A spokesperson for Russian opposition leader Alexi Navalny said he is in a coma in a Siberian hospital after being poisoned.Kira Yarmysh posted on social media that the 44-year-old Navalny became ill and collapsed as he was flying Thursday from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk and Navalny was rushed to the hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator.Russia’s TASS news agency said Navalny is in serious condition, quoting the head doctor at the hospital.“We assume Alexi was poisoned with something mixed with his tea,” Yarmysh wrote on her Twitter account, adding it was the only thing he had before the flight. “Doctors say the toxin was absorbed faster through the hot liquid.” She said police have been called to the hospital.Yarmysh compared Thursday’s suspected poisoning to an incident last year when he became ill while serving a brief jail sentence and was rushed to a hospital. A doctor told his wife he suffered an acute allergic reaction that could have resulted from being poisoned with an unknown chemical.Navalny is a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin who has been arrested and jailed numerous times for organizing anti-government protests. He also founded a nonprofit foundation aimed at exposing government corruption.
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s warm reception in Prague last week reflects welcomed U.S. investment in the country and shared democratic values. Shortcomings in both areas, meanwhile, are seen as contributing to the decline of a once-promising relationship between Prague and Beijing. Just a few years ago, relations between Beijing and Prague were full of promises, marked by frequent visits by heads of state to each other’s capitals. When Xi Jinping arrived in Prague in March 2016, he was a given a 21-gun salute and an elaborate welcome. FILE – Czech Republic’s President Milos Zeman, right, welcomes his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, March 29, 2016.At the height of relations between the two governments, Ye Jianming, the head of China’s investment operations in Prague, had an office in the Czech presidential office compound. But the relationship soured when Ye left the country amid a high-profile international scandal, leaving Czech companies claiming he owed them huge sums. Last week, speaking alongside Pompeo, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis complained the Chinese have “not invested in the Czech Republic in the way I would imagine they should.” By contrast, he said, “there are something like 2,500 U.S. investors here in the Czech Republic who gave jobs to more than 55,000 people.” FILE – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and the Prime Minister of Czech Republic Andrej Babis address the media during a press conference as part of a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, Aug. 12, 2020.Hynek Kmonicek, the Czech Ambassador in Washington, expanded on Czech frustrations with China in written replies to questions from VOA. “Chinese investments in the Czech Republic currently are not significant, yet much talked about,” Kmonicek wrote. “Screening of investment for the future is a topic, and there we work closely with our U.S. allies.” Kmonicek said the Czech Republic and the U.S. both value “the principles of democracy and human rights,” which he called “one of the pillars” of his country’s foreign policy. The legacy of Vaclav Havel, the dissident who led the anti-communist movement and became the country’s first popularly elected president, remains “vital” when it comes to the Czech Republic’s “self-definition,” the ambassador said. The sentiment was emphasized at Pompeo’s joint press conference with Babis, who expressed shock over developments in nearby Belarus, where protesters have flooded the streets for days over what they see as a fraudulent reelection of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko. FILE – Belarusian opposition supporters gather for a protest rally in front of the government building at Independent Square in Minsk, Belarus, with Soviet-era sculptures in the foreground, Aug. 18, 2020.“I could not imagine that something like that could happen in Europe, so close to us,” the prime minister said. He called on the European Union to take concrete measures to help ensure that “the [Belarusians] have the same right to be free as we have.” China, in contrast, appears to be backing the man sometimes described as Europe’s last dictator. What appeared to be images of the protests on state-run China Central Television this week were described as an outpouring of support for Lukashenko. The incident caused an outrage on Chinese-language social media. A popular commentator posted the CCTV clip on Twitter, describing her reaction as “speechless.”这这这….都能一本正经地造谣？我已经找不出任何语言来形容他们！ pic.twitter.com/0sOTGzJX7y— 冰玉IceJade (@bingyuicejade) August 17, 2020The Communist Party-controlled Global Times, meanwhile, lamented that Europeans have made China an outcast in spite of what it has done for the continent. The author urged countries in Europe to refuse to be the America’s “diplomatic pawn and strategic vassal.” Asked to comment on the notion that the U.S. is using the Czechs to advance its own goals, Kmonicek said “the only statement of that sort we have noticed came from the chairman of the Czech Communist Party.” The people of then-Czechoslovakia swept the communists from power 30 years ago as the Soviet empire unraveled. The communist party still existing in the country occupies no seat in the Czech senate and their numbers in the lower house of parliament have shrunk in recent years. 
 
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The United States will not seek the death penalty for two British members of an Islamic State execution squad nicknamed the “Beatles,” whose extradition the Justice Department is seeking, Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday.In a letter this week to Priti Patel, Britain’s interior minister, Barr said if Britain granted an extradition request for Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, U.S. prosecutors would not seek the death penalty and would not carry out executions if they were to be imposed.Barr said Kotey and Elsheikh, captured in 2019, were being held by the U.S. military in an unidentified overseas location but that it was becoming untenable to continue to hold them.The pair were members of a four-person group in Islamic State that was known as the Beatles because they spoke English. The group is alleged to have detained or killed Western hostages in Syria, including U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.The Justice Department is asking British authorities to turn over evidence on Kotey and Elsheikh to allow them to be tried in the United States.Barr said if Britain did not turn over evidence by October 15, the United States would turn the men over for prosecution in the Iraqi justice system.
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German authorities said Wednesday that the multiple attacks on motorcyclists riding on a Berlin highway Tuesday could be religiously motivated.
 
“An Islamist attack cannot be ruled out,” Berlin police and prosecutors said in a joint statement.
 
The 30-year-old suspect, who authorities say is an Iraqi citizen, allegedly hit several motorcycles intentionally with his vehicle. Six people were injured, three severely, in the rush-hour attack. At least one victim has suffered life-threatening injuries.
 
According to police, the suspect allegedly got out of his black Opel Astra after the third crash and placed an ammunition box on top of his car, claiming it contained explosives. When specialists opened the box with a jet of water, they found only tools inside.
 
The suspect was taken into police custody and questioned. Local media identified him as Sarmad D. He will be brought before a magistrate Wednesday for three cases of attempted murder.
 
“Statements by the accused after his actions suggest a religious-Islamist motivation,” German authorities said in the statement. “There are also indications of psychological instability.”
 
Authorities noted that the investigation had not found evidence that the suspect was a member of a terrorist organization. Prosecutors said they were investigating if the man had contacts with extremists.
 
Part of the highway remained closed Wednesday morning but was reopened in the afternoon after the investigation concluded.
 
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The European Union said Wednesday it does not recognize the results of Belarus’s August 9 election that detractors of President Alexander Lukashenko say was rigged to extend his 26 years in office. The EU also said it would move forward with sanctions on Belarus.
 
“The EU will impose shortly sanctions on a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and electoral fraud,” European Council President Charles Michel said after an EU emergency summit to discuss the crisis in Belarus.
 
Unrest in Belarus further escalated Wednesday when Lukashenko ordered his police to suppress protests in the capital, Minsk, days after a severe crackdown on peaceful protesters that resulted in the deaths of at least two people, the injuring of hundreds of others and the detention of nearly 7,000 people.
 
“There should no longer be any disorder in Minsk of any kind,” the official Belta news agency reported Lukashenko as saying.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko chairs a Security Council meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 18, 2020.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has offered military assistance to Lukashenko, warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday not to interfere in Belarusian affairs. Putin’s warning came as he spoke by phone with Merkel, Macron and Michel.
 
A political opponent of Lukashenko urged EU leaders before the emergency summit not to recognize the presidential election, declaring it was rigged in Lukashenko’s favor. Lukashenko denies the accusation.  
 
Political opponent Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya issued the appeal from exile in neighboring Lithuania. “I call on you not to recognize these fraudulent elections,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “Mr.  Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world.”
 
Tsikhanouskaya says she is the winner of the vote and has called for new elections under international supervision.Belarusian Opposition Leader Flees to Lithuania Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya tells supporters she feared for her children’s safety on 3rd straight night of violent anti-government protestsWorkers in Belarus began striking in recent days as part of a campaign to oust the authoritarian president.
 
Unrest began to escalate after Lukashenko dismissed demands to resign following a severe police clampdown on peaceful protesters.
 
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde has offered to visit Belarus as the incoming head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which frequently mediates disputes on the continent. Western nations and former states of the Soviet Union are members of the OSCE. 
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The massive American warship, the USS Hershel Woody Williams, has arrived in the Greek island of Crete, on a mission to keep an eye on escalating tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean. The US vessel joins others from the European Union and Russia, raising concerns among some in Greece about what a military buildup could mean.Military experts describe the USS Hershel Woody Williams as a floating base, the second of a new class of massive ships the US Navy is now using as fast transport and support centers for military operations.The 230-meter-long ship, about the size of some skyscrapers, was earlier in Naples, Italy, for a routine logistics stop before it was sent to Crete where it is on standby as Greece and Turkey remain locked in a standoff.  Greek and Turkish battleships have been gathering in the region since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered a research vessel to the eastern Mediterranean to survey for gas and oil.Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Cyprus’ foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides talk during a press conference after their meeting at the Cyprus’ foreign ministry in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Aug. 18, 2020.Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis says forces from other EU nations and countries in the region are likely to arrive and join the effort.   He says it is something Greek officials are expecting to build up as we they try to find a diplomatic solution, he says. He praised the buildup as vivid proof of the West’s resolve to block what he said is Turkey’s growing influence in the region.Analyst Kostas Ifandis, a professor of military studies and diplomatic relations, doubts the show of force will change things very much.He says that if the situation gets dicey, we may see other countries like Egypt mobilizing. But from the EU’s standpoint, he says, it is unlikely that this buildup will impact Turkey because its biggest trading partner and closest ally, Germany, is unlikely to join in such a maneuver.German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 19, 2020 following a video meeting of the european council.Currently chairing the EU’s rotating presidency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been trying to convince Athens and Ankara to enter into negotiations over the conflicting claims each side has to air and sea rights in the region.Germany has been reluctant to support stiff sanctions against Turkey, but it has advised the government in Ankara to pull back its survey vessel from the disputed waters.Turkey has said it will continue to survey the contested region through next week.But the buildup of vessels, submarines and even combat aircraft in the region, has experts fearing an accident that could spark a bigger confrontation between Greece and Turkey.In a recent incident, Greek Defense Ministry officials said a Greek frigate collided with the rear of a Turkish ship as the Greek vessel moved to intercept it.  There was no damage to either vessel but the incident prompted armed forces on both sides to be on heightened alert.
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A political opponent of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko urged European Union leaders Wednesday not to recognize the country’s recent presidential election, declaring it was rigged in favor of Lukashenko.Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya issued the appeal from exile in neighboring Lithuania before European Union leaders hold an emergency summit to discuss the Belarus crisis. “I call on you not to recognize these fraudulent elections,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “Mr.  Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world.”Tsikhanouskaya says she is the winner of the election and has called for new elections under international supervision.Workers in Belarus began striking in recent days as part of a campaign to oust the authoritarian president after he extended his 26-year term in an election detractors contend was rigged. Lukashenko denies manipulating the election.Lukashenko Declared Winner in Belarus Election for 6th Straight Term   Protests erupted challenging the results; rights groups say one person was killed, dozens injured, and several hundred arrests were made Unrest in the country began to escalate after Lukashenko dismissed demands to resign following a severe police crackdown on peaceful protesters days after the August 9 election.EU members have suggested they would place sanctions on Belarusian officials they consider responsible for election fraud and a crackdown on protests that resulted in the deaths of at least two people, the injuring of hundreds of others and the detention of nearly 7,000 people.Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered military assistance to Lukashenko, a close ally. Putin spoke by phone Tuesday with European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.Putin warned Merkel and Macron not to interfere in Belarusian affairs.Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde has offered to visit Belarus as the incoming head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which frequently mediates disputes on the continent. Western nations and former states of the Soviet Union are members of the OSCE.
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Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on the European Union to not recognize what she called “fraudulent elections” last week in which she lost to longtime President Alexander Lukashenko. In a video message ahead of an emergency EU summit on the issue Wednesday, Tsikhanouskaya said, “Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world.”In this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 file photo Belarusian opposition supporters gather for a protest rally in front of the government building at Independent Square in Minsk, Belarus, with a Soviet era sculptures in the foreground.Official election results showed Lukashenko winning with 80% of the votes, and he has denied allegations that the voting was rigged. Tsikhanouskaya rejected the results, as did protesters who have gathered for mass rallies across the country to voice their opposition to Lukashenko. 
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A Washington, D.C.-based political analyst faces an uncertain future in Belarus – where he remains in prison charged with inciting mass unrest in the run-up to rigged elections that triggered a wave of protests in challenge to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s 26-year rule. Vitali Shkliarov, 44, is a Belarus native married to an American who news reports say works at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. He was arrested July 29 while visiting his parents in his hometown of Grodno.  KGB agents detained him as he went out to the store to buy a watermelon for his son.  He managed to issue one quick message on his popular Telegram channel: “FILE – Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, candidate for the presidential elections, reacts during a meeting with her supporters in Minsk, Belarus, July 19, 2020.Foreign interference conspiracies The elections — which Lukashenko claims he won in a landslide over Tikhanovskaya despite evidence of mass vote rigging — have led to the largest protests in Belarus since the fall of the Soviet Union.  A state crackdown on demonstrators in the wake of the vote has only fueled public anger, with widespread reports of torture and abuse at the hands of police and security forces.  Authorities report nearly 7,000 arrests.   But as discontent with Lukashenko swelled even before the election, Lukashenko warned of foreign plots to overthrow his government.  Enter Shkliarov.  “Some people were detained with American passports, married to Americans, working in the State Department,” said Lukashenko, in what appeared to be comments directed at Shkliarov’s arrest in particular.  “Vitaly’s become a convenient scapegoat for Lukashenko’s security forces,” said Skliarov’s lawyer, Anton Gashinsky, in an interview with VOA.  “He ideally fits the picture that they’re trying to draw: foreigners came from abroad to organize a revolution.” Workers of the Minsk Tractor Works Plant leave after their work shift as activists with old Belarusian national flags greet them in Minsk, Belarus, August 18, 2020.Shkliarov denies he was active in Tikhanovsky’s campaign and says he is being punished for writing critically about the government in the run-up to the election.  A prolific political commentator on events in America and the former Soviet Union, Shkliarov’s writings have appeared in Foreign Policy magazine and Russia’s independent Novaya Gazeta among other publications. He has also advised on presidential campaigns in Russia, Georgia and the United States —  where he worked as a field staff organizer for former President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.  The Belarusian human rights group Viasna has recognized him as a political prisoner.  The European Federation of Journalists, EFJ, is also demanding his release.   If found guilty of charges, Shkliarov faces up to three years in prison and fines.   Conditions inside  Shkliarov has detailed a grim existence since his detention last month.  “Like any person daring to criticize an authoritarian regime, I understood you can’t swear off prison. But when they arrested me, I didn’t expect that I would fall into a totalitarian torture chamber,” Shkliarov wrote in a statement released to Novaya Gazeta Monday.  “No, they don’t beat me. But they’re trying to break me. With everything they have,” he added.  Shkliarov said he was put in a dirty, overcrowded cell with no hot water despite increasingly brisk temperatures in Belarus.  Inmates are forced to shave with a dull razor and given one shower weekly – prompting skin breakouts. Patriotic Soviet music blasts through the prison from morning until night. Prisoners are forbidden to lay down throughout the day.   He said he has also been denied contact with family members through mail, and that his writings and letters are read and confiscated by authorities.   Complaints led to a six-hour stint in the stakan – Russian for “the glass” – a vertical isolation cell with no room to sit while deprived of food and water.  “He’s constantly under psychological pressure,” his lawyer, Gashinsky, said to VOA.  “He’s living in conditions he considers inhuman to try and break him psychologically.”   “It shouldn’t be this way. This isn’t 1937,” added Gashinsky in a reference to the height of the Soviet-era repressions. Responding to inquiries from VOA, the U.S. Embassy in Minsk acknowledged a consular officer had been granted access to Shkliarov on August 13 after “repeatedly” raising concerns. “We continue to press for fair treatment, judicial transparency, and regular visits by U.S. consular officials,” read the statement.  “We have no higher priority than the safety and welfare of U.S. citizens abroad,” it said. Other US lawmakers say they, too, are paying attention. U.S. Department of State officials have not responded to VOA requests for comment on Shkliarov’s case.  But some U.S. lawmakers say they are paying attention.  “The government’s ongoing crackdown on the democratic opposition, as well as the arrest of American citizen Vitaly Shkliarov, is a calamity and completely unacceptable,” said Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement.  “Now more than ever, the international community must not waver in our steadfast support for democracy, human rights and the aspirations of the Belarusian people.”  It is a message Shkliarov came to identify with during his own experiences on the campaign trail in America.  In an interview with Public Radio International’s The World in 2018, he recalled his experiences urging Americans who were reluctant to vote in the U.S. presidential elections during cold-calls over the phone. “I grew up in a country where nobody asked us. Nobody asked me what president I would love to elect or even who I am. Nobody cared,” Shlkiarov said he would tell people.   “And here you have this democracy. You can actively voice your opinion and influence the decision-making. This is amazing. You guys don’t understand what you have.”   Most, said Shkliarov, promised to cast their ballots.    
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More workers joined a growing strike Tuesday to oust authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after he extended his 26-year term in an election that detractors contend was rigged.Thousands of workers began walking off the job Monday at state-controlled facilities, joining actors and broadcasters. Unrest began to escalate after Lukashenko dismissed demands to resign following a severe police crackdown on peaceful protesters days after the August 9 election.Workers of the Minsk Tractor Works Plant leave after their work shift as activists with old Belarusian national flags greet them in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 18, 2020.The first government official to challenge Lukashenko was the ambassador to Slovakia, who said in a video Saturday before he resigned that he supported the protests.The ambassador to Spain, Pavel Pustav, posted a statement Tuesday on Facebook urging a vote recount and the prosecution of those who beat peaceful protesters.Officials from Western countries have refused to recognize the election as free and fair, and they have denounced the police crackdown.The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss Belarus in a closed-door session Tuesday, one day before European Union leaders are to discuss the matter.
 
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday urged citizens to wear masks and abide by social distancing and other COVID-19 prevention rules if they want to see restrictions lifted in the country. Speaking with reporters in Dusseldorf where she attended the North Rhine-Westphalia state cabinet meeting, Merkel said the number of new cases in Germany has doubled in three weeks and cannot continue. She noted that the surge is likely due to people traveling during the summer holidays and more intermingling. Merkel said she cannot further lift COVID-19 restrictions with the rising new infections and appealed to the public to adhere to the rules.  “If the infection numbers go down, then we can open up more,”” Merkel said. “If they don’t go down or if they go up, then you have to consider what might be necessary.” Merkel said she discussed the COVID-19 pandemic with the state cabinet. Germany’s 16 states largely set their own rules, often leading to a mishmash of differing regional regulations that have prompted confusion and frustration in the country of 83 million. Merkel said she was in favor of a more uniform approach. Germany’s disease control agency on Tuesday reported 1,390 new confirmed coronavirus cases. 
 
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Judges at a U.N.-backed tribunal have found one man guilty in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and acquitted three others charged in the case.   
 
The presiding judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon declared that Salim Jamil Ayyash was guilty on all counts, including conspiracy to commit a terrorist act using explosives and intentional homicide of Hariri, the 21 bystanders who were killed in the massive explosion, as well as the attempted murder of the 226 injured persons.
 
But the court said it could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra were guilty of being part of the conspiracy.
 
All four defendants were tried “in absentia” and have not been seen in years.
 
The men were low-level operatives with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.  
 A woman holds images, some showing former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, outside the U.N.-backed Lebanon Special Tribunal in Leidschendam, Netherlands, Aug. 18, 2020.Much of the prosecution’s case centered around phone records of the four Hezbollah operatives charged with planning and carrying out the attack and the ensuing attempt to cover it up.
The defense argued that the evidence was circumstantial and unreliable.  
 
A tribunal judge said Tuesday that while Syria and Hezbollah “may have had motives to eliminate” Hariri, the judges found no evidence that either was involved in Hariri’s assassination.      
   
Syria and Hezbollah were not on trial, but in the aftermath of the assassination, fingers were pointed at Damascus. Massive national protests led to Syria’s troop withdrawal from Lebanon.   
   
The judges said it is beyond a reasonable doubt that a suicide bomber set off the explosion, but they could not make any finding regarding the bomber’s identity.   
    
A U.N. Security Council resolution established the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in 2007, following a request to the United Nations by the Lebanese government.Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri speaks to the media after a U.N.-backed tribunal handed down a verdict in the 2005 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 other people, in Leidschendam, Netherlands, Aug. 18, 2020.The trial, which began in 2014, involved 297 witnesses and 3,000 exhibits of evidence.  
 
Hariri was killed Feb. 14, 2005, as his convoy drove along the Beirut seafront. The judges determined that an unidentified suicide bomber detonated the small truck loaded with 2,500 to 3,000 kilograms of a TNT-like explosive.  
 
A number of victims attended the session at the court, located in a suburb of The Hague, including Hariri’s son, Saad, who is also a former prime minister.  
 
Presiding Judge David Re said he hoped the court’s verdict gives the victims and their families some form of closure.    
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A movement that denies the existence of COVID-19 has split Spanish society as the country is battling to control the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe.  
 
Stop Confinamiento España, one of the groups behind the movement, has said it will hold a protest next month in Madrid, calling it a “peaceful demonstration against the measures imposed in connection with the false health crisis caused by COVID-19.”
 
The strength of feeling among those who claim coronavirus is an invention by a ruling elite to control the masses was demonstrated when an estimated 2,500 people staged a protest in Madrid on Sunday.   
 
The movement has gained ground thanks in part to the support of high profile celebrity supporters like Miguel Bosé, a popular Spanish singer.  
 
Bosé has used his social media platforms in recent weeks to promote what some describe as conspiracy theories about COVID-19, and he claimed a planned vaccine was a pretext to control the world’s population using 5G mobile phone technology.
 
Sunday’s demonstration echoed those in June staged in cities across Spain by mainly right wing groups that were protesting restrictions imposed on personal freedoms by the left wing coalition government in order to curtail a rising number of coronavirus cases.   
 
Spain last week announced a nationwide ban on smoking and drinking in public if social distancing cannot be guaranteed.
 
The COVID-19 denial movement in Spain echoes similar libertarian movements that have sprung up in the U.S., France, Britain and Germany.
 
The controversial cause has divided Spaniards, with recent polls showing a quarter of the population objects to the obligatory use of face masks across the country.A police officer confronts a protester at a rally against the use of protective masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 16, 2020.The emergence of the movement comes at a delicate time, as Spain has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases since emerging from lockdown in June and now has the highest number of people diagnosed with the pathogen in Europe with 359,082 cases, according to health ministry data on August 17.
 
People were urged to join Sunday’s protest by an animated video featuring the Beatles’ song Revolution.  
 
The video urged demonstrators to wear masks to the protest in order to avoid arrest or police action and to allow “the elderly and those with health conditions to attend”.
 
However, the vast majority of those who turned up were not wearing masks and were shouting “We want to see the virus” and “5G is the real killer.”
 
Josep Pàmies, a farmer from Catalonia in northeast Spain who is an anti-vaccination activist, was among the speakers at the Madrid demonstration.
 
He said the pathogen could be cured with “kisses, hugs, medicinal plants and confidence. With this we can stop the madness of our politicians”. Ouka Leele, a poet and photographer, told demonstrators “We can’t live like zombies with masks on in the streets.”
 
Spain’s official death toll from coronavirus stands at just over 28,600 but the real figure, including those undiagnosed, is believed to be around 44,000, including 20,000 elderly residents of care homes, according to an investigation by the El País newspaper, which collated data from regional authorities and health studies.A man smokes a cigarette with his eyes covered by a face mask as he takes part in a protest against the use of protective masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 16, 2020.The Madrid demonstration prompted angry condemnation from authorities and doctors.
 
José Manuel Franco, Madrid’s regional security chief, said he will launch an investigation and take measures including fining organizers of the face mask protest.
 
Demonstrators were accused of breaching social distancing rules and crowding together as well as refusing to wear face coverings.
 
“There are always brainless people — in this case quite a few — who unfortunately do not comply with the law,” Franco told Cadena Ser radio network.
 
“I want to make it clear that this will be punished with the full force of the law.” Organizers could face heavier fines of up to $71,414 if they are found guilty of serious breach of public health measures.
 
Franco insisted his office had been duped into allowing the demonstration on false pretenses.
 
He said the organizers had not said the protest was against face masks, Franco claimed, but about censorship and freedom.
 
He also said that organizers insisted that social distancing would be observed, none of which happened.
 
Belén Padilla, a doctor and vice-president of the Madrid College of Physicians, said she felt “anger and sadness” when she saw the television images of the demonstration.  “To deny the scientific evidence is absurd,” she said.
 
Pablo Simón, a political scientist from the University Carlos III in Madrid, told VOA, “conspiracy theories can be found in lots of places. The most recent poll found about 20-25% believe in them in Spain. Social media is very important in propagating these movements.”
 
A survey for the La Vanguardia newspaper found 74.96% of those who took part said they agreed with wearing masks, while 25.04% disagreed. By Monday night, 330,068 had voted.
 
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France’s two biggest cities, Paris and Marseille, have tipped back into the highest-risk coronavirus red zone — with the French capital seeing a sixfold rise in cases in just two weeks.French authorities have widened mask-wearing requirements in outdoor spaces, following a troubling increase in cases. For two days in a row, the country has registered more than 3,000 daily cases — a level not seen in months. Violators of the mask rules face a $160 fine.Even so, not all French are following them. Here in Paris, the patchwork of regulations can be confusing.“It’s like super complicated. It’s like one street you’re supposed to, the other you’re not.” Antoni Calmon is a doctor. He’s not wearing a mask, although the Paris street he’s on requires it.”I think we should all wear the mask, everywhere.”The Paris riverside book stands are back in action after lockdown – so are old habits that can help spread the virus, the government says. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Down the same street, Lea and Pierre—who decline to give their last names — are also violating mask rules. With streets so quiet they say — with many Parisians away on summer holiday — what’s the point?France has had one of Europe’s highest coronavirus caseloads—totaling more than 240,000 since the start of the pandemic, and more than 30,000 deaths. Like much of the region, it managed to flatten the curve after weeks of lockdown.Now the numbers are rebounding. Late last week, Britain added France to its quarantine list — and France reciprocated.Experts say young people, out partying after extensive confinements, account for a major source of the increase. The workplace is another.Spain, Britain and Germany are also seeing resurging caseloads — and new restrictions. Coronavirus cases are also growing in Greece and Romania, relatively spared until now.A man crosses the street near Paris’ Parmentier metro station – mask half down, although it is required in this area. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Here in France, authorities want to avoid another costly lockdown. Health Director Jerome Salomon told local radio the fate of the virus was in French hands. He urged massive testing.But in Paris, Calmon says he worries people aren’t taking that advice seriously enough. He recently recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.“I have to say even when I was sick, I sent a message to all the people I was in contact with … and not even 50% of the people took the test,” Calmon said.He believes France still has a tough road ahead.  
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Ongoing opposition protests in Belarus saw the largest turnout yet over the weekend, following days of public rallies against the disputed reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko.Hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators gathered in Minsk and other Belarusian cities demanding free and fair elections. Protesters are seeking the release of all political prisoners, justice for perpetrators of human rights abuses and the resignation of Lukashenko.An unprecedented wave of protests have swept across Belarus in recent days after users on social media started sharing videos and photos showing security officers brutally repressing demonstrators angered by the official results of the disputed presidential election. On August 9, incumbent President Lukashenko claimed victory with more than 80% of the vote. It was his sixth consecutive win since 1994, when he took over the country.Independent exit polls are officially banned in Belarus, but according to civil society activists and members of opposition, Lukashenko’s support was only because of extensive vote rigging. Activists claim that the president’s opponent – Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – won the race with 65-70% of the vote. Tikhanovskaya had entered the race after authorities jailed her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger who tried to launch a presidential campaign.Several grass-roots groups have created “channels” on Telegram, a popular messaging app, where they have uploaded thousands of videos of the dramatic scenes. The videos, which have chronicled the protest and also carried personal testimonies from demonstrators who say they were tortured in detention centers, have outraged Belarusians and galvanized the protest movement.VOA is publishing several videos of the events shared on Telegram.Warning: some of these images are violent and graphic.  Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 1 MB480p | 1 MB540p | 1 MB720p | 4 MB720p | 6 MBOriginal | 5 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioDrone footage of central Minsk, Belarus, during the protest for free and fair elections, August 16.  Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File640p | 2 MB852p | 2 MB960p | 3 MB1080p | 9 MB1080p | 12 MBOriginal | 14 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioProtesters chant (President Alexander) “Lukashenko – to paddy-wagon” in the regional city of Grodno, Belarus, August 16. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 1 MB480p | 1 MB540p | 1 MB720p | 3 MB720p | 4 MBOriginal | 4 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioLenin Square in the regional city of Mogilev, Belarus, August 16.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 4 MB360p | 5 MB360p | 6 MBOriginal | 11 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioWarning: These graphic videos appear to show a member of a special police or military unit firing his weapon in the direction of Alexander Taraikovsky, considered the first victim of the Belarusian protests, in Minsk, August 10. Taraikovsky appears unarmed in the video. The government claims Taraikovsky died after an improvised explosive device went off in his hands.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 2 MB480p | 3 MB540p | 4 MB720p | 9 MBOriginal | 13 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioWarning: These graphic videos appear to show a member of a special police or military unit firing his weapon in the direction of Alexander Taraikovsky, considered the first victim of the Belarusian protests, in Minsk, August 10. Taraikovsky appears unarmed in the video. The government claims Taraikovsky died after an improvised explosive device went off in his hands.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File640p | 1 MB852p | 1 MB960p | 2 MB1080p | 5 MBOriginal | 11 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioSeveral members of the Belarusian riot police beat a protester who lies on the ground, in Minsk, August 11.  
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Poland has hailed a deal struck with the United States to base more troops in the country, saying it enhances the “deterrence potential” against Russian aggression.But the U.S. move follows a decision to halve its troop presence in Germany, and other European NATO allies fear the alliance is being undermined by political infighting over defense spending levels.There are already around 4,500 U.S. troops in Poland, part of a rotating deployment in eastern Europe. The new agreement, officially called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement  (EDCA), will see an additional 1,000 U.S. troops on the ground. The U.S. Army’s V Corps headquarters will also be relocated to Poland from Germany. Poland says the number of U.S. troops could be rapidly increased to 20,000 if required.WATCH: Poland Hails US Troop DealSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talks to an officer at Pilsudski square in Warsaw, Poland, before ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, Aug. 15, 2020.The deployment is strategically significant, defense analyst Jonathan Eyal of Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, told VOA Monday.“This is about a deterrence. A deterrence to Russia and a reminder to all Europeans that all member states of NATO are entitled to the same security guarantee.”Poland said the deal will help defend against threats from Russia.“Not only the physical presence and deployment is important, but it is also important to have troops deployed precisely in the locations where they should be deployed. And here we agreed together with my colleague, Secretary of State (Pompeo), that the presence of American troops in Poland enhances our deterrence potential, because we are closer to the potential source of conflict,” Czaputowicz said at A US military aircraft takes off from the US Airbase Ramstein, Germany, June 7, 2020.President Donald Trump announced plans last month to move 12,000 U.S. troops out of Germany, accusing Berlin of failing to meet the NATO defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product. In 2019, Germany spent around 1.38% GDP on defense. Trump said about half of the troops would be sent home, with the rest deployed to other NATO allies.“Germany owes billions and billions of dollars to NATO, and why would we keep all of those troops there?” Trump told reporters in July. “We are protecting Germany. So, we’re reducing the force because they’re not paying their bills. It’s very simple. They’re delinquent.”U.S. officials say the partial withdrawal of troops from Germany and the deployment in Poland are not linked. Berlin has warned the moves could weaken the NATO alliance.Eyal argues that changes are long overdue.“In reality, what it is, is a proper recalibration of (the) alliance more than 30 years after the end of the Cold War. What is the point of having many troops massed in Germany for purely historic reasons but having no troops in the countries that feel most vulnerable and are indeed most threatened by threatening noises from Russia?” Eyal told VOA.NATO allies deployed several thousand troops in eastern Europe following Russia’s forceful annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Moscow has called the presence of U.S. troops in Poland as a “threat to its security.” 
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State-television presenters in Belarus are signing off for good, fed up with putting a positive spin on the country’s turmoil, as some of their viewers take a beating while protesting what they believe to be a rigged presidential election.The television personalities are joining a growing numbers of police officers and factory workers who are walking off the job to send a message to the authorities and the government of President Alyaksandr Lukashenko, who declared a landslide reelection victory on August 9.”It’s hard to say ‘good morning’ when it’s actually bad,” Andrey Makayonak, a stand-up comedian and prominent face on the Good Morning Belarus program for Belarus-1 (BT) channel, told the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus.At least six on-air presenters have resigned in recent days from the state broadcasting company, including Makayonak who announced his departure on August 12 after the third-straight day of demonstrations that have been met with a harsh response from Belarusian security services.The walkouts are significant since state TV dominates Belarusian broadcasting for news and entertainment programming, and it is a primary source of news for a large majority of Belarusians.More than 6,700 people have reportedly been detained since the election, and harrowing images and reports of police brutality from the streets of Minsk and other cities have filled up Telegram channels, social-media feeds, and other independent media. But state TV has often played down the street clashes, or demonized the protesters.Makayonak was joined in departing Belteleradio, the national state radio and television company, by TV presenter Volha Bahatyrevich. She announced she was leaving her position at All-National TV in an Instagram post on August 12 that showed her holding her resignation letter. It was accompanied by the message: “We are few, but we are,” capped by emoticons showing gestures used by the opposition.The same day, Uladzimir Burko, the host of the Defense Ministry’s Arsenal program that also aired on BT, announced his departure. So, too, did Vera Karetnikava, a host for both BT and the STV channel. View this post on InstagramВсем привет. Меня зовут Владимир Бурко. Я ведущий мероприятий и до недавнего времени ведущий военной программы «Арсенал» на канале “Беларусь 1”. Начну с главного: я больше не ведущий этого телепроекта, ушёл сам, не без приключений, но ушёл. – 5 лет я негласно был медийным лицом министерства обороны республики Беларусь – 5 лет я вёл программу над созданием которой трудилась большая команда потрясающих людей, каждого из которых я обниму при встрече и надеюсь они мне ответят взаимностью – 5 лет я с очень серьёзным лицом рассказывал о том, что наша армия сама доблестная и сильная, военная техника самая современная, а весь высший офицерский состав – пример для подражания… – 5 лет я читал новости, которые добровольно-принудительно утром в воскресенье смотрел весь личный состав вооруженных сил – 5 лет – это больше 3 поколений призывников, служивших 1.5 года во всех видах и родах войск К чему я это всё… Я никогда бы, даже в самом страшном сне, не подумал, что солдаты и техника, о которых я рассказывал, могут быть применены против своего народа… Против мирного населения страны, против женщин и не дай Бог детей. Я хочу обратиться к военным: солдатам и офицерам. Вы ждёте приказа. Вы прекрасно осознаёте каким будет этот приказ и скорее всего понимаете какими будут последствия для белорусов, которые просто хотели справедливости, а получат от вас пулю… Одумайтесь пока не поздно… Донесите совету безопасности и своему руководству, что ваши методы и методы смежных структур являются варварскими и антигуманными. Среди верхушки министерства обороны много разных людей. Мне кажется, как и во всех структурах, есть лизоблюды и карьеристы, но есть и настоящие офицеры, которые прошли войны, видели лицо смерти и таких офицеров большинство. Я прошу Вас принять верное решение, решение, которым мы, беларусы будем гордиться, потому что пока только нарастает ненависть от того, что мы видим… И в конце. Никто не хочет войны. Все акции проходят и будут проходить мирно. Люди хотят справедливости, люди просят их не обманывать, люди просят свободы. За последний пункт отвечаете именно вы, так что всё получится. Мы рядом и всегда поможем. #ведущийвладимирбурко #мызачестныеновости #нетвойнеA post shared by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ВЛАДИМИР БУРКО (@vladimir_burko) on Aug 12, 2020 at 9:12am PDTThey all followed BT news anchor Syarhey Kazlovich and STV presenter Tatsyana Barodkina, who quit on August 11.In announcing his resignation, Kazlovich wrote on Instagram that his decision to leave after 10 years in the TV news business was the end of a “childhood dream.”Two days before his departure, Kazlovich reported that “provocateurs” had been blocking polling stations in order to disrupt voting, according to the media outlet Reform.by. In his reports on street clashes, he also cast protesters as the aggressors, saying police had no option but to fire rubber bullets to repel physical attacks by “aggressive young people.”STV’s Barodkina, who appeared on the cooking program Breakfast For Three along with her two daughters, wrote on Facebook that “unfortunately my children and I will no longer be able to smile from the TV screen.”She wrote that she was unsure if people would be able to read her post, due to widespread Internet blockages. Still, she urged viewers to not be afraid, and “do not deprive our children of their future!”STV correspondent Alyaksandr Luchonok, meanwhile, offered an explanation for why his colleagues had left the airwaves: “every news release is a deliberate move” as part of a grand “strategy,” he said.”I don’t want to be silent anymore!” he wrote.  View this post on InstagramТем, кто по ту сторону экрана, больше молчать не хочу! Думаю, ни для кого не секрет, что вся информация, которая транслируется по ТВ, четко выверена, не один раз прочитана редакторами и идеологами. Есть определённая тактика, планирование, стратегия воздействовать на наши умы. Основная суть — аккуратно и ненавязчиво внушать людям, что наша страна не находится в «застое». Если в какой-либо сфере или отрасли провал —для сглаживания углов удар на себя принимает местная вертикаль. Это все, ещё раз повторюсь, стратегия! Вывод, к которому я пришел. Каждый выпуск новостей — продуманный ход. Поэтому сейчас сильнее всего поражает — почему ребята начали так сдавать свои позиции. — Филигранная победа с 80% голосов за АГЛ? Как мне кажется, филигранно сфальсифицировать при нынешнем расколе общества – это «нарисовать» 50+, и явно не столь массовый масштаб приобрело бы нынешнее протестное движение! — У протестующих есть кукловоды? Выйдите на улицу и задайте этот вопрос людям. Услышите чуть ли не единогласный ответ, чем они руководствуются. Сам лично интересовался. Это исключительно инициатива каждого, а отрицать и обвинять во всем Запад или объединенный штаб – отрицать свое поражение. Давайте вспомним, как прошлой весной свою победу праздновал нынешний Президент Украины Владимир Зеленский. Там был настоящий ПРАЗДНИК. Во всех наших госСМИ подчеркивают тоже самое, только почему вы призываете разогнать народное «веселье»?! — Удерживать Тихановскую в ЦИКе 6 часов и надеяться, что именно поэтому белорусы не пойдут на протест? Это ещё больше разгорячит народ, уже доказано! Символ протеста сегодня не Тихановская, а сами люди! (продолжение в карусели)A post shared by Александр Лучонок (@casper_estonia) on Aug 13, 2020 at 2:15am PDTIn leaving their jobs, members of the media joined growing ranks of police and security officers who are also quitting.Some police officers and members of the OMON security force have used social media as a platform to announce they were quitting, often in videos showing them throwing their uniforms in the trash. In one case, a security office was shown burning his uniform.Another former MVD officer rips off the patch from his uniform with the help of his children. 366/https://t.co/UZltJSTcjOpic.twitter.com/eAI56oKN7g— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 12, 2020It is unclear how many have actually resigned.The walkouts by journalists and police officers come as workers at major state companies and factories across the country walked off their jobs in solidarity with demonstrators. Many have joined the demands calling for a full review of the official results that said Lukashenka walked away with 80 percent of the vote. They’ve also called for the release of those arrested during the protests.Among the companies affected in recent days were the Grodno meat-packing plant, the Atlant and Gefest appliance-makers, the Minsk Automobile Factory, and the Azot chemical fertilizer plant. Workers at Minsk Tractor Works — a manufacturing plant whose reputation is legendary in and outside of Belarus – – also were shown protesting.In #Hrodna, #Belarus, city officials meet with striking workers of Azot chemical fertiliser plant. – Raise your hands if you voted for Lukashenka.- Only officials do.- Raise your hands if you voted for Tsikhanouskaya.- Neary all workers do.pic.twitter.com/0pzzO4MWlj— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) August 13, 2020
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Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says she is ready to become the leader of the country following a disputed election that ignited massive protests after longtime President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner.Lukashenko on Monday rejected holding another vote but indicated he was willing to consider sharing power, but not under pressure from street protests.  His opponent in the election spoke in a video message released from Lithuania. “We all want to leave this loop that we found ourselves in 26 years ago. I am ready to take on the responsibility and become the national leader in this period,”  Tsikhanouskaya said. “With the goal of calming the situation and entering into a normal period, freeing political prisoners, and in the shortest time creating the conditions and legislative base to organize new presidential elections. Real, honest and transparent elections, that will be unequivocally accepted by the international community.”Russia Could Step In to Help Embattled Belarus Leader Amid Massive Protests, Accusations of Rigged Election Kremlin says Putin, Lukashenko agree on Moscow assistance to ‘maintain security’ in Belarus Tsikhanouskaya also called on the Belarusian military to join the protesters.On Sunday, as many as 200,000 protesters marched in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, far outnumbering the crowd of Lukashenko supporters who also marched. The protest march began near Victory Park in central Minsk and was the biggest demonstration in the history of the former Soviet republic.Lukashenko Declared Winner in Belarus Election for 6th Straight Term   Protests erupted challenging the results; rights groups say one person was killed, dozens injured, and several hundred arrests were made Thousands of factory workers went on strike Monday to protest what they called “rigged” elections. Some of them heckled Lukashenko as he spoke to workers during a visit to a tractor factory.  He said there will be no new election “until you kill me.”  The country’s Central Election Commission said that after all ballots were counted in the August 9 election, Lukashenko took 80.23% of the votes and Tsikhanouskaya took 9.9%.She entered the race after the arrest of her husband, blogger and would-be opposition candidate Siarhei Tsikhanousky.Hundreds of Thousands March in Belarus200,000 March Against Pres. Lukashenko and his longtime authoritarian rule after another allegedly stolen presidential electionTsikhanouskaya said she would never accept the results before fleeing to Lithuania for what she said was her children’s safety.Lukashenko took power after Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union and has been president since 1994.Lukashenko told military chiefs Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered “comprehensive help” to “ensure the security of Belarus.”The Kremlin said in a statement that both presidents agreed the “problems” in Belarus would be “resolved soon” and the countries’ ties would strengthen.
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Germany’s antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Amazon’s relationship with third-party traders selling on its site, its head was quoted as saying Sunday.”We are currently investigating whether and how Amazon influences how traders set prices on the market-place,” Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.Germany is Amazon’s second-biggest market after the United States.During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many stores were closed and shoppers flocked online, Mundt said there had been complaints that Amazon had blocked some traders because of allegedly overly high prices.”Amazon must not be a controller of prices,” he said, adding that Amazon had responded to his office’s requests for information and those statements were being evaluated.The cartel office was not immediately available to comment.An Amazon spokeswoman said the company’s policies were designed to make sure its partners set competitive prices.”Amazon selling partners set their own product prices in our store,” the spokeswoman said. “Our systems are designed to take action against price gouging,” she said, adding that those who had concerns should contact its support team for its merchants.Up until 2013, Amazon had prevented traders from offering their products via other online sites at a lower price than on its marketplace, a policy Germany’s antitrust watchdog forced it to abandon.Last year, Amazon reached a deal with the German authority to overhaul its terms of service for third-party merchants, prompting the office to drop a previous seven-month investigation. 
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Rival rallies were held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk Sunday, a week after a disputed election that gave longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko another term in office. Tens of thousands of protesters questioning the legitimacy of the recent election gathered for a “March for Freedom”, called for by opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Meanwhile, thousands of supporters gathered in support of Lukashenko, who said Sunday that he would not hold new elections. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gestures as he greets his supporters gathered at Independent Square of Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 16, 2020.Addressing the crowd Sunday, Lukashenko denied allegations of election fraud and blamed foreign interference for days of unrest, claiming that NATO was amassing weapons 15 miles from Belarus’ borders. Belarusians have been protesting in the capital, Minsk, and other cities since election officials declared Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, winner of the August 9 election, with over 80% of the votes against the main opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, with about 9.9%. Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Leshchenya expressed his support for protesters in an undated video published Saturday by Belarusian Nasha Niva media.   “I stand in solidarity with those who came out on the streets of Belarusian cities with peaceful marches so that their voice could be heard,” Leshchenya said in the video. “The Belarusians have achieved this right through suffering.” People hold old Belarusian national flags while gathered at the place where Alexander Taraikovsky died during clashes protesting election results, in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Thousands took to the streets of Minsk again Saturday, heeding Tsikhanouskaya’s call  to supporters to rally over the weekend and press on with a movement that presents the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s grip on power in 26 years, since 1994. Protesters also marched to the Belarusian state television center, complaining broadcasts are biased in favor Lukashenko and give a skewed image of the protests. About 100 staff members came out and joined the protest, saying they planned a strike Monday. Facing the biggest challenge to his rule under pressure to resign, Lukashenko called for help from Moscow in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the situation as “a threat not only to Belarus.” Lukashenko told military chiefs later in the day that Putin had offered “comprehensive help” to “ensure the security of Belarus.” The Kremlin said in a statement that both presidents agreed the “problems” in Belarus would be “resolved soon” and the countries’ ties would strengthen.   
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The U.S. Agency for Global Media is paying tribute to Zofia Korbońska, a member of the anti-Nazi resistance movement who later worked for the VOA Polish service, on the 10th anniversary of her death.  Korbońska, born in Warsaw in 1912, was a member of the Police Underground Army, which fought against the Nazis.   “On a daily basis, she risked her life writing and coding secret shortwave radio transmissions sent from Poland to the Polish government-in-exile in London. A number of her dispatches that reached the free world were broadcast back into occupied Europe by the BBC,” said a statement from USAGM, which oversees VOA and other U.S.-funded broadcast entities. “In addition to her clandestine radio work, Korbońska was also a partner in the work of her husband, Stefan Korboński, the leader of Poland’s anti-Nazi civil resistance and the last head of the Polish Underground State.” After the end of World War Two, both Korbońska and her husband were arrested in Poland by the NKVD Soviet secret police.  They were released after several interrogations.  They escaped to Sweden in 1947 before eventually finding refuge in the United States. In 1980, Korbońska began a more than three-decade career with VOA’s Polish service, using the pen name “Zofia Orlowska” to protect her family and friends back home.  She wrote and recorded occasional programs in the 1980’s after her retirement. She died in Washington on August 16, 2010. Poland slipped to number 62 on Reporters Without Borders annual ranking of countries press freedom in 2020.  The group said Warsaw’s moves to criminalize defamation and other policies are impacting freedom of expression of independent media outlets. It says some courts are using a criminal code article that allows journalists to be sentenced to up to a year in prison for defamation, which is encouraging self-censorship by the media.
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Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Leshchenya has expressed his support for protesters in an undated video published Saturday by Belarusian Nasha Niva media.   “I stand in solidarity with those who came out on the streets of Belarusian cities with peaceful marches so that their voice could be heard,” Leshchenya said in the video. “The Belarusians have achieved this right through suffering.” People take part in an opposition demonstration to protest police violence and to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 14, 2020. The placard reads: “No to violence”.Belarusians have been protesting in the capital, Minsk, and other cities since election officials declared longtime authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko winner of the August 9 election, with over 80% of the votes against the main opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, with about 9.9%. Tsikhanouskaya has called for a “March of Freedom” through the center of Minsk, starting at 2 p.m., local time, Sunday. Thousands took to the streets of Minsk again Saturday, heeding Tsikhanouskaya’s call  to supporters to rally over the weekend and press on with a movement that presents the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s grip on power in 26 years, since 1994. Protesters also marched to the Belarusian state television center, complaining broadcasts are biased in favor Lukashenko and give a skewed image of the protests. About 100 staff members came out and joined the protest, saying they planned a strike Monday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks at a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 14, 2020.Facing the biggest challenge to his rule under pressure to resign, Lukashenko called for help from Moscow in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the situation as “a threat not only to Belarus.” 
Lukashenko told military chiefs later in the day that Putin had offered “comprehensive help” to “ensure the security of Belarus.” The Kremlin said in a statement that both presidents agreed the “problems” in Belarus would be “resolved soon” and the countries’ ties would strengthen.  
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Thousands of demonstrators in Belarus took to the streets again Saturday to demand that the country’s authoritarian leader resign after a presidential vote they called fraudulent. In response, the president declared that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to provide security assistance to restore order if Belarus requested it.President Alexander Lukashenko spoke Saturday evening several hours after a phone call with Putin as he struggled to counter the biggest challenge yet to his 26 years in power.Saturday was the seventh consecutive day of large protests against the results of the country’s Aug. 9 presidential election in which election officials claimed the 65-year-old Lukashenko won a sixth term in a landslide. Opposition supporters believe the election figures were manipulated and say protesters have been beaten mercilessly by police since the vote.Harsh police crackdowns against the protesters, including the detention of about 7,000 people, have not quashed the most sustained anti-government movement since Lukashenko took power in 1994.  The demonstrators rallied Saturday at the spot in the capital of Minsk where a protester died this week in clashes with police. Some male protesters pulled off their shirts to show bruises they said came from police beatings. Others carried pictures of loved ones beaten so badly they could not attend the rally.People hold old Belarusian national flags while gathered at the place where Alexander Taraikovsky died during clashes protesting election results, in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Lukashenko did not specify what sort of assistance Russia would be willing to provide. But he said, “when it comes to the military component, we have an agreement with the Russian Federation,” referring to a mutual support deal the two former Soviet republics signed back in the 1990s.”These are the moments that fit this agreement,” he added.Both the European Union and the U.S. government say the presidential election in Belarus was flawed.  Lukashenko’s main opponent in the vote, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, fled to Lithuania the day after the election, knowing that several previous presidential challengers have been jailed for years on charges that supporters say were trumped up. Other potential challengers, blocked by election officials from running, fled the country before the vote.A funeral was held Saturday for Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester who died Monday in the capital of Minsk under disputed circumstances. Belarusian police said he died when an explosive device he intended to throw at police blew up in his hand.But his partner, Elena German, told The Associated Press that when she saw his body in a morgue Friday, his hands showed no damage and he had a perforation in his chest that she believes is a bullet wound.Hundreds of people came to pay their last respects to Taraikovsky, who lay in an open casket. As the coffin was carried out, many dropped to one knee, weeping and exclaiming “Long live Belarus!”Video shot by an Associated Press journalist on Monday shows Taraikovsky with a bloodied shirt before collapsing on the ground. Several police are seen nearby and some walk over to where Taraikovsky is lying on the street and stand around him.  The video does not show why he fell to the ground or how his shirt became bloodied, but it also does not show that he had an explosive device that blew up in his hand as the government has said.About 5,000 demonstrators gathered Saturday in the area where Taraikovsky died. They laid a mass of flowers in tribute, piling into a mound about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, as passing cars blared their horns.”It’s awful to live in a country where you can be killed at a peaceful protest. I will leave, if power isn’t changed,” said 30-year-old demonstrator Artem Kushner.Men carry a coffin with the body of Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old demonstrator who died Aug. 10, 2020, amid clashes while protesting election results, during his funeral ceremony in central Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Earlier Saturday, Lukashenko rejected suggestions that foreign mediators become involved in trying to resolve the country’s political crisis.  “Listen — we have a normal country, founded on a constitution. We don’t need any foreign government, any sort of mediators, ” Lukashenko said at a meeting with Defense Ministry officials. He appeared to be referring to an offer from the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to help resolve the political crisis in Belarus, a nation of 9.5 million people.But he did discuss the situation in a call Saturday with Putin, the first publicly known direct contact between the two leaders since the election. A Kremlin statement said Putin and Lukashenko both expressed hope for a quick resolution to the tensions.”It is important that these problems are not used by destructive forces aimed at causing injury to the cooperation of the two countries in the framework of the union state,” the Kremlin said.Russia and Belarus reached an agreement in 1997 about closer ties between the neighboring ex-Soviet countries in a union that stopped short of a full merger, although that has collided with recent disputes between the countries and Lukashenko’s suspicions that Putin’s government wants to absorb Belarus.  Protests about the political crisis in Belarus were also held Saturday in the Czech Republic and in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow.The brutal suppression of protests in Belarus has drawn harsh criticism in the West. European Union foreign ministers said Friday that they rejected the election results in Belarus and began drawing up a list of officials in Belarus who could face sanctions over their role in the crackdown on protesters.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that he was glad to see that some protesters in Belarus had been freed but that it was not enough. He also said the presidential election in Belarus fell short of democratic standards.  “We’ve said the elections themselves (in Belarus) weren’t free. I’ve spent the last days consulting with our European partners,” he said Saturday at a news conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart.”Our common objective is to support the Belarusian people. These people are demanding the same things that every human being wants,” Pompeo said. “We urged the leadership to broaden the circle to engage with civil society.”
 
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Huge crowds took to the streets of the Russian city of Khabarovsk Saturday in continued protests following the arrest of former governor Sergey Furgal.Since his arrest on July 9, residents have demonstrated daily in the city, with attendance significantly increasing on weekends.”I do not agree with this government’s course, this is a criminal government, they rob our cities, our regions,” said Elvira, a protester. “I’m against Moscow. All evil comes from the Kremlin.”The governor was arrested by federal law enforcement officers on charges related to murders in 2004 and 2005. He was flown to Moscow, where he was ordered jailed for two months.Furgal, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, has denied the charges.The protesters in the Far East city near the border with China, 6,100 kilometers east of Moscow, believe the charges leveled against him are politically motivated.Khabarovsk protesters also expressed support for the opposition in Belarus, where election officials declared longtime authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko the winner of the August 9 election.”We are very worried about them (Belarusian people),” said Oleg, a businessman who wouldn’t give his last name. “The things president Lukashenko gets away with there – well, president for now still – are just totally unacceptable, you can’t do that to your own people. (Reporter: Do you think they will succeed?) I think so. But it will take time, not so fast.”The Belarusian Central Election Commission said on Monday that after all ballots were counted, Lukashenko took 80.23% of the votes and the main opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had 9.9% of the vote.”I’ve never actually been to Belarus, it’s just that I understand we have a common historical past, which connects us,” said Yelizaveta Lipatova, an engineer. “Our political systems grew up side by side as well in the 90s and before that. And so I believe we have to follow each other closely, support each other, not lose sight of each other. I think that Belarusians are doing great, and we can learn a lot from them.” Some rally participants did not give their last names for fear of being arrested later.Aleksei Vorsin, Khabarovsk’s regional campaign chief for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was detained Saturday after calling for a strike.
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