This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Alex Ritsin, and on Monday,

the 10th of April, these are our main stories.

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko says Russia must protect his country if it's attacked.

Two prominent Chinese activists have been handed lengthy prison sentences

after campaigning for greater government transparency.

Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, says he's seeking clarification on the funding of the BBC,

after the cooperation objected to the social media site,

labeling it as state supported.

Also in this podcast, the spiritual leader of Buddhists,

the Dalai Lama, apologizes over a viral video showing him asking a young boy this.

And so, my time.

One of President Putin's staunchest allies is the president of Belarus,

Alexander Lukashenko, who's been in power since 1994.

In February last year, he allowed Russian forces to stage part of the invasion of Ukraine

from Belarusian territory.

Now, he's asked Moscow for security guarantees.

In case there is an attack on Belarus, the Russian Federation defends Belarus like its own territory.

That's the kind of guarantee we need.

Actually, in the 1990s, it was more or less discussed.

Now, because of what the West has been doing, this has been forgotten.

What safety guarantees can America provide us with?

...