this is bbc news, the headlines: republicans in the us have begun their national convention with dire warnings about the country's future ifjoe biden were to defeat donald trump in november's presidential poll. speakers claimed mr biden would be a radically left—wing leader. the president's son suggested the democratic challenger was backed by china. police in the us city of kenosha have fired tear gas to disperse protesters who defied an overnight curfew. hundreds had gathered outside the county courthouse as darkness fell. the national guard were deployed in the wake of violent protests on sunday following the police shooting of a black suspect. german chancellor angela merkel says russia must investigate the poisoning of one of president putin's greatest rivals, alexandre valley. he was transported to billing for treatment last week. doctors say they have found traces of a toxin that disrupted his

nervous system. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. his people have turned against him in the streets, but belarus' dictator, alexander lu kashenko, is streets, but belarus' dictator, alexander lukashenko, is still in power. his security forces are still following his orders. so where did the anti— lukashenko activists go from here? —— where do. my guest ‘s natalia kaliada, one of the founders of the belarus free theatre, an artist dissident in exile. will belarus' summit rebellion be blown away with the autumn leaves? —— summer rebellion.

natalia kaliada, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me here. we have seen extraordinary scenes for more than two weeks now in belarus. masses of people protesters on the streets. but president lukashenko, he the streets. but president lu kashenko, he hasn't the streets. but president lukashenko, he hasn't blinked, he hasn't buckled. are you surprised? 0h, he blinked. and iam sure surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw a surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw a number of days ago when he was in his helicopter, fully equipped with a rifle, and he presented himself as a complete joke to the world. so we need to understand he is in that mental condition, because he has messiah psychopathic, and he speaks, and now we need to

understand is the world what to do with him next, because people are standing up. yes, but when you say he made himself a complete joke, but when you say he made himself a completejoke, are you sure the people of belarus saw it that way? after all, the man was holding an automatic rifle, he was talking to his own security forces on the streets, heavily armed, determined to press the protesters. that is not a joke, thatis protesters. that is not a joke, that is real, that is what is happening and repression is still happening. it was a joke because he didn't have a machine—gun in that huge rifle. soi machine—gun in that huge rifle. so i guess he is not ready to understand what is happening around him. repression ‘s are taking place, or for repressions are taking place, and it has happened the first week after the elections. it was absolutely the severest, bloodiest crackdown ever in belarus. we never saw any torches like that. and in my personal experience, ten years

ago, when i was injail i was threatened to be raped, i was put in front of the wall with my face back, and there were dogs, german shepherd dogs on metal chains barking at me. but in that particular moment i was lucky not to be raped. this particular time, people had been raped by foreign objects and they had been cutting slices of their bodies in order to read people. i have read the amnesty international reporting, i have seen the words of the un special rapporteur on human rights, it is clear that some terrible things have been happening inside belarus' prisons and detention centres. there seems no doubt about that, according to independent sources. but in a sense, you are making my point for me. you experienced the reality of this repression ten yea rs the reality of this repression ten years ago. he is still in power. he is still able to repress. and frankly, looking at what is happening today, he believes he can continue to repress. that will be the

question to the world community. why are they allowing, for 26 years, to have that dictate in place? while the european union and uk and the european union and uk and the united states, they continue to stay in a deep political coma, allowing all of it to happen at their borders. and not understanding one particular thing, but it is not only already about the safety and independence of the people of belarus, it is about the european continent's safety. just think about what is happening inside the country itself. you are in exile now. are you sure, are you confident, but these popular protests are penetrating lukashenko's protests are penetrating lu kashenko's heartlands, protests are penetrating lukashenko's heartlands, that is, the rural areas, the small towns, the older demographic in your country who have been so loyal to dismount for so long? people are standing up. the whole of belarus is standing up. it's never happened before. is it the whole of belarus? i see the pictures from minsk, i

see the pictures from minsk, i see thousands, tens of thousands, it has to be said, mostly young people. they are internet savvy. they are connected. they are educated. is it all of belarus that you are talking about? you know that wonderful slogan that appeared before the elections in belarus? sasha 3%. but exactly reflects on the situation. 97% of the population is standing up against him. do we want to be realistic? what go into statistical data and discuss his real numbers. now we're talking about 8.6%, 8.9%. this is the only % that he got. because we need to understand that it's just didn't happen out of the blue. and people wa nt to out of the blue. and people want to protest. our economy went down, march, april, horrific collapse of the economy but never saw in belarus before. and then

coronavirus happening, when lukashenko is denying the fact of it and he is calling that a psychosis, and you need to drink vodka, get on tractor, and go to sauna. those two factors made the belarus population understand that he is not caring for themselves. you think his handling, or maybe some would say, many would say, his mishandling of covid—i9, has been a factor in expanding the constituency?m is gun power, it is gun power of the whole situation. coronavirus added to the economic situation. the whole development that went against him, and for people, it became an existential crisis. you are an existential crisis. you are an artist. let us not forget that 15 years or so ago you and your husband founded the belarus free theatre. you are very interested about what happens in people's minds when they are confronted with authoritarianism and dictatorship, it is the subject of many of your dramas and

plays. what do you think is the impact of the abuses you have just characterised to me? we have heard about the torture in detention centres, the violence, the threats. what, right now, do you believe it is doing to the minds of people in belarus? that is the third factor. economy, coronavirus, riot, police, violence, that belarus never saw before. because before, he killed people in dark times of the day. he kidnapped them and killed them by specific. those who did it are still in power and they trained the whole new generations of those who started to openly kill and torture people. right, buti ask you to question because it seems to me it is possible that over time, weeks and months, this new level of repression that we are seeing, it could

intimidate and quell the resista nce intimidate and quell the resistance simply because it is so resistance simply because it is so wearing to live with threat and fearand so wearing to live with threat and fear and the thought of violence over a long period of time? that is why i am saying, again and again, unfortunately i need to repeat that it is happening already for 26 years, but what i am saying now, we have a very tiny time lock now in orderfor have a very tiny time lock now in order for european have a very tiny time lock now in orderfor european union, united states and uk, of course, if they want to participate in it actively and prove that they are the oldest democracy in the world, and not the unprofessional democracy thatis the unprofessional democracy that is behaving now, and for them to act appropriately now, and start peaceful negotiations about the transition of power. we can't have any conversation about lu kashenko we can't have any conversation about lukashenko in any

negotiations, we are not able to discuss a second election that will be called free and fair with the presence of the ocsc when they will allow lukashenko to participate. no way it is possible, because lukashenko is falsifying elections for 26 years, even in the presence of osce. if osce allows him to participate again, we'll have a zimbabwe situation where we have 52, a8, and belarus will lose its future forever. for the pressure to be maintained and for the international community to do what you want them to do, and we will get into whether they really will do it in a moment, but for all that to happen, you need the mass street protests to continue. and yet i wonder whether a little bit of you feels maybe even a sense of guilt about encouraging people to take to the streets when you know better than anybody what the

physical, personal impacts of facing the violence and the repression can do to yourself, andindeed repression can do to yourself, and indeed to your husband, who iam very and indeed to your husband, who i am very mindful has suffered long—term mental and physical consequences of treatment he suffered in prison in belarus. do you really want more people, including the members of your own theatre group to go through that now? all of us are making oui’ that now? all of us are making our own choices. we are all adults, and we are standing up for our freedoms. adults, and we are standing up for ourfreedoms. nobody adults, and we are standing up for our freedoms. nobody is making anyone go to the streets. if you hear all the testimonies of people who are telling that from belarus, and when they that particular question, wonder asked, are you tired from all these protests, they say no, because i am staying here for myself and for the future of my children. that is the situation that we have now in belarus. and that is such a beautiful moment for our

country, when people use nonviolent resistance in order to express how ready they are for changes and how ready they are for the european way of development. your husband nikolai, who founded the theatre with you, he has said in recent days but what he sees in his own country right now is what he calls more of a hong kong than a traditional east europe style popular resistance. by that he says it is leaderless. we are not looking to specific political leaders to lead the masses. he says the protests are driven by small, localised groups. but you do need leaders, don't you? and where are the leaders, the real leaders of the opposition in belarus today? we know that the woman who ran as the main candidate against lu kashenko the woman who ran as the main candidate against lukashenko is currently in exile in the waimea, so where are the leaders? that woman's name is

svetla na dick and leaders? that woman's name is svetlana dick and oscar, —— svetla na svetlana dick and oscar, —— svetlana schmidt oscar, the woman running as the presidential candidate instead of her husband, who was arrested, he is a video blog and now he is injail, as are other presidential candidates. —— sviatla na tsikhanouskaya. the situation why she is in exile is very similar to the situation i also face, ten yea rs situation i also face, ten years ago, when you are threatened with your children's lives and when you are threatened with this situation when you are told that your pa rental when you are told that your parental rights will be taken from you, and your children could be sent to the orphanage, and this is what happened to me and this is what happened to me and my husband, we are lucky because we already got smuggled out of the country and the kgb didn't know about that. and we already had the meeting with hillary clinton. this woman, who said that i am not a politician, i am staying here

forfreedom, i politician, i am staying here for freedom, i am staying politician, i am staying here forfreedom, i am staying here forfreedom, i am staying here for my husband in order, for me, to become a president, i will announce new presidential elections within six months, and those people who are now in jail, they will run for those presidential elections. after those threats she was driven to lithuania, where she is located now. she is recognised as a national leader, by other european countries, and lukashenko is recognised as not a legitimate president and this is happening for the first time ever. and yes, nikolai, my husband,is ever. and yes, nikolai, my husband, is right. in terms of it being hong kong style. because what is happening now in belarus, this is the best possible way of nonviolent resistance, and it is accumulated wisdom of all revolutions that happen, but is now happening in belarus.

and people have stood up, literally. we have seen the pictures of them walking out of factories. but i am also mindful, reading an article from belarus the other day, that some of those strikes are now ending because many of the workers, according to one workers, according to one worker in a tractor factory, he says that arrests and threats to sack strikers and replace them with workers coming from russia which alexander lukashenko says he can easily get a ccess lukashenko says he can easily get access to, undermine result. only few men are ready to go to the end, he quotes. alexander lu kashenko is to go to the end, he quotes. alexander lukashenko is getting on tv and saying we can see only those 20 people who came from the major factories that

produce main machineries for the industry in belarus and at that same moment, 16,000 workers got out onto the street and set, we are not 20. but thousands just feel they have to go back now, notjust because of that economic circumstances and their families but they see that alexander lu kashenko is families but they see that alexander lukashenko is serious he will hire russian workers. that is not possible. not able to support anything but for now he has money to support a ministry of internal affairs. rush of course has its own interest and we could see a specific thing that has started to happen on the 15th, 16th and 18th of august when the aeroplane landed in minsk, having their russian propaganda specialist, the ministry of

defence, russian administration and russian government. of course, there is that interference, hybrid interference, hybrid interference, happening already for the last week and it is only increased because now presenters of belarus in tv are replaced by russian presenters... but no money can replace workers. in the broadest sense, are you not in danger of playing into alexander lu kashenko's hand danger of playing into alexander lukashenko's hand and maybe russia's hand. you're now based in london. when you speak out, as you do so passionately and strongly, and direct your message to the people of belarus, alexander lu kashenko says everything that is happening here is as a result of the european union meddling in ouraffairs,

of the european union meddling in our affairs, western interest trying to bring down the government because they wa nt to the government because they want to turn belarus into some sort of puppet state of brussels and the european union and you have said it yourself, you want to risk to face towards brussels, not towards moscow. it is absolutely true in terms of belarus since thinking to become a pro— european country but at the same time but the they are saying... i do not think moscow is going to regard you are saying we want to be a pro— european country as neutral. they see belarus as a strategic space. that is why there is intervention happening i russia and this is exactly what we have momentum for the democracy style negotiations between belarus, with participations of belarusians belarus, with participations of bela rusians an western

negotiations in order for alexander lu kashenko to negotiations in order for alexander lukashenko to step down, not allowing his participation in any elections. and this is the main thing that has to happen. this is a time when the west really needs to get out of the political corner. just look at the word of the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov when he said that what we are hearing from the baltics and poland, is not about alexander lu kashenko human rights and democracy, it is actually all about geopolitics stop you are sort of saying the same thing. it is a battle between east and west. yes, it is the historical battle that has been happening for yea rs battle that has been happening for years and years but to give you a wonderful answer to what sergei lavrov said, i will tell you another thing that it was a

wonderful momentum when white, red, white balloons, a symbol of resistance in belarus, went to the sky of lithuania yesterday, on a sunday, and that was the moment went if they took those balloons to the territory close to belarus and at the moment belarusians minister of defence, put helicopters into the should the believes and make an official statement that we stop the provocation by the west. white, red, white balloons, that is the symbol of freedom just flying overhead. don't you have to be careful what you wish for because of this could and very badly. you must surely be more

aware than me about what russia is done in the past georgia, ukraine, in the neighbourhood of former soviet union allies and members of the soviet space, who, frankly, russia is determined to keep on its side of the ledger, could happen in belarus as well. you could end up belarus as well. you could end up with russian forces on your soil. we cannot rule out that opportunity with russia. we need to understand that vladimir putin will never support the guy who is losing and alexander lu kashenko support the guy who is losing and alexander lukashenko lost. he would never do it. but we could have that intervention thatis could have that intervention that is happening softly and that is happening softly and that deep integration that might happen very quickly and thatis might happen very quickly and that is why we say, again and again, thatjointly, for the first time ever, west needs to

come up with a plan in order to show to russia who is stronger, who is stronger dash democracy or dictatorship? what about your counsel president that says it while europe stands by the people of belarus, in the end any resolution of this crisis must be found inside belarus, not in brussels or in moscow. that was his way of saying there is not much we can do here. the eu commission are on industry said last week that belarus is not part of europe and belarus is located in between europe and russia. this is the knowledge that the european union has on belarus and that is absolutely shameful what is happening and that is exactly what was said yesterday when it was announced that we would talk to alexander

lukashenko so, again and again and again, for26 lukashenko so, again and again and again, for 26 years people of belarus feel betrayed. the question is, when, for sake, the european union will wake up and act properly, when the european union will show its force and it looks like the dictator is stronger than democracy. that makes me back to the beginning. alexander lukashenko has to the beginning. alexander lu kashenko has not to the beginning. alexander lukashenko has not buckled. whatever you say, your husband said the other day, fundamentally we will never go back to the way things were. he said a massive transformation is taking place, it is just not clear how long it will take. how can you be so sure of that, given you are not getting what you want from europe? how can you want from europe? how can you be so sure you are on the winning side? people of belarus have made their choice. it is not possible to put back that

idea of freedom anymore. there is no way back for people. it is no way back for people. it is not possible for people to continue to live in the country led by the person who they hate, who tortured them, who raped them, who killed their relatives. there is simply no way back. unless he forces out the leaders of the protest movement, people such as yourself. you left almost a decade ago. there are maybe young people in belarus today who in the end give up, decide they have to do what you did and leave. then it will be very simple, europe open your doors, 10 million are coming. are you ready for that? better get prepared for your plan in place in order to have a transition of power unless 10 million belarusians will be part of

europe but i hope they will be pa rt europe but i hope they will be part of europe is the youngest democracy in europe if you act now. natalia kaliada we have to and vapour thank you very much for joining and vapour thank you very much forjoining me on hardtalk. thank you very much for having me. hello there. last week, storm ellen brought us some very wet and windy weather. this week, we have another named storm. this is storm francis, named by the met office. you can see this hook developing in the cloud structure, on the satellite picture. this shows an area of low pressure that is deepening rapidly. it will continue to deepen as it moves across our shores. an unusually deep low for the time of year, bringing some unusually strong winds.

with that, some heavy rain. it's a combination that could well cause some disruption. so, that rain already setting in for many of us. it will continue to pile northwards through the day. it then slows down across parts of northern england, central and southern scotland, northern ireland. some rain feeding back into wales. so these areas could see some localised flooding. and then we have the winds, which will be strengthening through the day. during the afternoon, quite widely across england and wales, we will see gusts of 50 to 60mph, some exposed coasts and hills in the west could see gusts of 70mph. that could cause minor damage, certainly some poor travelling conditions. not as windy further north but, with the heavy rain continuing, if you're in aberdeen, for example, with a strong wind off the north sea, those outbreaks of rain, temperatures of just 13 or 1a degrees, it will not feel too pleasant. 22 degrees down towards the south. all the while, though, the far north of scotland, the northern isles particularly, will stay dry with some sunshine. now, through tuesday night,

you can see this curl of wet weather. here is our area of low pressure, still spinning its way through, still providing some pretty strong winds. those winds only slowly easing through the early hours as our area of low pressure drifts out into the north sea. but you can still see plenty of white lines, plenty of isobars on the chart for wednesday morning. we will still have some very gusty conditions across eastern scotland, and particularly eastern coastal counties of england. some rain as well. but from the west, things will be calming down through the day. the winds will slowly ease. we'll see some spells of sunshine. it will feel fairly cool, though. temperatures of 13 degrees for aberdeen, 19 for plymouth, 21 there in london. some more rain in the forecast for thursday and friday. it shouldn't be as windy at this stage. some dry weather in prospect for the weekend, but it is going to feel pretty chilly with a northerly wind across the uk.

this is bbc news — i'm ben bland with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world: police fire tear gas at protesters in the us state of wisconsin as demonstrations continue over the shooting of an unarmed black man. —— the republican convention gets under way, with plenty of attacks onjoe biden and the formal nomination of donald trump. police fire tear gas at protesters in the us state of wisconsin as demonstrations continue over the shooting of an unarmed black man. more upsetting testimony on day two of the sentencing of christchurch gunman brenton tarrant. and treasure trove — the teenagers who unearthed a stash of gold coins buried for more than 1,000 years.