but president lu kashenko, he hasn't the streets. lukashenko, he hasn't blinked, he hasn't buckled. are you surprised? 0h, he blinked. and iam sure surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw a surprised? 0h, he blinked. and i am sure you saw a number of days ago when he was in his helicopter, fully equipped with a rifle, and he presented himself as a complete joke to the world. so we need to understand he is in that mental condition, because he has messiah psychopathic, and he speaks, and now we need to understand is the world what to do with him next, because people are standing up. yes, but when you say he made himself a complete joke, but when you say he made himself a completejoke, are you sure the people of belarus saw it that way? after all, the man was holding an automatic rifle, he was talking to his own security forces on the streets, heavily armed, determined to press the protesters. that is not a joke, thatis protesters. that is not a joke, that is real, that is what i

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, aftereek of demonstrations against his contested re—election. new zealand's general election is postponed because of a fresh outbreak of covid—19. us house speaker nancy pelosi announces a vote to prevent changes in postal services ahead of the election. and, 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. 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 ce

protesters returned to the streets on saturday evening, demanding mr lu kashenko stand down. 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

but for now, president lu kashenko clings on air.or now, president lukashenko clings on to power. this was his rally today in minsk. just a few thousand showed up, and embarrassing turnout for a man who claims to have won 80% of the vote. in a defiant speech, he rejected calls for new elections, telling his supporters that nato tanks were near the border. "leave, leave", they chanted. exactly how they do that, is unclear. do you think the president is going to go peacefully? i'm not sure about it but we're not going away. today, tomorrow, next week, we will sit here on the streets andi will sit here on the streets and i would like to say that i was born in 1998 and i spent all my life with president lukashenko and i don't want it anymore. this was a day when ella roosy and found their voice. —— macro two. dax —— belarusians. lock voice. —— macro two. dax —— bela rusians. lock him voice. —— macro two. dax —— belarusians. lock him up, they chant, their president may have passed the point of no return. mitchell a 0renstein is professor

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

lu kashenko is feel relaxed. it is not yet over.ewd, smart and experienced dictator who will not leave just yet. he will hold onto power no matter what because he has much to lose. this is why it is important that at this moment the international community helps and supports the protesters and threatens the regime with sanctions to make it more open to negotiations with protesters in belarus. on the other side of courses the support of the russian president. how deep is that support? how far do you think the russian president would be willing to go to keep his ally empowered? many observers mention that vladimir putin is afraid of a chain reaction if a democratic movement in belarus is allowed to when. that will create risks for vladimir putin himself in russia. but belarus is also important for strategic reasons and the kremlin uses it asa reasons and the kremlin uses it as a buffer against western leaders and as a matter of fact there is a doctrine that outlines mutual commitments between vladimir putin and belarus to help one ano

we often hear president lu kashenko referred to as europe's ‘last dictator'. quite as simple as him always having an antagonistic relationship with his european neighbours. there have been times when he has moved towards them and away from russia. where exactly does belarus sit in these kind of big power plays? you are absolutely right. for 26 years, lukashenko has done what some analysts have called "doing a pirouette." he spins between the west, the eu and the united states. when russia exerts pressure on belarus he turns to the west. when the west tries to push lu kashenko and bela rusian society more towards democratic norms, he then moves towards russia. he has been able to keep this balancing act going for so long, but it has now come to an end. belarusian society has clearly said that he must leave and that they are demanding free and fair elections. and for president lukashenko to remain in power, he will need assistance from russia. and that is where the balancing act has now come to an end. if in fact russia comes in very heavily to support president

but lu kashenko disagrees. europe, he seems determined to hold onto that title. paul hawkins, bbc news. how might all this play out? i been speaking with jonathan katz, senior fellow with the german marshall fund of the united states, a foreign policy think tank. what we're seeing in belarus a change, a change how russians see themselves, democracy, and they want change after 26 years of authoritarian rule with alexander lu kashenko, so we don't know exactly how this will pay out, it's clear that mr lukashenko fears for his leadership, his power. there are reports that his family has left to go to turkey so we can't confirm everything that is happening right now, but what we do know is that this change is for real, so it's particularly important for those partners of belarus to take this seriously and to be able to support the people of belarus. and i think that's what's happening now, you are seeing within the eu, you saw secretary pompeo today speaking about the need to ensure that human rights are protected

but alexander lu kashenko remains defiant — telling his supporters he won't give up his country, aftereek of demonstrations against his contested re—election. 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 joe biden. 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. chanting. a week after the disputed election, belarus is voting with its feet. the centre of the capital, minsk, taken over by hundreds of thousands of peopl

also lu kashenko's handling living of the people. handling of the covid—19 pandemic has been nothing short of abysmal. he was saying it has nothing to worry about. it's not anything serious or real. nothing that can't be cured without some vodka or a sauna or a good game of hockey. this has seriously cut into his popularity so we think the belarus in people are saying enough is enough right now. you mention the role of russia. it is interesting they have cut the subsidies. i assume they want to maintain their influence in the country. yes, they do. the relationship between vladimir putin alexander lu kashenko has between vladimir putin alexander lukashenko has been very tight. they personally do not like it either. in fact, they despise each other. it is kind of this forced marriage, if you will, belarus is considered very important by the russians. it is what they consider part of the strategic depth. you can translate that as passive and obedient countries on the western border. vladimir putin has a lwa ys border. vladimir putin ha

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

by the uk government belarus releases some of the thousands detained in protests against alexander lu kashenko‘s disputed election victory. spain closes all its bars and nightclubs amid fears of a rise in coronavirus infections.

pretty concerning, especially if you think that lukashenko concerning, especially if you think that luu think that lukashenko decided to put the entire country off—line in order to stifle the them. so it is difficult for them to organise and communicate on whatsapp or other social networks. interesting that russia and china have recognised the result but a lot a great deal love lost between lukashenko but a lot a great deal love lost between lu kashenko and but a lot a great deal love lost between lukashenko and president putin but but worth bearing in mind that politically, putin would want to see any influence perhaps of the west or nato. —— would not want to see. right on his doorstep. very, very complicated geopolitical situation there as has been described in recent days. but do you know something? i don't think whether we are in england or the uk or france or whether we are in england or the uk 01’ france or wherever we whether we are in england or the uk or france or wherever we are, we have no idea what is is like to live in these under the power of these some of these regimes.

the way, the evidence of this trade—off ongoing between putin and lukashenko at the moment is that luo of a group of 33 wagner group mercenaries. the fact that they were returned to russia demonstrates that there is a trade—off between vladimir putin and lukashenko as we speak. president trump has warned that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the united states is not ready for a postal ballot in the november elections. he's said that universal mail—in voting would be catastrophic and make the nation a laughing stock around the world. the ongoing row over mail—in voting has sparked protests outside the home of the postmaster general, who is a trump loyalist and major republican donor. president trump is opposed to more funding for the postal service, even though the organisation has warned that millions of mail—in votes may not arrive in time to be counted on election day. well, for more we've been hearing from amy gardner, national political reporter at the washington post, who explained the issues surrounding postal voting in the us. mail balloting is common in many states in the uni

president alexander lu kashenka has ruled the country since 1994, and according to the official resultresidential election with eighty percent of the vote. until now he's held firm on the poll, even earlier today telling factory workers: "we held the election. until you kill me, there will be no other election". but he was jeered and heckled — here's what happened. here's more from the bbc‘s sarah rainsford in moscow. i think there were scenes a public in radiation are very difficult for anyone to survive but belarus is an authoritarian state so as not normal in that sense so perhaps mr lukashenko can find some way to cling on and as those jeers and heckling were coming from the cloud, heckling were coming from the cloud, he stood there firmly, responded to the crowd. it was quite... fascinating psychological study of a man who must never have encountered this before in his 26 years of the presidency, but certainly, with every passing day, the number of groups, the companies, the different sectors of society who are now coming out and openly voicing their criticism of alexander lukashe

the opposition movement against president lu kashenko is growing. 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 harrowing stories of torture and abuse. serhiy was arrested on monday. riot police threw him into a police van before torturing him. they used batons and electrocuted him with a stun gun. translation: whenever we moved or said a word, they would beat us. one of the police said, "if i was ordered to burn you alive, i would." they could do anything to you. the pain was unbearable, a

a message for this man, alexander lu kashenko.6 years, 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 j

similar rallies are reportedly the opposition of president, lu kashenko is taking see. .-.l.-..—..-.said many of his colleagues are afraid to join the movement because they are concerned that they could lose theirjobs, their salaries, and therefore, it is not clear how long will this movement last. the opposition desperately needs support of these workers who could tip the balance of power in this country. time now for our global coronavirus update. the world health organization chief has sent a letter to all member states asking them to join multilateral vaccine efforts. have a listen. sharing finite supply stratigically globally is actually in each country's national interest. no one is safe until everyone is safe, as new diagnostics, medicines and viruses come through the pipeline. it is critical that countries don't repeat the same mistakes. we need to prevent vaccine nationalism. but already countries are acting individually to secure vaccines for their own citizens. for example the australian government said today it's signed a deal with the company astrazeneca, who are develop

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

said experienced pollster frank lu ntz. said he experienced pollster frank luntz.elt like there were two going on this week. in fact, no, we're going to take you live to the... that's go to the convention. in both civic and governmental roles. this evening, we look at heroes in oui’ evening, we look at heroes in ourland. our evening, we look at heroes in our land. our second lady of the united states for the past 3.5 years, i have have had the honour of meeting many heroes across this great country. the pences are a military family. ourson pences are a military family. our son michael serves in the united states marines and our son—in—law henry serves in the us navy. and one of my key initiatives is to encourage military spouses. these men and women, like our daughter charlotte and our daughter—in—law sarah, other homefront heroes. i have been privileged to hear so many stories of selfless support, volunteer spirit and great contributions to the armed forces and our communities. you know, military spouses may experience frequent moves and job changes, periods of be

but lu kashenko disagrees.s determined to hold onto that title. doctors in the lebanese capital are warning that many of beirut‘s children will carry the physical and psychological scars of last week's explosion into as many as 80,000 children have been made homeless, according to unicef. this report from rami ruhayem you may find some of it distressing. this is yara, a quiet li—year—old who likes to play alone. she was at home with her father when the explosion happened. her mother was out. a week has passed since the blast at the port of beirut sent shards of glass flying into her face, and sent her flying down the staircase. this is nour. his father carried him and pushed him under a desk as their home shook with the blast. his mother says the kids no longer sleep in their rooms, and keep asking whether this will happen again. she says the blast brought back memories of the civil war that ended three decades ago. many behaviours will be part of the healthy processing of the event. separating those symptoms w

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.

to kick off the democrats week and talk about what's making headlines is democratic congressman ted lu. good to have you here. >> thank you, kristen. >> you're a second term congressman representing part of l.a. county. lately, you've gotten a lot of national attention though due to your tweets calling out haters, internet trolls and even president trump. when president trump said in an interview, if i pluz the election, you'll have to learn to speak chinese and you, representative lu, tweeted, dear real donald trump, i speak chinese and serve on active duty military, something you were too afraid to do, to defend your right to say stupid stuff. that stuff, we blocked out. fair to say there's quite a bit of edge there? >> trying to tell the truth i want people to pay attention. this is not only not normal but what he's doing is destroying our republic. >> also, in that tweet, i sense there's some personal experience that was driving the anger there. is that right? >> we know that asian americans have experienced an unprecedented level of hate crimes. since this pandemic started over ha

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

tens of thousands in belarus staged more protests against alexander lu kashenko‘s disputed election,nd a police crackdown. the government has announced the release of more than a thousand detained protesters, and apologised to injured bystanders. mexico's health ministry has reported the total number of coronavirus cases in the country is over 505,000. the number of deaths has risen to over 55,000. but the government says the number of infected people is probably significantly higher than the confirmed cases. now on bbc news it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. one of the world's most sensitive conflict zones is heating up again. last month, armenian and azerbaijani forces clashed, and at least 17 people were killed. it is the latest twist in a long—running dispute over nagorno—karabakh. well, my guest today is armenia's prime minister, nikol pashinyan. is armenia preoccupied with fighting old battles? prime minister nikol pashinyan in yerevan. welcome to hardtalk. thank you. hi. it's more than two years now since you swept into power with very high hopes for the 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, 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 backgrou

opposition protesters in belarus have held a ninth night of protests against the president alexander luo, saying his re—election was fraudulent. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the chinese government goes to extraordinary lengths to control its own population. perhaps the most extreme example, xinjiang, where muslim uighur people have faced systematic repression. but the principal of authoritarian control runs much deeper. my guest today is wu'er kaixi, a political dissident in exile, part of the 1989 tiananmen generation. he is himself a uighur. has beijing effectively snuffed out the spirit of tiananmen? wu'er kaixi in taiwan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. thank you for having me back. it is a pleasure to have you on the show. i think we must begin with what is happening in xinjiang, particularly to the uighur muslim communities in xinjiang. there is a rising level of international condemnation at what the chinese government is doing. as you watch this situation very closely, do you see any sign china is modifying its polic

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

tens of thousands in belarus staged more protests against alexander lu kashenko‘s disputed re—electione government has announced it will release all protesters detained in five days of clashes with police. britain is to impose a m day quarantine on all arrivals from france and the netherlands, after a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. the measure will come into effect on saturday. up to half a million uk tourists are thought to be in france at the moment. the pressures heaped on the nhs and england by the coronavirus pandemic have been highlighted by new figures showing a record 1.8 million people injune having to wait longer than the 18 week target for routine treatment. more than 50,000 have waited over a year and there is a real concern cancers are being missed or diagnosed late because urgent referrals are down more than 20% injune compared to last year. our health editor reports now on some of the ways the nhs is trying to tackle the backlog. remember the nightingale hospitals? this one is in exeter with more than 100 beds but with no coronavirus patients right now, part

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

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

it was a call to supporters to recognise alexander lu kashenko as the people's choice for president,t 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 fementing 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, still to come: kamala harris — the fifty—f

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

in the latest protest against lu kashenko, activists formed a human chain across the capital minsk.en speaking exclusively to our europe correspondent jean mackenzie in lithuania. the woman many think should've been crowned president of belarus. a woman who never even wanted to be a politician — breaking cover for the first time since being forced into exile. she now leads the 0pposition from afar. and when we sit down with her, that reluctant sense of duty still shows. i just can't step away now, you know, because i became like a symbol of freedom. i understand that i'm not a leader. i'm more frightened than anybody else among them. what frightens you ? i'm afraid that maybe i will not be able to do enough. i don't know, it'sjust a fear of responsibility. this was the moment she disappeared, the day after the election when long—time president lukashenko declared himself the victor. when she emerged in lithuania, she hinted at a terrible choice she'd had to make to keep her children safe. can you tell me anything about what happened in those election offices and what choice you were

belarus after exit polls reported a sweeping victory for the long—time, authoritarian president alexander luaccused mr 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

lu kashenko has been there a very long time.of power around him. russia is in the wings waiting too. the key to this is the military and other structures of that kind that take the view the status quo is unsustainable for the country and their interest lies with the people. he appeared before factory workers the other day, theyjeered him and heckled him. reminiscent of romania. but you don't think that will be enough to push him out of power? the country is pretty much on a knife edge now. the initial response for lukashenko, was to crush and repress the protests against the falsified results. that did not have the intended effect of frightening people into silence as in the past. on the contrary, it has brought new and wider groups into the support of change. the workers in the state—owned enterprises, the crown jewels of lu kashenko's economy, they have increasingly sided with the opposition. a combination of forces, really, overwhelming in the country, from border to border, a raid against the authorities now. it is a situati

it is a situation lu kashenko does not authorities now. deal with it, which is why she is now throwing more sand in every‘s eyes by claiming a external threat, which is manifestly untrue. thank you, nigel, former british ambassador to belarus. the headlines on bbc news. schools are ‘safe' — england's chief medical officers seek to reassure parents as millions of children prepare to return to the classroom. opposition protesters in belarus plan another big demonstration in minsk — two weeks after president lukashenko's disputed election victory. president trump declares california's wildfires a major disaster — releasing federal funds to victims who've lost their homes. staying with those california wildfires now — and president trump has approved the state's request to declare the blazes a major disaster. it means federal funds will be available to help victims of the fires. at least six people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled as over 500 separate fires burned more than 4000 square kilometres of land in a week. our north am

when the west tries to push lu kashenko and bela russian society more towards democratic norms he then able to keep this balancing act going for so long but it has now come to an end. belarussian society has clearly said that he must leave and they are demanding free and fair elections. and for president lukashenko to remain in power, he will need assistance from russia. and that is where the balancing act has now come to an end. if in fact russia comes in very heavily to support president lukashenko. coming back to the protest, we heard some of the ambitions of the people out on the streets but as you mentioned, he has been a powerfor 26 years. this is hardly the first election about which there have been questions. why now and why are people turning out in such numbers now do you think? yes. i think what has happened is the belarussian people now understood that their very future hangs in the balance. we hear comments that as young people increasingly leave belarus, there is no hope, no future. and i think after these violent and brutal demonstrations by the belarusian security polic