a very warm welcome to bbc news. my name's mike embley, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the brother of george floyd testifies before congress, calling for real change in american policing. my family cry every day and just ask why? why? britain's prime minister announces a further easing of the coronavirus lockdown, but only in england. we are making this change to support those, particularly lonely citizens. a virus warning for indian capital. officials say there could be 500,000 coronavirus cases in delhi by the end of next month.
and as the landmark film gone with the wind is dropped from hbo because of its depiction of slavery, we'll look at the arguments around censorship and sensitivity. hello to you. the brother of george floyd, whose death in the custody of minneapolis police has triggered protests around the world, has urged congress to ensure he did not die in vain. philonise floyd called on lawmakers in washington to work together to make meaningful reforms to how law enforcement operates in the us, with the hope that changes worldwide might follow. this report from our north america correspondent, aleem maqbool. less than 2a hours ago philonise floyd, in the white suit, buried his brother in texas. mr floyd, what do you hope to tell the committee today? justice for george.
today he came to washington to plead with politicians to ensure that george wasn't killed in vain. his kids had to watch that video, itjust hurts. it's a lot of people with... a lot of pain. my family, they just cry and cry every day and just ask why? why? he pleaded for his life, he said he couldn't breathe. nobody cared, nobody. it was all part of an emotional hearing about what changes need to be made to police practices. some forces, like the one in minneapolis where george floyd was killed, say they are going to reform anyway, but acknowledge training can't solve all their ills. i've struggled when i watched that video, that i did not see humanity, i did not see humanity.
and arguably a lack of humanity has been displayed by many police over the last two weeks, but it's clear not all officers are going to welcome change. this isn't stained by someone in minneapolis, it's still got a shine on it and so do theirs, so do theirs. stop treating us like animals and thugs and start treating us with some respect. back on capitol hill there was a powerful testimony from the sister of an officer who was shot dead in violence on the streets two weeks ago. my brother wore a uniform, he wore the uniform proudly. i am wondering where is the outrage for a fallen officer that also happens to be african—american? the pain being felt by so many here is raw,
but there are no easy solutions. aleem maqbool, bbc news, washington. the us secretary of state has promised an investigation into allegations that foreign journalists were abused by american police as they covered the protests ignited by the death of george floyd. australia, britain and germany have voiced concern over video of journalists coming under direct attack from officers. i know they have been concerns of their reporters being treated inappropriately here. we've seen some of the allegations come in from the state department. you should know and those countries should know we will handle them in a completely appropriate way. we a completely appropriate way. will do our best to investigate we will do our best to investigate them to the extent that the state department can do that. here in the uk, the prime minister has announced that
lockdown rules in england will be eased from saturday for adults living alone, and single parents with children under the age of 18. they will be able to form what the prime minister minister is calling a "support bubble" with another household. it means a grandparent can go and stay with their grandchildren, no longer social distancing, or a couple who've been kept apart by lockdown can spend the night together, or a single parent can link up with their own parents or a friend. the rules say you can only choose one other household for your bubble, but you won't have to register that — it's being done on trust. borisjohnson said the measure was to help those who've been particularly lonely during lockdown. the latest official figures from the government show 216 more deaths from coronavirus registered in the past 2a hours, taking the overall death toll in the uk, at least officially, to 41,128. that's the second highest in the world after the us. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. keepers, not crowds have fed the penguins in the last few months. as we creep out of lockdown, the birds and animals will soon have company again. it was sort of getting to a point where we didn't really understand
why we couldn't open. so the news is really good. zoos, safari parks and outdoor cinemas can reopen, along with shops from next week, as long as, as you are well used to hearing by now, everyone keeps their distance. and for millions of humans in england life will soon change indoors too. from this weekend, we will allow single adult households, or single parents with children under 18, to form a support bubble with one other household. all those in support bubbles will be able to act as if they live in the same household. for single mum becky and her mum alexandra in gloucester, that could means a real—life reunion soon after weeks of very limited contact. the comfort for me of being in my mum's house, having a cup of tea, having dinner with her and for my little boy having
a roast dinner at his nanny‘s on a sunday is everything for him. so i can't wait to be able to do that. how as prime minister have you allowed a situation to arise where a child can go and look at lions in a zoo, a single relative will now be able to go and have sunday dinner with their family, but in many situations that same child might not be able to go back to school until september? we would like to be in a position where we could have got the remainder of the primary back for a couple of weeks before the summer holidays. we wanted to do that if that was going to be possible. clearly we have got it right down, but it is not down far enough to change the social distancing measures that we have in our schools. labour claims boris johnson just is not taking proper control. drive—in cinemas, safari parks and zoos can open and yet we can't get more children back into school. that is really a disgrace
and the government have been asleep at the wheel. government need to do much more to ensure that our young people can get back into school and that will also help their parents get back to work. but life is still limited, livelihoods too. buy easter time, farmland's funfair should look like this. instead it is all packed up in an empty field in devon. this is the dodgems that should be out, taking money and entertaining people. the owners have no income and no idea when the waltzers will be able to spin and the dodgems be driven. no—one is letting us know, the government is not letting us know, what the situation is. and to be quite truthful, at the minute, we're desperate. the gradualjourney out of lockdown is now under way. caution may be wise. but for so many families and firms the moves are painfully slow. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. india is being hit hard by coronavirus.
with more than 250,000 confirmed cases, hospitals are stuggling to cope. it's predicted that india's capital, delhi, could have more than 500,000 infected people by the end ofjuly. and yet the nation is re—opening its economy. india correspondent yogita limaye reports from mumbai, the city that has been worst affected so far. a family that was preparing for a celebration, now in mourning. for 13 hours, they went from hospital to hospital. nilam singh was eight months pregnant. when she started getting breathless, some hospitals said they were too full because of covid—19. others were too scared of it. she died in an ambulance. "i feel so alone, i have no words. my son asked me where his mother is, i don't know what to say to him. she was such a good person, we are devastated," her husband, rajinder singh, says.
this man is pleading for his wife to be treated. he says hospitals are turning him away. after many hours, she was admitted. social media is flooded with people calling for help. a woman in delhi made a desperate appealfor herfather. a former mp struggled to save his niece. a mumbaifamily lost two members before they could get proper care. too many stories of despair and helplessness. and even as the situation is grimmer than ever, india is lifting its lockdown. economic compulsions have driven the government to open up the country again. and for many people even in hot spots like mumbai, there is no option now to avoid public transport or to stay indoors. and every time they step out, it's with the knowledge and fear that if you get sick you could well be on your own.
frontline workers say not enough was done to contain the virus. what we were expecting from the lockdown is the first thing that we will try to break the chain of infection. we will try to break the spread. and for that, what was needed is to do extensive testing but now what we have seen is that the lockdown was very unplanned. there could be more than half a million cases in delhi alone by the end ofjuly, the government has said. and a shortage of 80,000 hospital beds. the moment that many had feared since the virus reached the country is here. yogita limaye, bbc news india. scientists are still not sure how many people get coronavirus from those who are infected but have no symptoms. the world health organization has admitted it's a big
unknown, some think it's rare for the virus to spread that way, others fear those so—called asymptomatic cases are responsible for close to half of all infections. here's our science editor, david shukman. this is a message from the government's chief medical 0fficer about coronavirus. if you, or anyone in your household... for months, government advice has focused on symptoms, how you must isolate if you get them. you should all stay at home. but what about people who don't look as if they have the disease, but are still carrying the virus? like paramedic chelsey mason, who had a test for coronavirus and expected to be clear. i felt absolutely fine. i came into work and had the test done and then, a couple of days later, i got a call back saying it was positive. so, really shocked, because i had no symptoms whatsoever. so, how many cases are there without symptoms? a study at addenbrooke‘s hospital in cambridge found that 3% of the staff were positive, but didn't show it.
in the us, at a care home in washington state, the numbers were higher. 56% of people with the virus had no indication of being ill. and on the diamond princess, a cruise ship offjapan, as many as 72% of positive cases showed no symptoms at all. so, why does it matter if people have the infection, but don't have any symptoms? well, for two reasons. first, if someone becomes infected, it may take five days before they show any signs of illness, but for the 48 hours before their symptoms start, they could be passing the virus on. then there's the category of people who catch the virus and at no stage have any symptoms at all maybe for ten days or more, no—one really knows, and scientists are desperate to find out how much they can spread the virus. one of the first things i thought about really was, "oh, my god!" i've done two night shifts, i've come into contact with, you know, six or seven patients per night. i've been with my crew
mate for 12 hours. you know, as much as we minimise the risk, there is still that risk there. and with me being positive and not knowing about it, i could have passed it on. if you lower your window for me, i'll pass the test to you... working out what's going on now is really difficult. the government is mainly testing people who may have symptoms. those who don't might slip through the net. so, scientists in norwich want to test the entire city — 100,000 people. they say it's the only way to discover who's spreading the virus. if you don't realise you're ill, as we come out of lockdown and people are going to have more contacts than they did previously, the risk from those individuals is likely to increase. the upshot is that keeping a safe distance still matters, and where you can't, governments around the world are recommending face coverings — in case you've got the virus and don't know it. david shukman, bbc news.
stay with us on bbc news, still to come: kicking over the statues — campaigners in scotland take aim at monuments to 18th century slave owners. the day the british liberated the falklands. and by tonight, british troops had begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorby—mania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who for them has raised great hopes for an end to the division of europe. it happened as the queen moved towards horse guards parade for the start of trooping the colour. gunshots
the queen looks worried, but recovers quickly. as long as they'll pay to go and see me, i'll get out there and kick ‘em down the hill. what does it feel like to be the first man to go across the channel by your own power? it feels pretty neat. it feels marvellous, really. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the brother of george floyd has told the us congress there must be meaningful changes to america's policing practices. there will be a further easing of the lockdown restrictions for single people living in england. from saturday, they'll be able to form "support bubbles" with one other household. the multiple oscar—winning film, gone with the wind, has been removed from the american streaming platform hbo max, after the company
reassessed its policy following mass protests against racism. the company said the film, made in 1939, would return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those depictions. disney plus also advises its subscribers that some of its older films, among them 1941 animation, dumbo, may contain outdated cultural depictions. the cable network, paramount, has cancelled one of america's longest running reality shows amid the protests. cops was first aired more than three decades ago. and here in the uk the programme little britain has been removed from bbc iplayer, netflix and britbox as objections resurfaced over some of the sketch show‘s characters, who put on make—up to portray people from different ethnic backgrounds. gina yashere is a british comedian and writer, currently in los angeles, making a sitcom broadcast prime time on cbs network, about a family of nigerian immigrants settling in america. basically it is about a family
of nigerians in america working and one of them is a nurse and she basically has a patient in hospital who has a heart attack and basically falls in hospital who has a heart attack and basically falls in love with her. two families that realise they have a lot more common ground than initially thought. it is about love, acceptance, friendship and the fa ct acceptance, friendship and the fact that immigrants are just people just like anybody else, trying to make a living, trying to have a happy life, trying to give their children the best life they possibly can. you are well—placed to talk about this matter because you wrote and act in it. even at the time some of these movies were made, there were plenty of people unhappy but they just were not being listened to. exactly, i cannot understand that in 2020 we are still talking about blackface. no—one was listening to us and we were complaining
about it, all the way back in the gone with the wind, the black—and—white minstrel shows which is hugely offensive and the way native americans were portrayed in films, cowboys and indians, but now it takes a horrendous motor seen online to make people realise maybe blackface is not good, come on, it is ridiculous. the first black person to win an oscar one it with gone with the wind. we should also note that at the ceremony she had to sit separately from the rest of the cast. they would not even let her in the room. she won an 0scar her in the room. she won an oscar and she was not allowed to be in the room. they brought
in through the back door to get home award. she was in separate place completely. people also suggesting, it is unfair to say, supporters of donald trump, blazing saddles is also in their targets. the trump supporters are always going to say things like that, i am not interested in people saying that they will be treated in such a horrible way. black people were discriminated horribly. they were not even allowed to play black people. plenty of black actors to play the part and they were discriminated all the time. the fa ct discriminated all the time. the fact that people were
complaining now, iam not interested in what the donald trump supporters have to say on the matter. movies, books, tell us the matter. movies, books, tell usa the matter. movies, books, tell us a lot about the time in which they came out. it surely does not make sense they should be simply removed but we need context, told about them and the times. yes, but that is not what is happening. both of the nation was another hugely racist movie made and that was of the time that is not a movie people gladly show because it is offensive so why are they arguing about these things now. is it because it featured the kkk? what is the difference. i am not saying that you should censor the whole thing but what iam censor the whole thing but what i am saying is people should be aware that some of this stuff is not good. amen to that,
gina, thank you very much. you are welcome. since a statue of the slave—trader edward colston was toppled in the english city of bristol at the weekend, there have been calls for similar monuments to be removed, across the uk. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she wants to establish a special commission, to look at the issue. in edinburgh, the monument to the imperialist henry dundas has prompted fierce debate, as allan little reports. 200 years after he died, henry dundas still stands on his looming pedestal in edinburgh. for decades, he was the most powerful figure in scotland. he served as home secretary, extended british power in india, and notoriously delayed the abolition of slavery for 15 years. at the weekend, his plinth was dogged with graffiti, as well as a street bearing his name. should he now be removed? we have curriculums at schools where people can deep dive into good people, bad people, and complex people, and also people of their time.
whether they need to be in a place where we have to walk past them every day and subconsciously salute to them because they are larger than us, i don't know. history needs its villains as well as its heroes. in bristol, edward colston will be fished from the sea and placed in a museum to be a reminder of the darkness in the city's past, rather than an object of public veneration. bute house, the official residence of scotland's first minister, was once home to men who owned slave plantations in the west indies. today, nicola sturgeon said it is time to take a hard look at the way our streets continue to honour those who profited from human misery. i live in glasgow. i represent a constituency in glasgow, and i've heard both opinions. rename all of the streets on the one hand, which i've got a lot of sympathy for, but on the other hand, don't brush under the carpet the history, the shameful part of our country's history. the people who put henry dundas on his column 200 years ago
wanted future generations to know that, in his day, he was revered, that the values he embodied and defended were regarded by his contemporaries as great public virtues. many argue that it is precisely to remember that that's what our country used to be like, that he should stay where he is. if you take the statue down, you will be removing some of the evidence of the history of scotland. it's that serious. my view is, i would rather have a plaque on it to explain what he did. and i would hope that tourists or the general public can learn something about our history by going over there and looking at his plaque. in edinburgh, the city council said it would put a plaque on the dundas column, explaining henry's role in prolonging the slave trade. when we put up a statue, we are signalling to posterity something about the values of our age. but posterity will make its own judgement in the light of its own values.
allan little, bbc news, edinburgh. a brief military ceremony to mark the queen's official birthday will be staged at windsor castle this saturday in place of trooping the colour, which was cancelled because of coronavirus. the queen will be greeted by a royal salute before a series of military drills — socially distanced of course — are carried out. a reminder of our top story: the brother of george floyd, whose death in the custody of minneapolis police has triggered protests around the world, has urged congress to ensure he did not die in vain. he called on lawmakers in washington to work together to make meaningful reforms to how law enforcement operates in the us, with the hope that changes worldwide might follow. much more for you any time on all the news national and international on the bbc website and you can reach me
and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. it does not look like the weather is ready to settle down anytime soon. it has been raining quite heavily across the south—west of england, western parts of wales, all thanks to this weather front moving across the uk. quite sluggishly really, overcast skies across much of the country. for most of us it has just been patchy rain here and there, and the heaviest of the rain has indeed been across parts of cornwall, devon. it is now clearing away from wales. the little bits of pieces further north and actually
scotland and northern ireland escaping most of that rain. 10 degrees will be morning temperature. so here are the occasional showers during the middle of the day. a lot of cloud across england and wales, with a few glimmers of brightness. and then we see another spell of rain heading towards eastern parts of the uk, thursday, late afternoon and evening. and that rain is sort of going to barrel across the uk, across the pennines, into parts of wales but, all the while, scotland and northern ireland escape all of that weather so actually, during thursday, this is where the best weather will be, in northern ireland, and particularly western parts of scotland. low pressure is pretty much stuck end of the week to the south of us, it's stuck around the bay of biscay but, within this area of low pressure, there is actually quite a lot of fairly warm and humid aircircling. that warm and humid air heading our way but, with it, also comes the return of this weather front so that does mean that on friday we are anticipating again a dose of heavy rain, particularly across the south south—west, and into wales as well and, again, the best of the weather will be the further north you are, in fact cracking weather there in the north of scotland but it will be cooler there, around 1a degrees.
that weather front will make its journey a little bit further north during saturday and to the south of that, we'll probably see showers breaking up, the possibility of some thunderstorms as well. this is actually humid air streaming in from the south. those temperatures will be rising. given a bit of sunshine, we could see highs into the mid 20s across the south. 20 degrees or so on saturday in glasgow. but in western scotland, still a lot of sunshine around. and here's sunday — again, the best of the weather i think the further north you are. in the south we still could catch some thunderstorms. bye— bye.
this is bbc news. the headlines: the brother of george floyd, whose death in police custody in minneapolis has ignited anti—racism protests around the world, has called for meaningful changes in american policing. philonise floyd told a congressional hearing his brother's death did not have to be in vain. democrats have introduced legislation on police reforms in congress. the british prime minister has announced an easing of lockdown restrictions for single people, but only in england. from saturday, they'll be able to form "support bubbles" with one other household, allowing them to stay at each other‘s homes without social distancing. authorties in the indian capital delhi have warned that coronavirus infections in the city could shoot up to more than 500,000 by the end ofjuly. they say the city would need 80,000 hospital beds by that time, compared with its current capacity ofjust 9,000. health experts in england are warning that the number
of people on nhs waiting lists could double to 10 million