welcome to bbc news — i'm aaron safir. our top stories... protests on the streets of belarus for a seventh day — as pressure continues to grow on president lukashenko. president trump claims plans for universal mail—in voting — proposed for november's election — will be catastrophic. south africa announces a major easing of lockdown restrictions — people will be able to buy alcohol and tobacco. and — ms dhoni — one of india's greatest ever cricketers — announces his retirement from the international game.

we begin in belarus, which has seen the seventh straight day of protests against president alexander lukashenko, since he claimed victory in a disputed election last weekend. demonstrations have continued to grow despite accounts of police brutality — including torture — from protesters who've been detained over the past week. us secretary of state mike pompeo, on a visit to poland, said washington and its eu partners are closely following developments. and the eu has already acted — taking the first steps on friday towards imposing sanctions on senior officials in the belarus government. meanwhile president lukashenko says he's worried about nato military exercises being carried out in poland and lithuania — saying there's been a military build—up. and after speaking with his ally president putin, mr lukashenko said russia would provide "comprehensive assistance" in the event of an external military threat.

well, saturday's protests in the capital minsk were focused around the spot where a young artist taking part in a demonstration died on monday during clashes with police. the bbc‘s abdujalil abdurasulov sent this report from there. fear has been replaced by anger. thousands of people in belarus continue coming out onto the street to voice their protest against president lukashenko. people are gathering at the sideway. alexander taraikovsky, one of the protesters who died during the violence here in minsk. they are chanting, we will never forget, we will never forgive. such kind of scenes were unimaginable in belarus just a week ago. we are sure everything will change. we believe in our victory. that is why we will come in the street every day, every single day. i was calling my parents

to tell them to go to the city centre, where the girls are out there with the flowers, because you can raise the freedom for the first time in almost all of your life. hundreds of people gathered to attend the funeral of alexander taraikovsky. people sang the opposition anthem and bode farewell to the man who has turned into a symbol of change in belarus. president lukashenko has never faced such a challenge in his 26 years of being in power. today, he spoke to russia's president, vladimir putin. both sides expressed confidence that this situation will soon be resolved. translation: there is a need to contact putin so i can talk to him now. because it is notjust a threat to belarus any more. there are a lot of clever russians there.

they started to chant against belarus. i would like to say that defending belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space. the union state of belarus and russia. an example for others. if belarusians cannot stand, the wave will flow there. observers say that russia's support will be key for mr lukashenko to hold onto power. but this crowd may be a sign that he has reached the point of no return. heather currently explains what can be expected from this. —— heather conley. we are not entirely sure what that means. it appears that president lukashenko is now trying to create the image that nato is moving closer to belarussian border, they have reported that they are moving an airborne brigade

to the lithuania poland border, and so perhaps president lukashenko is creating a military issue that he will ask president putin to help send russian forces into belarus. that could be one possible angle. but it is very clear that vladimir putin will exact a very high price of president lukashenko for any assistance that russia provides to him. we also have other neighbours of belarus, the baltic neighbours, poland, and the united states and other eu countries taking a position on this. what kind of influence can they exert over the situation? we certainly have seen where lithuania is taking a leadership role both within the european union, their foreign minister has been very strident in an interview the european union must do

more, and the baltic states and poland have also offered mediation assistance to try to give president lukashenko a diplomatic way out of the situation. he has turned that down. so it is very good that secretary pompeo is in the region. a timely moment. we really need strong transatlantic cooperation. if russia begins to take advantage and move into belarus that is certainly affecting nato's position. we often hear president lukashenko referred to as europe's last dictator. it is not quite as simple as him always having an antagonistic relationship with his european neighbours. there have been times when he has moved towards them and away from russia. where exactly does belarus sit in these kind of big power plays? you are absolutely right. for 26 years, lukashenko has done what some analysts have called a pirouette. he spins between the west, the eu and the united states. when russia exerts pressure on belarus he turns to the west. when the west tries to push lu kashenko and bela russian society more towards democratic norms he then moves

towards russia. he has been able to keep this balancing act going for so long but it has now come to an end. belarussian society has clearly said that he must leave and they are demanding free and fair elections. and for president lukashenko to remain in power, he will need assistance from russia. and that is where the balancing act has now come to an end. if in fact russia comes in very heavily to support president lukashenko. coming back to the protest, we heard some of the ambitions of the people out on the streets but as you mentioned, he has been a powerfor 26 years. this is hardly the first election about which there have been questions. why now and why are people turning out in such numbers now do you think? yes. i think what has happened is the belarussian people now understood that their very

future hangs in the balance. we hear comments that as young people increasingly leave belarus, there is no hope, no future. and i think after these violent and brutal demonstrations by the belarusian security police against their children, young people, they have now just had enough. and they are standing in such solidarity, these are individuals that have supported the lukashenko regime for two plus decades. they are now taking a stand, the state workers, the tractor workers, even fairly apolitical citizens are now coming and demonstrating. something has fundamentally changed but we just don't know where this is going to go. if lukashenko again sends his security forces to brutally crack down on the protesters, that will further the situation. so his options are now

beginning to look much more difficult which is why he phoned president putin, he needs support, the question is will there be more brutality to these peaceful demonstrations. tomorrow's march of freedom will be the largest demonstration across belarus for the free and fair and fair elections and for lukashenko to leave. we need to watch very closely how he will react in the following days. president trump has warned that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the united states is not ready for a postal ballot in the november elections. he's said that universal mail—in voting would be catastrophic and make the nation a laughing stock around the world. catastrophic and make the nation a laughing stock around the world. the ongoing row over mail—in voting has sparked protests outside the home of the postmaster general, who is a trump loyalist and donor. president trump is opposed to more funding for the postal service, even though the organisation has warned that millions of mail—in votes

may not arrive in time to be counted on election day. despite voting by post himself, president trump opposes postal voting, and has repeatedly claimed — without evidence — that it leads to widespread voterfraud. for more we've been hearing from amy gardner, national political reporter at the washington post, who explained the issues surrounding postal voting in the us. mail balloting is common in many states in the united states. it is much less common in many other states. and when the pandemic settled in to all of us around the world, and we had this incredibly momentous selection that we were facing in the united states, state election officials and local election officials across the country started to plan for the reality that many voters would not feel comfortable voting in person. and so many states, virtually every state, has taken steps to make mail balloting easier. to make it allowable in the states where it wasn't. some states require you to have a reason to vote absentee, like out of town

or overseas or ill. many states have changed those rules. so currently, the vast majority of americans say they are planning to vote by mail. over 50%. at the same time, president trump has been criticising mail balloting. he has said that he thinks that it leads to fraud, that foreign actors could come in and steal ballots and mail them in, duplicate them. there is no evidence for this. there has not been any documentation of the kind of widespread fraud in mail balloting in the united states that he describes. he has also said that mail balloting will harm republican chances at the polls. so he is admitting that there is a political motive for him to oppose mail balloting. and then when we had this sort of funding crisis of the postal service that erupted this week, on the news and in the headlines, he actually stated that he was going to oppose the funding that congressional leaders are requesting, democrats on the capitol hill, because he does not want mail

balloting to be expended in the united states. let s get some of the day's other news. a prominent politician and women's rights advocate in afghanistan has been wounded in a gun attack. afghan officials say fawzia koofi was returning from a meeting in the eastern province of pa rwan when she was attacked — she's reported to be in stable condition. ms koofi is a member of the negotiating team due to hold peace talks with the taliban in the coming days. the taliban have denied involvement. israelis have continued to gather around prime minister benjamin netanyahu's residence in protest against alleged corruption. these protests have been happening every weekend evening for the past few weeks. the demonstrators argue mr netanyahu should not remain in office while on trial for corruption, a charge he denies. they are joined by protestors who accuse the unity government of mishandling the covid—i9 crisis. in thailand, two men sentenced to death for killing two british backpackers in thailand have had the sentences reduced to life in prison

following a royal decree. the burmese nationals were convicted of the murders of the britons in 2015. a ship that has leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of oil in pristine waters off the coast of mauritius appears to have now broken in two. the japanese—owned ‘mv wakashio' struck a reef onjuly 25th and began oozing oil a week later, threatening a protected marine park containing endangered species. mauritius declared an environmental emergency last week. the japanese emperor, naruhito, has expressed deep remorse for his country's past military actions, on the 75th anniversary of japan's surrender at the end of the second world war. the war was brought to an end shortly after the us dropped nuclear bombs over the cities of hiroshima and nagasaki. naruhito is the grandson of emperor hirohito, in whose name imperial troops fought the war. translation: looking back

on the long period of post—war peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, i hope the ravages of war will never be repeated. to those who lost their lives, both on the battlefield and elsewhere, i pay my heartfelt tribute and pray for world peace and for the continuing development of our country. fifty thousand british and commonwealth troops died in the war againstjapan, half in prison camps. earlier, some of their relatives joined surviving veterans at britain's national memorial arboretum for a ceremony to remember them. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell has the full story. in the open spaces of the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire, a carefully choreographed commemoration, attended by a0 veterans who served in the 14th, sometimes forgotten, army.

many thousands lost their lives in the jungles of southeast asia and injapanese prisoner of warcamps. they shall grow not old as we that are left grow old. age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. last post plays. after the sounding of the last post by a royal marine bugler, a two—minute silence was led by the prince of wales. and in remembrance of lives lost from so many nations, from british, pre—partition indian, and other allied armies, wreaths were placed

at memorials here and in many of the nations which were involved in the conflict. today, in this hallowed place, and in the presence of all those gathered here, or in their homes, wherever they may be, let us affirm that they and the surviving veterans are not forgotten. rather, you are respected, thanked, and cherished, with all our hearts, and for all time.

in a tribute recorded on horse guards parade and broadcast by the bbc tonight, images of veterans, including the duke of edinburgh. he was aboard a warship in tokyo bay when the second world war ended. his grandson spoke of the need to cherish peace. we must not forget our responsibility to learn the lessons of the past and ensure that the horrors of the second world war are never repeated. we owe that to our veterans, to their families and to the generations who will come after us. 75 years on, thanks were given for the moment a world war ended. nicholas witchell, bbc news. this is bbc news — the headlines... thousands of people have taken to the streets of the belarusian capital — minsk — to mark the death of a man on monday — at a protest against president lukashenko's contested re—election.

president trump claims plans for universal mail—in voting proposed for november's election will be catastrophic. south africa's to lift its ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco which was introduced as part of its efforts to tackle coronavirus. president cyril ramaphosa's announced a major easing of its lockdown restrictions, saying it appeared the country had passed the peak of covid—i9 infections. our africa correspondent andrew harding reports. this is a big moment for south africa, as one of the world's longest, toughest lockdowns is significantly eased. guided by the advice of our health experts, the medical advisory committee, and after consultation with provincial and local government, cabinet has decided to place the entire country on alert level two, with effect from midnight on monday,

the 17th of august 2020. praising his government's response to the pandemic, president ramaphosa spoke of a new phase and of signs of hope. and he has a point. the official death toll here is 11,000. but a quick, aggressive response has enabled most hospitals and provinces to contain an outbreak many feared would overwhelm the nation. the economic price has been devastating, though. the president spoke of hardship and hunger for millions and warned it would take years to rebuild the economy. there are still big concerns about a second wave of infections, which, he warned, could be worse than the first. in order to keep the remaining restrictions in place and to maintain some of the essential elements of our health response, it is necessary that we extend the national state of disaster once again until the 15th of september 2020.

but many south africans, still sporting face masks in public, will be relieved. the alcohol and tobacco industries, which had bitterly condemned a controversial ban on all sales, will now be anxious to make up for lost revenue. tributes are being paid to indian cricketer mahendra singh dhoni — who has announced his retirement from the international game. he captained his country in more than 300 matches — and led them to a world cup victory in twenty—eleven. the bbc‘s tim allman looks back at his career. ms dhoni was arguably india's greatest ever cricket captain. whether as wicketkeeper or batsman, he was mr consistency. but now, after a 16 year international career, he is calling it quits. in a statement on his

instagram page, he said... the response on social media was immediate. the country's greatest ever player tweeted. .. and the current captain said... ms dhoni made his debut for india in 200a. he became captain three years later. on the field, he won pretty much everything that could be won. india were briefly the world's number one test side. but it was off the field where

he made his greatest impact. a young man from a cricketing backwater, his success a symbol of a new india. he once said i want the team that can stand before an advancing truck. well, he was quite the driver. now time for a look at the rest of the day's international sports news. hello there. the latest from the bbc sport centre. there has been plenty of drama in the last champions league quarter final after lyon pulled off a shock 3—1win over manchester city. the league un side took the lead through maxwel cornet in the 24th minute. kevin de bruyne equalised after the break but lyon were back in front after dembele restored their lead. raheem sterling missed a sitter late on in the game before dembele scored just minutes later. lyon will face german champions bayern munich in the last four.

it's becoming an increasingly familiar sight in formula one. mercedes dominating across the race weekend, and it's happened again in qualifying for the spanish grand prix. six time world champion lewis hamilton just edging out team—mate valtteri bottas, to lock out the front of the grid. our f1 reporterjennie gow brings us up to date. it was always going to be a good chance mercedes would be in pole position. they did it once again. bearing in mind they have done it the previous seven years. one or other of their cars being in pole position, so that is done. not a lot to do about that but our hope is max. he will start in third place. much like last time at silverstone, they will hope that he will get amongst the fight and maybe even win the race and for the championship that is what really needs to happen. he is the one pushing at the moment 30 points behind lewis hamilton.

can you believe it? his 92nd pole position. it is quite formidable to form he finds himself in at the moment. and the racing points will make it a decent battle behind those top three drivers really aiming to get in the mix and try and really just emphasise that they have got last year's mercedes and they can do something decent with that. worth bearing in mind they are at barcelona and this is not the usual time they race there. normally we race in april. this is round six of the world championship and it takes place in a very hot august temperature, reaching around 33 degrees so it will be a challenge for the drivers and it will be hard work and they will be likely to stop a couple of times and that adds to the drama and to the strategy so you never know. maybe we will get another upset around these circuits in barcelona. bad weather meant day three of the second test between england and pakistan was wiped out at the ageas bowl in the south of england. bad light, rain and a wet outfield prevented pakistan resuming on their overnight 223 for nine, but there was a frustrating period in the afternoon when conditions

seemed to improve. after three pitch inspections play was abandoned at quarter past five local time. england lead 1—0 in the three—test series. the belgian rider remco ayvenerpool has crashed and fallen several metres off a bridge during the tour of lombardy one—day race. he was taken to hospital a neck brace and his team have released a statement saying he has a fractured pelvis and a bruised right lung. the 23—year—old is one of the most promising prospects in road cycling, having already won the tour of poland this year. the race was won by yakob fulsang of the astana team, the first danish rider to win the one—day classic. that's all the sport for now. plenty more support in all the top stories on the bbc news website. all for now. be back

inafew website. all for now. be back in a few minutes. they can for watching. —— thank you for watching. hello there. we still have a lot of humid air across the uk, the same air mass that brought us the hot and sunny weather. the big difference now is that the extensive low cloud. because of the humidity, still mist and fog and also bits of drizzle dotted around. you see a pretty extensive cloud but that is continuing to work its way northwestward and we also saw saturday some heavy thunderstorms, worked into parts of essex and in writtle brought a0 mm of rain in the space ofjust an hour and through the 2a hours we have 57 mm and that is over a month, so the majority of that brought flooding around the writtle area, including around the chelmsford area. looking at the weather picture, we see that excessive

cloud and it is marching its way northward. murky around the coast and hills with fog and quite an extensive drizzle and occasional heavier rain mixed in. a humid, warm feel to the air. temperatures starting off sunday morning around 18 degrees in the south. sunday, a cloudy start for many of us and heavy downpours on the way. i think we will see the skies brighten up but the best of any sunshine will be across northwest scotland. through the day, we will quickly see thunderstorms working in the southwest england but another batch of storms is likely to affect southeast england, east anglia and the midlands and maybe wales. thunderstorms capable of bringing torrential downpour so i think we could see some further localised flooding particularly sunday afternoon. for monday, we see an area low pressure drifting northwards so again we are looking at heavy thundery downpours at times and notice the rain is turning to move northwards and after a dry few days across parts of northern england, northern ireland and scotland, it will be

a greater chance of seeing some rain working in here and it will continue to feel humid but again those downpours will be very heavy so there is an ongoing threat of localised flooding. we have humid air with us at the moment, but it looks like by thursday we will start to get coolerfresher air following an across the uk behind that cold front. but it will stay pretty cloudy in the week ahead and there will be further bursts of rain at times, it is only really later in the week that it starts to turn a bit brighter and a little bit fresher as well. that is your latest weather. goodbye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines:

anti—government protesters have held demonstrations outside state television buildings in belarus as unrest continues to spread across the country. the country's president, alexander lu kashenko, says he's agreed with president putin that russia would provide what he called comprehensive assistance in the event of an external military threat. president trump has warned that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the country is not ready for a postal ballot in the november elections. speaking at a press briefing, mr trump said that universal mail—in voting would be catastrophic and make the nation a laughing stock around the world. south africa is lifting a ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products, imposed as part of its coronavirus lockdown. president cyril ramaphosa said all indications were that the country had reached the peak of infections. he removed restrictions, allowing restaurants and pubs to return to normal.