And a new constitution. A new Supermarket Chain opens in venezuela paid for by iran whats behind the iranian push into territory so far from home. And trying to keep a dying language alive we meet a kenyan tribe that has just been full of traditional speakers that. The struggle for the future political direction of valeries may be coming to a head opposition protesters are due to begin a march for freedom in minsk in a little over an hour they say itll be the biggest ever but right now thousands are packing into a Central Square in support of president Alexander Lukashenko. Many. A of them have been personal from outside of military convoys of buses seen entering from other towns and cities over the past few hours as they were traveling in a bellerose diplomats became the 1st senior Government Official to publicly back the opposition protests and acidosis the vacuum igor less chenier says hes shocked by stories of torture and beatings of protesters who came out last week over disputed president ial election. So you dont see i stand in solidarity with those who have taken to the streets of belorussian cities with peaceful marches sort of the voices could be heard. I sincerely hope that the future of my country will be based on the positions of all sectors of society and representatives of various political forces. Have suffered for this right. And were just getting news that president putin the russian president. President has been talking by phone putin telling you that russia is ready to assist but the roost in accordance with the collective military pact between the 2 countries if necessary thats news coming out of the kremlin in russia. Joins us now from minsk and step tell us about the protest behind you its a progovernment rally taking place where an antigovernment protest was due to be held. Exactly there are thousands of people here theyre brought in with buses and the special trains snottery clear how many of them actually support the president still its a bit of a divided crowd i would say some are cheering and clapping and some are sometimes booing are not responding at all as we speak the president is on stage if i am correct he just came out hes talking to the crowd now if and then the reaction is not extremely sure your phone so hes now dressing the crowd cant really hear what hes saying though but he said definitely asking for support and to unite. Because this is a rally is being organized also many people here to create some kind of division or at least an Artificial Division within valorise because so far we havent seen a defied but now since today there is this socalled progovernment and 3 Government Division and theres a lot of concern that this could lead of course to file and that could lead also to a more strict approach by the government even calling maybe for martial law reason for russia to step in so these are scenarios not all on the table right now the crowd is happy to see china look at shanksville. Talking to a Security Officer before they actually advised him not to come but the man told us the president insists to show his face here at all these people who are being brought in from the whole country some have traveled for 5 hours by train it was all last minute they organized from late last night so they didnt really have a program when we asked what is the schedule nobody actually knows so this is a very hastily and i could say desperate attempt to try to present a show that he has supported and. Turning to putin also for support going to his lines dropping out theres been a telephone call today where russia is ready to assist to belarus in accordance with a collective military pact what does that mean what assistance could russia give. All well there is this socalled union state between the ballerinas and russia debts and agreement thats been going on for many years that means that actually officially russia and belarus need to Work Together on the military front than especially if theres an understandable enemy and now both booked and also have been suggesting that this Opposition Movement is support or even inspired or created by elements from abroad so basically theyre creating this external enemy that they need to have some kind of military intervention what kind of intervention were looking at its totally unclear of course put in its a its a big headache what to do with most russians would not support him in some kind of invasion us what we saw before in crimea or Eastern Ukraine its a completely different story the people in bellerose dont want to be part of russia many people here they want just an independent software and stage so its going to. Be a very complicated decision how putting is going to help the question and its also not clear if its going to help because as a person and as a president he might also look for other people he can trust within the regime who are still on the russian side so this transition will be a much more gradual transition. Would still have to leave the stage show this has all these scenarios happening as we speak because developments in the balance are happening really really rapidly now because not far from here the opposition is gathering with thousands to swell to show. Their support for our position candidates plan at the hand of sky and also repeating their call for the president who d are resigned to step down so we have a very very solid tile i would say situation here in minsk which is different than the last couple of days when there was a very euphoric moved by the opposition they were on the streets there was no police around so now we have a completely new reality with supporters of shanking here theres also a lot of Security Forces here so its its a bit unpredictable right now absolutely we were just seeing some pictures of the Anti Government rally not far as you said from where this progovernment rally is taking place this this is where you are saying a moment results on them because im going to trust in the crowd just down the road a much larger looking rally and seeing him calling for him to step down what is the potential for clashes between these 2 sides. I think the opposition will do everything to prevent the splashes thats why they also change their plan they were supposed to come to this Independence Square to protest right in front of the Government House again which they did 2 days ago but then and. A group who was planning to come so they decided to take another route so they really tried to go find this clashes but there are thoughts and fears within the ballot rules at the moment that there could be powerful cations of course there could be a plan quite a sinister plan to create some kind of confrontation and then nobody can predict where thats going to go to leave so im going to salsa standing by so its predictable also the security. Level Security Guard you just spoke to the fact that hes very worried about violence happening here today and just give us an idea of the people who are the Anti Government rally because its a huge crosssection of valerie society isnt it was the pictures again that were saying of the person who has shown corralling is a very specific type of person and were getting reports of people actually being bussed in from state companies is that what youre saying on the ground. Is absolutely theres a lot of crowds from the state companies what weve heard this also that they received threats that theyre going to lose their jobs if they come into the square today so theyre here but theyre not really here so to say theyre not really responding to any speeches or just standing there and theyre not clapping theres a lot of security people also in the civilian clothes among them so its kind of works of kind a sinister. Audience here i would say at the moment and the opposition on the other hand yes these are families grandmothers mothers children i mean that was the whole reflection of the population and a lot of people got increasingly angry in the last couple of days when they saw how these detainees have been tortured beaten in the Detention Center as young people often that could be their sons or daughters and so that created a lot of angry towards the president. Actually for him to be on trial to be in prison so that even then the supporters people who have been loyal to depress me for a very long time because he was the one who has created stability promise more stability day actually have had jumped the ship and joined the opposition droughts because they cost their conscious. Cant defend him any longer ok step bassam for the moment will leave. The pro government rally in the square believe president Alexander Lucas shanker is addressing crowds waving the National Flag alex cattaro for is of no school risk analyst who covers better routes for the Global Intelligence market hes an valeries has not seen an Opposition Movement of this size since independence. Definitely this is unprecedented political mobilization and by the roots in in the years of its independent history we havent witnessed anything of they saw it in the past nearly 30 years so obviously the events show significant changes happening in the society but whether they will be sufficient to change the leadership at the top is yet to be seen we are starting to see some cracks in the system in terms of the you know loyalty of officials and of the police and Security Forces being tested at the moment we only see individual cases of people actually showing their solidarity with the protesters and largely the elites are still supporting location but again it might change especially if the peaceful and nonviolent protest activity continuous particularly in the in the in the shape of labor strikes which will have an economic effect. Still ahead here on out as there are fears of ever of a simple damage a ship leaking oil off the coast of militias breaks apart. And the sale of cigarettes and alcohol regimes in south africas coronavirus restrictions lifted. However having had a very wet rainy season in the Korean Peninsula is not finished yet but the orientation is a little bit further dos now thats what the satellite picture would suggest and the forecast gives you much the same as more as 2 lines of rain one is a very weak one going through north korea this is a more active one going up through beijing or just to the new. So beijing right up into cyber to help dampen down their precedented far as of this season now the back edge of it up in sichuan thats been developing have produced a lot of writing for the headwaters of the yangtze but for most of china outside the there it is he was dubbed ticky wit it is sherry in hong kong saudis draw in south koreas been enjoying something of a minor heatwave and he did it looks quite nice in japan as well that we should be watching the slow retreat of the monsoon rains through India Pakistan like this but usually means a period where you can get excessive rain all sorts of places just scars one place its got to rain warning for today for heavy rain this general area through much of pradesh and back towards southern pakistan is went forward next day or so thats a concentration of the rains but of a dusty breeze is set up to blow down through iraq and through the gulf as you can see affecting doha least at 1st otherwise is hot and dry for most. Of. Sweat tears and sometimes blood but for them its what my dreams are made on. Al jazeera wound tells a story of a young moroccan boxes from humble backgrounds the training of the bikes and their lives. And the former champion who gives his old friend back 6 casablanca by car on out to 0. I know again what youve done is there has a reminder of our top stories this hour thousands of people are gathering in balances capital for a government rally comes amid increasing pressure on alexander president Alexander Lukashenko who made an appearance at the rally and talked up much has become the 1st Government Official to back opposition protesters demanding political change. As President Donald Trump is defending the man he appointed as petty smiles to general despite accusations hes trying to sabotage the system had an election the u. S. Postal service has warned millions of mail in votes may not arrive in time to be counted. Protesters are back on the streets of thailands capital calling for political reform hundreds have taken part in latest protests to demand reforms of the political system and the monarchy student led groups have demonstrated for the past month when haye is at a protest in bangkok. This is the largest rally that weve seen so far thousands of antigovernment protesters coming here to the heart of the capital city bangkok to continue their campaign to try to force the government out they Want Parliament dissolve they want to new election they want the military draft a constitution to be rewritten and they also have called for reform of the monarchy that is a very dangerous and sense sensitive subject in thailand because the monarchy is protected by very strict laws designed to prevent criticism and defamation of the royal family violating those laws can lead to long jail terms were seeing a very diverse crowd this time the rallies over the last few weeks have been led mainly by University Students and they still very much form the core of this protest but were seeing many other sections of thai society represented here a lot of older people and also perhaps worryingly for the government were seeing members of the ridge protest movement thats a group that we saw on the streets in huge numbers back in 2010 staging very long antigovernment protests on the streets of the capital city that ultimately led to a violent military crackdown. The United Nations says its 200000000. 00 short of donations to help lebanon repair catastrophic damage to beirut ports the lebanese are counting on International Aid to rebuild many made homeless by the huge explosion of lying on volunteers charities and friends president michel aoun says all aid will go to people who need it u. N. Workers in lebanon say that trying to ensure that donations are distributed properly. And immediate needs are really covering very specific sectors of. First one is about education because we dont want to undermine the future of human and children they really need to go back to school and to get all the psychological support Food Security and obviously we dont want to have any interruption in terms of food in terms of availability of their wheat or a flower but also to make sure that we start the lies are actually that National Grain supply. Near iranian Supermarket Chain has opened in venezuelas capital thats the latest some goal of the growing political and Economic Alliance between to han and caracas and a sign of defiance against u. S. Sanctions you see in yemen reports. In a reunion tractor enhances the entrance of magasin this spanking new mega supermarket in caracas is certainly an aisle. Located on the edge of caracas is. The countrys 1st ever iranian supermarket offers products such as garlic shampoo and sweet flavored with date syrup all exotic items have been israel in slick and liquid and chill and his wife. Its the 1st time ive come its spacious and has a wide variety of products its a bit more expensive and i guess its because almost everything is imported. To make gassy Supermarket Chain says its a private company in villages way led to do business but the only person authorized to speak to us on its behalf was the 1st secretary of the re me an embassy who seems well versed on the subject their mother. Was one of the best sellers right now because of the pandemic is a vegetable based on the septic hand made from sweet beetroot also toilet paper napkins detergents and liquid soap also the typical things like past and reiss. Venezuelas close ties with iran date back to former president although chavis but under current president Nicolas Maduro the 2 opec members have become even closer as both faced tough u. S. Economic and political sanctions in maine a fiver reining in gasoline tankers brought desperately needed fuel to venezuela despite u. S. Threats to intervene. The u. S. State Department Says the arabian supermarket is the quote latest example of a growing alliance between 2 pariah states irans ambassador to the israel and tells aljazeera his country has every right to establish commercial ties with whom it pleases and both of them if they do so for the others not them of the american governments charges mean nothing to us theyre worried that were providing food and medicine to venezuela they want countries like iran for this way or in cuba to suffer from the sanctions all they want is that people to suffer until they are by washingtons orders. The ambassador did night u. S. Reports that the mccaskey Supermarket Chain is run by irans revolutionary guard iran is also providing Technical Support to venezuelas crippled oil industry its unclear what its getting in return except perhaps in israel and gold which is also subject to u. S. Sanctions but theres another explanation solidarity another way of demonstrating the ancient proverb that the enemy of my enemy is my friend you see in human aljazeera. The u. S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to a new saliva test for covert 19 if i was a successful trial by the yale school of Public Health and pro basketball players in the n. B. A. Research has found that the socalled saliva direct test is nearl