sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.ia, lightning strikes over the past 2a hours have ignited several hundred more wildfires, including some of the biggest ever seen in the state. at least five people have died and over 175,000 residents have now been forced to flee their homes. and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic is complicating efforts to fight these wildfires. sophie long has more from los angeles. vast infernos blaze throughout northern california, claiming at least five lives, destroying hundreds of buildings and an area bigger than los angeles. copy, we're going in now. satellite images show the smoke cloaking most of california creating the worst air quality on the planet at a time when people are fighting a respiratory pandemic. and yet, this is political. but there are massive fires again in california. maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it because they don't listen to us. we say, "you got to get rid of the leaves, you got to get rid of the debris, you got to get rid of the fallen trees. bu

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.nikova is founder of the punk rock group pussy riot. a long—standing critic of president putin, she previously spent solitary isolation in prison for her activism. she gave this reaction to the hospitalisation of alexei navalny. well, it was unbelievable because i thought that alexei navalny is so powerful as a political figure that things like that cannot happen within because putin would fear immediate revolution. but it looks like in the light of recent events in belarus, putin has lost any rationale. so, he's decided to poison navalny to intimidate everyone else but also at the same time, this event brought me back to my own past when my ex—husband was poisoned two years ago and i had to find this medical plane to transport him to german clinic. and definitely, it's not a really pleasant memory. well, you seem to be quite sure that this was a poisoning and moscow was involved. why do you think that? because there is no other reason why navalny would fall in coma all of a sudden. he

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.ews, still to come: the hong kong pro—democracy activist, jimmy lai, is released on bail 2a hours after his arrest under the national security law. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a huge job of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. 2 billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millennium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later, when the sun set over the bay of bengal. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: making history — the democratic presidential candidate, joe biden, chooses black senator, kamala harris, as his running mate for november's us election. ceremonies have been held in the lebanese capital, beirut, to mark the moment a week ago when the city was hit by a de

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.nts to china's new security law have been released on bail. the activist, agnes chow, and the entrepreneur, jimmy lai, were arrested under the new law which is being used to silence those within hong kong who criticise either china or hong kong's pro—beijing ruling class. joining me live is chris yeung, the chair of the hong kong journalists association. thank you very much for talking to us. i know things are pretty difficult at the moment. how important are difficult at the moment. how importantarejimmy difficult at the moment. how important arejimmy lai and his newspaper to hong kong?m important arejimmy lai and his newspaper to hong kong? it is a very popular newspaper and also very popular newspaper and also very controversial. jimmy lai has a role as a media boss but also as being active... being an activist. properly he is the first media boss to be met with aus first media boss to be met with a us vice president. there is a lot of support notjust a us vice president. there is a

sarah rainsford, bbc news. let s get some of the day s other news...have been recovered after a massive was landslide triggered by monsoon rains in southwestern india. local media reported that some 78 people were believed to live in the area, with many still missing. kerala has been hit by deadly floods during the annual monsoon. gunmen in niger have attacked a party of wildlife tourists, killing six french aid workers, their guide and their driver. correspondents say the attack, just outside the capital niamey, was most likely carried out byjihadists who have become increasingly active in the country. at least five people were killed after torrential rains on the greek island of evia, northeast of athens. officials say the victims include a couple in their eighties and an eight—month—old baby. their bodies were found in the town of politika. dozens of people have been evacuated. greek prime minister kyriakos mitsotakis has expressed his "profound pain for the loss of lives". the number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the united states has exceeded

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.e fifty—five year old californian senator becomes the first black woman to run on a major presidential ticket in america. hello you're watching bbc news. your main story this hour. this hour. making history — the democratic presidential candidate, joe biden, chooses black senator, kamala harris — as his running mate for november s us election. let's stay with that now. earlier i spoke to our correspondent anthony zurcher — i asked him considering kamala harris‘ position as a front runner why joe biden had decided to delay the announcement. well, yes she was a front runner and a front runner for a reason. because you seem like an obvious pic. i think the delay suggest the importance of this pic forjoe biden and really for democrats. because this isn't just another really for democrats. because this isn'tjust another running mate. usually running mates don't affect the ticket that much. but becausejoe biden is 77 years old then there's the question about whether he might even declined to

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.n bail. the activist agnes chow and the entrepreneur jimmy lai were arrested under the new law which is being used to silence those within hong kong who criticise either china or hong kong‘s pro—beijing ruling class. freedom, for now. media tycoon jimmy lai released on bail, late on tuesday. he supporters holding up copies of his apple daily newspaper, with the headline, apple will fight on. it‘s a tabloid which is highly critical of the chinese government. the paper saying it printed 550,000 copies on tuesday, instead of the normal 70,000, to cope with extra demand. he was arrested on monday on suspicion of colluding with a foreign power. pro—beijing authorities using china‘s controversial new security law to clamp down on dissent and he was not the only one. 23—year—old political activist agnes chow was also arrested at the same time, and then released just a few hours after lai‘s release. i would say that it is very obvious that the regime and the government is using the national se

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.rnia senator kamala harris as his running mate in the november presidential election. which isjust 80 which is just 80 for days away. —— 84. -- 84. in the seven days and she got her downgraded results hello you are watching bbc news. his main stories. making history. sentor kamala harris is chosen as the running mate for the us democratic presidential candidate, joe biden lets stay with that story — and kamala harris has become the first black woman on a major presidential ticket in us history. barack 0bama ba rack 0bama has barack 0bama has tweeted saying i‘ve known kamala harris for a long time. she is more than prepared for the job. she spent her career defending our constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. while bill clinton said this, this is a terrific choice. kamala harris will bea terrific choice. kamala harris will be a great partner and she and joe biden make a strong team. president trump has been reacting in the white house as well. so what do we know abou

that report by sarah rainsford. let's get some of the day's other news.sanctions on hong kong's chief executive, carrie lam, and 11 other officials, arguing they were responsible for suppressing democratic processes in the chinese territory. it follows an announcement last week from ms lam that september's elections would be delayed for a year because of the coronavirus, sparking claims she was undermining hong kong's politicalfreedoms. the main challenger to president alexander lukashenko in this sunday's election in belarus has accused the authorities of subverting the poll. svetla na tikhanovskaya said voters were tired, after 26 years of mr lukashenko's rule. earlier, thousands of people gathered at a rally in the capital, minsk, in support of the opposition candidate. us authorities say they've discovered a highly sophisticated, 400—metre long tunnel running beneath the border with mexico. it was found by arizona officials when a sink—hole appeared in the desert. images show a solid—looking construction with water lines, electrical wiring and railway

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.irus. 19 people died in the past 24 hours — all in the state of victoria, which is now entering its second week of a strict lockdown. but authorities say the restrictions are having a positive effect with the number of new infections continuing to fall. phil mercer reports. victoria is at the heart of australia's coronavirus emergency. the state capital, melbourne, is in lockdown for a second time since the pandemic began. its streets are almost deserted as millions of people are forced to stay at home. 0nly essential businesses can stay open. 19 deaths were recorded in victoria in the past 24 hours. it's australia's deadliest day so far, but with daily new infections near a two—week low, there is hope that the tide may be turning. we look for better news when it comes to the stabilising of cases in victoria. i'm more hopeful of that today than i was in the course of the past week, over the briefings i have received over the course of the weekend and again this morning. dozens of peopl

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.post brexit negotiations "unnecessarily difficult". david frost, the uk's chief negotiator, said he believes a deal is still possible but warned there's been little progress after seven rounds of talks. 0ur europe correspondent nick beake is in brussels. how would politicians where you are react to those comments? these negotiations have been ongoing despite the rules being tightened here in brussels with everyone having to wear a mask in public places. but it's a pretty gloomy assessment today from both sides, saying that really no key progress has been made on the most important matters, but that a deal they think can still be done, but time is running out. this effect all our lives because the position would be from the start of next year, british goods would be subject to tariffs, which means they would be more expensive, and also there could be problems in moving stuff around. michel barnier are today, the eu chief negotiator, said he was disappointed at the lack of progress. he a

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. powers, has dragged on for more than 5 years. at least a 100,000 people have died and the conflict has sparked the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with children often suffering the most. our international correspondent orla guerin reports now on the remarkable story of one little girl's survival in a city on the frontlines. you may find some of the images in her report, distressing. this is taiz, called "the city of snipers." in a battle—scarred country, it is one of the most dangerous corners, especially for the young. ruida is wounded, but alive, minutes after a sniper shot her in the head. the seven—year—old left lying like a broken doll. it was her brother, omari, who rushed to her side and managed to drag her from the line of fire. he is only ten years old. ruida is now in intensive care at a local hospital, where staff are attending her around the clock, but she probably owes her life to her brave big brother. translation: i was going to get water. we pulled the bottle to t

the bbc‘s sarah rainsford sent this report from moscow. this is now a mass walk—out.nsk tractor plant, they've downed tools and are shouting for alexander lukashenko to go. he claimed there were just two dozen or so strikers in belarus, but their sign tells him there's 16,000 and that's just one factory. it's what police did to protesters that's infuriated so many. they've been emerging from detention centres, but after tearful reunions, talked of punishment, beatings and torture. the men in particular carry the proof of that. "they beat everyone," this man says. "women, men and children — there were teenagers," he says. another describes detainees being made to sing the national anthem and to shout that they loved the riot police. this group are teachers protesting against the violence and sending alexander lukashenko their own kind of message about his supposed landside election win. "80% equals a lie," the teachers tell him. it's no wonder mr lukashenko seems rattled. today, he even had to deny rumours that he'd died. "i'm still alive," he says, "and i haven't fled

i mean rainsford have a lovely holiday. time to pay a visit to the beach and i'll rent the beach chair. it will protect me from the wind and help with social distancing. though i'd like to rent the beach chair went alone welcome no problem but what do i need to do i do both and nothing we send 2 people along who'll make sure the beach chair is disinfected all you need to do is sit down relax and have a nice time. or. is this your best beach chair not best i don't know about that i'd say it's a very good beach chair many are newer. this is the one that's free right now that's how it works on the clock sue it has to be disinfected 1st. yes we have to unless the chair only goes out once a day then it has 24 hours to air out. but if it goes out several times a day but this is what we do get with the someone so if it hasn't aired out mathias takes care of it that was much yes then dr mathias gets it nice and clean thank you fake i.d.'s. the chairs like this has been a fixture by the baltic and the north sea since the 19th centur

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.’ main more now on our main story that hundreds of thousands of students in england, wales or northern ireland have received their a—level and vocational results today will stop but there has been controversy as it figures in england shows 39% of grades were marked down. the university admissions service, ucas, says the number of british students who've already accepted places is up by almost 3% on this time last year. nearly 359,000 students have confirmed their choice of university so far, including more than 7500 who've found a place through clearing. 0ur education correspondent, danjohnson, has more details. you got an a? yes! oh, well done. a for achievement... oh, my gosh! ..means many students taking places as planned. but with the agony of some of these calculated grades comes the question of what next. i've never failed anything, actually. i'm not used to not getting into places. i think that's why it hit me so hard this morning when i opened it. abbie was one of those left di

katty: let's get more now from sarah rainsford.re in moscow, and this is being talked about as a split rift between -- a split between russia and the west. is that the right analogy? >> certainly come i think belarus is just as important to russia as ukraine once was and remains. but i think there are differences. certainly, russia does not want to see belarus slip out of its grip. it is, as far as moscow is concerned, part of its historic backyard. i think it is watching extremely carefully. there has been a statement from the kremlin that they will honor a collective security treaty the countries have, so theoretically that could mean russian security forces going into belarus essentially to support mr. lukashenko. but the kremlin is not daft. they see that these protes ters are not anti-russian, they are anti- lukashenko. i think the kremlin knows that barging in to back mr. lukashenko could backfire. katty: the pictures are dramatic. we are seeing huge crowds, particularly over the weekend, in protest against lukashenko. but so

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.ow there were 1,441 new confirmed coronavirus cases across the uk, in the latest 24 hour period. that's the highest it's been since mid june. so the numbers are rising gradually, as you can see here, with the average number of new cases per day in the last week, being 1,052. the deaths of 11 people were also reported today, under new rules recording those who've died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means the total number, across the uk, is now 41,358. current coronavirus restrictions on household gatherings in greater manchester, west yorkshire, east lancashire and leicester are to continue. the department of health says infections rates remain high or are rising in those areas. here's our health editor, hugh pym. virus testing is stepped up in the lancashire district of pendle, one of three areas in the north west of england now under more intense focus as cases increase. local incident teams will be backed up by national officials to try to bring infection rates unde

sarah rainsford looks back at the day's events. she spent all day battling for her husband.

here's our moscow correspondent, sarah rainsford with the background to the vote.ction like this. a nation demanding change after 26 years of authoritarian rule. you can tell most are opposition voters by their wristbands. those extraordinary scenes were mirrored at belarusian embassies around the world and from moscow to london, voters had the same call. we do need a new president, we do need new ideas in the government, we do need new policies in every sphere of life. as he arrived to vote for himself, though, alexander lukashenko didn't look at all worried. this man has won every election by a landslide since 1994. easy when you control the media and the vote count. and the man once dubbed europe's last dictator was scathing about his female opponent. translation: i don't consider that person my main rival. it's you who made the poor little thing my main rival. but she says quite honestly that she has no idea what she's doing. that's not how sviatlana tsikhanouskaya looked on the campaign trail. just weeks ago, she was a stay at home mum, then her husband was bl

here's more from the bbc‘s sarah rainsford in moscow. 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 lukashenko, the calls for him to go and their support for new elections, that crowd, that momentum is building all the time and it is very difficult seeing that tide turning out —— to seeing that tide turning out —— to see that tide turning now. workers at state—run factories walked off the job last week, and the strikes have continued. t

the bbc‘s sarah rainsford is in moscow.an old ally slipping out of moscow's group. these countries have a collective security treaty in moscow has said it will honour that. we can't entirely rule out the idea of russian security forces heading in, and in belarus. especially if the kremlin signs of what is either the western meddling. so far the western meddling. so far the statement in moscow have been pretty muted, and i think what is important is important is the protest in belarus are not pro—eu, not pronator, not anti— russia. they are anti— lukashenko. i think if russia we re lukashenko. i think if russia were to and prop him up, that would actually backfire. belarusian is would actually backfire. bela rusian is good would actually backfire. belarusian is good turn against russia. russia, there are other risks as well, western sanctions for russia. what sum hear suspected a very different plan, russia is, mr putin, they do not get along. perhaps russia is looking for an alternative candidate, someone is empathetic to m

sarah rainsford reports.o, mr lukashenko flew in today, and inside the factory was no better. booing as he tried to speak, the workers shouted "leave". notjust not just the tribune notjust the tribune but not just the tribune but the presidency. their ruler of 26 years publicly humiliated. "now i've finished, you can shout", he eventually tells them. pressure has been building fast. sunday saw the biggest political rally ever in belarus. central minsk turned red and white as a crowd poured out to demand fresh elections. and today the woman many voted for sent a new message of support from lithuania where she fled to safety last week. svetla na ti kha novs kaya svetla na tikhanovskaya said svetlana tikhanovskaya said she's ready to act as a transitional leader to release all of the political prisoners and to hold a fair political prisoners and to hold a fa i r vote political prisoners and to hold a fair vote that can be recognised by all the world. that statement will not be shown by state media, where these p

our correspondent sarah rainsford is following developments from moscow.th in terms of its scale and in terms of the police response to it. it was all sparked by the disputed elections which svetla na tikhanovskaya, the opposition figurehead and candidate, said were rigged. that‘s why these protests are taking place. we now know she has now fled to lithuania, she hasjust issued a tear—filled statement on youtube saying it was a very difficult choice, she says she knows that some people will condemn her and hate her but she hopes that some will also understand that she had left. she didn‘t explain, but i have spoken to the foreign minister of lithuania — he said she was detained for seven hours in belarus before complicated negotiations, "a messy situation," he said, before she was able to get to lithuania and to safety. a couple of new developments coming through. the eu commission has said the eu belarus relationship is under review following that election, and writers are reporting that police in belarus are saying that more than 2000 people have now bee

our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford has more details.in the last two days. that's extraordinary. we understand the first one at least lasted some 45 minutes. now, the comments coming out of those two phone calls have differed from russia's version to the belarussian version, but today it's interesting the kremlin issued a statement stating that president putin has spoken to speak to mr lukashenko. the statement underlined that russia is ready to give necessary cooperation to resolve problems there as the two countries have a union state and it makes specific reference to the treaty on collective security, which the two countries have, which says that each would help the other two strengthen peace but also to defend their independence, their integrity and their sovereignty. now, that's interesting because belarus' mr lukashenko has hinted that russia may be ready to send in some kind of physical support to fight off what he has been calling insistently external pressure on his country. he blames all the protests on outside pressure and so

live to moscow and our correspondent sarah rainsford. no sign of this tension subsiding?rn —— a second night of mass protest. i should underline that these scenes sometimes play out in other countries but this is not something that has ever happened before in belarus. the police have never used stun grenades and rubber bullets, never fired never used stun grenades and rubber bullets, neverfired into the never used stun grenades and rubber bullets, never fired into the crowds like this before although they are known for containing much smaller protest but usually just with that on is. this is unprecedented in terms of scale and in terms of the police response to it. it was all sparked by the disputed elections which svetlana sparked by the disputed elections which svetla na tikhanovskaya sparked by the disputed elections which svetlana tikhanovskaya of the opposition figurehead and candidate, said were wrecked. that's why this is taking —— said that they were rigged. she has now fled to lithuania, she has now issued a tear filled statement on youtube saying it was a diffic

sarah rainsford joins me now from minsk.ent of an 80% win of the vote, what is your assessment of how accurate that is? well, alexander lukashenko was always going to win this vote by a landslide according to the official results. he has never lost an election since 1994. so, this was never in doubt. the preliminary results gave him almost 80%. the official results that came out just 80%. the official results that came outjust an 80%. the official results that came out just an hour 80%. the official results that came outjust an hour or 80%. the official results that came out just an hour or two 80%. the official results that came outjust an hour or two ago have given him just over that, given his chief rival just given him just over that, given his chief rivaljust under 10%. her campaign have dismissed the results come and say they do not accept it. they have claimed the actual result is almost entirely the reverse of that. they pointed to the huge queues at polling stations across belarus on sunday as primarily svetla na ti

live to moscow and our correspondent sarah rainsford.e doctor in the hospital in siberia where he is being treated has confirmed that he has indeed been hospitalised there, that he is in intensive care and unconscious and on a ventilator. he has not confirmed that mr navalny has not confirmed that mr navalny has been poisoned and he said there area number of has been poisoned and he said there are a number of theories being investigated and many tests are being done and doctors are excluding, ruling out diagnoses as they go along. but he said poisoning was one possibility that was being looked at by the team of doctors at the hospital there. it is certainly a theory that mr navalny‘s team have gone for, they believe he has been poisoned. we spoke to kira yarmysh and she said he drank a cup of black tea at the airport today before getting on the plane, and she said that's all he had before he began to feel sick whilst on board the plane. she said that he came to her, was sweating and feeling ill, and he then collapsed at the back of the p

our correspondent sarah rainsford has been following the story.the preliminary results gave him almost 80%. the official results that came out just an hour or two ago have given him just over that, and given his chief rival, svetlana tikhanovskaya, just under 10%. now, her campaign team have dismissed the results. they say they do not accept it. they have claimed the actual result is in fact almost entirely the reverse of that, and they've pointed to those huge queues at polling stations across belarus on sunday as primarily svetlana tikhanovskaya supporters flocked to polling stations to vote for change. i think this was never really about the official results, though. this was always about the response to them from opposition supporters, and what we saw last night were big, big pr°tests, big processions of opposition supporters in the streets, and then clashes with bela russian police. an inflatable dinghy carrying around 20 migrants has been met by the border force in the english channel this morning. more than 600 people have reached the uk on

sarah rainsford reports.ry workers, once loyal, now demanding he should go. so, mr lukashenko flew in today, not to face them, only inside the factory was no better. booing. as he tried to speak, the workers shouted "leave". not just the tribune, but the presidency. their ruler of 26 years publicly humiliated. "now i've finished, you can shout", he eventually tells them. pressure has been building fast. sunday saw the biggest political rally ever in belarus. central minsk turned red and white as a crowd poured out to demand fresh elections. and today the woman many voted for sent a new message of support from lithuania, where she fled to safety last week. svetlana tikhanovskaya said she's ready to act as a transitional leader, to release all of the political prisoners and to hold a fair vote that can be recognised by all the world. that statement will not be shown by state media, where these people work. so, they are now on strike, demanding an end to censorship. their action took one morning show off air. bu

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. what do you read into these figures? i think first of all, it's worth saying that although that decline in the unemployment rate is dramatic, it's really just a holding unemployment rate is dramatic, it's reallyjust a holding pattern at the moment. so if you look at some of the underlying figures, for example, the underlying figures, for example, the vacancy rates, if you look at a number of people who are claiming benefits because they are unemployed, at the rise of economic inactivity, that means people who are not working but not yet seeking work, we've got a crisis coming up in the next few months. and yet last week, the bank of england revised down its unemployment forecast, didn't it, for the year? saying it now expected it to be cut 7.5% this year. are you saying you do not agree with that? you think it's going to be much worse?” agree with that? you think it's going to be much worse? i think we don't know yet, but what the bank of england has also said is that they are expecti

sarah rainsford. the headlines on bbc news...nd, wales and northern ireland — pupils have been receiving them after a uk government u—turn means marks are now based on teacher assessments. chaos for hundreds of thousands of pupils as btec students are told they won't get their marks, just hours before they were due to be published. the russian opposition figure alexei navalny is unconscious in hospital with suspected poisoning. the anti—corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight. let's get more now on the distruption for btec students in england, wales and northern ireland. btecs are vocational qualifications. a decision was taken by exam board pearson on wednesday evening here in the uk to delay the publication of students' results. earlier we heard from our political correspondent, helen catt who explained the implications of that last—minute delay. after that u—turn on a—levels and the u—turn on gcses before the results came out today, the government might have thought it would be in for a slightly calmer day today but the

our correspondent sarah rainsford is live in moscow.itjust and it just becomes and itjust becomes more confusing? it does. there has been some very emotional and strong messages coming from the family and friends of alexei navalny on the ground in omsk at the hospital where he is being treated. they essentially allege a cover—up. they believe mr navalny has been poisoned and they believe the police, doctors and authorities there are doing everything possible to hide and conceal that. but as we have heard from the doctors, the deputy chief doctor came out to say there has been no trace of any poison found in any of the tests they have done on mr navalny, and there is nothing to be found. whilst there is nothing to be found. whilst the doctor said the possibility that he may have been poisoned remains as a theory on the back of his mind, as he put it, officially speaking they are he put it, officially speaking they a re pretty he put it, officially speaking they are pretty much ruling that out. they say there is a diagnosis, we haven't he

protesters that mr lukashenko has been using is not really working. 0ur moscow correspondent sarah rainsforde allegations of human right abuses allegations, made by those held in detention really shocking accounts coming from those who have been released from police detention centres across belarus but particularly in minsk. people talking about punishment beatings and what amounts to torture and many of the men in particular coming out with the bruises to prove it, black eyes and vivid purple bruises across their bodies. there was also a woman, a video which is very widely circulated on social media, ofa very widely circulated on social media, of a woman sobbing and talking about being threatened with death and with gang rape for taking pa rt death and with gang rape for taking part in the protests. so really shocking stories and that does match up shocking stories and that does match up to what in fact, residents who are living close to these detention centres have been saying, talking about reports of groans and screams and shrieks coming from within those detention centres over the past

let's get more from our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford. good morning.asically the biggest voice of criticism of the kremlin that there is in russia here today. the face of the opposition in this country. very well known for his anti—corruption campaigning and investigations against people very close to power here, and also for supporting opposition candidates in elections here. so he's very well known, organised a lot of major protests and for that he has been multiple times. he is faced crippling fines, he has alleged in the past that he has been attacked and poisoned. this time seems to be a whole lot more serious. he felt extremely sick very quickly on board a flight out of siberia to moscow yesterday morning, and 24 hours later, he remains in a coma in hospital in siberia. we are told by the chief doctor there that his condition is still extremely serious. conflicting reports about what might happen next. this air ambulance sent from germany and suggestions that he's not going to be allowed leave. what do you know? well, that's right. we understand

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.journalist fra nak viacorka fled the country due to security concerns and now works with otherjournalists in ukraine, collecting and verifying footage of the protests sent from his sources in belarus. i asked him what they were telling him about the mood on the streets of minsk. the strikes that we have seen, it was impossible to predict in belarus even one week ago. if i would have been asked on monday if belarus enterprises can strike, i would say definitely not. we don't have such tradition, and we've never shown it before. and we are seeing now more than 20 different enterprises and companies are striking and their demands are pretty clear. they demand for new government. and i think they are very serious about this and they will follow to the end. what is it this time do you think has put people across that line to start striking, to start pushing themselves even further? people are very tired of this system of totalitarianism of lukashenko. it's very similar to 1989 before commun

. -- sarah rainsford. authoritarian estate so it is not normal in the sense of perhaps mr lukashenko can find a way to cling on. and as those jeers and heckling came from the cloud, he responded and came back at the crowd. —— came from the crowd. it was a fascinating psychological study from a man who has never encountered this before in his 26 years in the presidency but with every passing day, the number of groups, companies can make different sectors of society who are now coming out and openly voicing their criticism of alexander lukashenko, their calls for him to go and their support for new elections, that crowd and momentum is building all the time and it is very difficult to see that tide turning now. workers at state—run factories walked off the job last week, and the strikes have continued. this is what was broadcast on a state tv breakfast show after several presenters and staff resigned last week. as you can see the sofas are empty and there is music playing in the background. here's what one c

our moscow correspondent, sarah rainsford, reports.ious and in intensive care. russia's most prominent opposition activist was rushed in here after suddenly falling sick on a flight. tweeting from by his side, his aide described how he had begun sweating, was disorientated and then collapsed soon after take—off. the plane made an emergency landing, and kira yarmysh says doctors initially told her mr navalny had been poisoned. translation: i am certain that this is a deliberate poisoning. i don't know how all these decisions are made, but it is obvious that the authorities have their own ideas regarding when the situation is absolutely dangerous. and there is a need to neutralise alexei, if that's what it was. she's also posted this picture, police and investigators now at the hospital. a senior doctor said his team was working to save mr navalny‘s life. he said his condition, though, whilst serious, was currently stable. translation: of course, poisoning is being considered as one of the possible causes. but apart from that, there are

from moscow, here's sarah rainsford.ht alex in the valley was carried off his flight unconscious. the russian opposition activist had collapsed in agony, forcing an emergency landing. so at the siberian hospital where he is still in a cobra anxious friends and family have gathered. best back ina coma. and family have gathered. best back in a coma. the family are convinced this was a deliberate attack, and furious that doctors who tell them he is too unstable to be flown abroad for treatment. translation: we think it is done so that the chemicals they found disappear from his body. aleksei is not in a very good state, and of course we can't trust this hospital. we demand they give him to us, so we can take him to doctors we trust. they had called in this airambulance to doctors we trust. they had called in this air ambulance from germany. for now, it's in this air ambulance from germany. for now, its is standing by. the family want independent toxicology tests a nd family want independent toxicology tests and the best tre