. >> now to belarus where strongman leader alexander lukashenko has gathered hundreds of lawyer to -- loyalists. he has promised changes to the country's constitution and a nationwide vote in 2022 but the opposition dismissed to the denouncement as political theater. >> a show of unity and divines by alexander lukashenko with barely a mask inside. the gathering of party loyalists comes following last year's disputed election. the president promised a referendum to curtail some of his powers, he also called himself the rvivor of a coup. >> a revolution was impossible in belarus, therefore relying on internal forces, they attended a blitzkrieg coup, it failed, we held onto our country for now. >> protests broke out after election results showed he secured 80% of the vote, the main opposition candidate who ran in place of her jailed husband rejected the outcome and declared herself in the winter, days later, fearing for her life, she fled belarus to lithuania and called on the eu to reject the outcome of the vote. >> i call on you not to recognize this fraudulent election. >> the eu has

alexander lukashenko still sits in the presidential palace in belarus, six months after an election which he probably lost. europe's last de facto dictator continues to brutally repress protests and imprison political opponents. my guest is sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, the woman who believes she won last august's vote, and who, from exile, calls herself the leader of democratic belarus. but is toppling lukashenko any closer to reality? sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, in vilnius, lithuania, welcome to hardtalk. hello, thank you. it's a pleasure to have you on the show. there you sit in vilnius in exile. alexander lukashenko is still president of your country, belarus, and it is now the six—month anniversary since you are convinced you won the presidential election. so, i'm just wondering how you feel today? oh, thank you. i feel responsibility, first of all. responsibility for the belarusian people who believed in me, who believed me, and they know that only together we can make our victory closer. looking back on those tumultuous events of august 2020, do you think you were naive to believe that

lukashenko widens his crackdown on critics of his government and nasa prepares its perseverance rover for a daunting descent on to mars we'll find out why mission controllers aren't is the painting 7 minutes of terror. i'm bringing off it's good to have you with us facebook has blocked news content from its platform in australia the latest twist in a heated dispute with the government as camera considers legislation to force tech companies to pay for the journalism that they carry facebook and google have been fighting the proposals which they say do not reflect the way the internet works but facebook's action came just. hours after google reached a deal with australian news companies. many australians woke to a surprise this morning facebook at unfriended them suddenly they couldn't access local and international news through the social media site it's a dramatic escalation of a conflict over australian efforts to force tech giants to pay for journalism. i think facebook been nice it's terrible actually i did you say 43 get your own and i can get all my needs in one spot say believe

lukashenko yet another landslide victory the protests that followed ended in repression and arrests now 6 months later with the pandemic is still raging and one of the coldest winters in recent years the protests are still going on in belarus but in a rather different way. it's 9 pm here minsk and that means at least in this part of town it's time for many of the locals to go out and purchase out on the balconies something they do here night after night bringing flags chanting using the torch a mobile phones really making their presence felt i've heard all kinds of child care for my kitchen window anything from will come out and protest every night long live by the roofs looks into behind gauze basically these are the same. since the summer since those 1st protests off that reconnection in early august so there's one major difference back then the protesters had hundreds of thousands of people out in the streets every sunday right in the center of minsk making their presence felt now the government crackdown means that the only place people feel some kind of safety is in their own n

lukashenko widens his crackdown on critics of his government and the humanitarian emergency on europe store still thousands of refugees are stranded in desperate conditions involves mia so what is europe doing to help them put that question to the e.u. migration commissioner and it will now says perseverance pay all the space agency prepares its rotor for the most daunting decision on some long mission controllers saying it will be 7 minutes of terror. i'm burnt off to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and to all of you around the world welcome facebook has blocked it news content from its platform in. oh yeah the latest twist in a heated dispute with the government as camber of considers legislation to force tech companies to pay for the journalism that they carry facebook and google have been fighting the proposals which they say do not reflect the way the internet works facebook's action came just hours after google reached a deal with australian news companies. many australians woke to a surprise this morning facebook at unfriended them suddenly they couldn't access local

lukashenko why you can see his crackdown on critics of his government. a method held welcome to the show nasa space robot perseverance has safely touched down on the surface of mas a short while ago the 1st signals were beamed back to worth from the probe. this was the jubilant scene earlier at nasa's mission control as the team confirmed the successful landing. and this is what it looks like the 1st image sent back by this mission from about 400000000 kilometers away the 7 month journey was followed by what scientists call the 7 minutes of terror and the probe executed its delicate landing minerva with alpha help from earth the robotic vehicle will make history by collecting samples of martian soil which will be brought back to worth that could help scientists to determine if life once existed on the red planet. well joining me now from washington they say is esther biologist and journalist cal and kate an exciting day how difficult was this landing. will they've done something like this before but it was difficult when they did it the 1st time it was d

the better russian president alexander lukashenko says he will hold a constitutional referendum next year to let people vote on whether he has too much power as disputed election when last summer was followed by months of protests the opposition has accused him of making vague promises to end the demonstrations and to simmons has our report. alexander lukashenko has promised constitutional changes for better or loose before he has a timeline early 2022 and he said conditions if he was to stand down some time after that but no guarantee of that happening this. morning this war that is the last of my main condition for stepping down would be peace and order in the country no protest activities nobody overthrows the country and opinions expressed and we believe the old is of the law and the opposition says his addresses just window dressing to cover the true intent hanging on to power no matter what the cost however the setting is different now to 6 months ago after his disputed victory for a 6 term us president weeks of mass street protests presented the biggest threat to the autocrats

lukashenko 6 months after his disputed election. has already shown its support for the show called. a day with a light show in its capital. the company behind the controversial north stream to project has said it is continuing expansion of the gas pipeline which is to run from russia to germany under the baltic sea the pipe laying vessel for 2 and started work despite u.s. sanctions calls a growing for germany to abandon the project over russia's jailing of alexina. voters in ecuador go. in the polls on sunday to choose a new president officials decided to go ahead with the election despite the pandemic leftist candidate andres rouse has pledged to put ecuador back on the path to socialism while conservative says he will create $1000000.00 jobs in one year. germany has been hit by heavy snow and ice with disruption to public transport likely to continue into monday the northwestern state of lower saxony had already seen heavy snow but transport police reported that the freeway had not been severely affected as road cleaning crews ha

has called on people around the world to demonstrate on sunday against the rule of president alexander lukashenko 6 months after his disputed election law fia has already shown its support for the so-called bella rouge solidarity day with a light show in its capital riga. in indonesia a village was inundated by a crimson tide after floods hit a nearby batik factory residence posted on social media images of themselves wading through blood red water officials confirm that their unique color came from a harmless fabric dye used by several but teak factories in the area. as such as germany that's struggling to distribute coded 1000 facts scenes the w.h.o. estimates that 3 quarters of all vaccines have been administered across just 10 countries many poor countries have received no vaccines at all in mexico where many hospitals are at capacity people are in need not only of vaccines but also oxygen. they've been standing here outside this health center in mexico city since 5 am to get hold of oxygen luis to leon is actually his wife has covert 19 and is struggling to breathe. and i never th

lukashenko she made her announcement from her exile in the lithuanian capital vilnius. voters in ecuador go to the polls on sunday to choose a new president officials decided to go ahead with the election despite the pandemic leftist candidate rouse has pledged to put ecuador back on the path to socialism while conservative says he will create $1000000.00 jobs in one year. there are only a few drugs approved to treat covert 19 but spanish scientists are hopeful that they can add another one to the list the drug pleaded pleaded depp's and has shown promise treating the illness in early trials it comes as infection numbers in spain seem to be stabilizing after the peak of the 3rd coronavirus way. medics working and less hours after the christmas holidays spanish intensive care units are being pushed to the limit yet again at dr mary agnes martins ospital in madrid the situation is tense. it's glad to say that we haven't doubled our resources but practically everything is occupied is that with covert 19 patients. some of the critical patients we work to the maximum every d

lukashenko widens his crackdown on critics of his government's . i'm anthony held welcome to the show nasa space rose perseverance has safely touched down on the surface of mas a short while ago the 1st signals were beamed back to with from the probe. this was the jubilant scene as. yes as mission control as the tank confirms a successful landing and this is how it looks like the 1st image sent back from oz about 400 and i think 1000000 kilometers away a 7 month journey was followed by what scientists call 7 minutes of terror on the part of executed its delicate landing when they vote without help from earth a robotic vehicle will make history by collecting samples of martian soil which will be brought back to with a could help scientists of the time and if life once existed on the red planet earth well joining me now from washington they say is esther biologist and journalist case callen case an exciting day how difficult was this landing. will they've done something like this before but it was difficult when they did it the 1st time and it was eq

lukashenko is ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters it's highlighted jail terms handed to to t.v. journalists as particularly concerning judges and prosecutors involved in the case among those barred from entering the united states so those are the headlines the news continues here not just era of the witness station that's watching. a place on our world. where intellectuals artists and activists me where i could use a spark and history has made. america throughout. my right to have brought al-jazeera world tells the story of 4 iconic cafes and their role arab society as part of creativity debate the 2nd secret soviet era country on a just 0. why . was. i. never had a duty to hold him. to the. last think it. came to see. me would be. dependent on a child by. just all that it got. out of. going to town on it i'm going to do him as an eye. on what i am it was no one. else and not. shop with pride in it i was on them with a love. for a family i want a man of any campaign. i look at what i want to look at really got up a lot i'd be sitting there waiting on on a hard look what

lukashenko it's 6 months since the country's disputed election and many who join the regular sunday demonstrations been pushed off by the temperature and continued police brutality against the protesters but with spring ahead the opposition is preparing to ramp up their efforts again to oust the longtime ruler. when many of the opposition leaders remain in exile or in detention opposition candidates for a chicken off skier who says she won the election has called for western pressure to force let the shank out another prominent leader in the colver has been in detention since september she is just one of 30000 people arrested in the months long protest movement. or veronica is the 3rd main leader of the belarus opposition movement she joins us via skype from riga in latvia so as we were saying it's been 6 months since the uprising against president alexander lukashenko started he of course as managed to hold on to power has anything changed in the country. could he in in fact everything changed in bonuses the day of the action back in or good point when we can surely said the girl n

lukashenko more than 400 journalists have been detained in baton rouge over the last 6 months. the northern german city of plans book has read has reacted to the rapid spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants by imposing a nighttime curfew the town near the danish border has also introduced stricter social distancing rules and says it will not follow the rest of the region in reopening schools later this month. a severe winter weather gripping the united states is that more than 30 people dead millions of texans have enjoyed another day without heating or electricity freezing temperatures have also burst pipes leaving around 7000000 people without clean drinking water. to cold and have some brave to loan icy drives to get their loved ones to a shelter to spend at chess shop in houston has a generator to keep the lights on the owner is letting families stay overnight and . early. in the trailer there's no installation anything like that says call of their week we can't we can't afford to have them freezing not being able to feed freedom. hughes grow for propane canisters

and russian president vladimir putin has hosted his belarusians counter bought alexander lukashenko for a winter sport meeting in sochi the pair went skiing and rode snowmobiles in the black sea resort afterwards lucas chink a thank persian for supporting hillary is financially. in israel thousands of volunteers are working to clean up a massive oil spill votes for speeches to close authority authorities are investigating the source of the spill which has affected wildlife such as totals and seabirds it's been described as one of israel's worst ecological disasters. champions league football and on tuesday night by munich will play their 1st competitive match ever against the taliban side lot c.-o. who have reached the knockout phase of europe's top club competition for the 1st time in 21 years by and have won 6 titles in the last 9 months but will need to avoid the mistakes that led them to stumble in their last 2 games by a munich have been coming face to face with their weaknesses in recent days they don't have the same depth in their squad as last season which has become more of an

russian president vladimir putin has hosted his better russi and counterpart alexander lukashenko for a winter sports field meeting in soft sheen the pair went skiing and rode snowmobiles in the black sea resort when they were warmed up lukas shanker thanks putin for supporting belarus financially. foreign ministers of the european union have agreed to impose sanctions on 4 senior russian officials who they say are responsible for sending opposition leader alexei novell need to prison now these sanctions are expected to be formally approved by the e.u. next month russia has called the move quote unlawful on that matter that. i like saying that. protesters in brussels reading aloud just some of the names of the nearly 400 people they say are behind bars in russia for political reasons. they gathered outside the european council headquarters ahead of monday's meeting to demand the e.u. . inside it was one of those names in particular which sparked the e.u. into action the jailing of opposition leader alexina violently. in response to events around. we're rich or political that we've bee

lukashenko the u.s. has called for their release. the new italian prime minister mario draghi has survived his 1st vote of confidence in the senate he's vowed to do whatever it takes to lead italy out of the pandemic and rebuild the economy druggy is expected to win a 2nd confidence vote in the lower house of parliament. and german chancellor angela merkel has spoken by telephone with the iranian president hassan rouhani to voice her concern that iran is failing to meet its obligations under 2050 nuclear deal that it signed with world powers that be a court has been in jeopardy since former president donald trump unilaterally withdrew from it and 28. nigerian president mohamed who bihari has ordered security forces to organize a hostage rescue operation gunmen stormed a school in central nigeria and kidnapped 42 people among them were teachers relatives and students who were sleeping in dormitories one student was killed the local state government has closed boarding schools for the time being. the new d

pelosi and president alexander lukashenko says that he is he defeated a foreign quota blitzkrieg to overthrow him the longtime leader made the remarks at a 2 day convention in minsk the opposition has been holding weekly protest since his disputed election win last august because shango says extra oil and not internal forces are driving the protest. china says that it's on when one probe successfully entered mars is orbit nearly 7 months after its launch the space craft will aim to complete one full orbit around mars before attempting to land on the red planet it marks a key milestone in china's mars exploration program. the pressure is building on myanmar as cool leaders after u.s. president joe biden announced a new sanctions against the military regime that seized power a week ago biden also repeated demands for the generals to give up power and free civilian leaders meanwhile a close aide of ousted leader aung sang suu kyi is has been detained q tent sway was among those taken into custody and a new wave of arrests overnight protesters from defiant and argues increasingly creative tactics

russian president vladimir putin has hosted his belarusian counterpart alexander lukashenko for a winter sport-filled meeting in sochi. the pair went skiing and rode snowmobiles in the black sea resort, and when they were warmed up, lukashenko thanked putin for supporting belarus financially. british prime minister boris johnson has set out plans for easing coronavirus restrictions in england. measures will be lifted in four steps, starting with the reopening of schools on march 8. johnson says the threat from the virus remains substantial. he said the route out of lockdown should be cautious, but irreversible. let's take a look now at some of the other developments in the pandemic. the death toll in the united states is expected to pass 500,000 today. u.s. president joe biden will mark the grim milestone with a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony at the white house. slovakia has called on other european union countries to help with its quote, tragic coronavirus situation. slovakia's foreign minister has requested an advance vaccine shipment as the country battles a record num

lukashenko widens his crackdown on crew to.

and president alexander lukashenko has said that he defeated a foreign blitzkrieg to overthrow him the longtime leader made the remarks at a 2 day convention in minsk the opposition has been holding weekly protest since he was since his disputed election win last august local shango says external and not internal forces are driving the protest. china says that it's a tough time when one probe has successfully entered mars orbit nearly 7 months after its launch its base craft will aim to complete one full orbit around mars before attempting to land on the red planet it locks a key milestone in china's mars exploration program. the united states now where house democrats have wrapped up their 1st full day of arguments at donald trump's 2nd impeachment trial the former president is accused of inciting the riot at the capitol building in which 5 people died last month prosecutors unveiled a chilling new video of the violent mob breaking into the building and the subsequent chaos. on the 2nd day of the impeachment trial democratic prosecutors wasted little time to make their case. they used

lukashenko many who joined anti-government demonstrations over the past 6 months have been put off by freezing temperatures and continued police brutality but with spring approaching the opposition is preparing to ramp up efforts to oust the longtime leader. got more news here on al-jazeera right after radicalized youth. we understand the difference is similarities have cultures across the wound so no matter how you take a. current affair has. was . quite ironic that one many governments along the wall declared that the fight against terrorism is their number one priority this hasn't. the feel has continued the attacks have continued we have to wonder why is this the case. was. for the past 20 years i've been working on the question of political violence and terrorism it's persistence in our lives in our times in our societies begs the question why. could it be that the policies governments think will prevent violent extremism might actually be making things worse in the aftermath of the 911 attacks on the united states in 2001 you could visibly see that the world has been securitized

lukashenko the u.s. has called for their release. you're watching d.w. news still to come on our show pushed back by the probation police but left by the bosnia authorities to live in inhumane conditions what are the alternatives now for these people seeking refuge in the european union. but 1st spanish police have clashed again with thousands of protesters demanding the release of a musician jailed earlier this week for his lyrics cut a long rap or public was convicted of glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty in a songs and tweets on restaurant today in several cities including madrid and barcelona. demonstrators in pavlo as those hometown of youth marched to the jail where he is being held. see his detention as an assault on free speech. in nearby barcelona violence flares as protesters and set barricades a blaze and police fire rubber bullets. and similar scenes in madrid of demonstrators fight against what they say amounts to censorship. norms and a lot of it's a shame because it's a significant

lukashenko is ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters is highlighted jail terms and the $22.00 t.v. journalists as particularly concerning judges and prosecutors involved in the case are among those barred from entering the u.s. more than 33000 people in belarus have been detained since august after mass demonstrations against has contested election with. algeria as president has moved to appease protesters by pardoning jailed anti-government activists and calling early elections in a televised address taboo and called for the dissolution of parliament and also announced a government reshuffle almost 2 years after a popular uprising is political and economic crises that been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. u.n. officials have told the security council that yemen is hurtling towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades this they say under a new defensive by who the rebels threatens to wipe out a new chance to end the war our diplomatic editor james bays reports from the united nations. the news from yemen is about as grim as it gets these scriptures from the ai

lukashenko ongoing quote violent crackdown on peaceful protesters is highlighted jail sentences handed to 2 t.v. journalists as particularly concerning judges and prosecutors involved in the case are among those barred from entering the u.s. 133000 people in bello rusa been detained since august after mass demonstrations against location has contested election when. u.n. officials have told the u.n. security council that yemen is hurtling towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades this they say and a renewed offensive by who the rebels threaten to wipe out a new opportunity to end the war diplomatic editor james bays reports now from the united nations. the news from yemen is about as grim as it gets these pictures from the aid agency save the children of 7 month old amir the u.n. says he's one among a staggering 400000 children under 5 years of age who are seriously malnourished and at risk of dying from starvation famines are very unusual well there has only been one in the last 20 years of a significant scale when a quarter 1000000 somalis lost their lives in 2011 what c

lukashenko are facing new charges mario khosla nick over and maximization ak would jailed after mass protests in september they've now been accused of extremism and trying to seize power which could carry a 12 year prison sentence kozluk over was one of 3 women who opposed looking shanker in last year's disputed election the controversial result prompted 6 months of protests and a police crackdown now mario draghi has told italy's president he's gathered enough political support to become the country's new prime minister former president of the european central bank was asked to take over after the collapse of giuseppa conti's administration he will lead a government of national unity with ministers from various parties appointed as the country struggles with the economic fallout from the pandemic. let's go to india now search teams fear that there could be more flash floods at a site where dozens of men of thought to be trapped inside a tunnel rescuers have been moving mountains of sludge to try to reach the when it's been 6 days since a classic collapsed into a river and atara cons

lukashenko more than 30000 people have been arrested in the brutal police crackdown that followed his controversial victory in august despite this protest show no sign of abating the prominence of athletes like olympic basketball player elena. among those pushing for change she was jailed for 15 days for taking part in the protests she spoke to us from athens where she now plays and from where she supports the protest movement. thank you. before i am an athlete i am a human human being i have the right constitution of my country to raise my opinion to not remove something and maybe an apple or a it was time for me to to give the fans for the people that supported me throughout my career and i use my platform and my words and all those terrible terrifying events happen and. i can be quiet and. there was no other option for the one we i did together we knew there is a chance that we are not an exception and the government can use us to show the athletes to show people that you know that anyone in jail. my father dropped me off that they were poor and i was right in my language and they

lukashenko more than 30000 people have been arrested since last august but the unrest shows no sign of easing prominent bella ruffian athletes like the olympic basketball player elaina chunka are among those pushing for change she was jailed for 15 days for protesting speaking from athens greece where she now plays basketball she told the w. news that she still supports the opposition movement. before i am an athlete i am a human human being i have a right and constitution on my conscience to. raise my kenyan to not be clean with something maybe an apple or a it was time for me to to give the fans for the people that supported me throughout my career and i use my platform and my words and all those terrible terrifying events happen and. i can be quiet and. there was no other option for the one we i did together we knew there is a chance that we are not an exception and the government can use us to show other athletes to show people that you know that anyone the. my father dropped me off that they were poor and i was racking my leg each and insulates have managed order and when i tur

lukashenko more than 30000 people have been arrested in the brutal police crackdown that followed his controversial victory in august despite this protest showed no sign of abating prominent athletes like olympic basketball player yelena lloyd chunka are among those pushing for change she was jailed for 15 days for taking part in the protests she spoke to us from athens where she now plays and from where she supports the protest movement. before i am an athlete i am. human i have a right. too. braise my thing is to not remove something and maybe an apple. it was time for me to to give the fans for the people that supported me throughout my career and i use my platform and my words and all those terrible terrifying events happen and. i can be quiet and. there was no other option for the one we i did together we knew there is a chance that we are not an exception and the government can use us to show other athletes to show people that you know that anyone the. my father dropped me off that they were poor and i was racking my leg each and insulates have managed order and when i turn arou

bill ruffian president alexander lukashenko says he's defeated a foreign blitzkrieg to overthrow him the hardline leader denounced 6 months of protest against his rule as a rebellion directed from outside the country the opposition claims that the election that he won last year was rigged south africa's president says his government have secured millions of doses of vaccines to fight a highly infectious variant of coded 19 that is dominant in the country president said the immunization program would start in the coming weeks beginning with health care workers ramaphosa made the announcement in his annual address in which he also promised measures to revive the economy and to tackle record unemployment world does from d.w. correspondent adrian krishi joins me now from cape town good evening to you adrian south africa is the african country hardest hit by this pandemic and one of the more dangerous variants was even identified there what did the president when he what did he have to say about this distinction. i'm so anxious to get on that big vaccination program that the government sa

lukashenko more than 30000 people have been arrested in the brutal police crackdown that followed this controversial victory in august despite this protest it was despite this protest they show no signs of abating well promina bellaver seen athletes like one olympic basketball player are among those pushing for change she was jailed for 15 years for taking part in the protests she spoke to us from athens where she now place and from where she supports the protest movement shares her story. before i am an athlete i am. a human i have a right to vote consitutional my current choose to. raised my opinion to not agreeing with something and he being an athlete or a it was time for me to to give the fans for the people that supported me throughout my career and i use my platform and my words and all those terrible terrifying events happen and. i can be quiet and. there was no other option for us when we i did together we knew there was a chance that we had to have an exception and the government can use us to show the athletes to show people that you know that anyone the. my father dropped m

lukashenko 6 months after his disputed election but he has already shown its support for the so-called bellerose solidarity day with a light show on its capital in its capital. germany has been hit by heavy snow and ice with disruption to public transport like . to continue into monday the northwestern state of lower saxony had already seen heavy snow so soft highways has not been severely severely affected as road cleaning crews are managing to keep pace but sometimes services has been canceled the german weather service says some parts of the country could see anything from 60 to 40 centimeters of snow. correspondent chad reed is braving that weather for us in central germany chair of the looking pretty cold out there the snow has just started coming down here in berlin how's it looking way you are. very cold here there's a lot of snow that fall and there's still a lot more snow to come it's a tell of really extreme weather across germany this weekend because here in the north we're seeing very cold temperatures being brought down by an arctic front being sent down from the arctic wh

has heard a young reports thanks alexander lukashenko has promised constitutional changes for belew spoof sure but now he has a timeline really 2022. and conditions if he was to stand down some time after that but no guarantee of that happening gamaliel much smaller school that is last year my main condition for stepping down would be peace and order in the country no protest activities nobody overthrows the country and opinions expressed are we in the norms of the law and. the opposition says his address is just window dressing to cover his true intent hanging on to power they say no matter the cost however the setting is different now to 6 months ago after his disputed victory for a 6th term as president weeks of mass protests have presented the biggest threat to the arctic rats 27 years in power he crushed the uprising with force. that some political observers in the capital minsk believe repression won't win he situation is roosevelt precisely because he has. to rely on this is like the only thing you have left of his dog. since putting down the protests there is little doubt the look

lukashenko means his crackdown on critics of his government.

alexander lukashenko has promised constitutional changes for better loose before he has a timeline early 2022 and he said conditions if he was to stand down some time after that but no guarantee of that happening this government only or small they scored it is realistic my main condition for stepping down would be peace and order in the country no protest activities nobody overthrows the country and opinions expressed are we belittle those of the law the opposition says his addresses just window dressing to cover the true intent hanging on to power no matter what the cost however the setting is different now to 6 months ago after his disputed victory for a 6th term as president weeks of mass street protests presented the biggest threat to the autocrats 27 years in power he crushed the uprising with force. some political observers in the capital minsk believe repression bloat when he said he is. precisely because he has. to rely on this is like the left of his dog it. since putting down the protests the little doubt that feels more empowered however his opposition isn't confined to bell r

lukashenko has promised constitutional changes from before but now he has a timeline really 2022 and conditions if he was to stand down some time after that but no guarantee of it happening again only on my shoulder to shoulder last my main called to him to stepping down would be peace and order in the country no protest activities nobody overthrows the country and opinions expressed only real norms of the law and. the opposition says his address is just window dressing to cover his true intent hanging on to power they say no matter the cost however the setting is different now to 6 months ago after his disputed victory for a 6th term as president weeks of mass protests have presented the biggest threat to the arctic rats 27 years in power he crushed the uprising with course. some political observers in the capital minsk believe repression won't win he situation is roosevelt precisely because he has. to rely on this is like the only thing you have left of his dog. since putting down the protests there is little doubt the lucas shanker feels more empowered however his opposition isn't

alexander lukashenko has promised constitutional changes for better lose before he has a timeline early 2022 and he said conditions if he was to stand down some time after that but no guarantee of that happening this. morning a school that is last week my main condition for stepping down would be peace and order in the country no protest activities nobody overthrows the country and opinions expressed our we've illinois all those of the law the opposition says his address is just window dressing to cover the true intent hanging on to power no matter what the cost however the setting is different now to 6 months ago after his disputed victory for a 6th term as president weeks of mass street protests presented the biggest threat to the autocrats 27 years in power he crushed the uprising with force. some political observers in the capital minsk believe repression vote when he said . precisely because he has. this is like the left is talking since putting down the protests that has little doubt that lucas shanker feels more empowered however his opposition isn't confined to barracks the west

lukashenko for a winter sport filled meeting in sochi the pair with skiing and rode snowmobiles in the black sea resort and when they were warmed up the think putin for supporting bella ruse financial british prime minister boris johnson have set out plans for easing coronavirus restrictions in england measures will be lifted in 4 steps starting with the reopening of schools on march 8th johnson says the threat from the virus remains substantial he said the route out of lockdown should be cautious but irreversible. our let's take a look now at some of the other developments in the pandemic the death toll in the united states is expected to pass 500000 today u.s. president joe biden will mark the grim milestone with a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony at the white house so vikki has called on other european union countries to help with its quote tragic coronavirus situation so lucky as foreign minister has requested an advance vaccine shipment as the country battles a record number of cases and the world's biggest banks the maker india's serum institute says it's been told

protesters have been braving cold weather in belarus to demonstrate against president alexander lukashenko and many who joined anti government demonstrations of the past 6 months have been put off by freezing temperatures and continuing police brutality but with spring approaching the opposition is preparing to ramp up its efforts to oust the longtime leader. an economist and result is claiming victory in ecuador's 1st round of presidential elections but exit polls from a field of 16 candidates suggest he is likely to face a runoff in april votes are being counted to decide who will succeed president lenin. or as his main rival is the conservative guillermo last so. he is in neighboring colombia. it was overall a quite tranquil day of voting across ecuador even as if was happening in the middle of a pandemic so there were long lines in the morning there was a big turnout of people voting for roast of 16 presidential candidates in the end as expected the leftist candidates backed by former president rafael correa and. came in 1st exit polls have them somewhere between 35 to 36 percent of th

lukashenko many who joined the government demonstrations over the past 6 months to be put off by freezing temperatures and continue police brutality spree approaching the opposition is preparing to ramp up efforts to oust the longtime there. well many opposition leaders remain in exile or in detention opposition candidates flip flip. who claim she won the election has called for western pressure to force you can go out another problem need a miraculous cover has been in detention since september she is just one of 30000 people arrested during the protests. over america's led color is a leader of the better result movements calling for an international day of solidarity to support demonstrations and she says support for the look at check of government is thin. you cannot stay in a bar while into contra way you have on this t. percent of the population who supports you and we as you know in below us look at the hip meal as regina where not if you go opposition candidate can survive or even exist in the country if you are in that position you are going to end up either in a jail or in advice

lukashenko facing new charges maria costa linac over and maximization ak would jailed after mass protests in september they've now been accused of extremism and trying to seize power which could carry a 12 year prison sentence across like over was one of 3 women.

lukashenko in last august's election but was arrested in june because shankar went on to secure a 6th term in power a result which has led to months of protests. the protests have turned violent in barcelona for a 2nd day after thousands demat of the release of rap artist public hustle he's been jailed following a 2018 conviction for insulting the monarchy and praising the separatist group eta but it's under a controversial law that people say prevents freedom of speech there but in many reports. protests he took for a 2nd night across. police stations banks and several stores the damage during demonstrations. thousands took to the streets to demand the release of popular house elf from jail. for the start of the rap his lyrics and tweets got him in hot water with the authorities after he insulted spanish royalty supported till now defunct extremist group and criticize the police . while it would seem was your i'm a musician and it effects me the fact that in spain artists musicians rappers everyone is arrested i find it quite brutal that people are arrested for the lyrics of a song i

and here are some more stories now making headlines around the world and president alexander lukashenko says that he defeated a foreign blitzkrieg to overthrow him a longtime leader made the remarks at a 2 day convention in minsk the opposition has been holding weekly protest since his just futile election win last august lucas shango says that external and not internal forces are driving the protest. the wife of jailed kremlin critic alexina volley has reportedly flown to germany from russia according to german news magazine deshpande. flew from moscow to frankfurt on wednesday last week her husband was sentenced to nearly 3 years in jail for violating his probation probation after he was poisoned in siberia. u.s. president joe biden has spoken to chinese president xi jinping for the 1st time since taking office she warns of that a confrontation would be a disaster for both nations biden says that his administration will counter china's growing global influence earlier biden had announced plans for a pentagon task force to review u.s. security strategy regarding china. and the u.s. hou

lukashenko the u.s. has called for their release. to spain now where police have clashed again with thousands of protesters demanding the release of a news ition jailed earlier this week for his lyrics cut a long rap or pablo has said he was convicted of glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty in a songs and tweets on restaurant did and several cities including madrid and barcelona. demonstrators in pavlo as those hometown of you marched to the jail where he is being held. see his detention as an assault on free speech. in nearby barcelona violence flares as protesters set barricades a blaze and police fire rubber bullets. and similar scenes in madrid as demonstrators fight against what they say amounts to censorship. norms is not on your part it's a shame because it's a significant setback for rights and freedoms within the european union and another step towards dick tech tauriel and fascist state. of you are you place yourself. under several meters thius the opposition as to me a blatant injustice

president alexander lukashenko says he's defeated a foreign blitzkrieg to overthrow him the hardline it leader denounced 6 months of protests against his role as a rebellion and directed from outside the country the opposition claims the election he won last year was rigged. legendary american jazz pianist and composer shaikh korea has died at 79 and 23 time grammy award winner died of a rare form of cancer which was discovered very recently according to a statement korea is considered one of the 20th century's most influential pianists . and the family of a saudi women's rights activists have thanked us president joe biden for helping to secure her release from prison and jane a little spends nearly 3 years behind bars after campaigning for women to be allowed to drive biden welcome to release calling it the right thing to do. jane is at home this is the caption her sister posted on a screen shot of lou jane i have to lose 1st video call after her release from prison but the 31 year old is not free she won't be allowed to leave saudi arabia for another 5 years because of the injusti

lukashenko more than 400 journalists have been detained in belo groups in the last 6 months the northern german city of lens board has reacted to the rapid spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants by imposing a nighttime curfew the town near the danish border has also introduced stricter social distancing routes and says it will not follow the rest of the region in reopening schools later this month. nato secretary general hugh shelton bag says the alliance has not reached a decision on withdrawing troops from afghanistan following a 2 day summit allies agreed to consult closely before any decision on troop reductions are made there are 10000 nato forces in afghanistan the trump white house had set a deadline of may 1st for troop withdrawal that deadline is now being reviewed by the biden administration taliban forces have signaled that afghan government security could see a renewed spring offensive and more violence if nato forces do not stick to that may 1st deadline here's germany's defense minister. is this out of the clear is and this is what the taliban has announced that w

there are some more of the stories making headlines around the world president alexander lukashenko says that he defeated a foreign quote blitzkrieg to overthrow him the longtime leader made the remarks at a 2 day convention in minsk the opposition has been holding weekly protest since has disputed election when last august says that external and not internal forces are driving the protest. the wife of jailed kremlin critic alexina vali has reportedly flown to germany from russia according to german news magazine dash the girl yulia novel in iowa flew from moscow to frankfurt on wednesday last week her husband was sentenced to 3 years in jail for violating his probation after he was poisoned in siberia. one of saudi arabia's most vocal women's rights activists has been released from prison losing out flew has been arrested in 2018 allegedly for violating counter-terrorism laws charging critics charges that critics described as politically motivated she openly advocated for the right of women to drive and for an end to the country's restrictive male guardianship system. u.s. president joe