yeah. rival rallies in the the russian capital one for the president the other against it does follow a week of protests in the country marred by violence with many refusing to accept the outcome of last sunday's election. this person has been in power for 26 years just blocking treaty with his chief and he doesn't want to let us support alexander lukashenko i wasn't forced to come here this is my personal choice and in the stories in the wake russia launches production of its corona virus vaccine the 1st to be registered in the world but there are concerns over the speed at which it was developed also to come. but he's governments including the prime minister there resigned amid the civil unrest in beirut following that deadly chemical explosion

in the city we talked to a woman who lost her husband in the blast. i promised my son that i mean and his that's going to be on his birthday and i broke this promise. oh they're welcome the latest developments and look back what's been happening too over the last 7 days you're watching the weekly here on r.t. international now which started in the capital of bellary square rally in support of the country's president is taking place at the same time as and in close proximity to an opposition protest opposition protesters are intending to go on a march for freedom 3 minutes well similar marches are being held in the regions as for the rally in support of alexander lukashenko the leader made a defiant appearance saying there would be no fresh election an expression of his career. taking to the crime.

what a protest is also being held outside the better russian embassy here in moscow i say so let's go there atienza roman cost of his 1st just to describe the scene in the atmosphere at the moment but on the. wall of the rally here outside of the embassy of below continues for for over a week now people have been coming out voicing their soul exaggerates the with the protesters all over a belarus we've seen the largest at cern out on the saturday when a line of people carrying flowers and white ribbons extended around the block meanwhile peaceful demonstrations continue in minsk and in other places in bella

bruce as well earlier thousands came out in support off the president look a sham called the president spoke to the supporters at length and among other things thank you thank them for the dedication and he also warned that there is a recent build up of fun they feel forces near the country's border now we were able to speak with some of the participants of the prologue to shank around me and this is what they had to say. today is the happiest day of my life or at least in the last year finally i can express my views here and not just on the internet i support alexander lukashenko i wasn't forced to come here this is my personal choice but i thought so many threats but they won't break me i bought the still shit with my own money no one paid me nothing really really. i suppose discipline what's happening now reminds me of ukraine need to throw. and 14 everything started

it was that people the same way many of my friends only of the say it stuff when societies divided the young people with flowers now just done under stand what was happening here in 1906 perhaps they want to return to 117 when people toppled the russian empire in a similar way and civil war is here but we want peace. and to look at shankar rally is currently a building up in place of president's supporters that people have been protesting for over a week after a polls closed and unrest began and as well as police brutality now on saturday the protests evolved from of boylan's strikes mass to set the tensions 2 lines of solidarity and sometimes even a unity apparent unity between protesters and a low in force meant let's hear what some of the protesters who came out in.

against those out of the senate with a shudder had to say earlier today. this person has been in power for 26 years he's clung to it with his teeth and he doesn't want to let it go and they see him like we are against violence we're defending our vote we're doing the best for the future of our contrary i want my children not to live in a country which has violence where there is no voice and no freedom of speech and the restrictions that i can't agree with what's happening in the country one person is trying to hold on to power by force i'm trying to show everyone that i'm against it and that's why i'm here. and of course i will continue to stand here outside of the bell russian embassy in moscow and bring you all the updates as soon as they become available. ok thank you oh man the man cost as if they're reporting well there were things to a page of calm down for the moment to minsk the 1st half of the week was marred by a lot of violence. out i

just take in people that are doing nothing was. swallowed us a few years ago that come out what i want to be for the free and peaceful. it's the . whole march of this mass that's going on can you take the time to try. it. so let's look at it. it was. what we. call the valorous authorities have also been criticized for failing to protect journalists 64 were

detained during the recent time arrest in among them reporters working for ati's video agency ruptly spent almost 5 days in jail nearly 7000 protesters were detained across the country this week the government began releasing them on thursday night promising to free them all by friday morning although it is unclear whether that has actually happened doctors were among those that were held is a firsthand account from one of them. what kind of doctors are you you're not doctors i don't know what you are werewolves that's the sort of thing they shout it and a lot of swear words that i don't want to repeat they were also saying this when you were 1st held on the street everyone driving by was shocked doctors in white robes on their knees with a machine gun to the head. and there are 2 narratives being spun at the moment around what is at play in bellary. breaks in that. right now the world is being reminded that one man alexander lukashenko has ruled belarus for a long 26 years and he intends to add another 5 claiming 80 percent of all the

ballots from sunday's presidential election have a tick next to his name but that's not something a considerable amount of belorussians believe taking their frustrations onto the streets it started off with a peaceful protests mass of groups coming out and shining flashlights but the tear gas and rubber bullets started flying and chaos has taken hold. there are 2 realities and deloris right now and the 1st there is look shango calling the vote a celebration but one that people are trying to spoil by inciting aggression and spreading misinformation foreign powers media and social media channels are to be blamed as well so look at shingles the reality is that the protestors are bad and

the special forces have no choice but to act like this 'd 2. but on the move. around 25 police officers have been injured legs broken they were deliberately hit so they responded by you crying now no response will be adequate we will not allow you to tear the country apart the 2nd reality though is that of the protesters hundreds of thousands flooding the streets of the country calling for the president to step down and contending authoritarian rule but also posting instructions on how to make multiple cocktails on social media accounts which is literally playing with fire with tensions so high and while we can't ignore the videos of police beating people on the streets we can ignore this. clip showing a car ramming into troops in the capital either we haven't judging either of the realities but the international community is condemning the election as neither

free nor fair not that they were invited to observe it so where does that leave looking shango he's a man largely without friends the west still dubbed him europe's last dictator while he's slowly pushed away his closest ally russia but nevertheless he still claiming victory and his political rivals have either been put in jail or fled the country including his opponent in the election so. i took a very difficult decision i did that by myself my friends family colleagues and husband did not influence me many will understand me many will judge many will start to hate everyone is deafening and it's not clear who will win if anyone. jackie they get there now a number of countries have condemned what they call a rigged election i mean shooting police response to the protests is the latest reaction from europe and also the united states i was glad to see the release of some protestors but that certainly is not and the common objective is to support

the belarus in people to achieve their savage of their own freedom the european union will put forward to the better russian authorities a proposal for e.u. support in establishing an facilitating a dialogue between the political authorities opposition and broader society in view of resolving the current crisis ministers also agreed on the need to sanction those responsible for violence repression and the force of occasion of election results sanctions of the end of politics the key question now is what kind of policy the has towards but there is for us the european union is one of our top priorities. alexander lukashenko discussed the current situation in his country with his russian counterpart vladimir putin they did agree that it should not be exploited by 3rd party forces seeking to harm cooperation between the 2 states and the guess we spoke to said that they saw one city crane back in 2014 while others did say more dialogue is needed. there are very strong similarities he laid out front but i

tell you what happened ukraine's we had a very similar scenario of a color so it takes to bring a successful color revolutions make yugoslavia the united states like that line of many western countries with whatever happens at the result but also between it will be illegitimate we had the same rhetoric coming out of the west as we're getting here that the government that was told he couldn't really respond to any protests against even if they turn violent that's what we're seeing so it's kind of really that we've seen many times before and it doesn't end well that the 2 that the previous thought it didn't end well for the people of your great probably the better comparison is with ukraine in 2004 of the time of the so-called orange revolution by the russian society whatever it spews on who should be president. is anxious to avoid not only the kind of violence or people who saw ukrainian february 2014 and all the problems in ukraine has had ever since and i think for those of us who want to see

a peaceful and who could legitimately necrotic outcome for both of us it's very important that the losing side in any political crisis has options of coming back through the ballot box once you fall close that new then do risk civil war civil conflict which is after all what has been set up parts of ukraine ever since because it is escalating that means that both sides are short sided the hair a lack of strategic vision of the situation. governmental side it would be wise to ask the opposition to at least the interests. so why do they are so keen to get rid of the president look at the opposition should also drive to find a way to be integrated to the jury to vote julie don't believe you go process drive to suggest something that is acceptable to the government. now in a major development in the fight against cave 19 on tuesday russia announced it had

registered the world's 1st coronavirus vaccine it's been named nick 5 and on saturday the country's health ministry did confirm that production of the 1st batches had already started the breakthrough however was welcomed with caution in scientific and political circles with questions surrounding the vaccines effectiveness and western media have also mocked the russian innovation claiming it has no scientific value and says it is not safe enough as it's still not passed the crucial 3rd phase of testing i hope of the russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective i seriously doubt that they've done that it is not about being 1st it is about having a try to arrest and say vaccine which will be given that's the important part to hundreds of millions maybe even billions of people the problem is that we know very little because the russian authorities are not being very transparent and so i am very skeptical about what's happening in russia. that would be. our foreign

colleagues who probably want a kind of competitive advantage over the russians vaccine or offering judgments that are to our minds completely groundless in fact many countries have taken accelerated decisions in their vaccine studies but the russian vaccine has already seen a distinct clinical trials and evidence. well the vaccine was developed at moscow's kemel a institute medical workers teachers and also those considered to be in other high risk groups will be the 1st to receive it really so the general public is set for some time in the year of the developers do say to the 2000 paper we vaccinate shortly as the research continues more than 1000000000 doses meanwhile of the russian vaccine have already been requested from different countries around the globe for disposal came from asia and also the middle east can dimitri is the head of the russian sovereign wealth fund that is investing in the country's research he

talked to r.t. about this new vaccine in more detail. what the russians are people all over the world of very byard tools a virus a very tired of the restrictions of very tired all the refuse to come on. those are one of the countries. in which believes there is very active read over to the. people now about the hope to resume a normal life as a vaccination. well i'm confident enough that the injected legacy myself my wife my of and your 4 year old parents and i think it's very important that we understand the science behind civics so russia great historic knowledge of books you can get my interest groups has developed very successful in all of it seeing and mercy and then basically current virus just proved to be very

similar the merce though we've had great science and will likely that there is a good have been done really applied where 8 blows a lead goes a fight they're not hiring you tend to chill for russian because. everything will be fobbed almost i've seen to date i knows a 100 percent always a plane tears fell apart a strong immune response or significant side effects of 100 percent protection of animals forest where is the level of immunity. it will produce a stronger immune response going forward but we believe we are still only ones who counsels do it for and at the number i respect there is a used billet was a vaccine and that means that our vaccine response will last longer hopefully it will be more than a year while scientists believe that years but the horse shows us a fact a time will be needed to really understand the duration of the vaccination.

ever since people were starting to receive permission about a week seeing it more and more interest but frankel also western media always lets access to all information so i think now we have break ins through this information bear is it exists and the more people understand what we can do they go because there's a will cycle or involve the exchange more countries become interested even today which helps. them by israel serbia it would. still. interest who was the russian but she is also. still to come on the way clear snapshot of one family's grief with beirut still reeling from tragedy we speak to a woman who lost a husband and whose daughter is battling cancer that story to come.

so we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy on sunday shouldn't let it be an arms race based on often scary dramatic developments only really i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time time to sit down and talk. the world is driven by shaped by. the day or thinks. we dare to ask.

now this week beirut was gripped by large anti-government protests following the massive explosion on august 4th that killed over 200 people that have been he's governments including the prime minister have resigned over the disaster although they are still acting as caretakers protesters blame incompetence by the authorities for the blasts and they stormed government buildings demanding proper accountability for the explosion that destroyed so many lives along with swathes of the lebanese capital.

well thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded on that fateful day leveling the port area thousands were injured in the explosion and it's overwhelming beirut's health system too which was already grappling with the pandemic scores of buildings were damaged or destroyed even up to 300000 people homeless but the numbers of course don't give the full picture of how many lives there and now have changed forever it's an added tragedy too for one family already dealing with their daughter's cancer they were in hospital when the blast struck and the father didn't survive r.t. has been hearing this story. forgive me if i did anything you carry or if i hurt you forgive me i love you i know of you i love you i love you for 2 hours i used to

buy you out there oh you know you're. you know i love 6 you i love you these summer months have always been synonymous with joy and celebration for us who has family in the birthdays of the children and husband the anniversary of their wedding all of which falls during the sunny season but this year trouble started to loom on the horizon early when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer they called me in the morning they confirmed that it's classical heart i knew that it was informed by that time gemma's immune system had been shot to pieces but hodgkin lymphoma is not a sentence for children it's curable and doctors have been reassuring sue her husband jihad was called by the news abroad in nigeria but couldn't stay away in a crisis like this so several dozen covert tests later he came to lebanon to be with his family we slept in the hospital the same bed the same everything me her

and her gemma's hospital room was where the port explosion called the 3 of them the windows of the buildings in front of me crashing and then one by the like this. like this i didn't see if fair i didn't see my daughter i didn't see any any anything but i wanted to pull his head like this i felt that all smashed all all smudged i was not sure that he was alive i saw his soul leaving his body i saw it but i've answered i want to move on to another hospital jihad died right before his daughter's eyes at only 6 gemma faces 2 battles most adults would struggle to win cancer and coping with her father's death she drew for me around. a circle. she said she colored that was red i knew it's her bed.

and it was full of blood. suhas heart breaks when she blames herself for letting her daughter witness all that and letting down her son by promising that his father would be at his birthday which is this week i promised my son that are me and his the going to be on his birthday and i broke this promise and everyone sing with happy birthday for my son it's his birthday on the 30th of august. so. my love. i ask sue her if she wants to take a break from the interview she refuses adamantly there's just so much she feels she didn't tell her husband enough suhas biggest concern now is her daughter processing their loss gemma seems to be protecting her mother by not sharing her feelings.

she told them here was listening i heard her and i prefer can i not i'm not i'm not able to give details because they are killing me from inside me so can you imagine herself. can you imagine the images in her brave passing whenever she closes her eyes. suah finds redemption and relief in family pictures now as she relives the fondest of memories this is how we used to sleep playing our head on each other because you know as whenever i put my head on his saw that i feel secured even when he's at around i don't gossip or market i don't do anything for the house to fix care of everything everything here's a think a lot of clothes from my shoulder. this is the last photo of their family together

she shows it to me as i'm sitting on the very couch where it was taken this story has been gaining traction across me jean the arabic world and we were the 1st she so kindly let in as she struggles to deal with the pain of the loss in the home she herself can face yet how am i able to come back to this house through because they're good they're used to. her. oh my supposed to put murder on this you know in this room and don't know there is fire is above the 1. 000 thing for them just to put to hard for me to put his arms to feel secure. what i'm gonna. find there and 3rd when they smell his clothes as some are not removing his clothes from the house i'm not going to remove them but sue her realizes that her life is not over she tells me its whole life mission now to

eliminate the shortage of cancer medicine for lebanese children even with her mask on i can see her smiling when she talks about her children those she ordered them a frozen. unicorn because she lied about this one is very special i told her you see this is my hair because mom when you're going to take this medication your hair is going to fall down you're going to lose your hair so what i can do or this is my hair i'm going to give it to you so you would wear to cater on i'm going to make her happy i would do whatever she wants the business my link her and her brother it is done of reporting from lebanon r.t. . just approach haas for haiti in moscow now more than 10005 have been recorded in the brazilian amazon and since the beginning of august environmentalist to save the file as a part of deliberate deforestation but despite the destruction often being illegal and condemned globally the president is accused of turning

a blind eye. to the slow but 1st air fire happened on august the 10th and 11th last year where social media group coordinates of farmers to burn both pasture and forest areas demonstrate their approval of the anti environmental policies the government has been implementing in person. back to me to get to and just about all and has the power to reckon he would generate other biomes and other acar system however what's being done by this fire

cannot be estimated at this far has a huge impact especially during the time that we're getting through a very severe this is in with very strong winds yet the mets have crossed so what land specifically is causing small frosts on into large ones that cross large areas many had tests have burned so it's a criminal for i ask. ok well let's just bring you some news just in because donald trump has reportedly told his aides that he wants to meet with russia's. adamy putin ahead of the u.s. presidential election in november 1 of the issues he apparently wants to discuss is extending the new start treaty which does expire in february next year that news just it. to be more so we cannot say thanks to accompany this sunday afternoon more

from us to the topic. join me every thursday on the alex simon shore and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm showbusiness i'll see you then. when else should seem wrong why don't we all just don't all. the world to get to shape out these days become educated and indeed trade equals betrayal. when so many find themselves worlds apart when she still looks for common ground.