this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: four minneapolis police officers are sacked over the death of an african—american man pinned down in the street by his neck. for the first time, twitter labels one of donald trump's tweets as misleading. the uk follows the us and japan in approving an ebola drug as a treatment for covid—19. and costa rica becomes the first central american country to legalise same—sex marriage.

hello to you. to the united states first, and an investigation is underway in minneapolis into the death of another black man in police custody. four officers have been sacked. the victim has been named as george floyd. video has emerged showing a police officer kneeling on his neck, in the street, for some considerable time. this report from nada tawfik contains distressing images. a disturbing scene caught on camera by witnesses incensed over the police's actions. bro? the 10—minute video shows george floyd pleading with officers who have him restrained on the ground. one of them using his knee to pin the man down by his neck. clearly in distress, he tells the white officer he can't breathe and is in pain. the crowd tries to help and grows increasingly concerned and frustrated. when george floyd appears motionless, bystanders question why he isn't being given urgent medical attention. seven minutes in to the video, an ambulance arrives. he's put on a stretcher —

still handcuffed — and taken to hospital. at a press conference, the minneapolis police department offered their version of events. they said they were responding to a crime and that the man appeared to be under the influence. he physically resisted officers. officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and officers noticed that the male was going into medical distress. officers called for an ambulance, he was transported to hennepin county medical center, where he died a short time later. mayorjacob frey said that four of the officers involved have now been fired after initially being put on paid leave. the fbi is also investigating the incident. being black in america should not be a death sentence. forfive minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee into the neck of a black

man — forfive minutes. when you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. this officer failed in the most basic human sense. the viral video quickly sparked outrage. yesterday, what we saw was a black man who was lynched. right? they didn't use rope, he used his knee. and that black man, mr floyd, said, "i cannot breathe." minnesota prides itself on being progressive and being the north. but this is thejim crow north, and we demand justice. put your hands behind your back!

i can't breathe! for many, this is a case of history repeating itself. millions protested in 2014 after eric garner, an unarmed black man in new york, died after being restrained by police. his repeated plea of "i can't breathe" also captured in cellphone footage, became a rallying cry at demonstrations against police brutality against african—americans. there are sometimes investigations, but many feel there is rarely any accountability. nada tawfik, bbc news. and later in the programme we will have reaction from this from civil rights activist and podcast, raymond cass. twitter has for the first time prompted readers to check the facts relating to a tweet by president trump. the social network has placed a notification under a posting in which mr trump criticises plans to expand the use

of postal ballots in november's election, which he says will lead to voterfraud. the notification directs readers to a page with news articles and information from fact—checkers debunking the claim. our technology reporter zoe thomas is in san francisco. there a lot of people that are saying better late than never. of course, they are complaining about some of the tweets that the president has written in the past, which they say already violated twitter‘s policies. but what's happened now is that twitter has set new rules, where it says it won't remove comments or block the users who write certain things, but instead, when tweets might be misleading, might give the wrong information, it's simply going to direct users to correct information, to explanations about what's being said. and this was a fairly successful policy for twitter when it came to information about covid—19 and misleading medical information by having a little notification on the bottom, get the facts about covid—19, they were able

to spread correct information from the world health organization. and now, it's trying that out with election news and it's caught up the president in this new policy. there is a lot of speculation that president trump might get caught up, but twitter hasn't acted in the past, so it is impressive to the company taking some steps now. just briefly, zoe, there's something slightly cynical about what twitter is doing, isn't there? any other user who wasn't the president of the united states would have had their account closed a long time ago for the kind of thing the president has been putting up. but it brings twitter enormous publicity and attention? it's a real balancing act they have to do. president donald trump has more than 8 million followers on twitter. in fact, after the company decided to label his tweets as potentially misleading, he went on to twitter to say that it was stifling his free speech. so the company on the one hand really wants to hold onto him as a user and it's said in the past that president trump and other world leaders who've made misleading or even aggressive comments in the past, that they can make those comments even though

they violate twitter‘s policies, because they're politicians and world leaders and that it's valuable for people to see what they're saying and for free speech to go on that way. so it's got to find a way to balance some of the things that he's making, some of the claims that are potentially false or harmful, while making sure that he stays online because they want to keep him and his followers on their platform. the uk has become the latest country to allow the use of the drug, remdesivir, to treat hospital patients affected with covid—19. early indications show that it may be able to cut recovery time from 15 to 11 days. it is likely to be used on less severe cases, before patients need respiratory support. the uk follows the us and japan who both gave emergency authorisation to use the drug earlier this month. joining me now live from palo alto in california is dr krutika kuppalli, who's an infectious diseases physician and biosecurity fellow atjohns hopkins center for health security. good to talk to you, thank you

very much for your time. i think china trial of this drug and found little benefit. what do you make of it? is it a magic bullet? well, the drug itself is not a magic bullet, but it's an important step in the — finding therapy for coronavirus. as you put it out, it showed that the time in the hospital was short and to ii days from 15 days when people receive the drug —— shortened, and people had a decreased metallic tea of about 7%, —— mortality of about 7%, down from about 9%. which patients are most likely to benefit? the patient is most likely are those who are on oxygen

therapy, those who start it earlier in the course of their disease, probably before they need to be intubated for mechanical ventilation. other any worries it has been so fast—track? any worries it has been so fast-track? that's a great question. we have been studying remdesivirfor question. we have been studying remdesivir for a question. we have been studying remdesivirfor a while, but, you know, the safety and monitoring board looked at the data blinded and they saw there was clearly a positive effect to this drug. so i think from my perspective, reading the article, there is no concern.” guess the demand is likely to be huge. i've their worries about whether supply can meet demand? —— are their worries? they will always be a concern, especially in something like this pandemic where there are so this pandemic where there are so many this pandemic where there are so many cases. this pandemic where there are so many cases. my understanding is there is work to reinvest in

production and hopefully they will be able to meet demand. krutika kuppalli, thank you very much for talking to us. thank you. costa rica has become the first central american country to legalise same—sex marriage. a couple was the first to tie the knot in a ceremony that took place just after the new law came into effect on tuesday. president alvarado said the country now recognised the rights that gay and lesbian people have always deserved. rich preston has this report. just after midnight, in a town near the capital, san jose, alexandria and dunya were married, costa rica's first same—sex wedding. that first televised ceremony came after three hours of special programming dedicated to celebrating marriage equality. translation: the approval of same—sex marriage in costa rica is perfect. it's something that families who are legally unprotected need, we especially need that recognition for the rights of our children.

translation: we are a recognised family under the law from now on. with the law changed, couples made their vows across the country on tuesday. for some, being able to marry the person they love has been a long time coming. translation: it means we have progressed in law. now we have to progress in society, searching for equality. this is a stepping stone towards equality, that makes us keep up the fight for respect that those of us with a different sexual orientation deserve. messages of support came flooding in. costa rica's president carlos alvarado tweeting: "today we celebrate liberty, equality, and our democratic institutions. may empathy and love be the compass that guides us forward and allow us to build a country that has room for everyone." in 2018, costa rica's supreme court ruled that a ban on same—sex marriage was unconstitutional, an issue that dominated that year's presidential election. parliament was told it had 18 months to change the law. parliament didn't do that, so the change happened automatically, which some

weren't happy about. translation: we feel outraged by the way this approval for same—sex marriage was processed, it wasn't done through legislative channels as it should be in a democracy, but through international resolutions, which we respect, but don't endorse. some religious groups in this majority catholic country had opposed the move and more than 20 lawmakers tried to delay the change in legislation. same—sex marriage is legal and other parts of north and south america, including argentina, brazil and colombia, but costa rica is the first central american country to equalise its marriage laws. rich preston, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: doctors at one of london's biggest hospitals have told the bbc they fear a second wave of virus infections once the country's lockdown ends. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7:00am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into

the juve ntus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than 4,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as 'ginger spice,‘ has announced she has left the spice girls. argh, i don't believe it. she's the one with the bounce, the go, girl power. not geri, why? this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: four police officers in the american city of minneapolis have been sacked. they were being investigated

over the death a black man who was pinned down in the street by his neck. twitter has for the first time placed a fact—checking warning underneath a tweet by president trump. civil rights activist deray mckesson had this reaction to the killing. he runs the podcast pod save the people. it was all too familiar. you know, for context — a third of all the people killed by a stranger in the united states are actually killed by a police officer. and when we think about covid, across the country people are locked down, historic low levels of crime happening all across the country all at the same time. we've never seen before. and still, the police actually killed and shot at the same rate in march and april of 2020 as they did in march and april of 2019. so no, there was no break in it. now, in minneapolis, we saw this video. it was deja vu for so many of us who have been

tracking these incidents since 2014 and before. you know, here's the thing — people are heralding the four officers being fired, but remember, in minneapolis, half of all officers who get fired get rehired. so we'll actually see if these firings stick. and the only, kind of, good news comes out this moment is that in minneapolis, because of the work of incredible activists and organisers in minneapolis, the got a change to the police shooting contract in 2016 that required officers to intervene if they see their partner or another officer engaged in wrongdoing, and that's actually how those three officers who just stood there and watched, that clause is how they got fired. —— police union contract. deray, it is clear, isn't it, for whatever reason that a lot of police officers approach an encounter with a black man, even an unarmed black man expecting quite a serious level of violence, rightly or wrongly. what is the process there and how can that process be changed? yeah, you know, it's interesting. i don't have a better way to say it besides it's racism. that is the only thing

that helps us explain what it means, that you get a set of officers, normally white officers who approach a black person who is not a suspect, who has not done any wrongdoing, who has not engaged in wrongdoing, but the suspicion of wrongdoing is enough for so many officers around the country, and we see these cases pop up time and time again. you think this case, you know it because you saw a video. think about the 300 other people that got killed in 2020 in the united states and you didn't see a video of them, you didn't see a whole set of people standing around. and what, sort of, riled up minneapolis is they killed him, they put... they restricted his airway in the middle of the day around a whole host of people, no shame, wasn't nervous. that's, sort of, wild. i'm hopeful that this will lead people to think more about citizens instructions, but you think about places like oregon. oregon has a law that says an officer can use deadly force if they think you just

committed a felony or if they think you're about to commit a felony. what does that even mean? so across the country, we really have left the police unchecked and i'll tell you mayors, city council people, governors, senators are afraid. they will tweet about it, but they will not stand up to the police. yes, so what are the chances of things changing? you and many others have pointed out on the pod many times the police unions are very powerful, you've pointed out that a lot of the statistics on which these encounters are are just wrong — they've been misinterpreted — but there may be a lot of people watching who think, "i'm worried about crime, worried about all sorts of things, i'm happy to see a lot of support, funding go into police departments." they want more of it if anything. it's interesting. in america, when police say they solve a crime, most people think that means they got the bad guy, the person got convicted. in america, solve means they made at least one arrest. i don't even know what that tells you. the police are not engaged in some amazing sort of work

to change communities like the data doesn't even show if that is true. we know the safest communities other communities with more resources, not the communities with more police. arbitrators are big, police union contracts are big. we have to work on the nitty—gritty stuff. because if there's anything we know two things that actually do change police behaviour — the rules around discipline and then it is the rules around when you can use force. those are the only two things. everything else is interesting, body cameras, training, that's interesting. the data does not support that these behaviours are changing. imagine if the worst consequence of you doing anything would be maybe a reprimand, maybe getting fired, and theyjust go get a job at the next police department. the police know that structurally it is hard to hold them accountable. think about new york,

biggest city in the country. mayor de blasio in 2016 lifted the ban on shooting at moving vehicles and lifted the requirement that minimalforce had to be used during arrests. that happened in the midst of protests. we have a lot of weak politicians who will tweet about trauma when it happened but won't follow up. deray mckesson speaking to me just now. doctors at one of the hospitals hit hardest by coronavirus in the uk have spoken of theirfears of a second peak, as lockdown restrictions loosen. the bbc has been given unprecedented access to the royal london hospital. hundreds of people with the disease have died there, those from ethnic minority backgrounds particularly affected. medical staff say a rise in cases is now inevitable, as people have more and more contact with each other. clive myrie reports. it's in times of crisis we find out who we really are. i've felt broken on many occasion, and i think a lot of my colleagues have. when souls are laid bare.

in this time of coronavirus, one hospital, and one community, reflect on these troubled times. coming upforair, to reveal their souls to us. machine beeps we saw the fragility of life. this guy's not going to survive the night. yeah. better to call the family, i think. we're going to take out your tube now. we saw its strength. perfect. well done. how's that feel? yeah? and all the while, one fear looms — another peak of infections to rival the first. we're on the back foot again. are you expecting a second wave? yes. i mean, i have to say yes, because i think once the lockdown is relaxed, people, of course, are going to have more contact with each other.

then, as our interview ends, he's called away. his two minutes turn into several agonising hours. i can see you're working hard to ventilate him, aren't you? we had permission from all the patients or their families to film. do we have any more atracurium? and krishnapillai yogan‘s vital signs have worsened. he's just 55. this is going to cause a bit of a problem here. yeah, and again. go, go, go. the professionalism of the team is stunning. years of experience are gathered around this bed. as the duality of time, the drifting, oblivious patient and the rush to save his life merge into a tableau for our times. so, there's a final roll of the dice. so, you guys lift him up, i'll push the pillows down, yeah? ready? go! this is a last resort. maybe by turning him onto his front they can force

air into his lungs, oxygen into his body. it's all they can do. 0k. ready, steady, go. his lungs are just getting worse, and more inflamed again. and you've been preparing to talk to his family? yes, that's right. just to let you know... imagine this stress for the team, multiplied every day for weeks. now you understand what the peak of the pandemic was like. you all right? my face is all marked. well, you've just come off shift. sister carleen kelly bore witness to those dark days. it consumes you. it's what you think about when you go to bed. it's what you wake up... you're preparing for your next shift. you're relieved that the previous shift is over. you're sad. it's a huge emotional burden. sometimes, it's hard to find light in the darkness. but you're about to witness what medicine can do. i'm going to take

out your tube now. this is one of the defining moments in an intensive care unit... give me a big cough. big cough, that's it. ..when a patient‘s ventilator tube is removed. it's a procedure full of expectation and dread. i'm going to pull the tube, as you do that, ok? will it work? nice big cough again. he's grimacing as the tube inches up his throat... man gasps ..and finally leaves his chest. how does that feel? everything's ok. you're at the royal london hospital. man gasps the heavy breathing of a man given a second chance. but there are other defeats. sadly, that evening, krishnapillai yogan died. another soul lost. clive myrie, bbc news. the physical and emotional

burden carried by the staff of the royal london hospital. clive myrie reporting with producer sam piranty and cameraman davy mcilveen. the united states has suspended travel from brazil, as brazil registers the most deaths in the world for the fifth consecutive day. non—americans who've been in brazil in the previous two weeks will be refused entry. our correspondent there is katy watson. it's a measure of how serious the situation here is in brazil, that the us has made this decision. bolsonaro sees donald trump as his political rival, his countries analyse in the america, so no doubt this decision will be hurting the government. but it's put on a brave face saying it doesn't affect the commercial relationship between the two countries, but it has been taken as an international shaming, if you like, ofjust how bad the crisis is here. and it's a crisis that the world

health organisation has also highlighted, saying latin america is now the epicentre of coronavirus, and brazil being the worst example of that. what is more worrying is that the testing here is so minimal that actually scientists put the realfigures as 12 to 15 actually scientists put the real figures as 12 to 15 times higher than what the official figures are saying. but brazil doesn't really listen to the world health organization, the world health organization, the world health organization is pulled trials of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine after safety fears. that brazil has said the survey, the research that it was based on from the lancet is not a methodology they use, it's not a clinical trial, it's more a database and that doesn't come up to scratch for brazil so they're going to carry on giving their antimalarial drugs to people even with coronavirus. katy watson there. thanks for being with us on bbc world news.

hello there. there is plenty of dry and very warm weather in the forecast for the next few days. now, during tuesday, the very highest temperatures were found across eastern and southern parts of the uk, 27 degrees to the west of london. it was a bit cooler further north and west — not an awful lot cooler — but actually as we go through the next few days, we're going to see this area of high pressure, which is really dominating the scene, shifting a little further eastwards. now, the winds around the high pressure flow in a clockwise direction. so as the high shift eastwards, that will allow us to waft warm air northwards across just about all parts of the uk. but we start wednesday morning with the very mildest conditions across the south — 13, 1a degrees in cardiff and in london. not quite as mild further north. but as we go through the day ahead, we're expecting lots of fine

weather, some spells of sunshine, a bit of patchy cloud towards the south and east of england, and certainly more cloud into northern ireland and scotland. and that cloud mayjust start to fringe some patchy rain in across the far west. those temperatures getting up to around 17 degrees there in glasgow. once again, 2a or 25 across parts of south wales, central and southern parts of england. now, as we go through wednesday night into thursday, we will see some outbreaks of rain pushing across the northern half of scotland, a weak frontal system pushing through. further south, it's dry with some clear spells on what will be a mild night for most — lows of six to 12 degrees. any early rain across scotland or nort—heast england will clear very quickly on thursday. and then, as you can see, increasing amounts of sunshine. bit of patchy cloud here and there, yes, but largely sunny skies. and at this stage, i think the highest temperatures will be found across western areas. so liverpool, cardiff, 25 degrees, but glasgow up to 22. a bit coolerfor some north sea coasts.

now, as we get into friday, remember, when you look at our maps and you don't see cloud, that means we're expecting sunshine. a lot of blue sky overhead on friday. again, those temperatures, 2a, 25, 26 degrees. parts of south—west scotland getting into the middle 20s. still a bit cooler for some of those north sea coasts with a flow of air off the sea, but as we head into the weekend, high pressure does remain dominant. it should fend off this frontal system. yes, we mightjust see a little bit of rain fringing into the far north—west of scotland at times, but generally speaking, it's a dry weekend. and widely, it will be very warm, with those temperatures into the 20s.

this is bbc news, the headlines: four police officers in the american city of minneapolis have been sacked, following the death of a black man, who was arrested and pinned down by his neck in the street. video of the incident shows the man, george floyd, groaning and repeatedly telling officers that he can't breathe. twitter has, for the first time, prompted readers to check the facts relating to a tweet by president trump. the social network has placed a notification under a posting in which mr trump criticises plans to expand postal ballots, which he says will lead to voterfraud. doctors at one of the hospitals hit hardest by coronavirus in the uk have spoken of their fears of a second wave of infections, as the country's lockdown restrictions loosen. clinicians at the royal london hospital said they were better prepared than four months ago but still concerned.