welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: a senior belarusian opposition activist takes refuge in poland, saying she's been forced to choose between jail and exile. india records 86,000 new coronavirus cases on saturday, a new global daily record. a rare and dangerous heat wave is hitting california — temperatures could hit 49 degrees celcius in some areas. temperatures could hit 49 degrees celsius in some areas. and the bolshoi ballet is back treading the boards, after shutting down during the pandemic. a leading opposition

activist in belarus has arrived in the polish capital, warsaw, after fleeing the country. 0lga kovalkova was told by the authorities she would face further arrest if she didn't leave the country after already spending ten days injail. paul hawkins has more. 0lga kovalkova, another opponent of belarus' president, who says she's been forced to leave the country. it was either that, or a long spell injail. she's now in poland. translation: i consider everything that's happened to me in recent weeks to be torture. i received threats that i will be jailed for a very long time. when i fell ill in my cell, it wasn't doctors who came, but representatives of the authorities. they suggested that i leave the country, otherwise i would stay in prison for a very long time. translation: as long as belarus and belarusians are not able to speak freely about

their views and beliefs, as long as repression continues, according to the decision of the prime minister, every person who has been subjected to political repression in belarus, can count on the protection and support of the polish state. in the belarusian capital, minsk, many feel politically repressed. "don't touch them, they're children, let them go!" yells someone in russian, as masked security agents took away some of these students for protesting against president lukashenko. chanting later, these women marched through the capital, some of them chanting "new election". 30 people were detained on saturday, this the fourth weekend of mass protests since the president claimed to have won and allegedly rigged election. translation: at the time being, it is hard not to be in the street. it is very hard to watch the current events sitting at home.

this is a feeling of solidarity, we are not alone, we are numerous, and together, we can change something. belarus' main opposition figure, sviatla na tsikhanouskaya, remains in exile in lithuania. on friday, she urged the un to follow the eu and impose sanctions on individuals close to president lukashenko, who she said he was "desperately clinging to power". but the president, backed by russia, is going nowhere for now. he remains stubbornly in power, while protesters stubbornly defy the crackdown. more demonstrations are expected on sunday. paul hawkins, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news: rescuers in beirut have found no sign of life in the rubble of a building destroyed in last month's massive explosion. a sensor detected possible signs of life on thursday, but after clearing 95% of the rubble, workers have not found the source of the reading. about 50 volunteers, including a team from chile, have been at the scene. teachers and students have been

demonstrating in madrid, demanding better measures to protect against coronavirus at schools and universities, before they re—open. amongst their demands are a call for all class sizes to be kept below twenty, to allow for social distancing. the protesters, many wearing green, kept apart from each other on the march. police in the us city of portland have arrested 27 people, after protesters marched through the streets and refused to disperse. the demonstrations, which began after the police killing of george floyd, in minneapolis, have been going on for almost 100 straight nights. hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral in south africa of a 16—year—old with down's syndrome, who was allegedly shot dead by police. nathanieljulies was killed on august 26 after going out to buy biscuits near his home in a johannesburg township. at least two police officers have since been arrested. the surge in infections in india is outpacing every other country in the world as the virus spreads beyond major cities into smaller towns and rural areas. the country added over 86,000 new cases

of the new virus on saturday, a global daily record. health officials are struggling to stem the surge in the virus as it spreads beyond major cities. with me is our reporter ishleen kaur. let's talk about access to healthcare is the virus moves into towns and villages. it is very worrying and it is important to remember that most of india lives in rural areas so of india lives in rural areas so in such towns, especially in some states, there are few healthcare facilities and government hospitals were overburdened before the pandemic. the testing capacity is abysmally low, there are fewer doctors. this populace states do not have as many hospitals and, as the case loads increases, it might be ha rd to loads increases, it might be hard to survive the pandemic.

getting through the pandemic is bad enough for everyone but, in the middle of all this, millions of students are having to seek to incredibly competitive and important exams? medical entrance exams for inspiring doctors, and also entrance exams for inspiring engineers. i did a b 01 four and engineering exam and i can tell you the competition is extremely stiff and it is an unnerving time because 2.5 million students sit for these exams million students sit for these exa ms every million students sit for these exams every year. now they have to do it in exams every year. now they have to do itina exams every year. now they have to do it in a pandemic. they have to do it in a pandemic and their students were not very sure about what the examination centres would be like so they staged a protest online, on social media, and they were asking the testing agency and the supreme court to reschedule the supreme court to reschedule the examination and i was just reading up that whether sombre,

the swedish climate activist, after authorities to listen. greta. this week, the engineering exams however went ahead. just saying the word exa m ahead. just saying the word exam sent a shudder through me. in general, how do young people in india cope? do they have a voice in the way the country is responding to the pandemic?m is actually the young people bearing the brunt of the pandemic. i was looking at a report sent 4 million indians below the age of 30 lost their job and that was hit age group was 15—24 stop that is also because companies i think they wa nt to because companies i think they want to retain the more experienced people say the axe is falling on the younger population. yet people are

losing theirjobs but also the next batch of graduate will suffer eventually because they will then join suffer eventually because they will thenjoin with his suffer eventually because they will then join with his army of unemployed people so it is indeed a bad time for young indians. thank you so much. leading british scientists have warned the country faces a "critical moment" in the battle to contain coronavirus. infection rates are growing among young adults, as students prepare to return to university. 0ur correspondent, richard galpin reports. the new university year is approaching for students here in leeds but the movement of thousands of students to universities could lead to a surge of coronavirus cases, and while a coronavirus infection has little impact on the young, they can then spread the virus to other people. i'm a bit worried about the population, that they might bring something with them because they're from all over the uk and america and things, and we don't know if they're carrying it. as long as i limit my

interaction and, like, use my mask and stuff like that, i'm not really that concerned about spreading it to anyone else. but experts believe it's likely there will be significant outbreaks. this is indeed a critical moment. we are now seeing actually the highest numbers of infections, or at least detected infections, in younger people. universities are having to put in place important measures to ensure they have testing capacity and also thinking about how they teach their students. leeds is already on the government's watchlist of areas of concern. and officials here are worried young people are becoming complacent. whereas we were focusing more on specific communities at the beginning, it's now clear that the pattern is changing, and a very strong message going out from us to avoid having further restrictions put on us. the watchlist of hot spots like leeds is growing. south tyneside, middlesbrough,

rossendale, corby, kettering and norfolk are also all now on the list after increases in cases. and this evening, bolton has announced a further tightening of restrictions. people here being asked to avoid mixing with other households and only use public transport if essential, because, the council says, its infection rate is the highest in england. back in leeds, another busy day at flamingo's coffee house. social distancing vital, but the owner says people are still ignoring the rules. 99% of people want to do the right thing. people are getting fatigued from coronavirus, everyone, me included, we slip up a bit, it's hard to keep everything going and also there are some people that just don't want to socially distance. and as long as that continues, then infection rates will not come down. richard galpin, bbc news.

an excessive heat warning is in place in california this weekend. the temperature in los angeles is around a0 degrees celsius and officials are expecting up to 50 degrees in some parts of the state. neighbouring nevada and arizona are also on alert. i spoke to eric boldt, warning coordination meteorologist at the national weather service of los angeles, and asked him just how hot it is in the region. it's very hot. we have had temperatures and many of our valleys here in southwest california reach 115 degrees. the highest i have seen today, woodland hills, 117 fahrenheit. even downtown los angeles, near 100. so today and tomorrow we're expecting similar, if not even hotter temperatures tomorrow, which is starting to set all—time record highs for the month and possibly all—time on record for these stations that have been around for over 100 years. you say these numbers, some of them are more than half

the way towards the point of water. what is causing the heatwave? it's a very strong high—pressure system that's centred over nevada and arizona, it's kind of spreading across california. all of california is pretty much in an extreme heat warning through at least monday or tuesday. and the other factor with this heatwave is the night—time temperatures, some of them not getting below 90 fahrenheit at night. that sounds extremely uncomfortable. how do high temperatures increase the risk of wildfires? which we have been covering in recent weeks in california. right. so wildfires are a big concern right now. we already see those taking off today, because you have all the ingredients, the hot, dry air and a little bit of cold air up aloft, and that creates giant smoke plumes over the top of those fires, which can cause, basically, the fires to spread rapidly, out of control. so a lot of evacuations, a lot of people forced to leave their homes tonight.

there are warnings of high winds, heavy rain and storm surges as typhoon haishen approaches japan. factories, shops and schools have been closed; hundreds of flights have been cancelled and train services suspended. the authorities have stressed the risk of coronavirus infection should not deter residents in the regions of okinawa and kagoshima from moving into storm shelters. this is bbc news, the headlines: a belarusian opposition activist says she was driven to the polish border by the security services and forced to leave the country. india records 86,000 new coronavirus cases on saturday — a new global daily record. protesters in louisville have been holding counter demonstrations on the day of america's famous horse race the kentucky derby. this year's race ran without spectators due to the covid—19 pandemic. it became the focus for anti—racism protestors calling for justice for breonna taylor, the 26—year—old woman who was shot and killed by louisville police

when they entered her home without warning back in march. the activists were confronted by right wing militia groups, many armed with semi—automatic weapons. we can now speak to local reporter ryan van velzer who has been following the protests in louisville. bring us up—to—date with the protests. i'm here in south central park where the protesters are starting to disperse. as the derby ran, which they call the two most exciting minutes in sports here, outside there was a police line, protesters, and the crowd was making as much noise as possible as the race ran. why are protesters in particular choosing to protest at a horse race? right. you know, it's not the first time in louiseville history in which protests have been contemplated at the derby. back in the 1960s, martin luther king jr had contemplated having a civil rights protest at the derby and cancelled at the last minute.

they are doing it to raise awareness about the death of breonna taylor and racial justice, awareness about racial justice across the country. of course. and you live locally, can you explain to us the strength of feeling locally about the breonna taylor case? we have entered the 101st day of protest here in louiseville. it is... there is a lot of anger at the injustice, what protesters say is the injustice in the breonna taylor case. it's also symbolic of what's been happening around the world and around the country in america in regards to police brutality. this is not the, obviously this is not the only time it happened, you have george floyd, since breonna you had other black people who have died

at the hands of police. we talked about the black lives matter protesters, have there been right—wing protesters that you have seen today? earlier this morning, in downtown louisville, counter protest is faced off against some of the more regular protesters who are in jefferson square park in downtown louisville. these right—wing groups have a loose affiliation with militias, there were a lot of trump's supporter flags in the audience, and it got pretty tense because the police were not there at the time. so the protesters and the counter protesters got right up on each other‘s faces. thankfully, they managed to end things peacefully without any violence. the british government is mulling new protections for what it calls "tenets of democracy" such as courts and the press after an environmental protest prevented uk newspapers from reaching shops. some shelves were left empty after extinction rebellion protesters targeted printers in england and scotland blocking the day's papers

from leaving the depots. justin rowlatt reports. what a turnout! it was late last night when vans containing dozens of extinction rebellion protesters blocked the entrances to three printing presses owned by rupert murdoch's news corp. as well as this plant in hertfordshire, activists targeted presses in merseyside and in north lanarkshire. the protest meant delays delivering millions of newspapers this morning, including the sun, the times, the daily mail and the daily telegraph. we are here because we feel the british media and political establishment have been complacent about the most existential threat britain has ever faced. 72 people were arrested as police cleared the roads. newspaper editors described the actions as an outrageous attempt to gag the press. the actions of these protesters are so absurd that it would be considered laughable if it wasn't so serious.

these are the actions of totalitarian dictators and authorities throughout the world and history — shut down the message, attack a free press, which is exactly what they have done here. this is the fifth day of protests by the environmental campaign group. on tuesday, perhaps 3,000 activists congregated outside parliament, blocking the roads, amongst them the former archbishop of canterbury, rowan williams. there were clear guidelines about how this protest could be conducted, and one of the rules was, do not go into the road, but right at the beginning of the demonstration when the protesters first congregated here in parliament square, they were encouraged to come into the road and block the streets. there have been more than 600 arrests in london alone. you're under arrest for criminal damage! extinction rebellion says five more days of actions are planned. justin rowlatt, bbc news, london.

several boats have sunk on a lake in the us state of texas while taking part in a parade to support president trump in november's election. the sheriff's office for travis county said some boats took on water, some stalled and others capsized. it said it had launched an investigation but added there was no evidence of any intentional act. no injuries were reported. hundreds of people have joined anti—lockdown protests in the australian city of melbourne, as tensions rise over the state's handling of the pandemic. at least 15 people were arrested as some demonstrators clashed with police. freya cole reports. chanting: freedom! chanting for their freedom, which these protesters say has been taken away from them. in return, police form a barrier, pushing back against a crowd which has no regard for the coronavirus lockdown in place. it is not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. in fact, it is absolutely selfish for people to be out there protesting.

the only protest we should be engaged in, the only argument, the only fight we should be engaged in is against this virus. it didn't take long before things turned ugly. more than a dozen people were arrested. in some cases, there was violence. melbourne is coming to the end of its second six—week lockdown. covid cases have fallen dramatically. there were 89 new cases in the last 2a hours. the restrictions are due to end next week, but the premier hasn't ruled out an extension. human rights matter! divisions are growing deeper — a bitter rift between anti—lockdown protesters and those willing to comply. freya cole, bbc news. a hospital in jerusalem is reporting what it says is a world first to support covid—19 patients. people who have recovered from the disease are volunteering to help those currently being treated. it comes amid a surge in cases in the region.

here's our middle east correspondent, tom bateman. in the sealed world of a coronavirus ward, the sick fill bad upon bed, and fight illness alone. shuki knows how the isolation feels. he had the disease in april. now recovered, he is one of a small army volunteering to help those suffering now. i was looking at this together with my wife, and we said, that's what we've been waiting for, i guess. it's a chance to give something back. hadassah hospital started the trial last month, thought to be one of the first of its kind in the world. the volunteers are all survivors of the disease. now reassuring current patients, feeding them or helping them call relatives. foi’ under—pressure nurses, it's been vital support.

all the patients are very lonely. they have nobody inside. no family, no friends, no—one. only the staff and the staff are dressed like aliens, so it's very important for them that someone can come, sit near to them and talk to them. the science is still unclear aboutjust how much or even long people might have immunity from having had the virus and that is why all the volunteers here where exactly the same protective gear as the nurses. shuki says he knows the risks but feels safe enough. he hopes the project can help others overcome the desperate isolation coronavirus can bring. my assumption is that i'm geared up just like any other staff member and then i have another layer of protection, these antibodies, so the worst case, i'm like anybody else that goes in.

try to keep it simple and do whatever i can. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. russia's most famous theatre venue — the bolshoi — re—opens on sunday in the final stage of easing of coronavirus restrictions in moscow. the first few performances have been, perhaps predictably, sold out. there is excitement but also apprehension as some are concerned about a new wave of infections once all of the measures are relaxed. 0leg boldyrev of the bbc‘s russian service reports from moscow. after five months of staying shut and over1 billion roubles, that's about $15 million, in lost ticket sales, the famous bolshoi theatre is back in action. the reopening of the grandest of all russian theatre that is, for many, an indication that life is coming back to normal. of course, there will be limitations. visitors will have their temperatures measured and will be asked to wear masks. only half of the seats will be filled in chequered order. the musicians, everyone apart from the brass section, will be playing behind screens and of course on the stage,

only 70 people will be allowed at any given time, and bolshoi has known much bigger productions. the director said that unlike some western theatres, they still keep their singers and their actors on the payroll, but the payments for each individual performance will be going down — no—one in the industry pretends its life as usual. some moscow theatres have opened earlier and of course in the city of 15 million people, there will be enough people willing to go, pandemic or no pandemic. and in many aspects, life in moscow is in pre—pandemic mode, but no—one plans too far. translation: i would go to the theatre butjust because it's the bolshoi. translation: i dream to go see the nutcracker in december, naturally. i hope it comes true and everything will be fine. translation: of course, you should go to the theatre and not be afraid. my face shield isjust a style element. it matches my top. i don't have to wear it all the time. translation: we are studying

at the conservatory and there's rumours that we'll be shut for another quarantine on 1 october but we are trying to brush the thoughts aside, we don't want the lockdown to be repeated. there are talks that some of the restrictions can be brought back if infection rates go up, and they may do, after muscovites came back from their summer vacations and after their kids started going to school, but still, most of the evenings now, well—dressed crowds will be coming to these entrances and even if you are not an opera fan, this is still an indication that one day, life will go back to normal. 0leg boldyrev, bbc news, moscow. let's stick with culture. there's just time to take you to colombia, where salsa has returned to the streets of the city of cali, at a traditional open air festival. it's been allowed to go ahead, despite a surge in cases in colombia in an effort to reactivate the local economy.

such reactivate the local economy. fun! do stay on bbc news. hello. we can sum the weather up this weekend as sunshine and showers and the showers through saturday were most frequent across scotland, northern ireland and northern england. that focus shifts slightly as we head through sunday, still some showers around, courtesy of this feature but this time the focus is across england and wales, so a drier day for scotland and northern ireland with some spells of sunshine. in fact, most of us will see some spells of sunshine through sunday but we do need to watch out for those showers. most frequent through the morning, across northern england into wales and the midlands. it could be heavy, maybe even thundery, sliding their way south and eastwards, if you shut up and down into lincolnshire and east anglia, as i said, many will be dry with some spells of sunshine and lighter winds as well compared to saturday so it should feel a bit warmer, 16—20 celsius for many, little bit cooler further north across scotland.

then we see rain and cloud arriving into western scotland and northern ireland through the evening and overnight. slowly pushing its way eastwards. ahead of that a lot of cloud spilling into southern scotland, northern england and north wales. while we have the cloud in the rain temperatures will easily stay in double figures but while we have clear skies, particularly further south, still in single figures and we start the new week with a north—south split. so wetter and windy to the north the uk, drier and increasingly warm and humid for the south. on monday, rain already across northern ireland and scotland will sink its way slowly south eastwards, tending to fizzle out as it does so but likely some rain into northern england, parts of wales, south—west england, drier further south and east you are but with increasing cloud and perhaps some gusty winds for a time across the north of england, into scotland and northern ireland but despite the breeze, the cloud and the rain, temperatures will still be in the high teens across the north of the uk and perhaps up to 20 or 21 celsius further south and east, and we hold onto that plume of warmth as we head through tuesday and for some, on wednesday although

the temperatures start to come down across the north of the uk. tuesday is a mostly cloudy day, the best of the brightness will be the further east you are, likely see some rain into western scotland, maybe northern ireland, some patchy drizzle across the west of wales and south—west england but look at those temperatures quite widely in the high teens to low 20s celsius. as we head through the middle part of the week, we hold onto that warmth and humidity for the south and then turning cooler elsewhere by thursday.

this is bbc news, the headlines: an opposition activist from belarus says she was driven to the polish border by the security services and forced to leave the country. 0lga kovalkova said, if she had not agreed to leave the country, she would have faced a long spell injail. india announced, on saturday, that it had 86,000 new coronavirus cases — that is a new global daily record. the country is struggling to contain the virus as it is moving quickly into smaller towns and rural areas, from the major cities. forecasters warn californians will have to endure a rare and dangerous heat wave, with temperatures that could hit 49 degrees celsius in some areas. the authorities warn the extreme weather could raise risk of forest fires and cause rolling electrical black outs. california rolling electrical black outs. is already recovering california is already recovering from a heat wave and devastating fires.