alexander lu kashenko is to go to the end, he quotes. and saying we can see only those 20 people who came from the major factories that produce main machineries for the industry in belarus and at that same moment, 16,000 workers got out onto the street and set, we are not 20. but thousands just feel they have to go back now, notjust because of that economic circumstances and their families but they see that alexander lu kashenko is families but they see that alexander lukashenko is serious he will hire russian workers. that is not possible. not able to support anything but for now he has money to support a ministry of internal affairs. rush of course has its own interest and we could see a specific thing that has started to happen on the 15th, 16th and 18th of august when the aeroplane landed in minsk, having their russian propaganda specialist, the ministry of defence, russian administration and russian government. of course, there is that interference, hybrid interference, hybrid interference, happening already for the last week and it

alexander lu kashenko has not buckled.husband said the other day, fundamentally we will never go back to the way things were. he said a massive transformation is taking place, it is just not clear how long it will take. how can you be so sure of that, given you are not getting what you want from europe? how can you be so sure you are on the winning side? people of belarus have made their choice. it is not possible to put back that idea of freedom anymore. there is no way back for people. it is not possible for people to continue to live in the country led by the person who they hate, who tortured them, who raped them, who killed their relatives. there is simply no way back. unless he forces out the leaders of the protest movement, people such as yourself. you left almost a decade ago. there are maybe young people in belarus today who in the end give up, decide they have to do what you did and leave. then it will be very simple, europe, open your doors, 10 million are coming. are you ready for that? better get prepared to p

but alexander lu kashenko remains defiant, telling his supporters he won't give up his country after a week of demonstrations against his contested re—election. us house speaker nancy pelosi announces a vote to prevent changes in postal services ahead of the election. as the democratic party prepares to hold its national convention, we take a look at how the party faithful view their presidential candidate joe biden. and in thailand, more anti—government rallies in bangkok, with student activists demanding political change and reforms to the monarchy. hello and welcome. in belarus, the largest anti—government protests since last week's disputed elections, have been taking place, with further calls for alexander lu kashenko to step down. but he's vowing to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. mr lukashenko is accused of rigging the vote and unleashing a violent crackdown against demonstrators. it's thought as many as 100,000 people took to the streets in the centre of the capital, minsk, from wherejonah fisher, has sent us this report. a week after the

but alexander lu kashenko remains defiant — telling his supporters he won't give up his country, aftereek of demonstrations against his contested re—election. new zealand's general election is postponed because of a fresh outbreak of covid—19. house speaker nancy pelosi announces a vote to prevent changes in postal services ahead of the us election. and, rejecting the mask. why some europeans are refusing to wear them. in belarus, the largest anti—government protests since last week's disputed elections, have been taking place, with further calls for alexander lu kashenko to step down. but he's vowing to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. mr lukashenko is accused of rigging the vote and unleashing a violent crackdown against demonstrators. it's thought as many as 100,000 people took to the streets in the centre of the capital, minsk, from wherejonah fisher, has sent us this report. all chant. a week after the disputed election, belarus is voting with its feet. the centre of the capital, minsk ta ken over by hundreds of thousands of people. united in th

it comes after the president of belarus, alexander lu kashenko, accused what he described as foreigners of orchestrating the protests against his disputed re—election. he made his remarks in a visit to a military facility in the west of the country. protesters returned to the streets on saturday evening, demanding mr lu kashenko stand down. david campanale has more. his report contains scenes you may find disturbing. bc but they were sent in they show beatings by security forces. multiple cases of police detainees on the streets and in

protesters keeping up the pressure on alexander lu kashenko.s time the police were waiting for them and moved in. there were chaotic scenes. some protesters were detained, others tried to free their comrades. we found sasha wandering alone, completely confused. "where's my husband?" she says. "the police took him, but where is he?" "was he in here?" no reply. further down the avenue, there were more scuffles, and more riot police taking up positions. today's protest feels very different from the protests on previous sundays. as you can see, a lot more police, much tighter security, the police determined to stop this protest. it wasn't only the police putting on a show of strength — a column of armoured military vehicles was seen driving towards the centre of minsk. mr lukashenko had previously placed the army on high alert. as for the president, on his 66th birthday, this defiant image of a leader who has no intention of stepping down. but the protesters have other ideas. all chant. they managed to regroup, and then they flooded through the bel

violent demonstrations have been held since alexander lu kashenko's victory, which several groups sayfter a third night of protests against the president came protests against the police. the sound of car horns in the capital, minsk, several hundred women wearing white and holding flowers, joined hands against police brutality the night before. demonstrators were beaten. police using stun grenades as they chased peaceful protesters through the streets with tear gas and batons. neither were the media spared, this bbc team attacked by the police, who ordered them to stop filming. and in the city of brest, live bullets were used by the authorities. the un has condemned the use of violence. so far, 200 people had been wounded and 6,000 detained. families of some detainees chanting, "heroes, hold on!" translation: i only managed to tell my husband the police are coming our way. they came to us, and they came to my husband, "come with us." he only asked why, and they've already taken him, twisting his arms, taking him to the police van. translation: we just want to know where our children a

protesters keeping up the pressure on alexander lu kashenko.s time the police were waiting for them and moved in. there were chaotic scenes. some protesters were detained, others tried to free their comrades. we found sasha wandering alone, completely confused. "where's my husband?" she says. "the police took him, but where is he?" "was he in here?" no reply. further down the avenue, there were more scuffles, and more riot police taking up positions. today's protest feels very different from the protests on previous sundays. as you can see, a lot more police, much tighter security, the police determined to stop this protest. it wasn't only the police putting on a show of strength — a column of armoured military vehicles was seen driving towards the centre of minsk. mr lukashenko had previously placed the army on high alert. as for the president, on his 66th birthday, this defiant image of a leader who has no intention of stepping down. but the protesters have other ideas. all chant. they managed to regroup, and then they flooded through the bel

alexander lu kashenko weeks ago as well. welcome to bbc news.o has been in powerfor a long time. i suppose the odds are that he will remain in power but how much of the challenges at this time round? hello, yes, simply because of the levels of mobilisation are astounding. i'm standing outside the embassy in london. it's incredible, i'm looking at the crowd of people, how they are cheering everyone coming out of the embassy, the way they voted, an exit poll registering every vote that comes out here and what is amazing is that the queues, it's about 2000 people long and it basically passes so people long and it basically passes so many streets and the crowds and the peaceful movement of voters, also people in the demonstrations, it's incredibly peaceful but also wanting change. but president lukashenko one back, though it was civil unrest and demonstrations, do you think he will win this time and if he does, will the elections be considered free and fair? the prediction is that the president is likely to win this vote, given the way that the cent

this is bbc news, the headlines: an enormous crowd of opponents of the belarusian president, alexander lu kashenko, has gathered in minsk to demand his resignation. it comes amid growing anger over alleged poll—rigging, and police violence at subsequent protests. but the president has vowed to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said that she will recall the chamber later this week to vote on legislation to protect the postal service. democrats have accused president trump of trying to hamstring the cash—strapped postal service to suppress postal voting in november's election. new zealand's prime minister has announced that general elections due to take place in mid—september have been postponed because of a fresh covid—19 outbreak. jacinda ardern said date has been pushed back to october the 17th, giving parties time to resume their suspended election campaigns. now on bbc news, as wales begins to emerge from lockdown, bbc wales investigates looks at why people from ethnic minority backgrounds have

in belarus, sunday has become the key day for protests against alexander lu kashenko. key day for protestse than 100,000 people gathered here in the centre of links to demand his resignation and we are expecting another big anti—government rally here today. it will be interesting to see whether it is allowed to go ahead or if the police will try to stop it. yesterday the authorities here launched a crackdown on independent voices. 17 journalists launched a crackdown on independent voices. 17journalists had press accreditation is revoked. most of them were from belarus, belarus citizens working for foreign media. clearly a n attem pt citizens working for foreign media. clearly an attempt to interfere in coverage of events to make it harder for international news organisations to report on what is happening in belarus. it is three weeks since the presidential election which alexander lu kashenko claims presidential election which alexander lukashenko claims to have won by a landslide but which is widely believed to have been rigged in his favour. that vote was followed by a brutal police cra

alexander lu kashenko has gathered in minsk to demand his resignation. it comes amid growing anger over alleged poll—rigging and police violence at subsequent protests. but the president vows to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said that she will recall the chamber later this week to vote on legislation to protect the postal service. democrats have accused president trump of trying to hamstring the cash—strapped postal service to suppress mail—in voting in november's election. new zealand's prime minister has announced that general elections due to take place in mid—september have been postponed because of a fresh covid—19 outbreak. jacinda ardern told a news conference the poll date has been pushed back to october the 17th, giving parties time to resume their suspended election campaigns. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the chinese government goes to extraordinary lengths to control its own population. perhaps the mos

an enormous crowd of opponents of bela rusian president, alexander lu kashenko, has gathered in minsk to demand his resignation. it comes amid growing anger over alleged poll—rigging, and police violence at subsequent protests. but the president vows to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said that she will recall the chamber later this week to vote on legislation to protect the postal service. democrats have accused president trump of trying to hamstring the cash—strapped postal service to suppress postal voting in november's election. new zealand's prime minister has announced that general elections due to take place in mid—september have been postponed because of a fresh covid—19 outbreak. jacinda ardern told a news conference the poll date has been pushed back to october the 17th, giving parties time to resume their suspended election campaigns. there's more uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of students in the uk. the exams regulator has withdrawn its advice on how pupils in engl

a message for this man, alexander lu kashenko.s, he's been the president, but look how the people have turned against him. on independence square, they accused him of stealing the election and of violence against the people of belarus. our aim is to show the government that we are not their slaves. we are here to show that we never elected him and that we want the change. that we want the new country with a new president. in belarus, people are making their voices heard like never before. they're demanding change. but the problem for the protesters is that there's one man who isn't listening. alexander lukashenko has made it quite clear he has no intention of stepping down. but he has every intention of raising the stakes. today, mr lu kashenko donned military garb and watched the protesters from his helicopter. "they're running away like rats," he could be heard saying. back on the ground, kalashnikov in hand, he set off to find supporters. and he found them. a round of applause from the riot police. "you're doing a great job," h

violent demonstrations have been held since alexander lu kashenko's victory, which several groups sayight of protests against the president came protests against the police. the sound of car horns in the capital, minsk, several hundred women wearing white and holding flowers joined hands against police brutality the night before. demonstrators were beaten. police using stun grenades as they chased peaceful protest is through the streets with tear gas and batons. neither the media spared, this bbc team attacked by the police who ordered them to stop feeling. and in the city of brest, live bullets we re city of brest, live bullets were used by the authorities. un has condemned the use of violence. so far, 200 people had been wounded and 6000 detained. families of some detainees chanting, "heroes, hold on!" translation: i only managed to tell my husband the police are coming our way. they came to us, and they came to my husband, come with us. he only asked why and they've already taken him, to buy his arms, to the police van. translation: we just want to know where our children are, that

belarus after exit polls reported a sweeping victory for the long—time, authoritarian president alexander lu kashenkor lukashenko of rigging the election. this was the scene in the capital, minsk following the official poll which gave mr lukashenko nearly 80% of the vote. according to state television, riot police fired stun grenades to break up the crowd and ambulances were sent to the scene. president lukashenko is facing a wave of discontent, over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, and human rights. here's our moscow correspondent, sarah rainsford with the background to the vote. belarus has never seen an election like this. a nation demanding change after 26 years of authoritarian rule. you can tell most are opposition voters by their wristbands. those extraordinary scenes were mirrored at belarusian embassies around the world and from moscow to london, voters had the same call. we do need a new president, we do need new ideas in the government, we do need new policies in every sphere of life. as he arrived to vote for himself, though, alexander lukashenko didn't look at all w

it happened due to huge miscalculation on the part of alexander lu kashenko. huge miscalculation on theasked started with sergey tikhanovsky, who is a very popular blogger in belarus who had presidential ambitions, and when he was arrested on may 29 with a number of his supporters, svetla na tikhanovskaya, his wife, decided to run for president in his place and for a while, they didn't seem to attract a lot of attention on the part of mr lukashenko and his team and actually registered her as a candidate but then her candidacy really took off when the wife of another candidate who was written off the ballot, allegedly because 100,000 signatures that were supporting his candidacy were declared invalid, his wifejoined his candidacy were declared invalid, his wife joined forces together with svetlana tikhanovskaya and she was also joined by the campaign manager for another prominent candidate, and they electrify the countries people, with massive rallies outside the capital which was unprecedented. president lukashenko hasn't always taken female political rivals seriously. absolutely not. h

it was a call to supporters to recognise alexander lu kashenko as the people's choice for president,id bloodshed. no one bought that. protesters have come out for a third straight night, shouting for mr lukashenko to go. this is how similar scenes ended last night. police using stun grenades, rubber bullets and brute force against the growing demand for change. and yet, alexander lukashenko spent today talking food processing with officials. he's vowed there will be no revolution and blamed outside forces for fomenting unrest. that's why, when these russians were detained, state television paraded them as provocateurs. we know two of them were just observing the elections. across the country, desperate families are now hunting for the thousands who've been detained, mothers clamouring at prison gates. this crisis has already claimed one protester‘s life and increased the anger and upset. the woman these people voted for has fled, but what svetlana tikhanovskaya has started now has its own powerful momentum. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. two of hong kong's biggest opponents to ch

protests have broken out in belarus after exit polls gave alexander lu kashenko a comfortable victoryctions. demonstrators faced off against riot police in the capital minsk following the official poll, which gave him nearly 80% of the vote. state television says police fired stun grenades to break up the crowd and ambulances were sent to the scene. sarah rainsford reports. belarus has never seen an election like this. a nation demanding change after 26 years of authoritarian rule. you can tell most are opposition voters by their wristbands. those extraordinary scenes were mirrored at belarussian embassies around this world and from moscow to london, voters had the same call. we do need a new president, we do need new ideas in the government, we do need new policies in every sphere of life. as he arrived to vote for himself, though, alexander lukashenko didn't look at all worried. this man has won every election by a landslide since 1994. easy when you control the media and the vote count. and the man once dubbed europe's last dictator was scathing about his female opponent. translati

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

alexander lu kashenko was declared the winner of last sunday's election, having ruled the country forears, but critics believe the vote was rigged. the european union now says it doesn't recognise the result, and is preparing sanctions against belarus, where this evening thousands have been marching on independence square, in the capital minsk, from where abdu—jalil abdurasulov now reports. chanting. the opposition movement against president lu kashenko is growing. protesters have gathered in the main square of minsk. they are chanting, "freedom, freedom". they have brought flowers and balloons to show that their movement is peaceful. this is unprecedented for belarus, where authorities violently crack down on protesters. translation: i have been living here for 28 years and for 26 of them, he was ruler of this country, mr lukashenko, and i am really tired of it and i want to change it. at the notorious okrestina detention centre, a volunteer reads out the list of names of those who still remain inside. and as detainees leave jail, they show us bruises from vicious beatings. many tell

tens of thousands in belarus stage more protests against alexander lu kashenko's disputed election, as the government announces the release of detained protesters. his arrest in his own words. hong kong newspaper owner jimmy lai describes being detained under the territory's new security law. are you scared? no, i'm not. why should i be scared? welcome to the programme. israel and the united arab emirates have signed a peace treaty that will open the way to the two countries signing deals in areas such as trade, tourism, investment and security. as part of the us—mediated deal announced by president trump, israel will put on hold its plans to annex more palestinian land. but the surprise move has angered palestinian leaders, as our correspondent yoland knell reports from jerusalem. the face of a man who's made an historic deal. israel's leader talking to the crown prince of abu dhabi and president trump. already, there were signs of warming ties with arab gulf states who share fears over iran. an israeli minister in the uae. the delegation singing in the jewish sabbath. now such scenes

the re—elected president, alexander lu kashenko, has dismissed the protesters as "criminals and the unemployed are warning that many of beirut‘s children will carry the physical and psychological scars of last week's explosion into adulthood unless they receive proper support. a unicef report is also highligting that there are now as many as 80,000 children who have been made homeless.

"resign," they shouted — a message for this man, alexander lu kashenko. he's been the president. but look how the people have turned against him. 0n independence square, they accuse him of stealing the election and violence against the people of belarus. our aim is to show the government that we are not their slaves. we are here to show that we never elected him and that we want the change, that we want a new country with a new president. in belarus, people are making their voices heard like never before, they're demanding change. but the problem for the protesters is that there is one man who isn't listening — alexander lukashenko has made it quite clear he has no intention of stepping down. but he has every intention of raising the stakes. yesterday, president lukashenko put the army on high alert, claiming the protests were being orchestrated from abroad and warning that nato was about to invade his country. the president's critics say he's painting a false picture and they're not buying it. as he was preparing for today's protest, roman zakaria told m

well, sundays have become the key day for protest in belarus against alexander lu kashenko.of minsk. the crowd here are shouting, "disgrace." they are shouting, "disgrace" and they are shouting the message to people over there. look at all the riot police who have come out! this is why today's protest feels different from last sunday and the sunday before. a lot of riot police have come out. some of the protesters are lying down on the road, trying to stop the riot police from moving down. we know that up ahead, the police have cordoned off independence square to try to prevent the kind of mass gathering, the kind of numbers we have seen on previous weekends. now they are shouting, "go away, go away." it is something of a stand—off. the un refugee agency says hundreds of migrants who've been rescued in the mediterranean must be granted a place of safety. they're still at sea having been rescued by three boats — including one which has been paid for by the british street artist banksy. simonjones reports. brought to shore and to safety. 49 migrants who had initially been resc

opposition protesters in belarus have held a ninth night of protests against president alexander lu kashenkowhose re—election has been widely condemned as fraudulent. and brazil's vice president has defended its handling of the coronavirus pandemic despite being the worst hit country outside of the us. hello and welcome to bbc news. the democratic party in the us is about to begin its convention, the glossy event that's designed to drum up support forjoe biden and formally nominate him as the party's candidate. but this year the four—day jamboree will take place almost entirely online due to the pandemic. it will be based in wisconsin, a key swing state, but instead of the usual roaring crowds, speeches will be delivered remotely by video link. highlighting the absence of mr biden from wisconsin, president trump is visiting the state in person today. and at a rally in neighbouring minnesota, he launched a direct attack on mr biden and democrats. joe biden is the puppet of left—wing extremists trying to erase our borders, eliminate our police, indoctrinate our children, vilify our heroes, tak

it was a call to supporters to recognise alexander lu kashenko as the people's choice for president,reets to avoid bloodshed. no one bought that. protesters have come out for a third straight night, shouting for mr lukashenko to go. this is how similar scenes ended last night. police using stun grenades, rubber bullets and brute force against the growing demand for change. and yet, alexander lukashenko spent today talking food processing with officials. he's vowed there will be no revolution and blamed outside forces for fomenting unrest. that's why, when these russians were detained, state television paraded them as provocateurs. we know two of them were just observing the elections. across the country, desperate families are now hunting for the thousands who've been detained, mothers clamouring at prison gates. this crisis has already claimed one protester‘s life and increased the anger and upset. the woman these people voted for has fled, but what svetlana tikhanovskaya has started now has its own powerful momentum. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. stay with us on bbc news, stil

a ninth night of protests against the president alexander lu kashenko, saying his re—election was fraudulentthousands of demonstrators took over independence square in central minsk. the opposition candidate svetlana tikhanovskaya has suggested she could act as an interim leader. in the united states, the democratic party convention will start later in wisconsin. delegates will confirm joe biden as the man to challenge donald trump in november's election. but coronavirus restrictions mean the four—day event will take place almost entirely online, with joe biden giving his acceptance speech from his home—state of delaware. in a major reversal, students across the united kingdom will now get the grade given them by their school or college. there was an uproar after 40% of a—level results were downgraded hello, and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are madeline grant, deputy comment editor at the daily telegraph, and the political commentator and former director of communications for the labour party, lance price. welcome back to you both. let's

this is bbc news, the headlines: an enormous crowd of opponents of the belarusian president, alexander lu kashenko, has gathered in minsk to demand his resignation. it comes amid growing anger over alleged poll—rigging, and police violence at subsequent protests. but the president has vowed to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said that she will recall the chamber later this week to vote on legislation to protect the postal service. democrats have accused president trump of trying to hamstring the cash—strapped postal service to suppress postal voting in november's election. new zealand's prime minister has announced that general elections due to take place in mid—september have been postponed because of a fresh covid—19 outbreak. jacinda ardern said date has been pushed back to october the 17th. now on bbc news, dateline london. hello and welcome to dateline. this week... breakthrough or betrayal in the middle east? recession hits borisjohnson‘s promise of a decade of prosperity. and "that little

alexander lu kashenko is running for the sixth time — he's been in powerfor 26 years.this summer. but a political novice — svetla na tikhanovskaya — stepped into the race in their place and has drawn big crowds to rallies across the country, calling for change. 0ur reporter abdujalil abdurasulov sent us this dispatch from minsk. iamat i am at the polling station in the capital in minsk and this is how voters are being created here, by music and this lady who is giving out sweets to people who come to cast their ballots. let's go inside and check it out in there. it is not very crowded, as you can see, but this is hardly surprising as more than 40% of voters have already cast their ballots during the early voting period which started on august the 4th. this is probably the toughest challenge the incumbent alexander lu kashenko has toughest challenge the incumbent alexander lukashenko has faced since he came to power in 1994. we have been hearing a lot of reports of people being arrested and detained. the three main contenders were denied registration orjailed and mr luk

taking on the country double long—standing dictator alexander lu kashenko.he did not want to be a politician but had agreed to stand in her husband's place after he was jailed. thank you! i am not sure if i want this. for this month, i became much stronger but i am still not ready for what is going to happen. what followed was enormous popularity. then a rigged election. widespread police brutality. and the biggest protests the country had ever seen. while lu kashenko declared himself victorious, tikhanovskaya was forced to flee the country. as she emerges from hiding, we meet up with her again. this is her first interview in exile. so it is fair to say that a lot has happened since we last met. how are you? i don't know, as a matter of fact, because... as i have already told you when we met last, i wanted to give up so often and it hasn't changed since i just can't step away now because i became like a symbol of freedom. i understand that i am not a leader. i cannot lead all my people behind me because i am more frightened than anybody else among them. but

but alexander lu kashenko remains defiant — telling his supporters he won't give up his country, afterion. student activists stage more anti—government rallies in bangkok, demanding political change and reforms to the monarchy. and — as the democratic party prepares to hold its national convention — we take a look at how the party faithful view their presidential candidate

to find a solution to the political unrest after the disputed presidential election, won by alexander lu kashenko. with more protests expected this weekend, our correspondent steve rosenburg has been to president lukashenko‘s home town to gauge support for the embattled leader. a country consumed by protests still needs to work the land. bentham. it's famous for two things: its cucumbers, which have their own statue, and the president. alexander lukashenko grew up near here and ran a local farm in communist days. he's exhibit number one in the museum. alexander grudina has known mr lukashenko for a0 years. here they are, side—by—side back in the ussr at a meeting of the local communist party. translation: he was physically strong and he got angry very easily. but when he was younger and a democrat, we liked him, he was progressive. he's completely changed. but we did find some support here for the president. at the annual shklov teacher conference. translation: ijust don't understand what kind of bright future those protesters are fighting for. life's ok now, we are pleased with what the presiden

there's been unrest since the long serving leader, alexander lu kashenko, was declared the winner of, in a vote condemned by many countries as not being free or fair. police have made around 7,000 arrests, since mr lukashenka secured another term in office. some of those detained were released today, and tearful relatives gathered outside a jail north of the capital, minsk, hoping to be reunited with their loved ones. from there, our correspondent abdu—jalil abdura—sulov, sent this report. applause. factory workers down tools across belarus today. the protest mood in the country is changing following a violent crackdown on protesters. people are finding new ways to make their voices heard. although the number of protesters on the streets of mixed is going down, but the move against mr lukashenko will not go away back quickly. today, the workers at this plant are going on strike against the violence that courts are using to stop protesters. we demand honest elections, the change of regime, we demand freedom, democracy and peace in our homes. that is why we have come out. these are som

taking on the country double long—standing dictator alexander lu kashenko.and's place after he was jailed.

taking on the country's long—standing dictator alexander lu kashenko.and's place after he was jailed. congratulations. thank you! i am not sure if i want this congratulation, you know. for this month, i became much stronger but i am still not ready for what is going to happen. what followed was enormous popularity. then a rigged election. widespread police brutality. and the biggest protests the country had ever seen. while lu kashenko declared himself victorious, tikhanovskaya was forced to flee the country. as she emerges from hiding, we meet up with her again. this is her first interview in exile. so, it's fair to say that a lot has happened since we last met. yeah. how are you? i don't know, as a matter of fact, because... as i have already told you when we met last, i wanted to give up so often and it hasn't changed since — ijust can't step away now because i became like a symbol of freedom. i understand that i am not a leader. i cannot lead all my people behind me because i am more frightened than anybody else among them. but ijust cannot give up.

in order to have nonviolent transition, alexander lu kashenko must stop using firearms and main streets about russia? what is their role in this? russia did not expect such revolution. i think russia was not prepared enough. there is no russian political party nor organisation in belarus. so is closely following end of the situation gets unstable, alexander lukashenko will become to weaken there will be a vacuum in the power. definitely russia can step in. this is why this transition time when there is no clear legitimate power in the country must be shortened. so russia cannot come and put their own quy russia cannot come and put their own guy to lead belarus. how do you see this playing out? there are three scenarios. i think alexander lukashenko will definitely leave presidential chair very soon. and there are three reasons it can happen. the scenario when he flees the country and goes to russia. the second is popular revolution where he is arrested and sentenced in belarus or in the hague or somewhere else. 0r third to take over from the inside. someone near alexander lukashenko arr

opposition protesters in belarus have held a ninth night of protests against president alexander lu kashenko, whose re—election has been widely condemned as fraudulent. california's death valley has registered the highest temperature ever recorded on earth. and the maker of fortnite, one of the world's most popular video games, is filing a second lawsuit against apple to try and stop the tech company from blocking it. good to have you with us. the democratic convention has got underway in the united states. but like everything these days, it looked very different, with none of the razzmatazz usually on show when america's major political parties meet to elect their presidential nominee. instead of speeches in front of cheering crowds, during a two—hour televised event, there was series of live—streamed and pre—recorded appearances by the party's big names. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. remote, virtual and very unconventional. a political gathering in an era of coronavirus. made for tv event, introduced from a studio in los angeles by a hollywood actress. welcome to the

opposition leader in belarus has fled the country after disputing the re—election of president alexander lu kashenkost sunday's poll. nationwide protests have continued against a result widely regarded to have been tainted. the police have blocked off city centres and thousands of opposition supporters have been detained. now on bbc news, it's witness history. hello and welcome to a special edition of witness history with me, razia iqbal, here at the british academy in london as we present five amazing stories from the world of art. coming up, how the acclaimed british sculptor henry moore changed modern art. we speak to the man who wrapped the reichstag in 1995 and a nigerian artist inspired by the oil pollution of her homeland. plus the pioneer who photographed tsarist russia in colour. but first, we go to china where in 1974 an accidental discovery revealed one of the wonders of the world. a vast terracotta army which laid buried beneath the earth for more than 2000 years. archaeologist li xiuzhen worked on the astonishing find. newsreel: it is a vast pottery army that is slowly being unearthed f

belarus after exit polls reported a sweeping victory for the long—time, authoritarian president alexander lu kashenkoposition leaders have accused the president of rigging the election and denounced the expected result as a joke. hundreds of volunteers in mauritius are frantically trying to stop a huge oil spill from reaching the island's pristine beaches. the operator of the japanese tanker that ran aground last month, has publicly apologised for what environmentalists are calling an ecological disaster. the government has declared a state of emergency. the number of companies in the uk planning mass redundancies in june was five times higher than during the same period last year, according to figures obtained by the bbc. airbus, royal mail and hsbc were among nearly 1,800 firms which announced job cuts in june. here's our business correspondent katy austin. in late may, liz received the news she had been dreading, work had dropped off at the mailing firm she had worked and she was being made redundant from her adminjob. i feel like iamon from her adminjob. i feel like i am on the scrapheap if i'm h

man who died on monday at one of the protests against the contested re—election of president alexander lu kashenkotests had gathered pace following a brutal police crackdown. the prime ministers of the three baltic countries of latvia, estonia and lithuania have called on belarus to rerun the election. our correspondent reports now from minsk. he has been replaced by angen minsk. he has been replaced by anger. thousands of people in belarus continued coming out onto the street to voice their protests against president lukashenko. people are gathering at the site where alexander look ski, who died wannabe protesters who died at a protest here in minsk. they are chanting, we will never forget, we will never forgive! some such kinds of things we re forgive! some such kinds of things were unimaginable in belarusjust a week ago. we are sure everything will change. we believe in our victory. that is why we will come in the street every day, every single day. i was calling my friends and telling them, you should go to the city centre when people out there with their flowers. because you can go full freed

headlines: belarus has begun to release thousands of people detained in protests against alexander lu kashenko's india now, where the government is now allowing the sale and registration of electric vehicles without batteries, which rather begs the question, why would you buy an electric car without a battery? arunoday mukherji is standing by in delhi to explain more. hello to you, why? good morning. there is a very good reason and at all points towards your wallet because 30%- 40% of the towards your wallet because 30%— 40% of the cost of an electric vehicle is made of that big battery that comes with these vehicles and this is being seen as another measure by the government to try to get people, to try to encourage people, to try to encourage people to switch over from their diesel and petrol vehicles to electric vehicles which is also in line with the government's overall plans to try to reduce its carbon footprint and to try and go into more green modes of travel. it remains to be seen whether this will actually be picked up or not because electric vehicles and india are yet to really catch