and lukashenko can only escalate.ut we see that he does not even threaten peoplinside the country. now he is starting threatening people abroad. in japan, as happened with krystsina tsimanouskaya, or the man on a flight which was forced to land in minsk. so this is all very scary and worrying. that's why more reaction is needed. as long as lukashenko feels impunity, he will continue escalating repression inside and outside the country. brent: journalist hanna liubakova, we appreciate your reporting tonight. thank you. at the olympic games in tokyo, candidate finally broke through to win a gold medal in the 200 meters after one bronze and two silvers. he madet to the top of t podium. it ended years of frustrating finishes behind the likes of usain bolt. earlier, the hundred meter hurdles on another world record in the women's event. sydney of the u.s. edged out her compatriot, defending champion. at the skateboard venue, youth ruled the day at the women's park skateboarding final. japan won the inaugural event. and at

lukashenko will try to clear the field.ou know, that it would be no, any attempt for resistance, even people -- even peaceful demonstrations. peaceful demonstrations are not allowed. so i think that the situation with human rights is getting worse and worse. we have now about 600 political officials, political dean eight -- political detainees in our country. and the arrests are rising also. so you know that they were about 40,000 people who got through prisons after these presidential elections. 40,000. if you can compare with the largest in central and eastern europe after the second world war, in poland there were about 10,000 going through prisons. and poland is four times bigger than belarus. so you can imagine the scale of the terror that belarus civil society faces now from the side of this regime. but from another point, we're pretty optimistic. because one day it will blow up, and there are no other ways, but we will definitely win. because it's impossible now to breathe, but you know the society cannot live the sa

lukashenko— political ones are very tough. lukashenko is— political ones are very tough.n in poland as an enemy. — lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy. and _ lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy, and he's _ lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy, and he's having - lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy, and he's having a - lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy, and he's having a lot| as an enemy, and he's having a lot of nrilitary— as an enemy, and he's having a lot of military forces _ as an enemy, and he's having a lot of military forces around _ as an enemy, and he's having a lot of military forces around the - of military forces around the horder~ _ of military forces around the horder~ we _ of military forces around the border. we know— of military forces around the border. we know that - of military forces around the border. we know that he - of military forces around the border. we know that he is. of military forces around the - border. we know that he is acting as a proxy— border. we know that he is acting as a proxy

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.r ago, this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he'd never seen before. but now there's no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria kolesnikova was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow, she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september, but maria writes from her cell every day to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter is not guilty, and she's _ so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, "whatever sentence i get, i'm ready for that". she writes to me all the time that we'll meet against soon, that everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok. even our meeting

alexander lukashenko calls this his "big conversation."d most of the talking. exactly a year after his controversial re—election as president, we were in minsk to question him on the mass protests and the repression that followed. and, on international sanctions, including new measures introduced today by the uk. translation: you can choke on your sanctions in britain. l we didn't know what britain was for a thousand years and we don't want to know now. you are american lapdogs. applause. but the punishment is for the vicious suppression of the protests and the torture of hundreds of detainees. after such brutality, i wanted to know how alexander lukashenko could possibly stay on as president. translation: it's fake, dear girl. - it's fake. why would they be tortured? they weren't even under investigation. if people had bruises, they got them on the streets when they threw themselves at riot police. well, that was quite a performance by lukashenko. obviously, very comfortable and very confident here, still in his presidential palace. he sh

hello xander lukashenko told a news conference he won the election fairly. he described his opponents as foreign educors. we have this look back at 12 turbulent months since that. >> a year ago, the belarusians were queuing other people to vote after their country's most lively election campaign. they had only been registered as the government was convinced they had no chance of winning. other position figures said they had been jailed before they could even run. record turnout, so many belarusians wait for hours. when authorities announced this 80% victory for lukashenko, many could not believe their eyes. soon, evidence emerged, making these unusual exit. after the polls closed on november 9, protesters took to the streets. the police response was swift and brutal. thousands were arrested. any simple he disappeared for days on end. relatives begin gather outside places. this prefer any news about the loved ones. reports spread of beatings, sexual abuse and lifesaving medicines. the response backfired. protests grew larger and larger as ordinary people disc

alexander lukashenko calls this his "big conversation."ar after his controversial re—election as president, we were in minsk to question him on the mass protests and the repression that followed. and, on international sanctions, including new measures introduced today by the uk... translation: you can choke on your sanctions in britain. l we didn't know what britain was for a thousand years and we don't want to know now. you are american lapdogs. applause. but the punishment is for the vicious suppression of the protests and the torture of hundreds of detainees. after such brutality, i wanted to know how alexander lukashenko could possibly stay on as president. translation: it's fake, dear girl. it's fake. why would they be tortured? they weren't even under investigation. if people had bruises, they got them on the streets when they threw themselves at riot police. well, that was quite a performance by lukashenko. obviously, very comfortable and very confident here, still in his presidential palace. he shrugged off all the accusations, all

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.ear ago, this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale he had never seen before. but now, there is no public sign at all of the challenge because so many people have been arrested since then and the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protests, touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow, she goes on trial for attempting to overthrow the authority or's. her father has not been allowed to see her since her arrest. >> she told me, whatever sentence i get, i'm ready for that. she writes to me all the time that we will meet again soon, everything will be ok. reporter: belarus today feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. bbc news, minsk. laura: how dissent is crushed. in other news, andrew cuomo faces auncertain political future as governor of new york state after an investigation found he sexually harassed women

my colleague asked mr lukashenko for his reaction.reat britain existed and we don't want to know now. you are america's lapdogs. it's dramas like this one that have cemented mr lukashenko's reputation as euroope's last dictator. in may, he forced a ryanairjet flying from greece to lithuania to land in minsk so he could arrest an opposition blogger. and last week, the death of a belarusian dissident in kyiv prompted more international scrutiny of mr lukashenko's government. he denies any connection to that death. he had this warning to the west. your accusations and your sanctions will end badly for you. you are risking starting world war iii, is that what you are trying to push us and the russians into? what do you want, do you want to win this war? there will be no winners and if there are, it would be not you. continued defiance from the leader who has made his country a pariah in the west. vodafone has become the second uk mobile phone network to reintroduce roaming charges for customers travelling in europe. charges of at least £1

well, that was quite a performance by lukashenko.ent here, still in his presidential palace. he shrugged off all the accusations, all the criticism, and yet we have been talking to people here in minsk who have suffered a lot in the past year and who say there is a real sense of fear here now. this attack was fatal. roman bondarenko was beaten, then dragged into custody. he'd been trying to protect opposition symbols on a protest square. his mother isn't even allowed to leave flowers here. roman�*s death sparked more protests and the authorities don't want shrines to him. never mind life on mars — how about living on mars? well nasa is now on the lookout for four people who will do virtually that — spend a year in a martian habitat, designed to recreate the atmosphere and life that astronauts might experience on the red planet. they'll live in mars dune alpha, a 1,700—square—foot habitat created by a 3d printer but placed inside a building at thejohnson space center in houston. we can now speak to melodie yashar, director of architec

i can disa ear opposing president lukashenko. i can disa- ear at opposing president lukashenko.ure of my country. the same as all those fighting in the moment feel their responsibility. the discovery today that this television activists had been found deadin television activists had been found dead in the ukrainian capital kyiv will add to concerns about the safety of those opposing president lukashenko. task el. the activists was found hanged in park. the ngo he ran says it had received warnings that television special forces were in the area. —— belarus. well, you saw krystina timanovskaya speaking to bbc newshour in that report — and we can see a little more of that now. she told my colleague razia iqbal that that she was shocked at what had happened because she has never said anything �*political�*. translation: i was very surprised, i didn't understand because i didn'tl say anything political. i just said that my trainers took decisions behind my back and i was very surprised. i want people to stop being afraid, i want them to speak out because when there is pressure it's r

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.ago, this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he'd never seen before. but now there's no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow, she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september, but maria writes from her cell every day to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter's not guilty, and she's so brave that i i can't be anything but positive. she told me, "whatever sentence i get, i'm ready for that." - she writes to me all the time, that we'll meet against soon, | that everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being m

the eu not to give into lukashenko. >> the answer should be even stronger. you cannot be blackmailed by a regime. >> the number of migrants arriving at the border has decreased since the rack stopped flights to belarus, but the situation remains tense. warning shots can be heard from the belarusian side. al jazeera, lithuania. host: the u.s. has declared a water shortage of its largest reservoir, triggering mandatory cuts to some western states. this lake mead serves some 40 million people. the region is struggling with drought and record high temperatures. firefighters are battling to contain a fast spreading wildfire in a southern french region. thousands of people have been evacuated since the fire broke out monday. officials say it spread through about 50 square kilometers of forest. planes and helicopters are being used to try to douse the flames. strong winds are hampering efforts to put out fires in spain. they are fighting a record-breaking heat wave in a fire of more than 5000 heck takers. teachers in sri lanka have gone on strike to demand better p

there will even be a new sanction on the luxury aircraft used by president lukashenko and his croniess the morning, president lukashenko said he would respond to the sanctions but he suggested they would have the opposite effect than was intended. would have the opposite effect than was intended-— would have the opposite effect than was intended. james landale, thanks ve much. campaigners fighting to save an alpaca from being put down will march on downing street later this afternoon to lobby for a reprieve. the government says geronimo must be culled because he's twice tested positive for bovine tb, which is a risk to cattle. andrew plant reports. she has been fighting to keep her alpaca alive for four years. now geronimo's story has started making headlines, after the courts ruled he could be put down any time in the next four weeks. how are you feeling about all the support that you've had? oh, just immense. it's keeping me going. this is an animal injustice. what are you going to do if people turn up at your gates? i'm not going to break the law but i won't be making it easy. i'm

we see in posed against mr lukashenko himself and against his son and other entities. same kind of thing in an effort to try and curb this kind of behaviour. but in one shape or another belarus has been under some sanctions on and off for a couple of decades now. we've not seen any change in mr lukashenko his behaviour and indeed if anything we are seeing activity thatis if anything we are seeing activity that is even more in defiance of international law in international well. so it's questionable how effective those sanctions are. clearly belarus is paying something of a price for its activities. vitaliy shevchenko is russia editor at bbc monitoring and joins me now. very different stories being put out there by the athlete and what more do we know about what would happen to vitaly shishov? the would happen to vitaly shishov? tie: discussion falls would happen to vitaly shishov? tue: discussion falls around but points to his death being so silent for murder. earliertoday to his death being so silent for murder. earlier today police in kyiv presented initialfindings m

my colleague sarah rainsford asked mr lukashenko for his reaction.rica's lapdogs. it's dramas like this one that have cemented mr lukashenko's reputation as europe's last dictator. in may, he forced a ryanairjet flying from greece to lithuania to land in minsk so he could arrest an opposition blogger. and last week, the death of a belarusian dissident in kyiv prompted more international scrutiny of mr lukashenko's government. he denies any connection to that death. but he had this warning to the west. "your accusations and your sanctions will end badly for you." translation: you are risking starting world war iii. - is that what you are trying to push us and the russians into? is that what you are trying to push us and the russians into? what do you want? do you want to win this war? there will be no winners, and if there are, it would be not you. continued defiance from the leader who has made his country a pariah in the west. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. about 30% of 18 to 29—year—olds in the uk still haven't had their first coronavirus jab.

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.tire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he'd never seen before. but now there's no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria kolesnikova was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow, she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september, but maria writes from her cell every day to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter is not guilty, and she's _ so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, "whatever sentence i get, i'm ready for that. she writes to me all the time that we'll meet against soon, that everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monito

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.quare and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he'd never seen before. but now there's no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria kolesnikova was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow, she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september, but maria writes from her cell every day to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter is not guilty, and she's _ so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, "whatever sentence i get, i'm ready for that". she writes to me all the time that we'll meet against soon, that everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monitored f

president lukashenko and the reaime belarus. president lukashenko and the regime will _ belarus.aged 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 government. so that's why they reacted so harshly and now trying to present the situation or krystsina tsi

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.ts around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he had never seen before. but now there is no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protest. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow she goes on trial for attempting to overthrow the authorities. her father hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest. translation: she told me "whatever sentence i get, i i'm ready for that." she writes to me all the time, that we'll meet against soon. everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok — even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the foreign office has confirmed its urgently investigating the suspected hijacking of an oil tanker off the coast of the united arab emirates. several other vessels nearby reported losing control

many people want lukashenko to go.t's why they been protesting peacefully for so many months. that's why there's this discontent that's not over and they're still trying to protest in their neighbourhoods and even though they are small rallies they are really resilient, there's a lot of frustration and a lot of hopelessness but there is a lot of strength among the people as well. and what lukashenko is doing right now, he's trying destroy civil society but people are sort of fighting back because they have not given up and the movement, the fight. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. how social media and some massive stars has given knitting a new lease of life with a younger generation. nicola sturgeon has confirmed that the scottish government will go ahead with plans to end most remaining covid restrictions on august 9th. the first minister said laws requiring physical distancing and limiting social gatherings will be dropped and all venues will be allowed to open. but laws requiring face coverings to be worn in

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he had never seen before. but now there is no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protest. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow she goes on trial for attempting to overthrow the authorities. her father hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest. translation: she told me "whatever sentence i get, i i'm ready for that." she writes to me all the time, that we'll meet against soon. everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok — even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the un says at least 40 afghan civilians have been killed in intense fighting in the past 24 hours, as the taliban and government forces battle for control of helmand's provincial capital. it said thousands of peopl

alexander lukashenko himself. his so-called death squad. i will repeat this. this was the demonstrate of execution made to intimidate anybody who was active in the ukraine. hidden >> based on the circumstances and the threat he received, it is clear that this was done by the belarusian special services. this is murder. vitelli was found hanged and beaten. >> there may have been a target on his back given that he was in charge of the belarusian house in ukraine. one of the most prominent opposition leaders expressed her own doubts over his death. this after a meeting with boris johnson. >> i would say it was a crime but i can't say that without any results of the investigation. >> this comes amid a crackdown by strong, alexander lukashenko. for now, authorities in minsk have not reacted to this incident. >> china was among the first countries to get covid-19 last year after the virus emerged their. they have punted authorities to impose local lockdowns. with dozens of cities affected, some regional travel has been suspected. tourists have been banned from enter

president lukashenko has cracked down on dissent.espite criticism from capital cities across the continent, eu sanctions and worldwide condemnation, his government has continued its suppression of government dissidents. one analyst says this case shows that even athletes are under scrutiny. >> the problem is you don't have to be a politician. you don't have to be an activist to become political. everything is political if it is public, if it is in the street or online. she openly criticized the decision of the olympic team, and they tried to see it undone, which is nowadays impossible. >> she had originally planned to fly directly to warsaw from tokyo, but she changed her plans almost at the last minute for security reasons. she went to the olympics to run for belarus, but now she and her family are on the run from it. >> still ahead -- the taliban's twin targets in afghanistan seeking to disrupt the capital and claim territories in the regions. and pandemic purchases lead to a global supply backlog. how online shopping will force up

since 1994, lukashenko has announced a crackdown since demonstrations after an election many say was rigged. he claims to have won 87% of the vote. thousands have been detained, exiled or forced to live in fear. it was exactly one year since that election. lukashenko seized the opportunity to lash out and defend last year's vote. >> [speaking foreign language] james: that is all from france 24 news. thanks for watching. ♪ >> [speaking french] ♪ >> that was a clip from the upcoming documentary, a story of one's own. -- is an afro feminist researcher. she wrote the forward for the seminal book, and founder of a francophone adoption awareness month. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> international adoption is made exclusively from interviews from five people born outside of france who were adopted by french families. in it we hear them talking about race, identity and belonging. how important was it for you to approach this complex issue from the point of view of adoptees? >> i am always trained to -- when i was a teenager. it is important to start with

the belarus president, alexander lukashenko, who has been in powerfor 27 years, has been ruthless in talks with the prime minister here in downing street. she wants western countries to impose sanctions on the belarus authorities and she's well aware of the risks she is taking in opposing president lukashenko. i can disappear at any moment, i understand this, but i should do what i am doing. i can't stop because i am... you know, ifeel responsibility for the future of my country, the same as all those who are fighting at the moment, who feel the responsibility. the discovery today that this belarus activist, vitaly shishov, has been found dead in the ukrainian capital kyiv, will add to concerns about the safety of those opposing president lukashenko. the activist had been hanged in this park. the ngo he ran says it had received warnings that belarusian special forces were in the area. richard galpin, bbc news. krystsina tsimanouskaya has today spoken to the bbc. she was interviewed by razia iqbal on the bbc�*s newshour programme. translation: i'm feeling much better because i managed

for more than eight hours, alexander lukashenko was live on tv. violence and intimidation to suppress dissent, to silence those who have accused mr lukashenko of stealing the election. police detained thousands of protesters. in belarus, that is thought to be more than 600 political prisoners. today, britain, america and canada imposed more sanctions on minsk. my colleague sarah rainsford asked mr lukashenko for his reaction. you can choke on those sanctions there in the uk. for 1000 years, we didn't even know great britain existed, and we don't want to know now. you are america's lapdogs. it's dramas like this one that have cemented mr lukashenko's reputation as europe's last dictator. in may, he forced a ryanairjet flying from greece to lithuania to land in minsk so he could arrest an opposition blogger. and last week, the death of a belarusian dissident in kyiv prompted more international scrutiny of mr lukashenko's government. he denies any connection to that death. but he had this warning to the west. "your accusations and your sanctions will

alexande lukashenko is seeing poland as an enemy.a lot of military forc around the border. of course, we know that his acting as a proxy of russia. if anything happens between poland and russia, belarus is seen as a border where the offensive could get from. of course, this is the worst possible scenario, but that is in the back of our head an we are speaking about the tension. why poland intervenes? they see themselves as an actor this free democratic progress that was stopped in belarus. warsaw is hoping that it will progress. this looks like an obvious case, and bipartisan as well, which is not something that happens often. >> now, the international olympic committee has started an investigation into the situation. >> formal investigation into the case of krystina timanovskaya, led by the ioc administration. today, we received the written report, which is now being evaluated. further development today is that the ioc is opening a disciplinary commission to establish the facts in the case, in the case of krystina timanovskaya, and

belarus' president lukashenko calls britain "america's lapdog" — after the foreign office imposes economic on belarus for the first time since his disputed re—election and — team gb�*s athletes have landed back in the uk, after one of their most successful olympic games — with a haul of 65 medals. a code red for humanity — that's how the biggest ever report on climate change is being described by the un secretary general. the study, produced by hundreds of the world's top scientists and signed off by all the world's governments, says it's unequivocal that human activities are responsible for global warming. the report describes an overheating world slipping into crisis — with more weather extremes and rising temperatures in the coming years. the government's climate co—ordinator alok sharma says the report is a stark warning about the need to cut emissions. here's our energy and environment analyst roger harrabin. sirens. wildfires are blazing through turkey and greece. they're rushing through california, too. in previous years, the panel wouldn't have been confident to blame climate chang

for nearly 30 years it's been led by president alexander lukashenko.s under sanctions following n last year, and has aggressively targeted dissidents including those outside belarus' borders. the main opposition leader who ran against lukashenko now lives in exile. this is her spokesman. >> on one hand this is regime doesn't have any boundaries and it's ready to terrorize its citizens all over the world. >> now, her ordeal is eerily rea reminiscent of sporting defections during the height of the cold war. but this is lek shenko's own war against his own people. >>> skateboarding made its olympic debut this summer. and skaters from the host country japan were dominant. ot of the 12 medals handed out the japanese won five including three out of four golds. just a few years ago skateboarding was frowned upon in japan. lucy craft explains. skateboarding evangelist. a youtuber with over 200,000 subscribers, he test-rides skateparks, demystifies new tricks and tirelessly preaches the gospel of skatings. a self-described misfit who briefly dropped out of scho

lukashenko and his son, who heads up the olympic committee, have been banned by the ioc from attendingand becomes for the first time, the first openly trans—gender athlete to compete in a gender category different to that from which she was born and in doing so she will find yourself at the centre of what has become a very divisive trans—gender debate in sport. become a very divisive trans-gender debate in sport-— debate in sport. thank you for that. dan roan, debate in sport. thank you for that. dan roan. live _ debate in sport. thank you for that. dan roan, live in _ debate in sport. thank you for that. dan roan, live in tokyo. _ the latest government covid figures show there were 24,1170 new coronavirus cases in the latest 24—hour period, a slight fall on the previous day. that means on average there were 26,793 new infections a day, in the last seven days. 65 deaths were recorded in the latest 2a hours, that's an average of 75 deaths a day in the past week. the most recent figures show just under 6,000 people are in hospital with covid—19. more than 88% of uk adults have now had th

she's accused of plotting to seize powerfrom president lukashenko.eports. krystina timanovskaya left japan with her olympic dreams shattered, but her route to safety secured. the belarusian athlete says she just wants to run. her life was sports, not politics until a row with her coaches left her too scared to go home. but here inside belarus, state television has slammed her claims as cheap hype. "the only thing timanovskaya won in tokyo," this presenter says, "is a polish visa." on the streets of minsk, though, we did find sympathy for the sprinter who's fled because there's zero tolerance of dissent here now. "we're all afraid," dmitri says. "me, too, sometimes, because the situation is unstable." the danger is real. we passed the prison where opposition activists have been locked up since mass protests last year. but somehow maria kolesnikova is still smiling. the protest leader appeared in court today charged with plotting to seize power. she and a fellow activist are facing 12 years behind bars. maria's father brought her flowers. but had to pa

in belarus, we know that there's an awful lot of opposition to the current president, president lukashenkosition accused him of stealing the election and repressing dissent in the country. 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 l 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 tokyo and return her to belarus. she will be accompanied by three heavily built individuals. it is important to help our belarusian citizen, who merely expressed an opinion. i know you'll keep us updated on that story. and sarah, we've had the first podium protest by an athlete — raven saunders. tell us about that. are you expecting this to set a precedent?— precedent? yes, it's a big talkin: precedent? yes, it's a big talking point. _ precedent? yes, it's a big talking point. i— precedent?

last year, protests against the current belarus president, alexander lukashenko and his disputed re—election were brutally cracked down on. he is backed by russia and has ruled for 27 years. his son is head of the country's olympic committee but is banned from attending the games as the ioc does not recognise last year's presidential election. the belarusian olympic committee said in a statement that the coaches had decided to withdraw the athlete based on doctor's advice about her emotional psychological state. tsimanouskaya is now said to be to seeking asylum in europe but is said to be frightened for her family's safety back home. a short time ago, my colleague sarah mulkerrins in tokyo spoke to the academic and former athlete jules boycoff who's research focuses on the politics of the olympic games 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. the sprinter has good reason to be concerned at this moment, no doubt about that. and

after all, athletes have been involved in opposition struggles against lukashenko in the past. player who played in the wnba here in the united states was jailed for her efforts for 15 days. this printer has good reason to be concerned at this moment, no doubt about that. and in terms of the development here, do we expect other athletes to come out and speak up athletes to come out and speak up was to mark what impact will this have? it up was to mark what impact will this have?— this have? it will be interesting - this have? it will be interesting to - this have? it will be interesting to see i this have? it will be i interesting to see what this have? it will be _ interesting to see what happens here in regard to the international olympic committee. they issued a statement today on twitter saying they were monitoring the conversation and looking forward to dealing with it in the coming days. they have a slogan at the ioc that athletes come first, putting athletes first. and they have come under a lot of fire for that in tokyo, with the coronavirus raging across tokyo and japa

of course this is all shone a light on the government of president lukashenko who is been described asplains why ms timanovskaya has chosen to go to poland. despite all the proposals before to get asylum, she chose poland, and i suspect because it's closest to belarus. this might be the case of her appearing as a political refugee or becoming another belarusian who gets military visa and poland. i'm sure this case is first in history and it's absolutely disastrous for the image of belarusian regime. krystina probably will not lose her athlete status and probably join another team. as we've just heard there are many belarusians who now live in poland. the two countries are neighbours. polish journalist marcin makowski explains why poland has offered this humanitarian visa. the relationship is difficult - because belarus is our neighbour and a lot of polish people are... we have a lot of connections, but |the political ones are very tough. j lukashenko is being seen in poland as an enemy, . and he's having a lot of military forces around the border. - we know that he is acting as a proxy

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.y people have been arrested since and that the others have been scared into silence. —— sign at all. maria kalesnikava was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september. maria writes from her cell every day, to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter is not guilty and she's _ so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, whatever sentence i get, i am ready for that. she writes to me all the time that we'll meet again soon, that everything will be ok. belarus feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. we are looking at a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers today. some of the showers, like in recent days, will be heavy an

and his government in august were brutally cracked down on, president lukashenko is backed by russia 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 because this is turning into a diplomatic issue, even though it began as a sports issue, which of cours

alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control.old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september. maria writes from her cell every day, to reassure him. i know my daughter is not guilty and she's so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, whatever sentence i get, i am ready for that. she writes to me all the time that will meet again soon, that everything will be ok. belarus feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monitored in the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. earlier, we spoke to heather mc gill from amnesty international and asked what impact this story is having on the situation in belarus. it shines a 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 her family. 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 re

called britain "america's lapdog" , alexander lukashenko called britain "america's lapdog", and denied's regime — as well as financial services and transport. he and his top aides are already under western sanctions. it is the out of this world mission that will never leave planet earth. as nasa continue to explore the possibility of sending astronauts to mars, they've started taking applications for four people to live for a year inside a martian habitat that recreates the atmospher recreates the atmosphere and life astronauts could live on the red planet, whilst never leaving the earth's atmosphere. the succesful participants will live in mars dune alpha, a 1,700—square—foot martian habitat, created by a 3d—printer, and inside a building atjohnson space center in houston. so, what does nasa hope to discover, and what how can hopeful candidates make their application stand out? dr grace douglas is the lead scientist for nasa's advanced food technology research unit and joins us now. doctor douglas, this will either be a terrifying prospect for an individual or a wonderfully exciting o

opposition leaders fear the lukashenko's forces for protests. >> not surprising he's trying td build not >> bell rusian officials called it fake news saying they followed the law. these images emerge after a week's long crackdown against remaining independent media inside belarus and dozens of arrest. inside belarus the movements are being persecuted so hard it holds remote flash mob demonstrations like these filmed by drones. some of it is finding ways to hit back, cnn has learned. these are railway sabateurs in operation. they trigger alarms to stop trains on the tracks risking nobody's safety but causing traffic to slow down, they say. we spoke to one organizer. >> translator: when our skies are blocked, we should block the land as well. the main goal is to cause economic damage to the regime because all the delays cause them to pay huge fines. this action was carried out, they said, on a key route from russia to the european union. cnn can't independently confirm it was effective. if there is an impact on rail traffic, it could have great significance outside of belarus here and

the country has been ruled by this man president alexander lukashenko since 1994.wide 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. here's our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford. prominent athletes from the belarusian athletic and sporting communities were involved in supporting the opposition protest 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 in belarus as is so much else in the economy there. athletes lost their funding, they were kicked out of teams, removed from the national squads so they paid a really quite heavy price for supporting the protests. an audio recording said to be a conversation between krystina timanovskaya and her coach has also been circulating on social media — here's sarah rainsford again with more details. it does appear to

she is accused of plotting to seize power from president lukashenko. >> she left japan with her lipids surday but her route to safety secured. the belarusian athlete says she just wants to run. her life was sports, not politics. but her coaches lecture scared to go home. >> here inside belarus, state television has slammed heard claims. >> the only thing she wanted tokyo is a polish visa. on the streets of minsk, we found sympathy because there is zero tolerance of dissent here. >> we are all afraid. me too sometimes because the situation is unstable. the danger is real. the prison were opposition activists have been locked up since protest this year. somehow, maria is still smiling. the protest leader appeared in court today, charged with plotting to seize power. she and her fellow activists are facing 12 years behind bars. maria's father brought her flowers. but, had to pass them on via her lawyer. alexander has not been alive to see his daughter for 10 months. there is a small group of friends and family supporters here outside the court. but, the trial has been declared closed for