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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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The United States and Poland have signed a deal to boost U.S. troop numbers in the country and to create a permanent U.S. base there. It follows an earlier U.S. decision to withdraw some troops from Germany. As Henry Ridgwell reports, many European allies see it as a political move following disputes over defense spending among NATO allies – but others argue the redeployment is essential to meet threats from Russia.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell   Produced by: Barry Unger 
 
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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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Officials in Belgium say overall COVID-19 infection numbers have decreased in the country for the first time in more than a month.Speaking to reporters in Brussels Monday, COVID-19 Crisis Center Spokeswoman Frederique Jacobs said nationally, new case numbers fell by five percent, the first such decrease since early July. The government believes nationally, this could reflect a turning point in the pandemic.Jacobs said, Antwerp, which two weeks ago, became the nation’s hotspot, saw the number of new cases fall by 24 percent last week.The situation in Brussels however is still a concern as cases climbed by 48 percent with 853 total new cases.The COVID crisis center says if the trend continues that way, Belgium’s capital will be the hotspot for in the country within two days, as figures in Antwerp are also decreasing.Brussels announced last week new measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including the obligation to wear face masks on every street, shop or public building of the city. 
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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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Russia indicated it was ready to provide military assistance to embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko — even as massive crowds marched in protest to an August 9 election protesters say was rigged in favor of the longtime Belarusian leader.  A Kremlin statement said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko agreed to “comprehensive assistance to maintain security in Belarus” on the basis of an existing joint security agreement during phone talks Sunday.   The Russian offer comes as Lukashenko has increasingly looked to Moscow to help maintain support for his suddenly flagging 26-year hold on power. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gestures as he greets his supporters gathered at Independent Square of Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 16, 2020.In a speech before several thousand loyalists in central Minsk Sunday, Lukashenko claimed his enemies — whom he labeled “rats” — were working with NATO to overthrow his government and steal an August 9th election he insists he won with over 80% of the vote.  “Just look outside the window! Tanks and planes are a 15 minute flight from our borders,” said Lukashenko in his speech. “Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and our native Ukraine, their leadership are ordering us to hold new elections,” he added.  “We don’t have to be Europe’s toilet!”  NATO issued a statement saying there were no extraordinary military exercises taking place near the Belarusian border.  ‘March for freedom’If Lukashenko was looking to rally his base, the effort was quickly eclipsed by a competing event held by his opponents a few hours later.   Tens of thousands — conservative estimates put protesters numbers at 200,000 — swarmed the city center in what appeared to be the largest gathering in Belarus since the fall of the Soviet Union.  Other large rallies took place in cities across the country.   Demonstrators were heeding a call from Lukashenko’s primary election opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to join in a “March for Freedom.”  People take part in a protest against the presidential election results demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko and the release of political prisoners, in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 16, 2020.While many believe she was the true winner of the August 9 election, protesters’ anger also continues to stem from a crackdown in the days following the vote that saw unarmed demonstrators arrested and beaten. People hold pictures of a protesters beaten by police during a rally in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Police detained nearly 7,000 people — with hundreds injured and at least two deaths reported.  A number of protesters have disappeared. “We know the struggle is not over yet, but we feel that truth is on our side, said Ilya Halishevich, 39, a business analyst, reached by VOA during the march. Halishevich noted he had never seen so much white and red — the colors of old Belarus Democratic Republic flag now adopted by the opposition as a symbol of resistance.Once again Sunday, drivers blared their horns incessantly — a staple of the protest that has come to signify disgust with Lukashenko’s rule.  Meanwhile, workers from several key factories  — a former base of support for Lukashenko —  began work stoppages Monday with the demand that the Belarusian leader resign.  Moscow’s role   With Lukashenko’s hold on power looking increasingly in jeopardy, attention shifted also to the Kremlin and concerns over a Russian intervention.   Would President Putin risk a repeat Russia’s armed incursions into neighboring Ukraine in 2014? Georgia in 2008?  Observers in Moscow voiced their doubts — for now — noting that while the Kremlin was similarly determined to keep Belarus in its sphere of influence, Putin’s loyalties to Lukashenko only ran so deep.  FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Lukashenko attend a ceremony unveiling a WW II memorial near Rzhev in Tver Region, Russia, June 30, 2020. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters).The two leaders are known to not care for each other’s company and their relations have been hampered by recent disagreements over issues ranging from gas prices, to the coronavirus, and a long-stalled talks over formation of a union state.  “There won’t be any armed intervention,” said political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky, during his program on Echo of Moscow radio.  “But the threat of an intervention is an active bargaining chip in the hands of Vladimir Putin,” he added, noting the Russian leader could use the threat of force to help shape post-Lukashenko Belarus “peacefully” in negotiations with the West.     Meanwhile, others suggested the uprising in Belarus differed fundamentally from other colored revolutions in the region. “The protest movement has managed to increase its support base without resorting to that foreign policy metric so common to the post-Soviet space: “Freedom with Europe versus slavery with Russia,”’ writes Alexander Baunov of the Moscow Carnegie Center.  “There is no discernible anti-Russian bent to the protests as yet, and this saves Belarusians from having to make a premature and, in many ways, artificial choice,” added Baunov.  Exiled politician Valery Tsepkalo — a would-be challenger to Lukashenko in the election who fled to avoid arrest — announced he had been making the rounds in talks with lawmakers from Russia, the European Union, and the US to gain backing for Tikhanovskaya’s election victory.  Meanwhile, Tikhanovskaya —  the political novice who only entered the election after authorities arrested her husband, a political blogger, to keep him from participating — released a video on Monday in which she said she was ready to assume the mantle as national leader until new elections could be held.    “I don’t have and never have had any illusions about my political career,” said Tikhanovskaya.  “I never wanted to become a politician, but fate placed me on the frontline in the battle against arbitrary injustice.”  
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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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