i unconnected with belarus in your mind?— unconnected with belarus in your mind?our mind? ., ., ~ your mind? i do not think so. i was at a _ your mind? i do not think so. i was at a protest _ your mind? i do not think so. i was at a protest in _ your mind? i do not think so. i was at a protest in memory . your mind? i do not think so. i was at a protest in memory of| was at a protest in memory of vitali outside the belarusian embassy here in kyiv last night. basically the unanimous agreement was obviously there was no other way but for the belarusian kgb to have been involved. all the russian kgb to have been involved. another message that may have been intended is for the ukraine, simply because obviously belarus and russia are now an ever closer union, and you see belarus losing its sovereignty to russia within the next year or two, and the ukraine is the odd man out, and i think both players including lukashenko players including lu kashenko are players including lukashenko are trying to make ukraine look like a sick man of europe where there is no security for

i am very happy to see the elected president of belarus for -- of belarus was received everywhere aroundhe world. was in ireland. to have a country to do this for years to undermine this regime as soon as we can. i think it may last years, because russia is behind belarus, and is strongly supporting the belarusian regime. we have seen in syria 10 years ago, assad would be forced to shit down very soon. but he's still there. host: we will come back to that in a moment. should the relevant supporting authorities have done more to help her? this all happened very quickly. the court of arbitration in sport denied her legal bid to run in the 200 meters, saying she did not have enough evidence to make a case for that. you take from that? was there perhaps a reluctance to get involved in a political, diplomatic dispute? >> we saw a good level of engagement of european and international olympic committees who had not so much time to respond. but they interfered immediately, just one hour after they had been informed about the case of krystsina tsimanouskaya. unfortunately, the delegation tried t

it is _ translation: i can't go back to belarus now. it is definitely - belarus now.t is definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five or ten years. i am sarah mulkerrins in tokyo, where day 12 is getting underway and we have had a gold for brazil in the women's swimming marathon here below me in bay on odaiba beach. it's eight in the morning in singapore, and 8pm in washington where president biden has said that andrew cuomo should stand down as governor of new york after an investigation found that he had sexually harassed women while in office. mr cuomo has denied allegations that he harassed eleven women, many of them young, by engaging in what the investigation described as unwanted groping, kisses, hugging and inappropriate comments. mr biden said he had not read the details of the investigation; but he said he stood by his comments from earlier this year, that if the investigation found against mr cuomo then the governor should go. backin back in march is that every investigation confirmed the allegations against govenor cuomo, s

he fled from belarus when this incident broke out. he is now in ukraine. there are plans to bring him here, but it is not clear exactly when he will arrive. >> krystina timanovskaya has always said i'm not a political person, but inevitably, the whole thing has become extremely political. >> she said she had not taken part in protests in the past, that she was simply in this case criticizing the olympic teams, but also acknowledged that the question had become politicized, said that she realized it would be difficult for her to return to belarus, certainly in the next few years. of course, this means she is concerned about members of her family that are still there, her parents, but she is hoping to be reunited with her husband here in poland. of course, this has all shone a light on the government of president alexander lukashenko, who has been described by some as europe's last dictator. >> a political analyst in minsk explained why krystina timanovskaya chose to go to poland. >> despite all the proposals she got before to get asylum in the czech republi

we talk to the sprinter from belarus who refuses to return home from the olympic games. krystina timanovskaya tells the bbc that she asked poland for protection because of serious concerns for her safety. translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. it is definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five, or ten years. during the day, the belarus opposition leader held talks in downing street, urging the uk to put pressure on the ruling regime. we are fighting for rule of law in our country, for democratic changes and mrjohnson gave me to understand that they will be with us. we'll be live in belarus to ask how the widely—criticised president lukashenko is likely to respond. also tonight... a tanker has been hijacked by armed men in the gulf of oman and ordered to sail to iran. men in the gulf of oman the number of drug—related deaths in england and wales is at the highest level since records began. at the olympics, a sensational silver for team gb�*s keely hodgkinson, who's just 19, in the women's 800 metres. needs now this great d

seen as— between poland and russia, belarus is being seen as a _ between poland and russia, belarus the offensive can get from. - is being seen as a border the offensive can get from. thisl is being seen as a border the i offensive can get from. this is is being seen as a border the - offensive can get from. this is the worst— offensive can get from. this is the worst possible _ offensive can get from. this is the worst possible scenario, _ offensive can get from. this is the worst possible scenario, but- offensive can get from. this is the worst possible scenario, but we i offensive can get from. this is the i worst possible scenario, but we can have that _ worst possible scenario, but we can have that on — worst possible scenario, but we can have that on the _ worst possible scenario, but we can have that on the back— worst possible scenario, but we can have that on the back of— worst possible scenario, but we can have that on the back of the - worst possible scenario, but we can have that on the back of the head . have that on the back of the head when _ have that on the back of

this headline in belarus today says "escape from belarus — the fastest sprint in the career of kristinaatest move by the countries autocratic government to try to suppress its opponents. maria is the most prominent opposition leader in the country. you could see her hair addressing reporters last year. she has spent the last ten months in custody awaiting trial along with a lawyer from the opposition. you could see them both here at the trial today. could see them both here at the trialtoday. let's could see them both here at the trial today. let's get more 110w more now from sarah rainsford outside the courtroom in minsk. we were outside the court this morning, just as the trial began, but we weren't allowed inside. the only people allowed to were the lawyers themselves. there was a small group of supporters and family members of both maria kolesnikova... they're accused of plotting to overthrow the state and another national security charge. that's why the officials here are saying the trial is closed, but what the family and friends have told us as they believe this is simply because

with the main supporter belarus, that being russia?anna: so, well now, obviously the european union has condemned the election results, the rigged elections in belarus. sanctions have been introduced, imposed in some sectors of the economy, on some people who were involved in vlations of human rights. and the regime in belarus is obviously worried about that, especially t economic center sanctions. lukashenko has criticized poland, lithuania, and other european countries for imposing pressure and meddling into internal issues. and now as we see, the migration isis iseveloping on the border opoland and lithuania, migrants coming from iraq or syria are being brought to belarus and then sent to neighboring countries so that's sometng both poland and lithuania are now worried about. when it comes to russia, russia keeps supporting lukashenko. putin is mostly interested in maintaining the status quo, because he is scared of any protests in belarus because that might become an example for russians. but it's not clear yet to what extent putin

our top stories: the olympic sprinter who refused to go home to belarus fearing for her safety arrives at tokyo airport to fly to warsaw. krystsina tsimanouskaya's flight�*s set to take off in 20 minutes — she was offered a humantarian visa by poland. she is notifying elsewhere. piling on the pressure, president biden urges andrew cuomo to resign as governor of new york after an investigation found he'd sexually harassed women while in office. afghanistan's defence minister survives a suicide bomb and gun attack on his home in kabul, as the taliban's insurgency continues. countries across europe send help to turkey as wildfires enter a second week closing in on some tourist hotspots. welcome to the programme. the belarusian sprinter who refused orders to fly home early from the olympics has left japan within the last hour. she was meant to fly to warsaw but she has been seen flying to vienna. officials from belarus had tried to send krystsina tsimanouskaya home after she complained about the events the committee had entered herfor. ina in a moment we will get the latest, but for now ou

translation: because i was worried about my parents in belarus and my... i am parents in belarus andrried about my relatives and family— worried about my relatives and family members... his health deterioration —— a situation has deteriorated but i'm told he is doing — deteriorated but i'm told he is doing much better now so everything will he _ doing much better now so everything will be all— doing much better now so everything will be all right.— will be all right. reuters. he told us there is— will be all right. reuters. he told us there is a _ will be all right. reuters. he told us there is a hearing, _ will be all right. reuters. he told us there is a hearing, the - us there is a hearing, the international— us there is a hearing, the international olympic- us there is a hearing, the - international olympic committee, us there is a hearing, the _ international olympic committee, can you give _ international olympic committee, can you give us— international olympic committee, can you give us some _ international olympic committee, can you give us some details, _ international olym

. , , ., belarus.shenko and the regime will presumably be - the regime will presumably be furious that she has managed to escape their clutches. got to the polish embassy. probably going to go to poland with asylum. this polish embassy. probably going to go to poland with asylum.— to poland with asylum. this was su osed to poland with asylum. this was supposed to _ to poland with asylum. this was supposed to be _ to poland with asylum. this was supposed to be a _ to poland with asylum. this was supposed to be a very _ to poland with asylum. this was supposed to be a very kind - to poland with asylum. this was supposed to be a very kind of. supposed to be a very kind of internal small conflict, and now the regime is so cornered that they are making a huge international scandal out of it. she criticised and posted on instagram, she only criticised her coaches. only the national team for negligence but the regime in belarus considers every criticism as somewhat treason, somewhat an attack on the governmen

will it lead to consequences inside belarus? >> i do believe that there will be no harsh consequences. when it comes to the population, it will become threatened and feared as it becomes every time when something international happens like that. that is the first time when the olympic athlete was threatened in the way that she was. there will be some kind of consequences on the international level, i don't believe the belarus population will be affected. >> she is now in poland. how could this affect relations between the eu with belarus and russia? >> during the last year, we have seen so many belarusians fleeing and getting humanitarian assistance or political asylum. i believe this is just an ordinary case in a way of procedures. of course, it is allowed case wh it comes to media attention because the first case when it comes to the olympics, at the same time i don't belve it will worsen relations even more even though it does harm the image of those officials themselves. >> it is no secret that the president of belarus, he e

sport is state backed in belarus, as is so much else in the economy.st their funding, they were removed from the national squads. they really paid a heavy price for supporting the protest. >> your recordings said to be a conversation between krystina timanovskaya and her coach has been circulating on social media. >> it does appear to contain the voices of krystina timanovskaya and her coach and another belarusian all a big official. from that conversation, it is clear th athle is in tears, and that she is under extreme pres to return to belarus. the voices could be heard telling her, she needs to stop, calm down, stop talking. it is a long conversation, some 20 minutes long. the message is essentially you are like a fly caught in a spider's web, she is told at one point. if you keep struggling, you will keep getting entangled. >> earlier, i spoke to the russian editor for bbc monitoring. i asked what details could be verified about this athletes case. >> at this point, it is one person's word against another person's word. krystina timanovskaya was su

there's been a massive crackdown by the authorities in belarus.alk of hundreds of political prisoners now in this country. also all the key opposition figures are either abroad, forced into exile or in prison here in the country itself, and now even olympic athletes are being swept up in it all. she's a young athlete thrust into a political row she never sought. when sprinter krystina timanovskaya publicly criticised her coaches at the olympics, they tried to force her back to belarus. she refused. speaking to the bbc from tokyo, she said she was now scared for herself and for her family. translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. - it's definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five or ten years. and today came another reminder of the danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park, but his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he'd been helping a flood of other opposition supporters who followed. the oppos

everybody who is in belarus and are in exile i who is in belarus and are in exile have to take care of think we are being persecuted, if we are under threat, who to call, where to go, just to take care. he cannot take care of everyone. everybody has to be responsible for his safety. as for me, i understand that i can disappear at any moment. i understand this. by shall do what i am doing. i can't stop because i feel responsibility for the future of my country. the same as all of the belarus and is fighting at the moment feel that responsibility. i know that even if i disappear one day, this movement will continue without me. wildfires are sweeping parts of turkey, greece and lebanon forcing the evacuation of thousands. more turkish people and foreign tourists have been evacuated from southern coastal resorts. nearly 60 forest fires have broken out in western greece in the last 24 hours. seeking safety on the seashore. farmers take advantage after the tourists fled turkey's southern resorts to bring down their cattle from the hills, where wildfires continue to burn uncontrollably in the

also coming up, missing belarus ian activists found dead in ukraine. they say his murder was made to look like suicide. and olympic sprinter krystsina tsimanouskaya is looking forward to reaching europe safely. and wildfires across southern europe. we will look at why this year's wildfire season has been so much more destructive. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs, in the united states, and to all of you around the world, welcome. we begin with the explosions, multiple explosions in the afghan capital, reportedly inside the heavily fortified green zone of the city, home to government buildings, foreign embassies, and a busy market square. police say one of the explosions was a caromb which was targeting the home of the country's defense minister. he was reportedly unharmed in the attack, however, several other people were injured and other -- in other smaller blasts. i'm joined by a journalist in kabul. what more can you tell us? reporter: the blast seemed to target the guesthouse of the current acting minister of defense. he was not home

. >> so to come, the eu accuses belarus.et a former child soldier trying to comfort sierra leone's sick youngsters to save lives. ♪ >> your weather forecast, for australia, hang tight. in the asia-pacific, continuous rain over the better part of the week. it scoops up another 88 millimeters. thursday, that rain starting to wind down, not as concentrated. we have had landslide alerts in play, but by thursday these will be lifted. further south, we got to talk about tokyo. it is going to be dry over the next few days. now to the south. anywhere from vietnam to the east china sea, clustered cells dropping from 50 to 100 millimeters of rain. concentrated rain will be the name of the game over borneo and sulawesi. we've got thunderstorms for jakarta thursday. not much to talk about for australia. high-pressure the driver the bus, but wet and windy conditions pushing into western australia and that pesky cloud cover to the southeast. will end in new zealand where once again we are seeing rain swoop into the south island. 12 degree

the exiles group he worked for blamed the belarus authorities. you're watching bbc news. have picked up another eight medals — including two golds — at the tokyo olympics — their biggest haul in a single day so far. giles scott and the pairing of dylan fletcher and stuart bithell were victorious in their sailing events; 19—year—old 800—metre runner keely hodgkinson brought home britain's first medal on the athletics track; while jason and laura kenny were both part of british cycling teams which claimed silver in the velodrome. our correspondent natalie pirks reports from tokyo. nautical perfection, sailing dominance. britain were riding the crest of a wave. dylan fletcher and stuart bithell were in a great place in the men's 49er and just needed to beat the germans in their final race. they literally put it all on the line. right on the line, great britain. with it, the gold medal in tokyo 2020. but not to be outdone, giles scott was doing in the finn class where britain is superb. they have won gold at the last five games. but with just seconds remaining, scott was cutt

this is her — krystsina tsimanouskaya from belarus.r posting a video complaining about being entered into another race at short notice, she says she was told to pack and taken to the airport. she then contacted police, and uploaded this video on social media, appealing for help. the flight took off without her on board. the international olympic committee says it has asked the belarus authorities to clarify what happened. it comes of course against a backdrop of ongoing protests against president lukashenka of belarus, who the opposition accuse of stealing the election, and repressing any dissent against his leadership. here's what pavel latushko, a former belarusian culture minister, now an opposition leader based in warsaw in poland, had to say about the events in tokyo. translation: because the belarusian athlete krystsina tsimanouskaya - criticised the belarusian national team for their violation of the rules and procedures for athletes participating in the olympic games, president lukashenko made the decision to take her out of to

this is her — christina simanovskaya from belarus. in the women's 200 metre event on monday. but after posting a video complaining about being entered into another race at short notice, she says she was told to pack and taken to the airport. she then contacted police, and uploaded this video on social media, appealing for help. the flight took off without her on board. famil ismailov from the bbc russian service has been following developments from london. in an he one thing that is important to know is that for the belarusian regime, this is nothing to do with public scrutiny abroad, this is something very much to do with their reputation and the standing of the regime inside. it is about discipline within the sort of ranks of everyone who supports the resume. if you don't support the regime and criticise it or... as christina simanovskaya did, even officials within the committee, even managers of the team, who are due to have a public... of the team, who are due to have a ublic. .. ., . , ., of the team, who are due to have a ublic.

and the woman who wanted to change belarus did this dance of defiance.old me, "despite everything." the man at the heart of this, alexander lukashenko has announced what he is calling a big conversation for early next week when he will face, for the first time, questions about the disputed elections and the protests and the wave of repression that has followed here. he has announced that for the one—year anniversary of that disputed election that brought him back to power here in belarus and then led to the biggest opposition protest this country has ever seen. sarah, many thanks for the latest in minsk. the rugby league world cup is set to be postponed until 2022, the bbc understands. the tournament was due to be played later this year in england but plans were thrown into disarray when australia and new zealand withdrew a fortnight ago. organisers are expected to make a formal announcement tomorrow. borisjohnson has begun a two—day visit to scotland, but he won't be meeting the country's first minister. nicola sturgeon said that people would find it �*

your to do in belarus. on return. your husband is _ to do in belarus. on return.some reports are reaching the west that your parents have been visited by the security services. do you know whether they are safe and what their circumstances are? 50. what their circumstances are? so, the have what their circumstances are? srr, they have stayed what their circumstances are? 5rr, they have stayed in what their circumstances are? 5&3, they have stayed in belarus what their circumstances are? 5r3, they have stayed in belarus and my mother had some phone calls but we told her not to answer the phone. my dad is not well. he is staying at home and other relatives are nearby and have been to visit them and i spoke to them this morning and they said they were fine and i'm going to call them again this evening. you may know that the government has abandoned plans for the amber watchlist. if you have got any questions about international travel rules, we're really keen to hear from you. we'll put them to our experts — julia and simon calder. you can get in touch on twitter usi

does that have any impact within belarus itself?rtainly at this point not on the belarusian leadership. it is a valid and justified crackdown, essentially on attempt to seize power. that was what we were seei play out here in minsk today. we were not allowed inside the court but following what was happening, two key figures from the opposition protests here are facing extremely serious charges. up to 12 years in jail, they are accused of a major plot to over throw the government. this is for peaceful protests, they have spread across this country almost exactly a year ago. this was all western back ishe narrative. not genuine discontent but some kind of outside interference to try and unseat him. that's the way it is playing out officially here but despite the very real feel -- the real fear, particularly away from the cameras you understand a lot of that frustration, anger that brought people out to the streets, it is still here. just not on the streets anymore because it is too dangerous to protest. >> thank you for joining us, we

our correspondent sarah rainsford sent this report from minsk, the capital of belarus.ht. when sprinter krystina timanovskaya publicly criticised her coaches at the olympics, they tried to force her back to belarus. she refused. speaking to the bbc from tokyo, she said she was now scared for herself and for her family. translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. - it is definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five or ten years. and today came another reminder of the danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park. but his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he had been helping a flood of other opposition supporters who followed. the opposition leader sviatlana tsikhanouskaya is in forced exile herself. she was in london today, part of a tour seeking international support. she wants more pressure, more sanctions against alexander lu kashenko. the man she tried to topple as president. since then, the mood in minsk has changed dra

now let's return to belarus.iv. police say they are investigating whether he'd been killed and his death was made to look like a suicide. meanwhile the olympic athlete from belarus, who was forced to seek sanctuary in the polish embassy in tokyo — has been talking to the bbc. krystsina tsimanouskaya said, it was not safe in belarus — and she didn't anticipate returning, for many years. joining me now is hanna liubakova — a journalist from belarus and member of the international affairs group, the atlantic council. she's currently in london. thank you so much forjoining us. we have reported those two stories and what happened to the exile in kyiv and the athlete in tokyo, when exiles see these two stories together, how might they react? i would say that'sjust together, how might they react? i would say that's just a sign that nobody can feel safe right now. no activist, nojournalists, no politician, no blog weather in belarus or outside belarus it's just unsafe for everyone. what happened to krystsina tsimanouskay

the belarus olympic committee released a statement in response.that "coaches decided to withdraw her from the games on doctors�* advice about her emotional and psychological state." this is ms timanovskaya filmed entering the polish embassy earlier today — after arriving in an unmarked silver van. she's likely to leave for poland in the coming days. here's our tokyo correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes outside the polish embassy in tokyo. miss krystsina tsimanouskaya is under the care of the polish state. if she wants to come to poland we will grant her our support. yesterday it looked like she was effectively being marched back to the airport in disgrace, to be put on a plane back to minsk and an uncertain future. now she's holed up in the polish embassy behind me apparently on her way to a new life in europe. this whole story in tokyo has very much the whiff of history about it because back in the cold war this sort of defection was a regular event. the last one i can find was in los angeles back in 1984. now we have someone defecting from a co

deeply opposed to the regime in belarus and its sponsor in moscow.has once again put the spotlight on belarus, a country where, in recent years, there has been a growing effort to silence opposition. the country has been ruled by this man, president alexander lukashenko, since 1994. last year, nationwide protests over his disputed re—election were violently put down by the security forces and the leader of the opposition was forced to flee the country. some of those who joined the demonstrations were also national—level athletes, who were punished by the authorities. on that, here's our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford. some very prominent athletes were involved in supporting the protest at the time and some of them ended up at the time and some of them ended up being detained. others were stripped of their state funding, sport is state supported and state backed as is so much in the economy there so athletes lost their funding, kicked out of teams, remove from the national squad so they paid a heavy price for supporting the protest. an audio rec

two big stories surrounding belarus.eeking refuge in poland who has been speaking to the bbc. but first, ukraine has opened a murder inquiry into the death of a belarusian activist in ukraine. this is vitaly shishov. he was found hanged in a park in kyiv. in the autumn of 2020 he fled belarus and went into exile in ukraine. on monday morning he left where he was staying in kyiv to go for a jog. but he never came back. this is the crime scene in the kyiv park where his body was found. ukrainian police have now opened a murder inquiry into his death. here's some of the police press conference from earlier. translation: we are currently trying to establish the circumstances of the victims death. all video cameras are being investigated were looking for possible witnesses. investigators are checking possible leads in particular if it's a suicide or a murder or a murder disguised as a suicide. murder or a murder disguised as a suicide. as you just heard, ukraine's police are keeping open various lines of inquiry. but many peo

last year, protests against the current belarus| against the current belarus president, alexander lukashenkoed re—election in august were brutally cracked down on. this son is head of the country's olympic committee but is banned from attending the games as the ioc does not last year's presidential election. belarusian olympic election. bela rusian olympic committee election. belarusian olympic committee said that the coaches had decided to withdraw the athlete based on doctor's advice regarding her emotional state. krystsina tsimanouskaya is now considering to seek asylum in europe but is fighting for herfamily asylum in europe but is fighting for her family safety back home. we can now speak to the academic and former athlete jules boycoff whose research focuses on the politics of the olympic games. how significant a moment is this for athletes in belarus? extraordinarily significant. after all, athletes have been involved in opposition struggles against lukashenko in the past. a star basketball player who played in the wnba here in the united states was jailed for her efforts for 15 days.

meanwhile, the belarus olympic _ upcoming days.coming days. meanwhile, the - belarus olympic committee has made a statement saying the coaches had decided to withdraw her from the games on doctors' advice about her emotional and psychological state. she said officials had come to her hotel room and given her an hour to pack her bags before being escorted to tokyo's and odour airport. it was then that she asked for help. belarus is seen as one of the most repressive countries in europe, the government cracking down on any dissent. krystsina tsimanouskaya has little choice but to settle in another country. richard galpin, bbc news. australian troops havejoined police in sydney to enforce lockdown restrictions and help distribute aid and manage vaccine clinics. it comes as new south wales announced 207 new cases and a 15th death from the current outbreak. hundreds of unarmed soldiers have started patrols this week — with critics saying it will leave vulnerable people feeling targeted and angry. here's our sydney correspondent shaimaa

and the woman who wanted to change belarus did this dance of defiance.hance to smile. "it just shows how free she still is inside," he told me, "despite everything." sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the mexican government is suing major us gun companies, accusing them of failing to stop the illegal flow of weapons across the border. thousands of murders in mexico have been linked to the trafficking of arms. mexican foreign minister, marcelo ebrard, says his country is seeking billions of dollars in compensation. translation: what is the goal of this lawsuit? _ translation: what is the goal of this lawsuit? what _ translation: what is the goal of this lawsuit? what is - translation: what is the goal of this lawsuit? what is mexico| of this lawsuit? what is mexico trying to achieve? what is the objective? first, the company compensated the mexican government for the damages caused by the negligent practices. we can now speak to the author and journalist ioan grillo. he recently covered this subject in his book blood gun money: how america arms gangs and c

opposition activists in belarus say no—one who speaks out against the repressive belarus government istry to protest face beatings and arrest by the authorities. it has led to many leaving the country. today, the belarus opposition leader, sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, has been holding talks with the prime minister here in downing street. in another development today, belarus activist, vitaly shishov, has been found dead in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. he'd been hanged here in this park. it's reported belarus special forces were in the area. richard galpin, bbc news. government forces in afghanistan are battling to stop the taliban from taking control of lashkar gah, the capital of helmand province, where british troops were stationed for many years. the militants are reported to have captured most of the city. the taliban's assault in helmand is part of a major offensive across the country following the departure of american troops. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is in the capital, kabul. fierce fighting in helmand province where so many british troops lost their live

an olympic sprinter in belarus takes refuge in tokyo instead. is given and humanitarian visa after fearing for her safety. after a summer of extreme weather, we look at how artists are trying to inspire action on climate change. laura: welcome to "world news america" on pbs and around the globe. there were tears of joy at airports in britain today as family members divided by the pandemic and the atlantic ocean were finally reunited. from today, people arriving in the u.k. from the u.s. and most of europe no longer have to quarantine, if they are fully vaccinated. our transport correspondent caroline davis hasore. carolyn: through the dark and the difficulty of the last few months, they have waited for this. >> as soon as we got off the airplane we got so excited. >> we only walked in a few minutes ago. when we get home and see everybody, it will sink in. caroline: as soon a the quarantine rules change last week, naomi booked flights flight from california to see her parents. taking a message from the children -- >> we love you. >> we really mis

the headlines — an olympic sprinter from belarus who was ordered home takes refuge at the polish embassyn tokyo and is granted a humanitarian visa. in china, seven cases of the covid delta variant are detected in wuhan, the place where the global pandemic first emerged. i'll be asking former new zealand prime minister helen clark what needs to be done to tackle asia's surging infection rates. in turkey, devastating wildfires that are threatening hotels, homes and lives in popular tourist resorts along its southern coast. and scaling the heights of physical endurance — we meet the teenager championing the new olympic event of sport climbing. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 6am in the morning in singapore and 7am in tokyo, where a sprinter from belarus who refused her team's order to fly home early from the olympics has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland. krystsina tsimanouskaya sought refuge in the polish embassy in tokyo after claiming she was taken to the airport against her will. she had criticised her coaches on social media. rupert wing

so you can see really there frankly terrifying climate inside of belarus.what is that facility we found if it is not intended at some point to house prisoners. the horrifying climate inside belarus would certainly be on the mind of the olympic athlete when she told me her grandmother said that she had been criticized on state television for her critical remarks about the olympic team there, causing her to seek asylum in poland. she is supposed to talk later on today from poland, but i think that it is the threatening behavior of the lukashenko regime that has shown a spotlight on their behavior internally and also remember too possibly cast a greater pall of fear over those forced to leave the country. belarus feeling more confident about how far that they can throw its repressive tactics. >> great reporting on what could be a troubling development there. thick paton walsh in london, thanks so much. >>> a day of remembrance and protests this beirut as thousands gathered at the port wednesday one year after a deadly explosion there killed 200 and injured tho

it is _ translation: i can't go back to belarus now. it is definitely - belarus now.

translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. - it's definitely not safe for me. go back. it may be five or ten years. and came another reminder of the danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park, but his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he'd been helping a flood of other opposition supporters who followed. the opposition leader, svetla na tsikhanovskaya, is in forced exile herself. she's been in london, part of a tour seeking international support. she wants tougher measures, more sanctions against alexander lukashenko, the man she tried to topple as president. this is our pain, belarusian pain. we think that much more can be done, much more pressure, much more assistance, braver decisions, stronger actions. since the disputed elections, the mood in minsk has changed dramatically. alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control. a year ago, this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexan

and the woman who wanted to change belarus did this dance of defiance.to smile. "it just shows how free she still is inside," he told me, "despite everything." sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the lengthy legal battle over the whether a senior executive from the chinese industrial giant huawei can be extradited from canada to the us has reached a crucial stage. meng wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer, as well as the the daughter of its founder, has been held on bail for almost three years. the us wants her to stand trial for financial impropriety. she denies that, and china says the allegations are a sham. the final extradition hearing is under way in vancouver, and barbara plett usher is following developments for us. barbara, what's the background to this case, and why is it so diplomatically sensitive? it's quite complicated because it's about more than just meng wanzhou. she was arrested in december 2018 on a us warrant. the americans wanted her extradited to the united states to face charges that her company, related to her company huaw

the key ally of belarus is russia. by belarus on the world stage, it seems trying to force olympic athletes home. you remember, too, the forced downing of a ryanair jet a few months ago just to arrest an opposition blogger and think possibly that their alliance with belarus is simply not worth the embarrassment on the international stage. there's another argument that says to some degree russia simply cannot belarus fall in a westerly direction towards the european union. remarkable scenes we've seen out of tokyo as the repression in his country continues. >> nick paton walsh, thank you. you can follow me on twitter @pamelabrowncnn. our coverage continues now with wolf blitzer in "the situation room." ♪ >>> happening now, the u.s. finally hits president biden's vaccine milestone one month late. the white house calling it a significant step as the delta variant spreads like wildfire among the unvaccinated. we go live to florida, the epicenter of this new covid crisis as cases soar in the battle over mask and mandates fe

something belarus denies. on his shoulders but if anyone thinks that we will now close the border with poland, lithuania, latvia and ukraine and turn into a detention centre for those running from afghanistan, iran, iraq, syria, tunisia, they are mistaken. unmistakable are the conditions at this migrant centre. there are so bad migrants started to write recently. guides responded with rubber bullets but these are only the immediate difficulties faced. parliament injuly will that parliament in july will that the parliament injuly will that the government could immediately deport migrants after they refused asylum. even if an appeal is made. so there's helping migrants worried for their safety. there are concerns _ worried for their safety. there are concerns of _ worried for their safety. there are concerns of those - are concerns of those amendments of the law in correspondence with human rights documents and eu law. procedures should be applied in such a way that we are not sending back people who are actuall

the headlines — an olympic sprinter from belarus who was ordered home takes refuge at the polish embassyn tokyo and is granted a humanitarian visa. i'm sarah mulkerrins with all the latest from the games in tokyo, where this morning's athletics is set for a aoo—metres hurdles battle between norway's world record holder karsten warholm and the usa's rai benjamin. as the delta variant leads to higher covid infection rates across the world, rich countries are urged to share their excess vaccine doses. vaccines are critical. they are inequitably being rolled out. africa, in the last month according to who, has had an 80% spike in deaths. this is completely unacceptable and unethical. and scaling the heights of physical endurance — we meet the teenager championing the new olympic event of sport climbing. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7am in the morning in singapore and 8am in tokyo, where a sprinter from belarus who refused her team's order to fly home early from the olympics has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland. krystsina tsimanouskaya soug

this is her — krystsina tsimanouskaya from belarus.ad been due to compete in the women's 200m event on monday. but after posting a video complaining about being entered into another race at short notice, she says she was told to pack and taken to the airport. she then contacted police, and uploaded this video on social media, appealing for help. the flight took off without her on board. i'm joined now by sarah mulkerrins in tokyo. great to have you on the programme. what's the latest on the fate of this athlete? this was around _ the fate of this athlete? this was around the _ the fate of this athlete? this was around the time - the fate of this athlete? this was around the time of - was around the time of the men's 100 metres final. men's100 metres final. suddenly this story started emerging through social media, and within a couple of hours, the ioc and tokyo 2020, the organisers, issued a brief update through social media. they said they had spoken to the athlete that she was with the athlete that she was with the authorities at can

last year, protests against the current belarus| against the current belarus government alexander lukashenkonment in august were brutally cracked down on, president lukashenko is backed by russia and has ruled for 27 years. his son is head of the olympic committee and is banned from attending the games of the ioc does not recognise last year's presidential result. the ioc are in touch with tsimanouskaya and incest her welfare is its main concern. —— and insist. they said coaches who decided to withdraw the athlete from the game on doctor's advised about her emotional, psychological state. tsimanouskaya has now said to be considering seeking asylum in europe but is thought to be frightened about her family's safety at home. ramzan karmali, bbc news. we can now speak to mark conrad, associate professor of law and ethics at the fordham university new york. thank you forjoining us. we have seen this developed over the last 12 hours or so. what is the process now? who has control and how will the decisions be made? it’s decisions be made? it's interesting _ decisions be made? it�*s interesting be

the olympic sprinter who refused to go home to belarus, fearing for her safety, boards a flight to austria at tokyo airport. ——to vienna. piling on the pressure — president biden urges andrew cuomo to resign as governor of new york after an investigation found he'd sexually harassed women while in office. afghanistan's defence minister survives a suicide bomb and gun attack on his home in kabul as the taliban's insurgency continues. countries across europe send help to turkey as wildfires enter a second week closing in on some tourist hotspots. iam i am live in tokyo and day 12 is under way and we have had another world record on the track, as american sydney mclaughlin wins gold in the 400 metres hurdles. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the belarusian sprinter who refused orders to fly home early from the olympics is about to leave japan. she was meant to fly to warsaw, but has been seen boarding a flight to vienna. officials from belarus had tried to send kristina simanovskaya home after she complained about the events the committee had entered herfor. in a

the spotlight again placed on belarus. a , ,., belarus. as you say it shines a liuht on belarus. shines a light on the — belarus. as you say it shines a light on the situation - belarus. as you say it shines a light on the situation in - belarus. as you say it shines a light on the situation in the . light on the situation in the country. this has been a very difficult personal dilemma for krystsina tsimanouskaya. she has had to leave her career and herfamily. it is basically the tip of the iceberg because thousands of people in belarus are faced with these kinds of dilemmas every day because if you speak out, if you voice any form of criticism of the regime, you will face reprisals. athletes have been at the forefront of this because for a long time they had been the darlings of alexander lukashenko, the particularly loved lu kashenko, the particularly loved lukashenko, the particularly loved —— who particularly loved sport. he was head of the international olympic committee till september when he was removed on the demands of the international olympic committee. loss, they had