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In an interview with VOA, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appears to reject any idea of imminent Western intervention or help, saying, “The Belarusian people have a responsibility for what’s going on. We think that we have to solve this problem by ourselves.” Belarusians have protested nearly nonstop since the election Aug. 9, in which President Alexander Lukashenko won a disputed sixth term. Protesters claim the election was rigged, an accusation that Lukashenko has denied. Tsikhanouskaya fled to Lithuania with her children after the election.  Here is a transcript of her recent interview with VOA. It has been edited for clarity and length. VOA: Do you believe that you have defeated Lukashenko and that most people in Belarus voted for you on Aug. 9? The Belarussian authorities claim that Lukashenko has won. What evidence do you have of your leadership? Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: All the people who are on the streets now, and the evidence that Mr. Lukashenko didn’t win, and all the people who came to their polling station for voting. VOA: How realistic is that, that Lukashenko will sit down at the negotiating table with you? Tsikhanouskaya: It is realistic because the authorities will not have a way out of this situation. The only way out of this political crisis is negotiations. VOA: Some say you don’t have any plan or strategy. If you do, what is it? Tsikhanouskaya: Our plan is absolutely clear. It’s organization of new elections, fair and transparent. VOA: Do you think Lukashenko should be allowed to participate in new presidential elections? Tsikhanouskaya: No. So, as our elections are absolutely free and clear and transparent, so every person is allowed to participate in these elections. And so, Mr. Lukashenko is a citizen of our country, so physically, he can. But if he has a moral right to participate is a big question. VOA: This weekend, we saw more and more women come out to protest. What’s your message to them? Tsikhanouskaya: I’m so proud that women are playing a great role in these demonstrations, in this so-called revolution. Because our women showed that women play a great role in everyday life. And maybe we inspired them for this movement is because we had to stand instead of our men. So, as they stand in front of their men and beside their men, and it’s wonderful. And I don’t think that the world had ever seen such a demonstration of women in white. VOA: Your countrymen are protesting on the streets of Belarus — cities. You’re in Vilnius, Lithuania. Why did you leave the country?  Tsikhanouskaya: I had big reasons to make this step. I can’t talk about this now. Maybe somewhere in the future I will talk about all my story, but now, I can’t comment on it. VOA: Were you pressured or threatened? Tsikhanouskaya: Sorry, I can’t comment.  VOA: If you knew back in May, what you know now, would you have done it again? Tsikhanouskaya: You know, I have been thinking about this a lot, and of course I had great stress during all this election campaign. And a lot of times, I was ready to step away because I wasn’t sure that I had enough strength to continue. But I see now that it’s so important for Belarusian people. This year is extremely important for the history of Belarus, that we are, at last, woken up, and we are ready to fight for our rights. So now, I think that, yes, I would do this again. VOA: Should Russia or any other Western countries be involved in negotiations between you, the coordination council and Lukashenko? Tsikhanouskaya: “You know, I have to admit that this political crisis that takes place in our country is absolutely an internal affair. And we have — the Belarusian people — have a responsibility for what’s going on. And we think that we have to solve this problem by ourselves. But if it happens then we will need one day (the) help of other countries, help in organizing this — maybe in mediation of these negotiations. So of course, any country that would like to help us with this question is invited.”   
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Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily Debunk “Misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccine spread by ‘Plandemic’ video,” Agence France-Presse, August 20. Social Media DisinfoScreenshot Circulating on social media: Claim that CDC added flu and pneumonia cases to its COVID-19 death count.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: USA Today Factual Reads on CoronavirusScientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China
They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.
— Reuters, August 31
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Liberty University is opening an independent investigation into Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president, a wide-ranging inquiry that will include financial, real estate and legal matters, the evangelical school’s board announced Monday.In a statement, the board said it had retained an outside firm to investigate “all facets” of the school’s operations under Falwell, and that it was “committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president.”Falwell recently resignedCalls for such an investigation had been mounting since Falwell’s departure last week from the post he had held since 2007.He officially resigned on Tuesday, after a confusing day of back-and-forths about whether or not he would be leaving. His departure came after a news outlet published an interview with Giancarlo Granda, a much younger business partner of the Falwell family. Granda said that he had a yearslong sexual relationship with Becki Falwell and that Jerry Falwell participated in some of the liaisons as a voyeur.Although the Falwells have acknowledged that Granda and Becki Falwell had an affair, Jerry Falwell has denied any participation. The couple allege that Granda sought to extort them by threatening to reveal the relationship unless he was paid substantial monies.’Nothing to hide’The couple said in a statement provided to The Associated Press late Sunday that they support Liberty’s board and “welcome any inquiry as we have nothing to hide.”Falwell took over as the president of Liberty after the death of his famous evangelist father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. He oversaw a period of expansive growth and transformation: Liberty’s online program exploded, as did its endowment, the campus underwent a massive transformation and the athletics programs improved.Falwell also stayed in the news for a series of divisive remarks as well as his vocal support of President Donald Trump, and was the subject of news stories that focused on his business dealings.Liberty’s statement acknowledged that Falwell’s sharpest critics have long been calling for a departure.”Some may say that all the signs were there for a long time before last week,” the statement said. “It’s certainly fair to say that there were questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media posts, but all the signs were not there until the start of last week.”The statement also said the school is considering a separate move to reorient it toward its “spiritual mission” by establishing a post in the university leadership dedicated to spiritual guidance for other leaders, ensuring they “live out the Christian walk expected of each and every one of us at Liberty.”New ‘Spiritual mission’The school’s consideration of that new spiritually focused leadership post underscores its concern over the degree to which Falwell’s alleged personal conduct would have violated the behavioral codes the school sets for its own students. Falwell told the AP last week that “I never broke a single rule that applies to staff members at Liberty, which I was.”Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a Monday podcast that he didn’t see the school’s treatment of Falwell as a sign of “hypocrisy on the part of the evangelical movement” because once the school became aware of the full scope of Falwell’s behavior, he stepped aside.But, Mohler added, “There may well have been hypocrisy and a failure over time to apply moral standards to the president of the institution that were clearly applicable to students and to faculty. All of that remains to be considered by Liberty University.”
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China is opening another chapter in its bitter trade and diplomatic dispute with Australia with the launch of a second probe into Australia’s wine imports. China’s commerce ministry announced Monday that it will investigate over three-dozen government subsidy programs for the Australian wine industry.  The probe will last one full year. FILE – Bottles of Penfolds Grange wine and other varieties, made by wine maker Penfolds and owned by Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates, at a winery located in the Hunter Valley, Australia, Feb. 14, 2018.Australian Federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham issued a statement pushing back against Beijing’s claims, saying the government’s research and development programs equate to subsidizing the country’s wine exports. “The government will work with our internationally renowned wine industry to mount the strongest possible case against these claims,” Birmingham said. The new probe comes nearly two weeks after the ministry said it was launching an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine imports, alleging that winemakers have sharply cut the price of the products they were selling in China, subsequently damaging China’s domestic wine industry. China is the leading market for Australian wine exports with over $790 million in sales last year for a 37% market share, with France a distant second at 27%. The anti-dumping probe is the latest move in China’s apparent retaliation over Australia’s push for an independent probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which was first detected last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. A worker weighs beef products on sale at a food court in Beijing, Aug. 28, 2020. China blocked imports from an Australian beef producer on Friday after reporting a banned drug was found in its meat.Beijing has imposed heavy tariffs on Australian barley and suspended Australian beef imports, and has also advised its citizens and students to reconsider Australia as a destination for travel and education, citing racial discrimination. China is also Australia’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade worth $170 billion last year, according to Reuters.   
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 High-ranking U.S. and Israeli delegations flew from Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday for a visit to Abu Dhabi, the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates. The flight passed over Saudi Arabia’s airspace — another first for an Israeli commercial flight. Israel and the UAE agreed to establish diplomatic relations earlier this month, with the help of U.S mediation.    The UAE will become the third Arab nation to have normalized relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.   The U.S. delegation includes President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, Mideast envoy Avi Berkowitz and envoy for Iran Brian Hook. Speaking to reporters before boarding the plane, Kushner said “while this is a historic flight, we hope that this will start an even more historic journey for the Middle East and beyond.” The Israeli delegation includes national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, as the head, and the director generals of several ministries.   “This morning the traditional greeting of ‘go in peace’ takes on a special significance for us,” Ben-Shabbat said, adding the aim of the trip was to lay the groundwork for cooperation in areas of medicine, trade, technology and tourism. The U.S. and Israeli officials will have meetings with their UAE counterparts.     
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The job losses in Kenya that resulted from the COVID-19 lockdown have also hurt Kenyan artists, who are trying to find different ways to promote their craft and make a living.  Some are using their art to spread health messages about the coronavirus, as Lenny Ruvaga reports from Nairobi.
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The 2020 Tango World Cup, an annual event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was held virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.For the champions of the stage category Valentín Arias Delgado and his dance partner, Diana Franco Durango of Colombia, training was a challenge because of COVID-19 restrictions.”For us it didn’t matter that it was virtual, but it was the world cup organized by the city of Buenos Aires so it was super important and worthy of respect,” he said. “Of course, we had to change a little our way of preparing because we had spent five months without dancing together due to the worldwide pandemic, but when we started training, we did it full speed.”Louise Junqueira Malucelli and Marcos Esteban Roberts of Argentina won the salon category.Instead of competing at the Luna Park stadium in Buenos Aires, where the event has been held each year since 2002, competitors were required to send a video of their dances to the organizers.Among the finalist were couples from Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Russia, Italy and Norway.More than 91,000 people from the general public voted online to crown the champs.
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