sarah rainsford — to go to to stay there. sarah rainsford in _ to go to to stay there.y there. sarah rainsford in moscow, thank| to go to to stay there. sarah - rainsford in moscow, thank you. the former head of formula 0ne's governing body, max mosley, who went on to become a privacy campaigner, has died aged 81. son of the british fascist leader 0swald mosley, he hit the headlines outside his racing career when the news of the world wrongly published a story alleging he had taken part in a nazi—themed orgy. mr mosley won £60,000 in damages for libel and invasion of privacy and went on to campaign vigorously for tighter press regulation. our home editor mark easton looks back at his life. max mosley was many things. a racing driver who went on to run motorsport, a barrister who helped change britain's laws on privacy and a suave family man with a secret double life. he was the son of 0swald mosley, leader of the british union of fascists, and his mother, lady diana, described by one newspaper is an "unrepentant nazi". "all my life, i've had hanging over me my anteceden

for more let's speak now to moscow our correspondent, sarah rainsford. rdinary _ plane was diverted. well, it's a really extraordinary story, - plane was diverted. well, it's a really extraordinary story, and | really extraordinary story, and really extraordinary story, and really the details are just starting to become clearer, but certainly what we know from ryanair itself, a statement that they put out saying that air traffic control in minsk contacted the plane and warned of a security threat to the flight and ordered them to divert to minsk. ryanair said that was the nearest airport, though in actualfact ryanair said that was the nearest airport, though in actual fact the plane was closer at the time to vilnius in lithuania, but anyway that flight diverted, landed safely, we are told, and we saw in minsk itself there was an extensive search of that plane come on board the plane, and all of the passengers' luggage. after landing nothing suspicious was found, but what did happen is the arrest of a very well opposition activist and journalist, roman pro

katty: sarah rainsford in minsk for us.spoke to a retired general who said it was just a coincidence of the journalist was on the pain -- was on the plane. palestinians have been continuing to return to damaged homes in gaza. 12 people in israel were killed during the recent fighting. many civilian deaths from airstrikes happened on a single street. tom bateman has this report from gaza. >> in gaza, the car radio ha stopped playing pop songs. now they are saying about the people lost in the land. just being alive this week means to have survived. i'm going to meet someone. to me about your fiance, what was she like? >> [speaking foreign language] shayna was dreaming of becoming a dentist. she studied hard. she would say not now, i have a test. they were due to mary straight after the holiday last week. in the sixth night of bombing raids on gaza, she was at home with her family. >> she told me her heart was beating. she said she felt something bad was going to happen. then, minutes before the incident happened, i message he

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.li after four people were killed during anti—government demonstrations. the city has been the epicentre of a month of protests — originally about tax increases — that have claimed dozens of lives. a man who attacked and injured three french police officers, one of them seriously, has died. the former prisoner fled the scene of the attack in nantes on foot and hundreds of police officers joined in the hunt for the as yet — unamed man. it�*s the latest of a series of attacks on police in france recently europe�*s medicines regulator has backed the use of pfizer�*s covid—i9 vaccine for children as young as 12, paving the way for a broader rollout in the region. it�*s already being used in the european union for those aged 16 and older. the head of the world health organisation has called for countries to immediately share vaccines, saying equitable access to vaccines was essential to ending the pandemic. dr tedros gebryseus said he wanted at least 10% of the population in every country to

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.us have held what are described as "candid" talks, agreeing the development of bilateral trade is very important. president biden has inherited a contentious us—china relationship, with clashes over trade, technology, human rights and the pandemic. while beijing is calling for a reset, the biden administration has largely maintained donald trump's tough line. the bbc�*s zhaoyin feng looks at how biden is going to deal with china. us president biden's long—standing relationship with the chinese leader, xijinping, is no secret — they go back to when they were both vice presidents. given this history, you'd expect biden to quickly reverse former president trump's tough approach to china. but that hasn't happened. so why is biden holding firm? one of the reasons is china's human rights record. jeffrey ngo is a hong kong activist in washington, dc. president biden has spoken a lot about how he thinks human rights should be a cornerstone of us foreign policy, but then they also have to balan

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.strator of the much—loved children's book the very hungry caterpillar, has died at the age of 91. first published in 1969, the book has sold more than 50 million copies and been translated into more than 66 languages. carle also wrote the very popular brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?, the grouchy ladybug and the very busy spider. he died at his studio in massachusetts on sunday. there's a push under way to preserve the scientific papers and personal possessions of professor stephen hawking. the objects include childhood letters, scripts from his tv appearances, as well as his ground—breaking research into black holes. our science correspondent pallab ghosh has more. there is nothing like a eureka moment of discovering something that no—one knew before... he was the world's most inspiring scientist. his research, photographs and letters are his legacy to the world, and they're to be saved for the nation. ah, here he is, yeah. 0h, brilliant. his son, tim, sees many of them for th

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.s the president of colombia, ivan duque, has ordered the military to restore order in the city of cali after four people were killed during anti—government demonstrations. the city has been the epicentre of a month of protests — originally about tax increases — that have claimed dozens of lives. republicans in the us senate have blocked a proposal for a commission to investigate the violence at washington's capitol building in january. democrats had wanted the panel to advance enquiries into the deadly clashes that broke out after donald trump urged supporters to voice their anger as congress certified joe biden�*s election victory. in france, a woman police officer has been stabbed and seriously wounded in a suspected terror attack. it happened in the city of nantes. her attacker was later shot and killed. there's growing anger in france after a series of jihadist attacks on the police and public. russell trott reports. a huge manhunt triggered after the suspect repeatedly stamped the

our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford joins us from minsk. g international pressure on the regime? international pressure on the reuime? ., ., ., , regime? no, huw, the authorities here are still _ regime? no, huw, the authorities here are still insisting _ regime? no, huw, the authorities here are still insisting there - regime? no, huw, the authorities here are still insisting there was l regime? no, huw, the authorities here are still insisting there was aj here are still insisting there was a genuine security threat to that ryanair flight, genuine security threat to that ryanairflight, that genuine security threat to that ryanair flight, that essentially rya nair flight, that essentially belarus ryanair flight, that essentially belarus stepped in to save the day, and the fact that there was a well—known dissident on—board, a man wanted by authorities here, they are saying that was pure coincidence. but international condemnation has been increasing, and tomorrow will see a meeting of the un security council to discuss what happened, but be

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.ratic republic of congo, over fears of another eruption from mount nyiragongo. on thursday, officials ordered goma to be partially evacuated, worried that lava flows into lake kivu would generate a tsunami and toxic gas cloud. emery makumeno reports from the town of sake where thousands have fled in recent days... these people have made it to sake, a few miles east. but the democratic republic of condo is a difficult place to be at the best of times. local activists distributed food but with nearly half a million displays the need is far greater and the help available. translation: it is now the government that should pitch the tent and provide food. i must get money from the treasury to buy food. here in sake no one has come to solve the food issue. translation: we were well received by this lady to whom i would like to extend my gratitude. because, thanks to her, at least 50 people found where to spend the night and we ate what little we had with the children. here in such sake that

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.intelligence agencies 90 days to conduct a fresh investigation into the origins of covid—19, as speculation persists that it may have leaked from a chinese lab. this claim has been strongly denied by beijing, who said politicising the issue would only hamper investigations. well, the bbc�*s will grant joins me now from washington. these questions about the origins of covid—19 clearly still being taken pretty seriously?— still being taken pretty seriously? still being taken pretty seriousl ? , , ., seriously? yes, there is no si . n seriously? yes, there is no sin of seriously? yes, there is no sign of them _ seriously? yes, there is no sign of them going - seriously? yes, there is no sign of them going away, l seriously? yes, there is no i sign of them going away, and they are partly stoked by news reports that appear to have information passed from intelligence agencies suggesting it could well have been from a laboratory incident rather than from nature. of course, the belief up unti

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.s to immediately share vaccines, saying equitable access to vaccines was essential to ending the pandemic. dr tedros gebryseus said he wanted at least 10% of the population in every country to have been vaccinated by september. our spring to september goal means me must vaccinate 250 million more people in low and middle income countries including all health workers and the most at risk groups is the first priority. if countries immediately share doses of covax and if manufacturers prioritise covax, we can reach this target and save a lot of lives. dr monica gandhi is an infectious diseases physician and professor of medicine at ucsf. she recently co—authored an article entitled "american kids can wait" arguing vaccines would be better given to those in the world more vulnerable to covid—i9. i put to her that some parents may not like the idea of vaccines for their children being delayed. we wrote this article more as a theoretical point that children are much less a risk of symptomati

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.with may likely to be the deadliest month so far. but the true death toll could be several times higher especially in rural areas where the virus is now spreading. access to health care there is almost nonexistent, as our international correspondent, 0rla guerin, found when she travelled to bihar, one of the poorest areas in india. funeral pyres are now a prism for the pain of a nation. he is lost in grief for his mother, one of the latest victims of covid—19 in the state of bihar. with so many dead across india, cremation costs have soared. some families here have been reduced to entrusting the bodies of their loved ones to the sacred waters of the ganges. prime minister narendra modi, whose ratings are falling, has been remembering the dead with a show of emotion. but within hours, "crocodile tears" was trending on social media here. the full scale of india's tragedy may never be known. we crossed the ganges to reach the vast hinterland. in rural areas, like the village of like birpu

sarah rainsford reports. in minsk, appearances are deceiving.al turmoil. we were heading to meet a womanjust plunged into the heart of it. she asked to meet in the open on the edge of town because anna's daughter is now in a kgb prison, arrested with her opposition activist boyfriend when their flight over europe was diverted by force to belarus. the last anna heard from sofia was a text message. itjust said, "mum." the next was a video confession taped by her interrogators. it seems clear it was done under duress. anna is still reeling. translation: we are in such a state that we keep - saying to each other, "this can't be happening." we don't believe it's happening to us, to our daughter. anna says sofia wasn't even part of the protests that swept belarus last year, as minsk turned red and white with crowds calling for president lukashenko to go. nine months on, everything has changed here. the mass arrest of opposition supporters and people's own fear have cleared the streets of protesters. but alexander lukashenko is still very much in power

sarah rainsford reports from minsk.osition politician can make for a very lonely life. for a whole year, volha's only contact with her husband has been these letters from his prison cell. pavel writes poems for her, long stories for their son but this week, volha finally got to see him. and pavel was still chanting defiance, even in court. the trial had been closed, with relatives only let in for the guilty verdict. translation: we weren't allowed close, we could only shout - i love you or make heart signs, but even to look at each other was a hugejoy. pavel seviarynets is a lifelong dissident, but now his three—year—old is growing up without his dad. he was arrested before belarus erupted in protest over the re—election of president alexander lukashenko. translation: it's - a really long sentence. our son will be ten when he gets out, but i don't think he will serve it all. i don't let myself think like that. people here are afraid, but there's real pressure on lukashenko and i think any spark could ignite things again

sarah rainsford, many thanks. by the bodies of two women at a crime scene in london have said they are "sorry beyond measure" for the pain they have caused. pc deniz jaffer, who's a7, and 32—year—old pcjamie lewis have been charged with misconduct in public office. from westminster magistrates�* court, helena wilkinson, reports. bibaa henry was celebrating her birthday with her sister nicole smallman last year when they went missing. two days later, their bodies were found next to each other. pc deninaffer and pc jamie lewis were assigned to protect the crime scene, but they were later arrested, after an investigation into accusations they had taken selfies by the bodies. last year, the sisters' mother spoke to the bbc. those police officers... ..dehumanised our children. today, the officers appeared in court, charged with misconduct in a public office. both police officers appeared together in the dock, and through their lawyer, they issued an apology, saying they are sorry beyond measure for the pain that they h

sarah rainsford, bbc news, fraanosef land in the russian arctic. its eurovision week.fter a member of their delegations tested positive for covid. but that hasn t stopped the fans flocking to watch the semi finals. our reporter anna holligan is with them in rotterdam. waterloo by abba plays over speakers. an iconic eurovision anthem pumps out of the traffic lights, providing fans with a soundtrack for their long—anticipated arrival at the ahoy arena. i heard it and i saw it on television. and i said, "i�*m going to rotterdam. " whatever happens, i�*m going. yeah, i think this is much safer than sitting on a terrace in the town. i think so. because everyone is tested. baby's first concert, actually. well, we thought we might as welljust go all in. - it's a once—in—a—lifetime experience~ _ for her, as well, i guess. 3,500 people are allowed in to watch each of the live shows. there are nine of them in total. a ticket and a negative covid test are essential. the glitter, optional. it�*s just nice to be in front of a crowd again. the vibe off them is brilliant, having been

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. stay with us on bbc news.s death, a treasure trove of the personal papers of professor stephen hawking will be preserved at an archive at cambridge. music. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juventus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn - the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian - people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than a500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she's left the spice girls. argh, i don't believe it! she's

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the first 100 days of her new government following the recent election. the first minister said the most important priority was to lead the country safely out of the pandemic, but she also raised the prospect of much closer co—operation with the greens, who also back another independence referendum, including the possibility of positions in government. police investigating the shooting in south london of a black lives matter activist — sasha johnson — have arrested five men aged between 17 and 28. msjohnson was shot in the head during a party in the early hours of sunday morning, and remains in a critical condition in hospital. the scientific papers and personal possessions of the late professor stephen hawking are to be saved for the nation. the items include childhood letters, scripts from his television appearances, as well as his pioneering research. most of the 10,000—page archive will be permanently housed at cambridge university, as our science correspondent pallab ghosh report

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.ue to rule in a landmark class—action case brought by eight teenagers and a nun that seeks to stop the expansion of australia's coal production. the young people behind the case are organisers behind australia's school strike 4 climate campaign, which marched in sydney last week. the suit targets the planned expansion of a coal mine in new south wales. our asutralia correspondent shaimaa khalil has been examining the potential impact of the case. these eight young people, these eight students have presented a class—action to the federal court in melbourne asking them effectively to stop the environment minister from approving an extension of a coal mine in new south wales known as the vickery extension project. their argument is that sussan ley, the australian environment minister, has a duty of care towards young people, towards the next generation, to protect them from the harmful and devastating effects of climate change. and by approving this extension, she'll be in violation of th

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.spondent, olga ivshina, in london, and asked her what impact these sanctions were likely to have on mr lukashenko. first of all the sanctions are going to address the closed circle of his allies and people from his administration but what is also important is that from the 3rd of june the sanctions are going to be addressed and they are going to touch a state funded enterprises and this means that the sanctions will also have an impact on the of belarus and people who live in belarus and people who live in belarus and people who live in belarus and this means that the already struggling economy is going to struggle even more and that is the problem not only for the leader but also for the people of the country. i5 but also for the people of the count . , , ~ , country. is president putin likely to be comfortable _ country. is president putin likely to be comfortable openly - country. is president putin likely - to be comfortable openly supporting the president? it to be comfortable ope

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. allowed to meet in each other�*s homes in limited numbers and hug loved ones again, with pubs reopening indoors as the majority of scotland moves to level two. the exception is moray, where infection rates are much higher than elsewhere. lorna gordon is in glasgow. a welcome easing of restrictions for most people in scotland? yes. a welcome easing of restrictions for most people in scotland?— most people in scotland? yes, the first minister _ most people in scotland? yes, the first minister said _ most people in scotland? yes, the first minister said these _ most people in scotland? yes, the first minister said these changes l first minister said these changes are the most important yet and have been hard earned, for most of scotland, even longer in glasgow and lanarkshire, it has been almost eight months since people have been able to meet each other�*s home, but that will change from monday, six adults from three households will be able to meet in private homes and stay overnight, s

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.s story, i'm joined now by our correspondent olga ivshina in london. what impact will sanctions have on lukashenka's position? first of all, these sanctions are going to address the closed circle of mr lukashenko, his allies and people from his administration, but what is also important is that from the 3rd ofjune, these sanctions are going to be addressed, and they're going to be addressed, and they're going to be addressed, and they're going to touch the state funded enterprises, and this means that these sanctions will also have an impact on people in belarus and people who live there, and this means that the already struggling economy will struggle even more, and thatis economy will struggle even more, and that is the problem for not only for the leader but also for the people of the country. find the leader but also for the people of the country-— of the country. and is president putin likely _ of the country. and is president putin likely to _ of the country. and is president puti

responded with sanctions, avoidance of russian airspace, and limits on eu are spice for belarus, sarah rainsford en looking at the reaction inside belarus. >> there has been a very forceful response in terms of warts from the foreign ministry here. they have said they wi respond with parallel sanctions on the west. so, they clearly are not happy. but, isolation is becoming a reality of life here in metairie. so -- in belarus. this is a country people talk about balancing between russia and the eu. since last august, it has been tilting more heavily towards russia. now, it is very dependent on russia. lukashenko said we will have a very forceful cooperation with russia. >> the entire story has to be seen in the context of russia. have a look at this map. belarus is a buffer between russia and a number of eu and nato countries. president putin supported mr. lukashenko throughout. re they are together in june. as belarus becomes more isolated politically, does that create issues for moscow? here is the bbc's steve rosenberg. >> whether or not boskalis about this drama before it happened, i think --

organisations to help hold the lukashenko regime to account, including sanctions. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsfordrnational reaction is having. well, it's having one direct effect. we flew in from moscow, and that's now one of the few ways to get here, in fact. as you were mentioning there, eu airlines are cancelling flights here. the belarusian airline belavia is no longer flying to europe, and the airspace over this country is now pretty much closed, off—limits to european airlines, too. so, that's one direct change. but in terms of the political reaction here to what's happening, well, there's been so far a pretty big shrug. belarus, the belarusian government is presenting itself essentially as a country that stepped in to save the day with that ryanair flight. they're saying that there was a real security threat on board and that the belarusian authorities offered a safe landing here in minsk. so, they're saying the fact that a very prominent wanted man, a very vocal critic of alexander lukashenko was on board that flight and then detained, well, as far as the belarusians are concerned here, t

here's sarah rainsford in minsk.rong words from the international community and more moves towards concrete actions against the authorities here in belarus, too, with talk of a package of sanctions almost ready against the authorities here, and possible economic measures to come soon after that. there is one sanction that's already kicked in here, though, with the national airline belavia here now banned from flying to europe, so there's a real sort of increasing sense of isolation in this country from that move. i spoke to people today trying to return their tickets, talking about the fact they felt trapped in the country now, but interestingly they also told me that they welcomed the move, they welcomed the sanctions. they hope that that could increase the pressure on the authorities that they tried to do with their street protests last year. of course, they were forced off the streets by the massive security forces' lashback crackdown that followed. one other consequence of the sanctions could be pushing belarus c

our correspondent in sarah rainsford is in minsk, the capital of belarus, and explained what impact thel, it's having one direct effect. we flew in from moscow, and that's now one of the few ways to get here, in fact. as you were mentioning there, eu airlines are cancelling flights here. the belarusian airline belavia is no longer flying to europe, and the airspace over this country is now pretty much closed, off—limits to european airlines, too. so, that's one direct change. but in terms of the political reaction here to what's happening, well, there's been so far a pretty big shrug. belarus, the belarusian government is presenting itself essentially as a country that stepped in to save the day with that ryanair flight. they're saying that there was a real security threat on board and that the belarusian authorities offered a safe landing here in minsk. so, they're saying the fact that a very prominent wanted man, a very vocal critic of alexander lukashenko was on board that flight and then detained, well, as far as the belarusians are concerned here, that was pure coincidence. the mos

here's sarah rainsford in minsk.ng words from the international community and more moves towards concrete actions against the authorities here in belarus, too, with talk of a package of sanctions almost ready against the authorities here, and possible economic measures to come soon after that. there is one sanction that's already kicked in here, though, with the national airline belavia here now banned from flying to europe, so there's a real sort of increasing sense of isolation in this country from that move. i spoke to people today trying to return their tickets, talking about the fact they felt trapped in the country now, but interestingly they also told me that they welcomed the move, they welcomed the sanctions. they hope that that could increase the pressure on the authorities that they tried to do with their street protests last year. of course, they were forced off the streets by the massive security forces' lashback crackdown that followed. one other consequence of the sanctions could be pushing belarus clo

for more let's speak now to moscow our correspondent, sarah rainsford.n this this evening.— this this evening. really strong lanauuae this this evening. really strong language from _ this this evening. really strong language from leaders - this this evening. really strong language from leaders and - language from leaders and politicians across europe. the uk as well. the foreign secretary speaking out and calling this abhorrent. some politicians describing what has happened as a hijacking and certainly calling for something to be done. some kind of measures to be taken. against the authorities in belarus who appear to have sanctioned the diversion of a plane in order to arrest, purely and simply to arrest a critic, a key critic of alexander, the president. the stories that we have been hearing suggest some passengers have been speaking to lithuanian media suggesting there was no kind of warning of what was happening, that simply the plane started heading in another direction, and as that happened one passenger on board according to these accounts started

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk.ts in hungary during his meeting with the country's leader. viktor orban is only the second european union leader to hold talks with the british prime minister since brexit. after the meeting at number ten, mr orban spoke of his "friendship" with borisjohnson. he also denied he was anti—semitic and defended his hostility towards immigrants and muslims. you should understand, probably, gentlemen, that the cultural context of migration here in a centre of a global empire, may i say, is totally different than in central europe. migration in the hungarian cultural context is totally negative. so, to be anti—migrant, it means that you are on a good side, and this is the intention of the people. we don't need migration. you know, we don't like that phenomena at all. why did you refer to muslims once as "invaders"? - that's happened. that was the fact. so, without any kind of legal permission, without any permission coming from the hungarian authorities, they just destroyed the border and the

our correspondent sarah rainsford is in moscow and says there's now an eu—wide chorus of disapprovalactions by belarus. there are some passenger accounts being reported by a lithuanian outlet that is talking about how there was no sign of anything strange going on on board the flight, no sign of the fights on board that was reported. at one point earlier. all that happened is that the plane suddenly turned around and started going in another direction, and then passengers who spoke to the media said that one man on board, now we know this is roman, the belarussian opposition activist and journalist, the belarussian opposition activist andjournalist, he the belarussian opposition activist and journalist, he had barely started shaking and put his head in his hands because he knew the plane was heading to minsk. according to these reports the passengers were then all taken off the plane, roman was taken to one side and at one point he managed to say two other passengers that, as he put it, the words were it is the death penalty awaits me here in belarus. so obviously extremely concerned

emergency services are at the scene. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford is in moscow. . ., , ., ., latest? well, officials are now sa in: latest? well, officials are now saying they — latest? well, officials are now saying they believe _ latest? well, officials are now saying they believe this - latest? well, officials are now saying they believe this was . latest? well, officials are now saying they believe this was a | latest? well, officials are now - saying they believe this was a lone attacker, they are identifying a 19—year—old man who they say had a firearm that in fact was licensed, registered to him. he also, we believe, had explosive devices or at least one explosive device as he entered the school this morning, certainly we've seen pictures from inside the corridors of that school that show really serious damage there, doors blown out, glass in the corridors. and of course we have also seen those terrible images of students, children in the school, jumping from the windows for their lives, essentially. as you hear the gunfire sounding in the background. this

. —— let's stay on this. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford is in moscow., coming in thick and fast now by european, the uk and other leaders across the world, as they really try to take on what's happened. because this does appear to have been an audacious diversion — some are calling it even a hijacking — of a european flight, to divert it to land in belarus, in order, it does appear, to arrest a prominent member of the opposition from belarus, who had been living abroad for some time. now, he is a well—knownjournalist who was responsible for founding nexta, this telegram channel, which had been very much involved in the protests against alexander lukashenko last year. you'll remember those fast protests on the streets across belarus. but anyway he was on board this flight from athens, returning from holiday, when it was forced to divert to minsk. now, the details are difficult to pin down, although ryanair, the airline itself, has put out a statement saying it was informed by air traffic control in minsk in belarus that there was a security incident and

our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford sent us this update from minsk.elarus as saving the day. he talked about acting to save lives, he claimed there was a real security threat to the plane. "what else was i supposed to do," alexander lukashenko said today. but in the same breath, he also referred to roman protasevich and his girlfriend who were both detained, of course, when that flight was diverted to minsk. he talked about them as "agents of the west", claiming they were backed by the west to damage, to harm belarus. and he painted the west essentially as at war with belarus — a "hybrid war", he called it, putting unprecedented pressure on his country. he also seemed to have an appeal in there to russia, to vladimir putin for continuing, in fact even increasing its support and cooperation, because he said the west was using belarus as a training ground, a testing ground for what it plans to do in russia. so this was really the leader of belarus presenting this country as beleaguered, as under attack and saying, "ok, you're sanctioning us. we'll weath

his father spoke to the bbc�*s sarah rainsford.vents of august 2020, it was like allowed halo and showing people what was happening, even telling people what to do. so i think lukashenko probably declared him as a personal enemy. let�*s look at his story in more depth roman protasevich is 26 years old, so he�*s never lived in belarus without lukashenko in power. he was expelled from school for protesting against the regime. he co—founded the opposition channel nekhta on the app telegram. telegram is a secure messaging app — and one of very few ways belarusian have been able to organise as authorities suppress independent media. the channel has nearly two million subscribers. it broadcasts footage of anti—government protests. mr protasevich was once asked by the bbc if nexta was a protest hub or a media outlet. he said: "it is hard to say who we are. i guess we are primarily belarusians who would like to come home and live in a free country without dictatorship." he now works for a different telegram channel, belamova. he left belar

sarah rainsford in moscow has been looked at the reaction to this inside belarus. they obviously don't the ministry here. they will respond with parallel sanctions on the west and the west will not like this. and they clearly are not happy but in isolation, it is becoming the reality of life here in belarus and so this is a country that many people talk about is kind of balancing between east and west, russia and the eu, europe. but after the events, it has been tilting much more heavily towards russia and it's very dependent on russia. alexander has said, if the west wants to break off relations with us, that is no skin off our nose, but will have a very forceful cooperation with russia instead. and this entire story has to be seen in the context of russia — russia's relationship with belarus — and with the west. look at this map — you can see why. belarus is a buffer between russia and eu and nato countries. and president putin has supported mr lukeshenko throughout — here they are together injune. but as belarus becomes more isolated, does that create issues for moscow? here's steve

here's sarah rainsford.at school. some of them throwing themselves, jumping from the windows of a third story, the third floor of the school building, and you can hear the gunshots in the background. extremely terrifying images from that school. i've seen things on social media of parents horrified at what they could hear and people feeling it —— filming it, saying "get my child out of there." and being turned back as security forces try to secure the area and capture the gunman. horrific for them. school shootings are rare in russia. one of the last major incidents happened at a college in crimea in 2018. crimea was annexed from ukraine by russia in 2014 and remains under russian control. in that attack, a student killed 20 people before killing himself. next let's hear from 0lga ivshina from bbc russian service, who's from kazan. it's very hard to hear and see that news _ it's very hard to hear and see that news. because has more thani million — news. because has more thani million people, and 800 from mos

mr protasevich�*s father, dmitri has spoken to the bbc�*s sarah rainsford in moscow.ernational community, including i translation: when you find out that your son has been _ seized in such a vile, terrorist manner and they say "we will put him away for a long time, and he will even get the death penalty", that's really hard. national community is looking to europe. ryanair�*s boss is also clear that it's for the eu to respond. i think it's the first time it's happened to your european airline, but, i mean, this was a case of state—sponsored. .. it was a state—sponsored hijacking, it was state—sponsored piracy. but unfortunately i can't say much about it because the eu authorities and nato are dealing with at the moment. ican i can see that the reuters news agency is now quoting the belarussian interior minister saying bela russian interior minister saying that belarussian interior minister saying that mr roman protasevich, who was on board that ryan air flight is being held in ajail on board that ryan air flight is being held in a jail in minsk. that's the belarussian

here�*s her mother speaking to the bbc�*s sarah rainsford.hink roman is a personal enemy because he was editor in chief of one of the most important channels during the protests in august and september, so i think it is a personal revenge. but i believe that they will also try to get some information out of him, so if you would ask why i consider they took him, and made the separation, it is because of these things of personal revenge and trying to get some information from him. president lukashanko has been in power since belarus�* independence from the soviet union — that�*s 27 years. and after widespread crticism of last year�*s election — which he won — opposition protests began. huge ones. the state responded by arresting thousands of people — there are multiple allegations of beatings and torture. many of them are still in detention. among those in detention is the activist sergei tikhanovsky. saturday marks one year since his arrest. which was just two days after he announced he would run for president. his wife sviatlana tsikhanouskay

our correspondent sarah rainsford is in moscow(os) tell us more about the blogger.been the focus of this extraordinary operation is his work with the telegram channel which was very important during those mass protests against the re—election of alexander lukashenko last year. they were publishing videos throughout the protests, once the official narrative form state media was that there was no protest or resistance to alexander lukashenko, he was in control of the country, the channel was putting out a different story with videos of protests in the most far flung corners of the country so for some time he has been wanted by the authorities in belarus, he is accused of organising mass protests which is a criminal offence in belarus and it has the potential penalty for him of up to 15 years in prison and the channel itself has been put on the list of extremist organisations in belarus so there could potentially be further criminal charges linked to that designation so an extremely serious moment, serious turn of events for roman protasevich and i should mention his m

let's cross live to the belarusian capital and our correspondent sarah rainsford who's in central minsk of the few ways to get here in fact as you — one of the few ways to get here in fact as you were mentioning there. eu airlines — fact as you were mentioning there. eu airlines are cancelling flights here~ _ eu airlines are cancelling flights here the — eu airlines are cancelling flights here. the belarusian airline is no longer— here. the belarusian airline is no longer flying to europe and the assets — longer flying to europe and the assets of— longer flying to europe and the assets of this country is now pretty much _ assets of this country is now pretty much closed to european airlines as weii~ _ much closed to european airlines as weii~ that's — much closed to european airlines as well. that's one direct change, but in terms _ well. that's one direct change, but in terms of— well. that's one direct change, but in terms of the political reaction here _ in terms of the political reaction here there's so far been a pretty bil here there's so far been a pretty big shrug — here there's

james landale, bbc news. 0ur moscow correspondent sarah rainsford joins us now.dacious act by— this across europe as an audacious act by president lukashenko to dive this plane _ act by president lukashenko to dive this plane essentially, to bring in one of— this plane essentially, to bring in one of his — this plane essentially, to bring in one of his chief critics, roman protasevich. i should say that his girlfriend. — protasevich. i should say that his girlfriend, who was travelling with him, _ girlfriend, who was travelling with him. we _ girlfriend, who was travelling with him, we also believe was detained in minsk _ him, we also believe was detained in minsk. there have been calls for their— minsk. there have been calls for their release from across europe overnight— their release from across europe overnight and yes that. there has also been — overnight and yes that. there has also been told of consequences, real consequences, for what has happened, specifically— consequences, for what has happened, specifically eu figures have been meeting — specifically

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. been murdered by the serial killer fred west. in the past, the building had been linked to the disappearance of 15—year—old mary bastholm. officers were called to the clean plate cafe in gloucester by a production company filming a documentary. they told police on friday they had found evidence that a body could be buried within the property. a man has been remanded in custody, after being charged with the murder of the police community support officer, julia james. 21—year—old callum wheeler from aylesham appeared in person at medway magistrates court. julia james, who was 53, was found dead in woodland near her home two weeks ago today. jon donnison reports from the court. there was a brief hearing today. callum wheeler appeared in court here in chatham for only around five minutes. he spokejust briefly to confirm his name, his age and his address. he was dressed in a grey tracksuit, and he left court and appeared to gesture briefly to reporters, before being led into a prison van.