, wilmington, delaware. let's speak now to taylor griffin, republican strategist who worked in the white house under president george w bush. good to talk to you again. this is your business. how does the trump pencil ticket attack the

biden harris ticket?” trump pencil ticket attack the biden harris ticket? i think what you heard in that package is exactly right, that the trump biden ticket will focus on things that they can attack, kamala harris on two appear extreme, a trojan horse for the left is the ad said. and that is where race really going to come down is these moderate women, suburban voters, college educated are really going to be very important in this race and i think that ms —— from a strategic effective donald trump needs to convince them that whatever misgivings they have about him, that kamala harris is a step too far. that she is part of the liberal wing of the democratic party that makes them uncomfortable, and she does have a very liberal voting record in the senate and there is a lot they can draw on

both from a presidential campaign and her voting record in the senate to make that case. is it going to be quite a difficult sell to voters? she is quite hard to caricature as a creature of the left? for two terms as attorney general in california she ran the second biggestjudicial california she ran the second biggest judicial system california she ran the second biggestjudicial system in the united states, she resisted criminal justice reform united states, she resisted criminaljustice reform there, the left of the democratic party to say she is a cop. that is why they picked her, there is why they picked her, there is something about her that pleases the left of the democratic party but it isn't what they really want. what they really wanted was bernie sanders or an elizabeth warren. but they weren't going to get that because joe biden but they weren't going to get that becausejoe biden was not going to give donald trump such easy attacks to make moderate voters u nco mforta ble. easy attacks to make moderate voters uncomfortable. and kamala harris splits the difference and she also in this george floyd area where race has become such a big issue, the historic issue of her

candidacy is the first woman, african—american vice presidential nominee appeals to a lot of people in the democratic party. my liberal friends have been very excited about it. i think that is what this is really about. i was going to ask you, do you believe the current polls, but i suppose the big question is who you think is going to win? i think that we will see in november who is going to win. right nowjoe biden has the advantage. polls are a snapshot in time. what we get in november, the polls may look like they do right now, and if they do, donald trump will have a hard time winning this election, but they may well look different. a lot of this is atmospheric, a lot of it has to do with the covid—i9 pandemic and the ongoing effect on the economy, and yes, also, how donald trump's performance as president is being viewed through the filter. i am sure we will be talking to you again. thank you very much indeed. my pleasure. the president of belarus has dismissed the people protesting against his re—election

as criminals and unemployed. violent demonstrations have been held since alexander lu kashenko's victory, which several groups say was rigged. paul hawkins reports. after a third night of protests against the president came protests against the police. the sound of car horns in the capital, minsk, several hundred women wearing white and holding flowers, joined hands against police brutality the night before. demonstrators were beaten. police using stun grenades as they chased peaceful protesters through the streets with tear gas and batons. neither were the media spared, this bbc team attacked by the police, who ordered them to stop filming. and in the city of brest, live bullets were used by the authorities. the un has condemned the use of violence. so far, 200 people had been wounded and 6,000 detained. families of some detainees

chanting, "heroes, hold on!" translation: i only managed to tell my husband the police are coming our way. they came to us, and they came to my husband, "come with us." he only asked why, and they've already taken him, twisting his arms, taking him to the police van. translation: we just want to know where our children are, that's all we need. they are not giving them food. this morning some police said they would beat them up a bit less if they were quiet. there are up to 40 people in the cell. every half an hour, they'd bring them a litre of water, 1.5 litres for all of them. translation: there is currently a genocide taking place in this country, i'm not afraid to use that word. the special police forces are brutally beating people and all we can do is protest peacefully. we want peaceful changes and we want to prove that right to change things peacefully.

but their president is unrepentant. translation: the core of all these so—called protesters today comprises of people with a criminal history and the unemployed. if you don't have work, then walk the streets and roads, guys. i politely ask everyone to find work, guys, those who are unemployed. the fourth night in a row on wednesday, there were more protests, but these were smaller than previous nights. meanwhile, presidential candidate svetla na ti kha novs kaya remains in lithuania out of fear she will be arrested if she comes back, while the eu, which is considering sanctions, says sunday's election were neither free or fair. but lu kashenko disagrees. known by some as the last dictator of europe, he seems determined to hold onto that title. paul hawkins, bbc news. how might all this play out? i been speaking with jonathan katz, senior fellow with the german marshall fund of the united states,

a foreign policy think tank. what we're seeing in belarus a change, a change how russians see themselves, democracy, and they want change after 26 years of authoritarian rule with alexander lu kashenko, so we don't know exactly how this will pay out, it's clear that mr lukashenko fears for his leadership, his power. there are reports that his family has left to go to turkey so we can't confirm everything that is happening right now, but what we do know is that this change is for real, so it's particularly important for those partners of belarus to take this seriously and to be able to support the people of belarus. and i think that's what's happening now, you are seeing within the eu, you saw secretary pompeo today speaking about the need to ensure that human rights are protected and that the will of

the belarusians is put first. so we are at this moment right now, really dangerous moment, hoping for an end to the violence, of political transition, but we've also seen, when dictators want to stay in power, they would do anything they can to do that and that means the use of violence. yes, jonathan, what chance of real change do think, given that lukashenko has held such an iron grip for so long, his ally russia will be keen that he doesn't give ground and the united states is hardly going to be focused on this at the moment, is it? first, clearly, there is a focus on this issue in washington, i can tell you, both from the administration, secretary pompeo spoke directly to this issue today. but you are correct — it's not only a presidential election year in the united states, but the continuing challenge of covid—i9 that is challenging governments globally and it's one of the causes for how

belarusians are feeling today, that failed leadership — failure leadership to address the pandemic, failed governance. so what many people are trying to do is to make certain this remains in the spotlight. as many of you have seen, the un came out today, the high commissioner for human rights, condemning what has taken place, the human rights violations, what's taking place in detention and urging an end to violence right now, and i think if you have the combined will of the transatlantic community together to address this challenge, it is more likely to end in a positive way but no doubt russia does not want to see democratic change in belarus and it's a tricky situation. mr lukashenko has tried to play both sides, both the west and russia, to his own benefit over the last several years, and his time has run out. perhaps he's run out in terms

of his own support in moscow, but also, the engagement that he set out with washington when secretary pompeo was in minsk last february, has really fallen apart and i think this is really an historic moment for belarus and i hope that the international community that is watching this stands firm on no human rights violations, ending the violence and then finding a way to transition to a political process, and that doesn't look like it's going to happen right now with mr lukashenko. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: benin restores former monuments from the slave trade era as it tries to come to terms with its colonial history. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for

a huge job of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. two billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millennium. it began its journey off the coast of canada, ending three hours later when the sun set over the bay of bengal. this is bbc news. the latest headlines:

joe biden and kamala harris. the democratic candidates for us president and vice president, appear together in public for firs time, as running mates. more anger in belarus over the allegations of vote—rigging in sunday's election. the re—elected president has dismissed protesters as "criminals and the unemployed". doctors in the lebanese capital are warning that many of beirut‘s children will carry the physical and psychological scars of last week's explosion into adulthood. as many as 80,000 children have been made homeless, according to unicef. this report from rami ruhayem. you may find some of it distressing. this is yara, a quiet li—year—old who likes to play alone. she was at home with her father when the explosion happened. her mother was out.

a week has passed since the blast at the port of beirut sent shards of glass flying into her face, and sent her flying down the staircase. this is nour. his father carried him and pushed him under a desk as their home shook with the blast. his mother says the kids no longer sleep in their rooms, and keep asking whether this will happen again. she says the blast brought back memories of the civil war that ended three decades ago.

many behaviours will be part of the healthy processing of the event. separating those symptoms which require therapy is no easy task. the brain does not forget. the brain says, "well, you know, life is not safe." beyond the ptsd, you will have increasing depressions and anxiety, per se, and in kids, you'll have lots of impulsivity and irritability. he says parents should look out for strong symptoms or symptoms that get worse after around a week, or for symptoms that weaken, but linger. but parents will have their hands full, and their nerves stretched. schools were meant to be opening soon, but in beirut, the blast damaged many of them. the past few days have seen

record covid infections. on all fronts, the pressure keeps building. rami ruhayem, bbc news. the uk has fallen into its largest recession on record because of the coronavirus lockdown — it contracted by more than 20% between april and june — the biggest slump of any major global economy. the recession — defined as six months in a row of falling output — is the first since the 2008 financial crash. the uk's finance minister, the chancellor rishi sunak, said the figures confirmed hard times are here and he said he expected many more people to lose theirjobs. here's our economics editor faisal islam. this is a recession like no other, a consequence of having to shut the economy down. the result is an unprecedented hit, the hope that it proves to be short—lived. at this somerset outdoor events manufacturer, what remains of dozens

of music, sports and cultural events that never occurred. this shed would normally be completely empty at this time of year. recovery here, far from assured. it's heartbreaking a lot of it. the march, april, may time — it was really rough. you try and stay positive, but for some of our staff, they couldn't stay with us longer term, and that's horrible. a fall of over 20% isn't just a record, but it's off all historical scales. the last recession, the great financial crisis of 2008/9, saw a worse three—month fall ofjust over 2%. go back the entire history of official calculations and there's never been a fall bigger than 3%. i said that hard times were coming and what today's numbers show is that hard times are here. hundreds of thousands of people have already lost theirjob and, sadly, many more will. in june, the economy did bounce back a bit, making up about a third of the shutdown slump. that can be seen here in bath,

where only some of the lost international tourism has been replaced by domestic tourists, tempted out by the chancellor's cheap meals. we are maybe 35% to 40% of normal. in nearly four decades here, the local antique shop has seen nothing like this. there's a shop here that's closed. i don't know when they are reopening. another one there, closed down. i think it has gone under. i don't think they'll be back. in the main street there are several. so people are kind of holding on? yeah. the government said that they had a bridge to the other side, but not everyone is going to make it through? not everyone will to make it through. the official confirmation of a recession is no surprise, but the number reported this morning was simply staggering. a colossal hit to the economy affecting every high street and home, up and down the country, mainly in march and in april. since then, the economy has started to grow a bit again, but not all the lights that were switched off,

to protect public health, will turn back on. while the recession was inevitable, it doesn't explain why the uk has been amongst the worst hit of major nations, both in terms of health and the economy. this morning's number the worst of the major g7 economies reporting so far, from france to the us, with canada and japan also forecast to confirm smaller hits. are there not some questions about how your government has handled this, that we are bottom of both these tables? social activities — for example, going to have a meal, go shopping, go and see a movie — those kinds of activities comprise a much larger share of our economy than they do for most of our european cousins. the opposition said the recession showed the need to retain the furlough job scheme beyond the autumn. we need to have targeted financial backing. we haven't had that sufficiently yet from the conservative government and we really need it. i think, until we have that, we will continue to see, potentially, a deeper recession in the uk than in other countries.

but the chancellor, adamant today, that the scheme will not be extended, that the economy and people will have to adapt, that somejobs will not return after this record pandemic recession. faisal islam, bbc news, in bath. as western cities see statues of slaveholders and colonialists toppled as part of the black lives matter movement, benin, the west african country known for its mangroves and beautiful landscapes, is bucking the trend. the coastal town of 0uidah is embracing its slave past for two reasons. firstly to educate people today on the significance of what happened , but also to bring in tourism revenue. clarisse fortune reports. for benin it is a time for remembrance. the country, which has just celebrated its 60th year of independence, is also remembering a past marked slavery and, while across the world statues of former slavers are being debunked, the small coastal town of 0uidah has decided to restore its monuments, to tell its painful story,

from the slave trade to colonisation. a story to which visitors pay tribute to in an exhibition. carts, drafting guns, chains, but also the possible alters used for the ceremonies of the kings of ancient dahomey. translation: this emotion that i have every time i see those chains that were used to chain the slaves, ourgrandparents, our ancestors, who were deported by the colonisers, and every time it makes me relive things that i don't like to relive. it hurts a bit but it is our story and i have to accept it. translation: these are not things we are usually taught at school or in everyday life. i think that, if it continues like this, we will have some very beautiful things and we will be able to properly represent our country because we have to.

with its afro—brazilian architecture, beautiful beaches, the city of 0uidah is today at the heart of a billion—dollar tourist development project. translation: 0uidah is the most remarkable city in the history of slavery. that's way beyond the movements claiming the cause of black people, we want the sites of that to have known history to be restored so that the history does not die. but the expansion ofjihadism in the region has put a break on this project in recent years, a situation made even worse by the covid—i9 pandemic. until then, the renovation of these places will serve to better illustrate the fabric of history, to pass it on to future generations. clarisse fortune, bbc news. there is much more on all news, national and international on oui’ national and international on our website and on our twitter feeds. thank you so much for

watching. hello. wednesday brought a real mishmash of weather across the british isles. a lot of heat and humidity again and yet, into saint ives and a number of coastal areas, were plagued with low cloud and fog, and then, as the day wore on, so the thunderstorms popped off, and that prospect is there again, through thursday. hot and humid weather with that risk of thunderstorms, especially so, although not exclusively, across the southern half of the british isles, because this overall set up of the low pressure, with the heat from the continent and the moisture from the surrounding seas, is still the dominant feature. and we start with the temperature somewhere in the teens for many, if not twenty degrees in one or two spots in the southeast. and from the word go, there could well be some thunderstorms for central and southern parts of england,

getting across the border into wales. quite a bit of murk there to the eastern side of the pennines, effecting some of the east and northern counties of scotland. best of the sunshine out west, later on in the day, pushing the temperatures to 22. similar sort of prospect in parts of northern ireland and somewhere again across central and southern parts of england will be pushing close to 30 degrees and the thunderstorms continue apace. there are warnings from the met office already about the potential for disruption from those storms. in fact, that continues right on into friday as well. another murky, muggy night to come, widely across the british isles. friday, a really cloudy start with a shield of cloud coming in from the north sea to affect many areas. 0nly beginning to break as we get on into the afternoon. and still that prospect, particularly across southern britain, of some really quite sharp thunderstorms. the temperatures beginning to fall back a touch, but it will still feel very close, very oppressive, simply because that overall situation really not changing,

even as we move towards the weekend, southern britain still at risk from these thunderstorms. further north, it should be dry, thanks to the influence of the high pressure. but again, some of these northern and eastern—facing coast could well be affected by some low level mist and murk, which will temper the feel of the day, but with some sunshine in the north, you'll be looking at 22, possibly 23 degrees. and we don't really change things even as you push right through the weekend and into the start of the forthcoming week. take care, bye—bye.

you this is bbc news, the headlines: joe biden and kamala harris have been setting out their vision for the us, in their first joint appearance since he chose her, as his vice presidential candidate. mr biden said he had no doubt he had picked the right person. senator harris said the country is crying out for leadership. in belarus, people have come out in the capital minsk for a fourth night of protests against sunday's election result. the re—elected president, alexander lu kashenko, has dismissed the protesters as "criminals and the unemployed". the european union has said the vote was neither free nor fair. doctors in the lebanese capital are warning that many of beirut‘s children will carry the physical and psychological scars of last week's explosion into adulthood unless they recive proper support. a unicef report is also highligting that there are now as many as 80,000 children who have been made homeless. the official number

of deaths in the uk