the whole belarus is standing up. it's never happened before. is it the whole belarus? i see the pictures from minsk. i see the thousands, tens of thousands of — it has to be said — mostly young people. they're internet—savvy. they're connected. they're educated. is it all of belarus that we're talking about? you know that wonderful slogan that appeared before elections in belarus? 396. that exactly reflects on the situation. 97% of the population is standing up against him. 0k, do we want to be realistic? let's go into statistical data and discuss his real numbers, and now we are talking about 8.6, 8.9. this is the only percent that he got, because...we need to understand that itjust didn't happen out of the blue and people went to protest. economy went down, march, april. horrific collapse of economy that never saw belarus before, and then coronavirus happening when lu kashenko is denying the fact of it. and he's calling that a psychosis, and you need to drink vodka, get on tractor and go to sauna. that two factors made the bela rusian population to understand t

the whole of belarus is standing up. it's never happened before. is it the whole of belarus? i see the pictures from minsk, i see the pictures from minsk, i see thousands, tens of thousands, it has to be said, mostly young people. they are internet savvy. they are connected. they are educated. is it all of belarus that you are talking about? you know that wonderful slogan that appeared before the elections in belarus? sasha 3%. but exactly reflects on the situation. 97% of the population is standing up against him. do we want to be realistic? what go into statistical data and discuss his real numbers. now we're talking about 8.6%, 8.9%. this is the only % that he got. because we need to understand that it's just didn't happen out of the blue. and people wa nt to out of the blue. and people want to protest. our economy went down, march, april, horrific collapse of the economy but never saw in belarus before. and then coronavirus happening, when lukashenko is denying the fact of it and he is calling that a psychosis, and you need to drink vodka, get on tractor, and go to sauna.

the whole of belarus is standing up. it never happened before. isn't the whole of belarus? i see the pictures from the news, the thousands. i see the pictures from minsk. i see the thousands, tens of thousands of — it has to be said — mostly young people. they're internet—savvy. they're connected. they're educated. is it all of belarus that we're talking about? you know that wonderful slogan that appeared before 396. that exactly reflects on the situation. 97% of the population is standing up against him. 0k, do we want to be realistic? let's go into statistical data and discuss his real numbers, and now we are talking about 8.6, 8.9. this is the only percent that he got, because...we need to understand that itjust didn't happen out of the blue and people went to protest. economy went down — march, april. horrific collapse of economy that never saw belarus before, and then coronavirus happening when lu kashenko is denying the fact of it. and he's calling that a psychosis — and you need to drink vodka, get on tractor and go to sauna. that two factors made the bela

the whole of belarus is standing up. it's never happened before. is it the whole of belarus? i see the pictures from minsk, i see thousands, tens of thousands, it has to be said, mostly young people. they are internet—savvy. they are connected. they are educated. is it all of belarus that you are talking about? you know that wonderful slogan that appeared before the elections in belarus? sasha 3%. that exactly reflects on the situation. 97% of the population is standing up against him. do we want to be realistic? let's go into statistical data and discuss his real numbers. now we're talking about 8.6%, 8.9%. this is the only per cent that he got. because we need to understand that itjust didn't happen out of the blue. and people went to protest. our economy went down, march, april, horrific collapse of the economy that we never saw in belarus before. and then coronavirus happening, when lukashenko is denying the fact of it and he is calling that a psychosis, and you need to drink vodka, get on tractor, and go to sauna. those two factors made the belarus population understan

they start to chant against belarus. i would like to say that defending belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space. the union state of belarus and russia. an example for others. if belarusians cannot stand, the wave will flow there. observers say that russia's support will be key for mr lukashenko to hold on to power. but this crowd may be a sign that he has reached the point of no return. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, minsk. lets bbc news, minsk. hear more about that competitive lets hear more about that competitive assistance promised to belarus. heather conley, from the center for strategic and international studies, explained what could be. we are not entirely sure what that means. it appears that president lukashenko is now trying to create the image that nato is moving closer to belarusian border, they have reported that they are moving an airborne brigade to the lithuania poland border, and so perhaps president lukashenko is creating a military issue that he will ask president putin to help s

people in belarus take to the streets for an 11 day in support of the president to go. see. your leaders say they don't recognize the results of the belorussian election and will impose sanctions on top officials this is despite brussels warning against any external interference in the crisis. russia's foreign minister also urges against any outside meddling after the leader. raises his concerns over european involvement with whatever. it is because you are. deeply concerned about what's going on right now and concerned by the attempt to exploit internal challenges facing. them from. our studios in moscow this is r.t. international i'm sean thomas. and we start in belarus where a sharp divide is emerging in the wake of august 9th election both supporters of president lucas shango and those opposing his leadership are flooding the streets these are 2 contrasting scenes from day 11 of the unrest on the right you can see people thousands of them in a gathering in central minsk waving the historic red and white flag which has become a symbol of. movement and on the left a crowd

air freshener begins to take advantage and move into belarus thatis advantage and move into belarus that is certainly affecting a nato position. we often hear president lukashenko nato position. we often hear president lu kashenko referred to as europe's last dictator. it is not quite as simple as him always having an antagonistic relationship with his european neighbours. there have been times when he has moved towards them in a way from russia. where exactly does belarus it in these kind of big power plays? you are absolutely right. a26 years lukashenko has what some analysts have called toa pair what some analysts have called to a pair went. what some analysts have called to a pairwent. he what some analysts have called to a pair went. he spends between the west, the eu and the united states. when russia exerts pressure on belarus he turns to the west. when the west tries to push lukashenko and bela russian society west tries to push lukashenko and belarussian society more towards democratic norms he then moves towards russia. he has been able to keep this balancing act going for so l

people in belarus take to the streets for the love and support of their president others telling him to go. over the e.u. flag being flown. the. leaders say they don't recognize the results of the russian elections and will impose sanctions on top officials that despite brussels warning against any external interference in the crisis. russia's foreign minister also urges against any outside meddling after the leader of his concerns over european involvement in a phone call with a. deeply concerned about what's going on right now. we're concerned by the attempt to exploit the internal challenges facing by the troops to interfere in them from. direct from our studios in moscow this is r t international i'm john thomas certainly glad to have you with us we start in belarus where a sharp divide is emerging in the wake of august 9th election both supporters of president look and those opposing his leadership are flooding the streets now these are 2 contrasting scenes from day 11 of the rest on the right of your screen you can see thousands of people gathering in central minutes waving at

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsification of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power and bellows the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems that was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit but what other statements have been made by e.u. leaders. there's plenty being said by e.u. member states during the summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit for that's made up the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying that the e.u. may help become ended just to clear independent from russia well germany holds

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsification of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus and the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit but what other statements have been made by e.u. leaders there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during this summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit guard for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus after the summit finished the. polish prime minister chipped in again saying that the e.u. may help the roofs become a majestic clee independent from russia

so, what next in belarus? well, that depends on the determination of the protesters, whether they continue taking to the streets in such numbers. it depends on whether the army and the police stay loyal to mr lukashenko and it depends on the kremlin. because vladimir putin has already made it clear he's prepared to offer security assistance to the authorities here if, as he put it, the situation gets of control. the head of the us department of homeland security, chad wolf, says all options are on the table to resolve violent protests, which are intensifying, in the city of portland in oregon. a man was shot dead in the city on saturday night, amid clashes between supporters of president trump and supporters of black lives matter. police have not yet released details about the victim. nick bryant reports. america in the run—up to the 2020 election — a deeply divided country that often seems to be tearing itself apart. the latest fault line — portland, oregon, the scene for the past three months of protes

people in belarus to take to the streets some to support their president and others to tell them to go that as police and make more arrests over the violent clashes with police in the immediate aftermath of the country's disputed election. peer opinion is currently holding in the emergency session on the political crisis in belarus with russia warning the bloc not to meddle in the country's domestic affairs. is going to shoot you loose from the stage we are deeply concerned about what's going on right now and that the roots are concerned by the attempt to exclude the internal challenges facing by the groups to interfere in them from a brutal. also this hour the u.s. democrats formally nominate joe biden as their brother in 2020 as the party to its campaign promises of peace biden's hawkish pounds come back to haunt him. and a military uprising and mali sweeps the president from power threatening to plunge the country deeper into chaos. good afternoon and welcome to the program this is our to international coming to you live from the russian capital bring your live news update to. the b

the european union is currently holding an emergency session on the political crisis and belarus with russia warning the bloc not to meddle in minsk domestic affairs. but it's good to see we are deeply concerned about what's going on right now and the roof's concerned by the attempt to exploit the internal challenges facing bellaver to interfere in them from the group. also this hour the us democrats formally nominate joe biden as the runner in 2020 but as the party to its campaign promises of biden's hawkish house could come back to haunt him. and a military uprising and mali sweeps the president from power threatening to plunge the country deeper into chaos. this is our to international bring your live news update from our studio here in moscow welcome to the program. the belorussian interior ministry has confirmed several additional arrests strikes and demonstrations gripped the country police and belarus dispersed peaceful protesters outside the minsk tractor factory on wednesday morning dozens of people gathered near the entrance to greet and support workers on strike demanding t

russia -- in belarus. she says belarus should enjoy freedom without the threat of outside interference. the president of belarus threatens to retaliate after the eu agrees to impose sanctions against high-level officials as punishment for the violent crackdowns against protesters. welcome to the program. in washington, d.c., huge crowds are taking part in a r rally for social justice.. this is the same spot where 57 years ago, martin luther king jr. made his famous i have a dream speech. protesters ascended on the capital after the police shooting of american jacob blake and reunited tensions over police violence toward black people. the crowd heard from prominent advocates for social justice including the rev. al sharpton. >> we are treated but disrespect by policeman that we pay their salaries. we figured we would let you know whether we are tall or short, fat or skinny, light-skinned or dark skinned, black lives matter. and we won't stop until it matters to everybody. >> it was very emotional. a large g

let's take a look at the role of women opposing the president in belarus. rachel denber is deputy director of europe and central asia for human rights watch. she's in new york. rachel, how is it that women in particular have come to the forefront of opposition in belarus? it happened due to huge miscalculation on the part of alexander lu kashenko. huge miscalculation on the part of alexander lukashenko. it's asked started with sergey tikhanovsky, who is a very popular blogger in belarus who had presidential ambitions, and when he was arrested on may 29 with a number of his supporters, svetla na tikhanovskaya, his wife, decided to run for president in his place and for a while, they didn't seem to attract a lot of attention on the part of mr lukashenko and his team and actually registered her as a candidate but then her candidacy really took off when the wife of another candidate who was written off the ballot, allegedly because 100,000 signatures that were supporting his candidacy were declared invalid, his wifejoined his candidacy were declared invalid, hi

tell us what's the kremlin's view on the protests in belarus. while moscow is calling on all parties involved to have to provide for a genuine dialogue and they also said that according to the kremlin's words of the kremlin beller russian officials are indeed ready to speak to the protesters and to the opposition however interference in provocation from abroad certainly counterproductive now alexander lukashenko he's also a little earlier accused the west often financing the opposition and call for the e.u. foreign minister to deliver a warning to all european leaders not to fuel them dressed in ukraine any further but some of the central the shango had to say. what of those 8 safin and see that when you see this western countries are openly without hiding it raising funds and sending them to belarus we cannot track all of the funds as much if it is in cash but we see it we know what's going on and we will focus on this issue. well look at shanghai had another meeting with his country's security council and instructed it to strengthen the countr

russia looks at belarus as a domestic issue. —— belarus. it has been pushing vocally and visibly, publicly, lukashenko, this year, to have more integration with russia. the path towards becoming part of russia or some kind of soviet union 2.0. lukashenko's valiant leaders resisted. playing the west off against russia, taking this way, taking that way and he in fact has maintained belarus as a relatively independent nation which is why he is making these arguments that he thinks he is belarus. "without me, belarus won't exist, i am the only one who can solve the situation". in the past, this convinced enough people but now i think the nation has divined itself that exists without lukashenko. —— defined itself. moscow will continue to press either lukashenko, they might be using the leveraged this gives them over lukashenko and that will bea over lukashenko and that will be a difficult part of the pattern. when he is in trouble and has nowhere else to turn. inaudible russia has so many levels of influence over belarus and they can't ignor

they started to chant against belarus. i would like to say that defending belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space. the union state of belarus and russia. an example for others. if belarusians cannot stand, the wave will flow there. observers say that russia's support will be key for mr lukashenko to hold onto power. but this crowd may be a sign that he has reached the point of no return. heather currently explains what can be expected from this. —— heather conley. we are not entirely sure what that means. it appears that president lukashenko is now trying to create the image that nato is moving closer to belarussian border, they have reported that they are moving an airborne brigade to the lithuania poland border, and so perhaps president lukashenko is creating a military issue that he will ask president putin to help send russian forces into belarus. that could be one possible angle. but it is very clear that vladimir putin will exact a very high price of president lukashenko for any assistance t

it has a customs union with belarus, and it wants belarus to no longer be a sovereign independent state. it has been pushing vocally and visibly, publicly, lukashenko, this year, to have more political integration with russia, which means a path towards basically becoming part of russia or some type of soviet union 2.0. lu kashenko has valiantly resisted, since 1994, this type of pressure by very cleverly playing the west off against russia, tacking this way, tacking that way and he in fact has maintained belarus as a relatively independent nation which is why he's making these arguments that he thinks "l'etat c'est moi", you know, "it's me who is belarus". in other words, "without me, belarus simply won't exist, we're in threat of invasion, we're in threat of a moscow takeover, i'm the only one who can solve the situation". unidentified gunmen have shot dead eight people in colombia. most of the victims are reported to be young adults. it happened in one of the country's came producing regions. the first major cruise ship to cease operations in mid—march has left the italian port of

firstly we stand by the people of belarus one fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and false if occasion of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus and the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit this iteration has garnered a lot of attention what other statements have been made by e.u. leaders there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during this summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit guard for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus. after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying that the e.u. may help the roofs

they started to chant against belarus. i would like to say that defending belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space. the union state of belarus and russia. an example for others. if belarusians cannot stand, the wave will flow there. observers say that russia's support will be key for mr lukashenko to hold on to power. but this crowd may be a sign that he has reached the point of no return. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, minsk. well, earlier maria snegovaya, a fellow at the centre for european policy analysis gave me her analysis of the current situation in belarus. definitely the events in belarus are completely unprecedented for the development in the last 30 years and the protesters have been able to achieve quite a lot. the very fact that they survived the unprecedented police brutality and violence and belarus is a dictatorial state, we know that, but what has been done against protesters is unprecedented, even by the criteria of belarus. so the protesters have been able to survive and demonstrat

the eu commissioner on marketing onlyjust said last week that belarus is not part of europe and belarus is located in between europe and russia. this is the knowledge that the european union has on belarus and that is absolutely shameful what is happening and that is exactly what was said yesterday when it was announced that we would talk to alexander lukashenko so, again and again and again, for 26 years people of belarus feel betrayed. do you feel let down? the question is, when, for sake,

it has a customs union with belarus, and it wants belarus to no longer be a sovereign independent state. it has been pushing vocally and visibly, publicly, lukashenko, this year, to have more political integration with russia, which means a path towards basically becoming part of russia or some type of soviet union 2.0. lu kashenko has valiantly resisted, since 1994, this type of pressure by very cleverly playing the west off against russia, tacking this way, tacking that way and he in fact has maintained belarus as a relatively independent nation which is why he's making these arguments that he thinks "l'etat c'est moi", you know, "it's me who is belarus". in other words, "without me, belarus simply won't exist, we're in threat of invasion, we're in threat of a moscow takeover, i'm the only one who can solve the situation". in the past, that argument convinced enough people but now i think the belarusian nation has defined itself that exists without lukashenko, or rather, in opposition to lukashenko. to the us now — where house speaker nancy pelosi is arranging for a vote in congress

in our headline story today the president of belarus offers to meet protesters away saying and run. but only if that constitution is amended. in the. nationwide strike takes. factory workers are among the speaking against the government. people are chanting the same slogans against the president resign. and so on. politicians warn russia against trying to interfere in baton rouge but at the same time brussels itself threatens to. officials in. coming up in the program the u.s. say it will hold financially. till reforms happen despite the desperate situation following the deadly blast in beirut earlier this month. around the clock across the world this is your r.t. international from the team and myself you know neal hello and welcome to the program. 3 workers have done their tools in demanding a rerun of last week's election with many taking to the streets right across the country president alexander lukashenko however has said a new vote will only be possible if the constitution is amend it. number of the but we need to adopt and you can situation you must adopt it's in a referendu

so far nothing has happened in belarus that putin really needs to react to. an interesting comment we're come to that shortly 1st of all the girls will go there and over dramatic events in your home country are we seeing the final days of alexander lukashenko. where i think we have to make a difference of people seeing you know these brutus decided that it is protest in and of what the president and his elites are seen because i think there is quite a huge difference there so for me it is obvious that the vast majority of people in belarus do not see the president as the legitimate president anymore i mean it's not for the 1st time that the elections were falsified in belarus when all that it has been happening for 20 years already very cautious the last days of president lukashenko. these could be the last may be weeks months whatever but i could still imagine a scenario where when he would come back to the oppressions and a lot will depend on his communication with russia it's a very important factor analysis so there could be a return to the status quo of

huge protests in belarus huge uncertainty to this amid widespread coals for the country's all full rich area and president alexander lukashenko to step down the protests followed the presidential election to the opposition and the e.u. says was fraudulent look at shanghai has been in power for 26 years because people are saying enough is enough and if europe's longest serving leader does go was impact will the growing crisis have on their russia and its all for its hereon leader vladimir putin so long to the point we ask belarus protests how will putin react. thanks very much indeed for joining us here on to the point and my guest in the studio are belarus born all go there in doha from the research center for eastern european studies at the university of brim and she says active support for the wounded bellicose leader would only damage russia the mood in minsk is not as a pro russian nor pro european also with us is ina don't loot experts on russia and eastern europe in a former moscow correspondent she says it's almost inconceivable that russia would simply tolerate a democratic. and

to have you with us and we start in belarus where. in the wake of august election both supporters of president lukashenko and those opposing his leadership are flooding the streets these are 2 contrasting scenes from. on the right of your screen you can see thousands of people gathering. waving the historic red and white flag which has become a symbol of the anti look at schenkel movement and on the left a crowd of the president's backers carrying the official red and green national flag their main message is that the country cannot afford care. must be right in the progress we have stability there's no war thank god we have bread to eat we have jobs even if we are not rich we would like to be but we just need to work more . with them and live peacefully and calmly in our mutual it's very clean what's not to like about. that witness did quit or not like that for ines interfere in the affairs of our republic we can manage it ourselves that we stand for below it's. based correspondent went to to approach and file back this report i did

the president of belarus offered to meet protestors. but the constitution is a. nationwide strike takes hold. against the government. the same slogans against the president resign. and. e.u. politicians warn russia trying to interfere in the roost but at the same time brussels itself to slap sanctions on top officials in. the u.s. says it will not. hold. until reforms happen despite the desperate situation following the deadly blast in beirut earlier this month. by broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is r.t. international. thousands of factory workers have put down their tools in belarus demanding a rerun of last week's election with many taking to the streets right across the country president alexander lukashenko however however has said a new vote will only be possible if the constitution is amended. not in the but we need to adoption and you can situation you must adopt sits in a referendum because the previous constitution was adopted in the referendum and on dylan you can situation we can hold new elections if you want to palm and the presiden

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsified cation of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus the european commission will mobilize now an additional $53000000.00 euros to support the battle. people are in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit this is jewish and has garnered a lot of attention what other statements have been made by e.u. leaders there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during the summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying that the e.u. may help their roofs bec

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsification of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus and the european commission will mobilize now an additional $53000000.00 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times. well that makes it interesting listening when you also take into account what was coming out of berlin chancellor angela merkel heads up the rotating presidency of the you at the moment and she was facing the cameras as well following that virtual summit saying there needs to be no outside interference in bell or reduce. benefits should on its own she's been dependent part of the country will follow there should be no outside interference in the situation there. we went into this virtual summit expecting sanctions to be confirmed and a statement of support for the opposition what we've got was the e.u. as a bloc coming together saying they

s humbling of the crisis in belarus. line taken by the same code has been these people are basically stooges of the west and should have only a statement actually backed that up she's talking about you know 3 mini euro's to the opposition so look at simply saying i'd be quite used to 530 the opposition takes about if the end of belarus as an independent country will become a e.u. nato satellite state. and so therefore the opposition got a crack very carefully. in dortmund because it's exactly what the question is claiming that they are the puppets of western powers and if they are to maintain public support they've got to make clear to people that they are not i think it's a double edged sword for the opposition isn't. it looks like there is a strong pressure within the e.u. specially you. bro american allies of the united states like poland and the tech states to push you to take much more radical stand. against the belarusian government and was so to mexico and we know dutch germany and france are not sure. of the wars

it has a customs union with belarus, and it wants belarus to no longer be a sovereign independent state. it has been pushing vocally and visibly, publicly, lukashenko, this year, to have more political integration with russia, which means a path towards basically becoming part of russia or some type of soviet union 2.0. lu kashenko has valiantly resisted, since 1994, this type of pressure by very cleverly playing the west off against russia, tacking this way, tacking that way and he in fact has maintained belarus as a relatively independent nation which is why he's making these arguments that he thinks "l'etat c'est moi", you know, "it's me who is belarus". in other words, "without me, belarus simply won't exist, we're in threat of invasion, we're in threat of a moscow takeover, i'm the only one who can solve the situation". in the past, that argument convinced enough people but now i think the belarusian nation has defined itself that exists without lukashenko, or rather, in opposition to lukashenko. in thailand, an estimated 20,000 people havejoined a protest in bangkok calling for sw

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsification of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus and the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during this summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit guard for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying it. a you may help the roofs become a majestic clee independent from russia well germany holds the rotating presidency of the european uni

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and false if occasion of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit this iteration has garnered a lot of attention what other statements have been made by e.u. leaders there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during this summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit guard for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus. after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying that the e.u. may help the roofs beco

is deja vu news live from berlin german chancellor all america warns against foreign intervention in belarus the a message clearly with russia in mind americal says the people of belarus should enjoy freedom without the threat of outside interference this is the e.u. move to impose sanctions on high level below russian officials also coming up it depends prime minister shinzo aba is stepping down because of poor health denouncement coming just days after you became the country's longest serving leader . and on the show donald trump takes aim at his democratic rival in a fiery acceptance speech he calls joe biden the man who outsourced american jobs to china and says this vote will be the most important election in american history . also our show. pianist in the rooms no longer 5 years after some 1300000 refugees and migrants center in germany will hear the story of a syrian musician who documented his experience in a book. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us today the german chancellor has warned that the song. and to you bill ross must be respected she added there should not be any

nothing has happened in belarus that putin really needs to react to. an interesting comment will come to that shortly 1st of all the old girl will go through and over dramatic events in your home country are we seeing the final days of alexander lukashenko. where i think we have to make a difference what the people you know these brutus decided that it is protesting and what the president and his elites are seen because i think there is quite a huge difference there so for me to it's obvious that the vast majority of people there is do not see the president as the legitimate president anymore i mean it's not for the 1st time that the elections were falsified and valorous will know that it has been happening for 20 years already the recourses of these the last days of president lukashenko. these could be the last weeks months whatever but i could still imagine a scenario where when he would come back to the oppressions and a lot will depend on his communication with russia it's a very important factor analysis so there could be a return to the status qu

"long live belarus," they cried. a sea of protesters flooding the centre of minsk. "resign," they shouted. a message for this man, alexander lu kashenko. for 26 years, he's been the president, but look how the people have turned against him. on independence square, they accused him of stealing the election and of violence against the people of belarus. our aim is to show the government that we are not their slaves. we are here to show that we never elected him and that we want the change. that we want the new country with a new president. in belarus, people are making their voices heard like never before. they're demanding change. but the problem for the protesters is that there's one man who isn't listening. alexander lukashenko has made it quite clear he has no intention of stepping down. but he has every intention of raising the stakes. today, mr lukashenko donned military garb and watched the protesters from his helicopter. "they're running away like rats," he could be heard saying. back on the ground, kalashnikov in hand, he set off to find supporters. and he f

firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and false if occasion of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus the european commission will mobilize now an additional 53000000 euros to support the belorussian people in these challenging times all in all though it seems it was a stronger response from the european union than we were probably expecting heading into this emergency summit there is plenty being said by e.u. member states during this summit before it all got underway there was a statement put out by the visit guard for that's made up of the group that's made of poland hungary czech republic and slovakia they were calling for fresh elections to be held in belarus after the summit finished the polish prime minister chipped in again saying it. a you may help the roofs become a majestic clee independent from russia well germany holds the rotating presidency of the european uni

they started to chant against belarus. i would like to say that defending belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space. the union state of belarus and russia. an example for others. if belarussians cannot stand, the wave will flow there. observers say that russia's support will be key for mr lukashenko to hold onto power. but this crowd may be a sign that he has reached the point of no return. let's get more on this with maria snegovaya, a fellow at the centre for european policy analysis. thank you forjoining us. seven days of protest and we heard from some of the protesters there in that piece talking about this being an opportunity and a moment of change. do you see it that way? is this a tipping point? thank you for having me. definitely the events in larousse are com pletely events in larousse are completely unprecedented for the development in the last 30 yea rs the development in the last 30 years and the protesters have been able to achieve quite a lot. the very fact that they survived the unpreced

factory workers have done there are 2 in belarus demanding a rerun of last week's election with many taking to the streets right across the country president alexander lukashenko. new vote will only be possible if the constitution is amend it. not in the but we need to adoption and you can situation you must adopt sits in a referendum because the previous constitution was adopted in the referendum and on the then you can situation we can hold new elections if you want to palm and the presidency and local authorities because the mass protests continue in belarus where the workers from a various a major manufacturers factories plants and other places have walked out on a national strike and i'm talking about said different industries ultimo they have metallurgy mining to name just a few now they have put forward their demands and they are new elections with all of the candidates release of all political prisoners and dismissal of all those people who were responsible for the rigging of the election and the violation of human rights. groups. was was was that it. was. illegal it was look

people in belarus take to the streets for an 11 days in support of their president telling him to go. over the. leaders say they don't recognize the results of the belorussian election and will impose sanctions on top officials brussels warning against any external interference in the crisis. russia's foreign minister also urged against any outside meddling after the leader of. concerns over european involvement in a phone call with vladimir putin. was for the. d.p.p. soon. groups concerned by the attempt to exploit the internal challenges facing interference from a brute. and a military uprising in mali the president from power threatening to plunge the country deeper into chaos. are broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is march international i'm sean thomas certainly glad to have you with us and we start in belarus where a sharp divide is emerging in the wake of august 9th election both supporters of president lukashenko and those opposing his leadership are flooding the streets these are 2 contrasting scenes from day 11 of the unrest. the right of your screen you can s

but it's completely clear for us that belarus must find its own way. to dial. obvious the way forward within the country and there cannot be external intervention the people in bell of us know what they want they know what's good for them and this is why we want to have an independent way forward for bellerose with the land itself deciding on its political way forward peacefully and on the basis of dialogue so these this is sort of the quinta sense of our discussions we discussed 2 other things as well one was the situation in mali the french president particularly reported on this. because the high level of troop presence and their close ties in the sun held zone and to mali as well mean that he's impacted on by theirs as well we condemn the military push we are pushing for stability in mali. and for their return to peace we need to look at the focus on combating terrorism in the country and we are supporting the efforts of the eco bus eco was regional organization to find a peaceful solution to this conflict we believe this is most important that eco

s decision not to recognize the elections in belarus. well good 6 all i think it's it was a very timely e.u. summit. taking care of very good stand and clear line at keeping on. i'm very glad it was reconfirmed that's elections recently held and there was not a free of fear and elected to do so for self elected president look at this illegitimate i think this is a very beginning. there a beginning that implies that more will be coming what actions do you think should now follow this position by the e.u. . again we would have to notice a very strong message by supporting could talk it's very. personal and economic sanctions against a look at shankar regime it's a very powerful message i'm afraid mr lucas shankar didn't to understand it's yet since today we see again rhiannon's and intimidation is back on the streets of minsk at least. and i mean to impose those sanctions i mean not to frighten by sanctions but to start is implementing and applying those sanctions as soon as possible it would be a very again it message to the white public

europe doesn't want to see belarus become another ukraine, right? >> that is the worst case scenario. angella merkel and president macron who talked to putin before this emergency summit in brussels know this and they let him know that they want to avoid this at all costs and the cost for putin would be high because it would be even more dramatic, really bad sanctions, economic sanctions against russia. that would put the european union and russia in full confrontation mode and nobody wants. putin is boxed in, which is not in a good position for him to be in. on the other hand, the european union is trying to give the appearance we will just accompany this. we want dialogue to possible. we will not actively interfere, because they do acknowledge that belarus has been firmly within russia's political atmosphere during the last decade. they are hoping for the best and crossing their fingers because they did provoke putin and this gamble in the end go wrong. anchor: nick, the president appears to be emboldened by russian support and he threatened to ta

"long live belarus," they cried. a sea of protesters flooding the centre of minsk. "resign," they shouted. a message for this man, alexander lu kashenko. for 26 years, he's been the president, but look how the people have turned against him. on independence square, they accused him of stealing the election and of violence against the people of belarus. our aim is to show the government that we are not their slaves. we are here to show that we never elected him and that we want the change. that we want the new country with a new president. in belarus, people are making their voices heard like never before. they're demanding change. but the problem for the protesters is that there's one man who isn't listening. alexander lukashenko has made it quite clear he has no intention of stepping down. but he has every intention of raising the stakes. today, mr lu kashenko donned military garb and watched the protesters from his helicopter. "they're running away like rats," he could be heard saying. back on the ground, kalashnikov in hand, he set off to find supporters. and he

huge demonstrations once again in belarus demanding an end to president lukashenko‘s rule. he flies overhead in a helicopter, and compares the protesters to rats. president trump confirms blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients can be used as a treatment. fleeing the flames — californians escape some of the worst wildfires in modern times, with lightning expected to bring even more destruction. and bayern munich win the champions league, beating paris saint germain in the first final ever to be held behind closed doors. hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. in belarus, huge crowds of protesters have demonstrated against president alexander lukashenko and the re—election they say he rigged two weeks ago. they are demanding that he stand down. from the capital minsk, steve rosenberg sent this report. a warning — it contains images which some viewers may find distressing. they poured onto the streets. "long live belarus," they cried. a sea of protesters flooding the centre of minsk. "resign," they shouted. a message for this man, alexander lu kashen

the president of belarus offers to meet protesters halfway saying an election. but only if the constitution is amended. in the belorussian capital as a nationwide strike takes hold medics workers are among those speaking out against the government. people chanting the same slogans against the president resigned we are sick of you and so. you politicians warn russia against you trying to interfere in belarus but at the same time brussels itself threatens to slap sanctions on top officials and. says it will hold back financial aid to lebanon until reforms happen despite the desperate situation following that deadly blast in beirut earlier this month. we're broadcasting live director our studios in moscow this is our 2 international i'm john thomas certainly glad to have you with us. factory workers have put down their tools and demanding a rerun of last week's election with many taking to the streets right across the country president alexander lukashenko however has said a new vote will only be possible if the constitution is amended. not in the but we need to ad

art is roman coaster of staying across those ongoing protests and belarus thank you. mr near up specialist paris believes the belarus crisis is a major concern for both russia and the e.u. . a few days ago a look at. the kremlin and said that he was going to ask who's in it supports the suggestion was that the present was reaching out to the russians or 'd you know significant force the riot police bit troops in order to quell the process by brute force and it's raised the question will russia invades. russia where there's been a lot of speculation navy terms of people to follow the situation closely and that idea has been pretty written off putin's unlike stu that the veteran population has actually warm image of russia and see them as friends and they fought so hard to oust look the shanker that if person came in and crushed the. demonstrations by force and kept the percent go in office by force then the entire population with then suddenly turn against russia and putin and then you'd end up with another ukraine situation which the kremlin doesn't want so because of

the election victory. opposition movement here in belarus the opposition movement here in belarus is hoping for a massive turnout here in the next few hours to really ramp up the pressure on the man who has been president of this country for the last 26 years. president trump declares california's wildfires a major disaster — releasing federal funds to victims who've lost their homes. the final voyage of the last surviving d—day landing craft — following a six year multi—million pound renovation project. and coming up in sport. a record—breaking day for england's cricketers — leave them eyeing victory in the third and final test with pakistan. hello. stay with us for the latest analysis from here and across the globe. children are more likely to be harmed by not returning school next month than if they catch coronavirus — according to england's chief medical officer. professor chris whitty said the chance of children dying from covid—19 are ‘incredibly small" — but missing lessons "damages children in the long run". he warned it's unlikely there'll be a vaccine be

says protesters in belarus deserve dialogue with. the president isn't taking her call also coming up. motorcycle riders along a busy highway leaving at least one person with life threatening injuries german prosecutors are calling it an islamist motivated attack. plus the last team standing in. munich play leone in the coming hours for a spot in the. in their last match now by and hope to regain the magic there 2013 season last time they won europe's greatest football trophy. hello i'm terry marchin good to have you with us we start in belarus where there is no let up in public anger about the aug 9th presidential election many people are also angry about the. opposition protesters on wednesday have more workers and. putting those in the public sector joint a general strike called to push for alex because they have to step down for a new boat to be held but the autocratic leader is not ready to talk about ending his 26 year old rule yet and branded the opposition's actions a coup. meanwhile the e.u. held a virtual emergency summit on