has lukashenko one? >> that is a pretty loaded term. obviously lukashenko is still in power.has enormous power in the security forces to crush dissent. i don't think that it is waiting when you -- winning when you ahve to completely -- have to completely and morally bankrupt yourself and your government. it shows that you are weak. history is long. and look at, the many people that came out to support maria kolesnikova and maxim znak today. i think that their courage shows that history is long, and we'll just have to see about that. brent: with the human rights watch. as always we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. military leader's in guinea have cemented their hold on power a day after detaining the president and dissolving the government. the junta says that it will set up a transitional government, but it has given no timeline. the international community has condemned the coup and demanded the presence release. but inside the west african country, the takeover, it has its supporters. >> a rapturous welcome for the military leaders. some citizens h

that lukashenko _ have been singled out, yeah. that lukashenko news _ have been singled out, yeah., watching it i felt tense. at the time, did you think there may be repercussions from its? know, because i don't think you can think about that when you are asking questions and doing yourjob. i was there at an event which gave us the opportunity to speak to the president of belarus after those mass protests in august of 2020, so that was a huge story, you know, there are hundreds of thousands of belarusians coming out onto the street and demanding change and we hadn't had a chance to confront him with what had happened next, which was mass detentions and torture. so it was my job was mass detentions and torture. so it was myjob to asking that question. i was a wee bit nervous, and yes we were rounded on even then, there was an attack from the audience, his loyal supporters turned on the end on us, the bbc and accused us of all sorts, but i didn't think about the consequences until the point when i was at that border trying to get into russia and i wondered if perhaps there was a link

. >> what we see now is lukashenko's desperate because of the sanctions put on him. really debt -- really desperate and trying to destabilize the european urea -- european union by bringing in migrants, facilitating them and pushing them into the european union. 7 the problem -- >> the problem lies at this border and there has been a huge spike in the number of migrants trying to cross. many have come from afghanistan. we know that five people have died in freezing conditions there and 9000 attempts have been made to ross into poland since august. can tear that to the 122 people detained after crossing illegally in the whole of 2020. belarus is accused of flying in migrants and pushinghem over the border in retaliations for sanctions against broad political crackdowns but president lukashenko puts the blame on poland. >> it is wrong that people are suffering. yes, we dressed them, brought themome firewood, but they frozen winter. these are people who walked thousands of kilometers from the south and to put it shortly, it's a humanitarian catastrophe on the border. ou

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenkoast year. judges found maria kolyes—nikova and maxeem znaak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the us and the uk have condemned the sentencing. more than 9 million children in england,

started injune after the eu imposed sanctions on the authoritarian leader of belarus alexander lukashenko as nearby regions entered a state of emergency. measures mean people can't gather in groups and must carry identification in public. it's an unprecedented move in response to a surge in migrants coming across the border which poland says is being engineered ljy poland says is being engineered by belarus. translation: what's ha - -tenin by belarus. translation: what's happening at _ by belarus. translation: what's happening at the _ by belarus. translation: what's happening at the border _ by belarus. translation: what's happening at the border on - by belarus. translation: what's happening at the border on the . happening at the border on the part of the belarusian authorities is difficult and dangerous. poland is responsible for its borders but also for the eastern borders of the eu. we have to take such decisions to ensure the full security of poland and the eu. it comes after videos like this surfaced, allegedly showing belarusian officers in full riot gear trying to push a group o

but president lukashenko puts the blame on poland. and some shawls. but they would freeze in winter. these are people who walked thousands of kilometres from the south. to put it short — it's a humanitarian catastrophe on the border. our neighbour has introduced an emergency and doesn't let anyone in so that no—one knows that people are dying. poland is accused of being heavy handed in its response. it's introduced a state of emergency which keeps journalists and ngos away from the area. and a message on the interior ministry's website says... our europe correspondent nick beake recently travelled to the area last week and sent this report. we meet men who fear they will be the next to die here. overwhelmed by the cold. they'd flown to belarus from far and wide, each with the promise they could then reach an eu country, but they're stranded. if the belarussians could send my back to my country, fine. i would be ok. better i die in my country. this 21—year—old from cameron tells us how belarussian troops took them to the polish border.

belarusian lear alexander lukashenko has announced what he calls a breakthrough agreement to set up anion with russia. lukashenko said the overall package for integrating the two economies, government policies could be adopted as early as next month. the talks come as the two countries begin massive joint military exercises. officials and ethiopia say 120 civilians were massacred earlier this month. forces have rejected allegations they were responsible. it is the latest reported mass killing in the ten-month conflict in northern ethiopia between government forces and rebels. france is staging rare national tribute to a film icon. his coffin as lying in state at the paris military complex where napoleon is buried. a host of celebrities as well as presidents past and present attended a special ceremony paying tribute to the actor. he died on monday at the age of 88. we are just weeks away from federal elections in germany, arguably the most ordinal in a generation. climate change is expected to be a big issue for many voters. a group of young activists in berlin say lawmakers are still

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenkodges found maria kolesnikova and maxeem znak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. america and the uk have condemned the sentencing. the leader of a group that staged a military coup in guinea has said a new government will be formed within weeks. on sunday, soldiers from an elite unit took over the country's capital and detained its long time president, alpha conde. the president of brazil has signed a decree aimed at restricting the powers of social media companies. jair bolsonaro said that the new legislation would protect freedom of speech. twitter and facebook have deleted many posts on the pandemic, shared by mr bolsonaro and his supporters, deemed to be false and misleading. a grace period to avoid checks on some goods the israeli authorities are conducting a huge search operation for six palestinian prisoners who escaped from one of the country's most secure jails. the inmates tunnelled their way out of gilboa prison, known as �*the safe', in the early hours of monda

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who led protests against president lukashenko found maria kolyesnikova and maxeem znaak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. america and the uk have condemned the sentencing. the leader of a group that staged a military coup in guinea has said a new government will be formed within weeks. on sunday, soldiers from an elite unit took over the country's capital and detained its long time president, alpha conde. the president of brazil has signed a decree aimed at restricting the powers of social media companies. jair bolsonaro said that the new legislation would protect freedom of speech. twitter and facebook have deleted many posts on the pandemic, shared by mr bolsonaro and his supporters, deemed to be false and misleading. the families of the 298 people who died when a malaysian airliner was shot down over rebel—held eastern ukraine are testifying at a murder trial in the netherlands. three russians and one ukrainian national are accused of being responsible for the downing of flight mhi7, in 2014. they are being trie

were central figures in the massive wave of overwhelmingly peaceful protests against alexander lukashenko team say they're being punished for wanting to change the country for the better. all the opposition leaders are either in exile now or in prison, and the protesters have been scared off the streets. some were outside court in minsk today, though, to show their solidarity. inside, in a cage, maria kolesnikova smiled and made heart shapes with cuffed hands. last year, the authorities tried to deport her from belarus, but she ripped up her passport and leapt from the car. she has said she doesn't regret that act of defiance and that she won't serve the full 11 years of her sentence, because she still believes that political change will come to her country despite everything. that was our correspondent sarah rainsford there. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma i'm looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: with eight weeks to go until the next crucial climate summit, we look at the challenges on

. >> [speaking russia] >> i was returning from belarus, where i confronted alexander lukashenko on theion and torture of peaceful protesters. his loyal supporters had a coordinated attack. they presented this as a working visit. i have reported from russia for two decades, the whole span of putin's pridency. i have charted the slow erosion of freedoms here, the crackdown on dissent. a year ago, the government put me on short-term visas. then, i became the news. a state television channel announced i had to leave. after tense negotiations, i had been allowed to enter russia. but only to pack. i was told by -- my visa wouldn't be renewed. supposedly, russian reporters in london -- that was two years ago. when i called to the foreign ministry, they said my expulsion was nothing personal. they talked about it as a reciprocal move but refused to engage with the fact that i had been labeled and national security threat. they said that was a technical moment. at a time when russia is increasingly seeing enemies all around, it feels like i have been added to the list. it happens as the pressur

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenkoast year. judges found maria kolyes—nikova and maxeem znaak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the us and the uk have condemned the sentencing. more than 9 million children in england, wales and northern ireland are back at school this week. the uk government says the number of coronavirus cases will be monitored carefully. cases in scotland have risen since the school term began in the middle of august. our education editor branwenjeffreys has spent the day in east sussex , as children return to the classroom. good morning. good morning, millie. a welcome to soothe any new—term nerves. good morning, archie. for dolphin class, a return to familiar routines. here, they don't talk about catch—up, though there will be extra help. how many more do we need to add? the parents say social skills and confidence are the priority. i think it's going to take a little while for children to develop those social skills again, and to reach out to new people. they will filter through, an

i was returning from belarus, where i'd confronted alexander lukashenko on the mass repression and torturen a coordinated attack. vladimir putin's presenting this as just another working visit. .. i've reported from russia for two decades — the whole span of vladimir putin's presidency. there've been highs — like the world cup — but i've also charted the slow erosion of freedoms here. the crackdown on dissent. a year ago, the government put me on short—term visas. sarah rainsford... then i became the news, as state television announced i had to leave. after tense negotiations, i had been allowed to enter russia... they let me in — for now. ..but only to pack. i was then told my visa wouldn't be renewed — supposedly what happened to a russian reporter in london, but that was two years ago. when i was called in here, to the foreign ministry, they kept insisting that my expulsion was nothing personal — they talked about it as a reciprocal move — but they refused to even engage with the fact that i've been labelled "a national security threat". they said that was just a "technical moment". but

neighbouring countries in recent months and the eu has accused the belarusian president alexander lukashenko on his government over his crackdown on opposition. it is a claim the president denies. poland says it is also preparing for potential provocations during military exercises being run by the russian army along the border next week. translation: yes, we are under attack and the security _ of our state and our citizens is under threat. our actions are adequate to the scale of the threat. the european commission says it s preparing fresh sanctions against belarus because of the ongoing situation at the border. japan is the first country in olympic history to host the paralympic games twice, but what is it like to be a disabled person living injapan today? it is one of the few countries that requires companies by law to hire a certain percentage of employees with disabilities. discovers, prejudice against people with disabilities is still widespread. natsuko izena calls herself the tiny 100 centimetre mum. she was born with brittle bone disease and that means she cannot stand and has repe

its president, alexander lukashenko, has been accused of deliberately sending thousands of migrants acrossack, breaking international law. both countries deny any wrongdoing. 0ur correspondent nick beake reports from the poland/belarus border. hidden in a freezing forest in eastern poland, europe's latest crisis is unfolding. we meet men who fear that they will be the next to die here, overwhelmed by the cold. they'd flown to belarus from far and wide, each with the promise they could then reach an eu country, but they're stranded. if the belarusians could send me back to my country, fine. i will be ok. better i die in my country. this 21—year—old from cameroon tells us how belarusian troops took them to the polish border. they monitor the polish police across the border. they tell us, this way there's no polish police. so they will tell us we must cross those wires. belarus, often called europe's last dictatorship, is accused of exploiting these men in retaliation for eu sanctions. but poland, an eu country, is accused of pushing them back — breaking international law. they are playing us

neighbouring countries in recent months and the eu has accused the belarusian president alexander lukashenkoimposed on his government over his crackdown on opposition. it is a claim the president denies. poland says it is also preparing for potential provocations during military exercises being run by the russian army along the border next week. translation: yes, we are under attack and the security _ of our state and our citizens is under threat. our actions are adequate to the scale of the threat. is preparing fresh sanctions against belarus because of —the european commission says it is preparing fresh sanctions against belarus because of the ongoing situation at the border. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — once again, extreme weather causes chaos around the world, we talk to an expert about the dangers of climate change. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church had said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then round the coffins and

president vladimir putin has agreed to deepen ties with belarus during a meeting with president lukashenkod to create a unified gas and oil market with its neighbour and continue to provide loans to belarus. speaking after the talks, president putin said it also made sense for large joint military drills in the face of nato build up in the region. national security police in hong kong have raided a museum dedicated to the 1989 tiananmen square massacre in beijing, as a clampdown on dissent continues. 0fficers removed boxes and exhibits from the museum, which was shut down by the authorities injune. it comes a day after the arrest of four members of a group which organises the annualjune four anniversary rallies. the united states has hailed the first civilian charter flight from afghanistan since the american military withdrawal as a positive first step. qatar airways flew more than a hundred foreign nationals from kabul to doha. they included 13 britons and up to 30 americans. a spokesperson for the us national security council said the taliban had been flexible, businesslike and professi

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenkoast year. judges found maria kolesnikova and maxim znak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the us and the uk have condemned the sentencing. now, what colour are the hands on the clockface of big ben? surely the world's most famous timepiece. the answer isn't what you might think. after a multi—million pound restoration project, the hands have been returned to their original colour — as tim muffett reports — right on time. countdown to completion. one of the biggest restoration jobs ever undertaken on a landmark british building is approaching the finish line. good to see you, ian. and you. what is it you're doing here? we're servicing the rollers. this is one of the bits that we couldn't actually get to and service while the minute hands were on. if you're a clock mechanic, this is like the champions league and the world cup rolled into one, i'd imagine, this project. working on this clock will be a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. to actually have taken it all to pieces,

theyjoined an opposition council after president alexander lukashenko claimed victory a year ago.aria and maxim aren�*t guilty of anything. she calls it terror against belarusians who dare to stand up to the regime and says they won�*t stop until everybody is free in belarus. let�*s get some analysis on this from our moscow corresponent sarah rainsford. they have been accused of plotting to seize power, they�*ve been accused of extremism, but, really, what they are on trial for is their role in those mass protests that broke out last year in belarus and took over the streets there. certainly their supporters have said today that they have been persecuted for politics. they have said that they have been found guilty of wanting to change belarus for the better. but this was a closed trial. nobody from the public was allowed in. in fact, no members of either family was allowed into court. and defence lawyers were never allowed themselves to give evidence there against the two opposition figures who were on trial. so even today as these heavy sentences are handed down it�*s difficult

president vladimir putin has agreed to deepen ties with belarus during a meeting with president lukashenkoet with its neighbour and continue to provide loans to belarus. speaking after the talks, president putin said it also made sense for large joint military drills in the face of nato build up in the region. national security police in hong kong have raided a museum dedicated to the 1989 tiananmen square massacre in beijing, as a clampdown on dissent continues. 0fficers removed boxes and exhibits from the museum, which was shut down by the authorities injune. it comes a day after the arrest of four members of a group which organises the annual june 4 anniversary rallies. the bbc has learnt that every continent has now reported cases of a mysterious illness among us spies and diplomats. 0riginally known as havana syndrome, the symptoms can include hearing strange sounds, headaches and a feeling of heat or pressure. some call it an act of war, others wonder if it is some new and secret form of surveillance, and some people believe it could even be all in the mind. uncovering the truth has

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who led protests against president lukashenkoxim znak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the usa and britain have condemned the sentencing, as did the european union, calling it a "blatant violation of human rights". criminal gangs are once again smuggling migrants across the english channel after two weeks of bad weather. five children were among almost 160 people detained by the uk border force. another child was with more than 20 people on an inflatable boat rescued by the french authorities after it ran into difficulties. let's take a look at the latest uk coronavirus figures. there were just over 41,000 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average of 37,698 cases per day in the last week. the latest figures show 7,606 people in hospital being treated for covid. 45 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that takes the average number of deaths per day to 113 over the last week. on vaccinations, nearly 8

given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenkoast year. judges found maria kolyesnikova and maxeem znak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the us and the uk have condemned the sentencing. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. and today i'm on the shores of italy's lake como at the ambrosetti forum — an annual opportunity for politicians on both sides of the atlantic to gather and talk geopolitics. and this year there is one dominant issue — the us led pull—out from afghanistan. now that it's done, how does america see itself and its global role? well, my guess is influential american senator lindsey graham, a close confidant of donald trump. is america first now a bipartisan consensus? senator lindsey graham, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. america is sacrificing no more blood and treasure in afghanistan, isn't that a source of profound relief to the american people? er, no. i think most americans are upset that we left our afghan allies behind. i think most americans are upset that we h

i was returning from belarus, where i�*d confronted alexander lukashenko on the mass repression and torture. vladimir putin�*s presenting this as just another working visit. .. i�*ve reported from russia for two decades — the whole span of vladimir putin�*s presidency. there�*ve been highs — like the world cup — but i�*ve also charted the slow erosion of freedoms here. the crackdown on dissent. a year ago, the government put me on short—term visas. sarah rainsford... then i became the news, as state television announced i had to leave. after tense negotiations, i had been allowed to enter russia... they let me in — for now. ..but only to pack. i was then told my visa wouldn�*t be renewed — supposedly what happened to a russian reporter in london, but that was two years ago. when i was called in here, to the foreign ministry, they kept insisting that my expulsion was nothing personal — they talked about it as a reciprocal move — but they refused to even engage with the fact that i�*ve been labelled "a national security threat". they said that was just a "technical moment". but, at a time whe

the eu has accused the belarussian president alexander lukashenko of using migrants as weapons — by luringoland has banned human rights activists and journalists from its border zone — but our europe correspondent nick beake and video journalist bruno boelpaep travelled to the area and have just sent this special report. they this special report. thought they were going to die. they thought they were going to die. stranded in the freezing forest, far from die. stranded in the freezing forest, farfrom home. we found kelly and owen, brothers nigeria. they claim they have been pushed back and forth by both belarusian and polish border guards for the last three weeks.— border guards for the last three weeks. like a football from belarus, _ three weeks. like a football from belarus, push - three weeks. like a football from belarus, push us - from belarus, push us to poland. in poland they beat us, push us back to belarus. the men had _ push us back to belarus. the men had flown _ push us back to belarus. the men had flown to _ push us back to belarus. the men had flown to belarus from various c

been sentenced to 11 years in prison, for her role in mass protests against president alexander lukashenkoeu officials have criticised the ruling, saying it shows a disregard for human rights. crucial climate talks, hosted by the uk and taking place in glasgow, are now less than two months away. today alok sharma, the uk government minister in charge of the conference, was meeting his counterparts in china. as the world's fastest growing economy, and a major polluter too, china will be an important voice at the negotiating table. so what are the main challenges facing those trying to forge a new agreement in glasgow? our science editor david shukman has this assessment. year after year, the countries of the world have gathered for huge conferences on climate change. i have seen how a few have gone badly wrong, like in copenhagen in 2009. delegates walked out amid confusion and a lack of progress. by contrast, jubilant scenes in paris in 2015 marked well, the first challenge is to make sure that there are steep and rapid cuts in emissions of the gases heating the planet. something that hasn

agreed to deeper economic ties following a meeting between president vladimir putin and alexander lukashenkoe kremlin. the two neighbors linked in a so-called union state agreed to tighter economic policy. russia agreed to provide $630 million in loans and said it will continue to provide de la rue's with deeply discounted natural gas. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and on bloomberg quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. i am vonnie quinn. this is bloomberg. shery: take a look at futures across markets in asia. we are seeing kiwi stocks right now muted in early trading, up .3%. this after we saw some downside pressure earlier in the week. sydney futures pointing higher, .3%. the aussie dollar at a near one week low against the u.s. dollar. it has been under pressure all week because of the are b.i. sticking with cautious taper plans. chicago nikkei futures and seoul kospi futures under pressure. more firms scrapping return to office plans. microsoft will not reopen offices by october 4, saying it can no longer give a firm date for retur

organize the opposition protests that erupted across belarus last summer after president alexander lukashenko presidential term. and, two passings to note tonight: iconic leading actor jean-paul belmondo, a star of france's revolutionary "new wave" cinema movement, has died. he catapulted to fame with his breakthrough performance in the 1960 film "breathless." belmondo appeared in more than 80 films in a career that spanned half a century. jean-paul belmondo was 88-years- old. and, emmy-nominated actor michael k. williams was found dead in his new york apartment today. he was best known for playing "omar little" on the hit hbo crime series "the wire", and racketeer "chalky white" in "boardwalk empire." his films included "12 years a slave" and "inherent vice". michael k. williams was 54-years-old. still to come on the newshour: the delta variant continues to overwhelm hospitals in places where vaccination rates are low. farmers in afghanistan face an uncertain future after the taliban takeover. tamara keith and amy walter break down the latest political news. plus much more. >> yang: back at

the eu has accused the belarusian president alexander lukashenko of using migrants as weapons — by luringthey claimed they had been pushed back and forth by both belarusian and polish border guards for the past three weeks. they were playing us like football — the belarusians would beat us, push us to poland, in poland, they catch us, beat us, push us back to belarus. the men had flown to belarus from various countries, all with the promise they would be able to travel on to a neighbouring country in the eu. but this 21—year—old from cameroon explained what belarussian troops actually did. they monitor the polish police across the border, they tell us, "this way there is no polish police," so they will tell us, we must cross those wires. so we creep and crawl under... we can see a lot of people here are not in a good state. apparently a doctor is on the way, but also the border force are on their way, so it is not clear what is going to happen to these men. belarus is often called europe's last dictatorship, but poland, an eu country, has declared that migrants can be pushed back over its

that lukashenko news conference in particular, even watching it i felt tense.ime in russia, how and when did you start to feel the change that it was becoming harder to do yourjob? i would say on the one hand, it's quite easy to operate in russia. i had worked previously just before i return to russia and in cuba and it was a lot harder in cuba to get access, for example, so we do have conference calls with the kremlin spokesperson. i did get to ask questions, we can speak, or i could speak to the foreign ministry, for example, but we did have problems. we would be detailed in the provinces, security agents obviously were keeping an eye on us on occasion, we would get harassed sometimes, particularly back in 2014—15 when russia was annexed crimea from ukraine, that became a particularly hostile environment for those operating inside of russia commit was a real change in atmosphere then and we felt that as journalists. but we could work and i think that's why i was so shocked by what happened in the airport, because i certainly didn't expect to be banned from en

the eu accuses belarusian president alexander lukashenko of using migrants as a weapon.g to claim asylum without an individual assessment needs is against european and international law. poland has an obligation to assess these people and see what their needs are and if they are needed to be given refugee status in poland. 0ur correspondent in warsaw has been following events. poland, lithuania and latvia has seen a huge increase in people from the middle east, africa and asia trying to cross into their countries illegally from belarus. these amnesty international says that many of these people including a group of 32 afghans as you say were pushed back from poland by the polish border guards back into belarus. as you say, the polish government says they were not aware of any push backs about the polish border guard has admitted that it has returning migrants back to belarus and all three countries have been accused of this returning migrants in contravention of eu law that says that even if a migrant is crossing a border illegally not an official crossing point, if they