this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. protesters gather again in many us cities, as the authorities step up their efforts to prevent further violence after the death of a black man in police custody. the situation in minneapolis is no longer in any way, about the murder it is about of george floyd. it is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities. as the number of recorded coronavirus cases around the world has just passed six million a senior british health official has warned that the country has reached a very dangerous moment as it further eases coronavirus restrictions. i believe this is also a very dangerous moment. we have to get

this right. the first commercially—built rocket to carry astronauts into space has lifted off from florida. this is a huge step for us. it is a huge step of the commercial ventures andi huge step of the commercial ventures and i think it is important for the world to realise that we are going into space to stay. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe.

crowds of protesters are gathering again in american cities, after several nights of violent demonstrations over the killing by police of an unarmed black man. in minnesota — where george floyd died — the state's entire national guard is being mobilised to try to prevent further trouble. the governor, tim walz, said rioters had caused wanton destruction and chaos. rioting has also hit other major cities including los angeles and new york, atlanta, houston, louisville and denver, among others. this is the scene live now in chicago. in a tweet, donald trump threatened to send in the military if states tougher in their handling of the protests. his attorney general, william barr, said the demonstrations had been hijacked by agitators. our correspondent barbara plett usher's report contains some distressing images.

america is rising up in anger over the killing of an unarmed black man in police custody. in minneapolis, protesters defied a curfew, taking over the streets for a fourth night ina over the streets for a fourth night in a row. turning them into a smoking battle ground. security forces were overwhelmed, the governor has not announced the largest mobilisation of the national guard in the state possible is history. he blames outsiders for spearheading the violence. the situation in minneapolis, is no longer in any way about the murder of george floyd. it is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities. the scale of destruction is bigger than in previous protests over ra ce bigger than in previous protests over race —related deaths. here in minneapolis, this is the damage after another night of chaos. authorities thought that they calm things down after they swiftly discharge police officers and they we re discharge police officers and they were shocked when the violence escalated instead. i cannot breathe.

a widely publicised video shows the officer kneeling on mr floyd's neck as he begs for air. and for that emerge today, you can see two other policemen were holding him down, ignoring his pleas to be allowed to stand up. the graphic images have ignited protests around the country already grappling with a deadly pandemic. and suffering its worst economic crisis since the great depression. in seattle, washington, demonstrators hurled a rock at an amazon store. they chanted, i can't breathe and black lives matter. in charlotte, north carolina, police fired tear gas in the city councilmember was among several people arrested. and in atlanta, georgia, protesters threw rocks and smoke grenades at police, trashed ca i’s smoke grenades at police, trashed cars and smashed windows at cnn headquarters. the governor issued a state of emergency and the mayor pleaded for the riots to stop. you

are disgracing our city! you are disgracing the life of george floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country! we are better than this! we are better than this as a city! we are better than this as a city! we are better than this as a country i am duty-bound to simply say that it is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with the enemy. accountability isa anger with the enemy. accountability is a protests are demanding. but in minneapolis, hundreds and thousands of people came up to show that they do not want to burn the house down to get it. they cleared away the wreckage left behind after nights of rage aware that another one may be coming. let's bring you some live pictures now from new york.

it looks quite calm at the moment but, you can see that there is a heavy police presence there, very well armed they are against those demonstrators. not quite the scenes that we have seen of a successive nights and other cities. donald trump has been speaking in the last few minutes about the death of a black man in police custody in minneapolis. let's listen in to what the president had to say. the death of george floyd on the streets of minneapolis was a grave tragedy. it should never have happened. all americans all over the country feel horror, anger, and grief.

yesterday, i spoke to george's family and expressed the sorrow of our entire nation for their loss. i stand before you as a friend and ally to every american seeking justice and peace, and i stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack and menace. with the latest from minneapolis, the bbc‘s barbara plett—usher gave her assessment of the levels of protests so far. quite a lot of them have been peaceful and racially diverse. i don'tjust mean peaceful and racially diverse. i don't just mean here peaceful and racially diverse. i don'tjust mean here in minneapolis but many other places as well. people, an army of people here right in this area where i'm standing that came in to clean up the mess as well. there are people who were very upset over what happened this week and are peacefully protesting, but

the demonstrations have been particularly violent and destructive and relating to the treatment of african—american men and women here. and he is planning outsiders for this level of violence and today, you had a whole group of leaders, the politicians plus religious leaders, leaders of ethnic groups, civil society leaders urge people to stay home and they know there is a problem but they're working on it and say that this is not the way to try to get accountability for the action. having said that, i believe that many people will be ignoring those calls and coming out again tonight and the governor has said that he is calling out the full force of the national guard to try to restore order. professor kaye whitehead is an educator, author, and media host, who is known as the #blackmommyactivist. she teaches african and african american studies at loyola university in baltimore,

maryland, from where she told me that the violence had a clear context. i think it's important to recognise that the murder of george floyd comes on top of so much injustice and so many unarmed black men, women and children who have been killed ever since we have been protesting black lives matter. we can go back and look at the modern civil rights movement, the history of how we got here, but if we just focus on black lives matter, i can easily go through a litany of names of black men, women and children and most recently we had a black woman shot and keld a black woman shot and killed in her own home in kentucky. a man shot and killed in georgia, and now george floyd, you can watch it in real time

and you can hear him struggling, yelling out that he cannot breathe, calling for his mother, it is the injustice that we are dealing with as black and brown people in this country when we see this happening to people that could be part of our families and then we don't see people being held accountable so there is a lot of pent—up frustration that got us to this moment. you can change policy, but that does not necessarily change attitudes, not least within the police. so how do you bring about meaningful change? it's interesting that we have been wrestling with this question around change for quite a while. what would it look like if we were to do something different? we talk about police officers, that's kind of a point blank. to do an intensive training with police officers so that we can build a bridge between the police force and the community. there is predatory policing that is happening in economically challenged black communities where they are overpoliced, herded and controlled, rather than protected and served

so that needs to happen. we need to have more accountability for police officers so when they do what these police officers participated in, it's not just that they are arrested, not just that they are fired, not just that they are charged, but they are found guilty and they serve time so that people understand there is a price to pay. there is accountability. a second thing is to think about reparations. right now, we're looking at how we are economically challenged in this community, we see how the income of black people is steadily dropping by the year 2053, the estimate of income will be zero in comparison to our white counterparts. so, a way of redistributing funds we hope will turn around decades upon decades of economic injustice in our community and third, which i think is the hardest piece is how do we change the hearts and minds of people? there is a large community of people not of colour in this country

of white people who really believe that black folks are inferior. they are groups of white nationalism and supremacy and they are pushing that age—old agenda that race is a determining factor. we are fighting against the hearts and minds of those individuals as well. the uk is "at a dangerous moment" and the easing of lockdown "has to go slowly", according to england's deputy chief officer. professor jonathan van—tam said the consensus among scientists was that the next phase of easing the restrictions was not expected to push the rate of infection above 1.0. the uk government insists that it continues to be led by science, over the next stages of the easing of lockdown measures, after concerns were raised by some leading scientists. several members of the sage advisory group have spoken out against the pace of change. from monday in england, up to six people from different households can meet outside, including in private gardens.

215 deaths have been recorded in the uk in the last 2a hours. it brings the total number of deaths to 38,376. our political correspondent, chris mason, has this report. helen's bay beach in county down today, northern ireland and in scotland, groups are already allowed to gather outside. england and wales will follow on monday. new rules grant us more freedom but requires us grant us more freedom but requires us to make morejudgements grant us more freedom but requires us to make more judgements about what is safe. in bournemouth, the lure of the beach, the challenge of social distancing. in york, the price of the paint and yes, exactly the same challenge. for the number of coronavirus cases falling, ministers say that the time is right for a more liberal approach. but some of those advising our political leaders have concerns. if we make

multiple releases at the same time, we will not know what is causing the inevitable jump in cases. we will not know what is causing the inevitablejump in cases. and we do not have an established track to isolate these people. and so it is a very risky point where we can take the lid off of a pot that is still bubbling in places and risks overflowing in these places. regions parking primrose hill two, and greater manchester believe it come too soon so the news conference, i asked. what you say to the scientists and others who say that you're using the lockdown in england to quickly? we do not have much headroom and that is of the prime minister has been clear that we need to proceed in a very cautious way. minister has been clear that we need to proceed in a very cautious waylj believe and you'll recall that i was

there when the activity was high in there when the activity was high in the uk and saying it was very dangerous moment and i believe this isa very dangerous moment and i believe this is a very dangerous moment. you have to get this right. for people to actually follow the guidance, do not tear the pants out of it and don't go further than the guidance actually says. knowing how to turn of phrase and make a point. he was also asked directly about dominic cummings, the prime minister's most senior adviser who drove 50 miles to test his eyesight during the lockdown. the rules are clear and they have always been clear. in my opinion, they are for the benefit of all and opinion, they are for the benefit of alland in my opinion, they are for the benefit of all and in my opinion, they apply to all. questions about mr cummings keeps coming and questions about easing the lockdown will too. the number of recorded coronavirus

cases around the world has just passed six million. the latest milestone was announced byjohn hopkins university in the united states. more than three—hundred—and—sixty—seven thousand people are known to have died. the us continues to top the list of both infections and deaths. brazil, russia, the united kingdom, spain and italy are the other worst affected countries. the headlines on bbc news. protesters gather again in many us cities, as the authorities step up their efforts to prevent further violence after the death of a black man in police custody. as the number of recorded coronavirus cases around the world has just passed six million, a senior british health official has warned that the country has reached a very dangerous moment as it further eases coronavirus restrictions. the first commercial spacecraft to carry people into space has successfully launched from cape canaveral in florida. the capsule — built by elon musk‘s spacex — has two astronauts onboard —

and they are now on their way to the international space station. rebecca morelle has more. these are steps towards a new era of space flight. the first astronauts to launch from american soil in almost a decade. and this is the rocket, a company about to make history by carrying people into space. have an amazing flight, enjoy the views of our beautiful planet. three, two, one, ignition, lift off. godspeed! this is a huge step for us, a huge step for the commercial ventures and i think it is important for the world to realise that we are going into space to stay and we are

going into space to stay and we are going to continue on to the moon and then onto mars. about ten minutes into the flight and the pull of the earth is gone. dragon separation confirmed. in the wreckage gently detaches. dragon is now officially making its way to the international space station today. but this is just the start. they have to be able to come home safely and make sure all the systems and parachutes get them home safely, it is not until that mission is back on earth that we will know that it is a complete success. we will know that it is a complete success. we hope you enjoyed the ride. for the astronauts, their journey is just beginning. the future of private space flight is truly arrived. our correspondent jane o'brien is at cape canaveral in florida, from where the rocket was launched,

and gave me her reaction to the take—off. it was the most exhilarating thing that i think i've ever experienced, to be perfectly honest. to see history being made in history being made in such a visual sensory fashion, the sound of that rocket taking off and the vibrations that you feel going all the way through you feel going all the way through you is just absolutely extraordinary and then to see that shining bright light of the actual rockets of taking off and still visible when all you could really see was the cloud and the tracer of the atmosphere coming out of it, i really do feel it was extraordinary oi’ really do feel it was extraordinary ori really do feel it was extraordinary or i must‘ve felt like to be part of the team that was able to pull this off the astronauts on board, i can only imagine especially after the disappointment of wednesday when the weather stopped it and i was complaining about thunderstorms on

wednesday and i'm complaining about the heat, so the weather is always a problem but space x and for nasa and for crude dragon, to the sun really shown in the weather behaved as it should have. in a very different business model for nasa, no longer a government built spacecraft but something built by a private company in california. nessus the customer and that is the bottom line. space x develop this with support and very considerable financial support, they've also developed a similar transport capsule and space x won the race on this particular occasion and asa the race on this particular occasion and as a result, the idea is that it will drive down the cost of putting humans into space which will enable nasa to focus on the big missions like giving humans back to mars and then on to the moon rather and onto

mars, which is what this is really all about and it is hoped that these commercialflights all about and it is hoped that these commercial flights will be an integral part of these future missions and so this is really part of changing how we think about exploration and changing the way it is actually done. as tensions between china and the us ratchet up even further — chinese and hong kong officials have hit back at donald trump's announcement that he will remove the territory's special trade status with the us. it's in response to a new security law being pushed by beijing — which it's feared could end highly prized freedoms in hong kong. reged ahmad reports. chanting. protesters in hong kong gathering in a shopping mall friday demonstrating against china's plans for a new national security law. there were even bigger demonstrations earlier this week. the laws would make it a crime to undermine beijing's authority in hong kong.

it's not clear what that would mean for the future of protests like this but it's feared it could and hong kong's special freedoms, the much prized one country two systems. and that's exactly what the united states accuses china of doing. in retaliation, the us president says he will start the process of stripping hong kong of its special trade status with the us and introduce possible sanctions against individuals. hong kong officials who back china's new boss say the move is completely wrong. translation: every country has relevant laws on national security. actually, it totally conforms to international practice. for a country to legislate laws for its national security, it is completely the same with any other country. political activists in hong kong's pro—democracy movement say the blame for this latest move by the us rests with china's president. i think more important

is to let the world know that president xi jinping must bear the largest responsibility for the sanction in hong kong because without the legislation of the national security law, i don't believe the world or the global community — need to spend time when they need to deal with the pandemic. at the same time they will still put effort to impose any kind of sanction or kind of stuff. and businesses are worried too. hong kong is a major global financial centre. and the impact of unraveling the territory's complex relationship with the us is unclear. china's new security laws for hong kong are due to be enacted before september but it's unlikely those who are against it will remain silent before that. brazil has reported nearly 27 thousand cases of covid—i9 in 2a hours, a new daily record. almost 28 thousand coronavirus deaths have now

been recorded there, the world's fifth highest figure. the us has seen the most deaths, with more than ioo—thousand. the government of india has announced further plans to relax lockdown restrictions, just as the country's daily total of new coronavirus cases hit a new high to nearly eight—thousand. from june 8th, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and places of worship will be allowed to re—open. so, what's the government response on this new figures? one of the most recogisable buildings in the world — the leaning tower of pisa — is one of the tourist attractions in italy being allowed to re—open today, after an easing of coronavirus restrictions. numbers will be limited to 15 at a time, and all visitors will be provided with an electronic device which goes off if someone breaches social distancing rules. let's bring you some live pictures now from new york.

the protests being staged in response to the death of george floyd in minnesota after he was arrested by police at the police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck. you can see, these pictures from new york and that below is a police car, that vehicle that you can see is a light. so police station two nights ago, it was the focus of the protests in minnesota, it was satellite and station had to be evacuated. new protests are under way in philadelphia, madison and other cities. let's bring you some live pictures now from chicago. it's looking peaceful a large police presence there with