this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: this is bbc news with the latest headlines remembering george floyd. the first memorial service is held for the man whose death in police custody launched a global movement. george was somebody who was a lwa ys george was somebody who was always welcoming and always made people feel like they were special. everybody wants justice, we want justice special. everybody wants justice, we wantjustice for george. he's going to get it. he's going to get it. two. -- applause. protests continue in cities across the us. this is washington a few

moments ago as crowds gather outside the white house. back in control of tripoli: libya's internationally recognised government says it's driven out forces loyal to general haftar. and we're in indonesia, meeting the last family standing as their village is sinking. hello and welcome. we start in the us. the first of several memorial services have been held in minneapolis to remember the life of george floyd, the 46—year—old black man, whose death sparked days of protests across the country and around the world. a lawyer for mr floyd's family said his death was the result of a "pandemic of racism and discrimination". from minneapolis, here's barbara plett usher. this is the beginning of a period of official

mourning for george floyd, but not the end of his story. a pause for breath after ten traumatic days. the unrest that has shaken the country in the wake of his death seemed to demand a collective display of grief, despite the risks of the coronavirus. # amazing grace. # how sweet the sound... one by one, members of mr floyd's family remembered what he meant to them in life. every day he walks outside, there would be a line of people — just like when we came in — wanted to greet him and wanted to have fun with him. he was powerful, man. he had a way with words. he could always make you ready to jump and go all the time. everybody loved george.

like, he was this great big giant and when he would wrap his arms around you, you would just like, feel like, you know, you were — everything could just go away. any problems you had, any concerns you had would go away. but this service was even more about what george floyd's death means to the nation — about another black man in a list of so many killed in police custody, about beginning to shape the massive movement for racial justice it ignited. i saw somebody standing in front of a church the other day which had been boarded up as a result of violence, held the bible in his hand. i've been preaching since i was a little boy. i have never seen anyone hold a bible like that, but i will leave that alone. laughter and applause. the civil rights veteran reverend al sharpton delivered

a attack on the president's recent controversial photo op, but he was blistering about the violence of structural racism in the country. what happened to floyd happens every day in this country! in education, in health services, and in every area of american life! it's time for us to stand up in george's name and say "get your knee off our necks!" let us stand still. you that believe in faith, bow your heads. they were silent for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the time that mr floyd spent with a knee on his neck. that number has become a symbol of police brutality for protesters. in new york, another memorial, seeking to build on momentum for change... chant: nojustice, no peace! ..promising that this time will be different. in minneapolis, streets bear

the scars of the dark days that followed george floyd's death. residents hunkered down, trying to protect their livelihoods as protests turned violent, laying waste to hundreds of businesses. our lives are black and we matter. but the community has rallied strongly, creating a safe space to support each other, uniting against the forces that would divide them, determined to lead the country in pushing for lasting change. so it can finally be the land of the free. this has been a seminal moment for america to take a look at itself and ask in which direction it is going. barbara plett usher, bbc news, in minneapolis. our north america correspondent david willis was watching the memorial service. a very moving memorial service there in minneapolis, lewis, and we heard there from the reverend al sharpton, who said that it was time for black people to stand up and say "get off our necks".

and he went on to say that it does not matter if you wear bluejeans or a blue uniform, you must pay for the crime that you commit. thousands of people attended a memorial service for george floyd in new york as well today and there are more protests planned across the united states tonight, but we saw 5,000 people, perhaps more, at rallies both in washington, dc, and here in los angeles. both of those passed off entirely peacefully. and i know much is made of watershed moments in history and so on but, with these protests growing and growing more peaceful, this really is starting to seem like one. that's interesting, david, isn't it? and of course, we pointed out earlier on that this memorial that we saw in barbara's report — the first memorial? that's right, yes, indeed. the first of a number over the next six days or so that

will culminate in george floyd's funeral, and it seems that perhaps the momentum will grow steadily as those memorial services continue. they are being held in three separate states. but today, very, very big attendance at that one in new york, and as many people as they could possibly cram in to the service in minneapolis. as i say, i think this is the start of something that the reverend al sharpton has said will continue over the summer and beyond until, as he put it, there is reform, genuine reform of the criminal justice system here in america. and on the criminaljustice system, david, let's go back to the original incident and an update on the other police officers that were present at the time. absolutely. three of them appeared in court today, lewis, charged with aiding and abetting the murder of george floyd. no pleas were entered.

now, if convicted, those three police officers face up to a0 years injail. 0ne one interesting thing it emerged that two of them, j alexander kueng and thomas lane, had been on the minneapolis police force for less than a week. and they were under the supervision of derek chauvin, the man who was captured on camera with his knee on george floyd's neck. now, mr chauvin is not due to appear in court until monday to face charges of second—degree murder. but was david willis there. -- that was. brian watkins is a civil rights attorney and a legal analyst. hejoins us from san diego in california. thank you very much for being with us. lots of complicated issues legally arise from occasions like this and incidents like this. let's start with the protests, more

broadly, though. what has been your reaction to seeing them? you know, this is a very, very tragic event but the one good thing that is coming out of this is the protest is an example of how people can come together. we are having protests here and all throughout the united states, in california, of all races, 70% of the protesters are white people, white, mexicans, as well as african—america ns and even asians. we have protests in affluent neighbourhoods and in inner city neighbourhoods. it is something that has really united the people of the united states of america to gather this one because to stop police brutality. —— together for this one because to stop police brutality. it is not easy of course but what other challenges in trying to reform police incidents like this? it

is difficult because we need police and police sometimes need to be physical. i mean, they are dealing with a criminal element and that is theirjob and how do you manage thatis theirjob and how do you manage that is a very difficult thing to do for police and for government to police the police. and so when we have situations where we have criminals that are uncooperative with police and violent towards police, police must in turn use violence to deal with them. so the question is is how can we monitor their actions effectively? 0ne is is how can we monitor their actions effectively? one of the things that needs to happen is the laws, as far as being able to prosecute the police and civilly sue the police comment need to be changed. they have been protected for a long time under something that we call qualified immunity. basically it isa qualified immunity. basically it is a law that allows the police to be immune from civil lawsuits and prosecutions, to

an extent. now, no other profession has that. you know ifa profession has that. you know if a doctor messes up he can be sued for medical malpractice and ifa sued for medical malpractice and if a lawyer messes up and does not file your case within the statutory time he is sued for legal malpractice. but the police have qualified immunity and that is a law that is actually being addressed right now to try to get the law changed to make them liable for their actions. i see. changed to make them liable for their actions. isee. i'm afraid we're running out of time but i to briefly ask you about body camp footage. —— i wa nted about body camp footage. —— i wanted to briefly ask you. —— bodycam. we have some footage of live of a recent incident but is police, you know, obviously, shot video, protest we believe leaving in their car and being tasered at one point. it is an example of the kind of footage that went out, that we are seeing footage that went out, that we are seeing across footage that went out, that we are seeing across media. what difference will body cam make? it makes a world of difference. you know, one of the biggest

thing we had was during the rodney king case in 1992 where the officers were filmed beating a black man. now that was ina beating a black man. now that was in a time period where we did not all have cellphone cameras. it happened to be one person on his balcony playing with his new toy called a camcorder which was a hand—held video camera and it had just come out in the early ‘90s and he filmed it and it brought police brutality to light because now people believed it because now people believed it because they saw it on camera and the body cameras will continue to monitor police actions so we don't have to ta ke actions so we don't have to take their word for it as to what happened that we can actually see and judge it for ourselves. brian, thank you so much for speaking to us and we appreciate your time. you. —— thank you. let's get some of the day's other news. police say they have received hundreds of calls from the public about a new suspect in the madeleine mccann case. german prosecutors say madeleine — a 3—year—old british girl who disappeared in portugal more than a decade ago — is assumed to be dead. german police are investigating a german national previously convicted of sex offences

on suspicion of murder. nba basketball is planning a return to the court. the board of governors approved a plan that allows 22 teams to resume the regular season. they intend to play all games without fans, in orlando, florida but the plan still needs approval from the players‘ association. libya's internationally recognised government says it's taken full control of the capital tripoli. the city has been besieged by forces loyal to general khalifa haftar for over a year. rich preston has this report. these burnt—out vehicles are all that remain of the forces of general khalifa haftar as government troops celebrated their victory. horns blare. the mission to control the city was deemed a success with the recapture of the airport. it hasn't been used since 2014 but plays a symbolic role —

he who has the airport has the city. 1a months of fighting have ravaged tripoli. when general haftar‘s eastern libyan forces stormed the city last april, they bombarded it with rockets and artillery, sending ordinary people fleeing for their lives. hundreds were killed in the fighting. gunfire. general haftar had been loyal to the former dictator colonel gaddafi. eight years after he was toppled, many say khalifa haftar wanted to install himself as the new dictator. he had support from russia, the united arab emirates and neighbouring egypt. the internationally recognised gna — the government of national accord — is backed by turkey and qatar. speaking on a visit to turkey, libya's prime minister said control of tripoli was just the start of a bigger operation. translation: our battle is not over, and we are determined to defeat our enemy and take control of the entire nation,

and for the eradication of all those who threatened our democratic free state. translation: turkey will continue to stand with the right side. we will never leave our libyan brothers. our support to libya's recognised government will continue. with its vast oil reserves, libya could be one of the richest countries in the world, but the rule of gaddafi, followed by years of violence, have left the country devoid of infrastructure and security. horn blares. diplomats now want to restart talks to bring about a ceasefire, with hope of long—lasting peace for the people of this north african nation which has been ripped apart. rich preston, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: pulling down the statues of america's slave—owning past: confederate monuments

are removed in the wake of protests. the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning, in accordance with the order of service, by a signal given, the great guns of the tower. tributes have been paid around the world to muhammad ali, who has died at the age of 74. outspoken but rarely outfought, ali transcended the sport of boxing, of which he was three times world champion. he was a good fighter and he fought all the way to the end, even through his illness. yes, he did. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles‘ lp, sergeant pepper's

lonely hearts club band, a record described as the album of the century. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the family and friends of george floyd, the african—american man who died while being detained by minneapolis police last week have paid tribute to him at his memorial service. the reaction to the death of george floyd has sparked a wave of protests across the us unseen since the 1968 assassination of martin luther king jr. over the course of a decade, dr king became synonymous with non—violent direct action as he worked to overturn systemic segregation and racism. what would he have made of the current protests? clayborne carson is martin luther king jnr centennial professor of history at stanford university.

i think he would have been very pleased to see young people standing up for american ideals that the nation doesn't live up to often. and, given that, we have had this violence at times, we've had protests kind of spontaneously springing up. what are the strengths and weaknesses as far as you see, of what is happening right now? well, i think it is mostly the strengths. you know, i think the press sometimes turns too much on looting or vandalism, which has actually been a very minor part of this upsurge of activity. you know, if a few stores had been broken into during the march on washington, i hope that most people would have paid attention to the main thrust of the protest, not to some isolated incidents that have nothing to do with the protest.

it's really more, i think, to me, it has to do with the police focusing their attention on peaceful protesters and leaving other potential targets for looters unguarded. so i think it's another example of bad policing. and on the protests again, then, what do you make of leadership in these protests? well, look, any time young people can turn out many times the number of people who were at the march on washington, which was 200,000, and i'm absolutely certain that the total number of people turning out in this protest far exceeds that, they have to be highly organised. i think if there is any criticism at all, and it's something i think is part of the strength of the protest, and that's there's no central

leader that you could go to. back in 1964 you could go to a couple of people and get their comments and that would represent the thrust of what was going on. today you have people independently organising massive protests in dozens of different cities and hundreds of different towns. so, obviously they know what they're doing. it's just that there are many voices. but i think the central voice is one of ‘let‘s stop this', that this is something that when you think about what it is like to grow up and come of age during a period when literally dozens of people have been killed in police custody, recorded on cellphones. so you have a younger generation that gets their news through social media, and what they've seen is police out of control and not

being held accountable. and any young person knows the difference between being held accountable and not held accountable — by your parents, for example. so when you see policeman after policeman either getting acquitted or not even charged with murder, then that is going to cause a reaction. and i am very, very pleased that it's happened. it's long overdue. thanks to professor clayborne carson. the governor of the us state of virginia has ordered a key memorial to the slave—owning confederacy to be removed from the capital, richmond. ralph northam said the statue of robert e lee, who commanded the confederate forces during the american civil war, had to come down. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. for more than a century, robert e lee has looked out over the city of richmond. but not for much longer.

these protesters voiced their anger at what they see as an ongoing symbol of racial injustice. and state officials 110w seem to agree. yes, that statue has been there for a long time. but it was wrong then, and it is wrong now. so, we're taking it down. robert e lee commanded the forces of the confederate states in their rebellion against the north during the american civil war. some still think of him as a hero, fighting for a lost cause. but even his descendants have come to believe that enough is enough. this statue is a symbol of oppression, and if it is a symbol, it becomes an idol, and if it becomes an idol, i am convinced as a christian, that the idols must be torn down. cheering this issue is hardly new.

various statues and symbols of the confederacy have been taken down in recent years. but the protests of the last few days over the killing of george floyd have added an extra sense of urgency. this is a surprise to us, but we're glad, like, they're taking actions and they're taking what we're saying seriously. so we're glad to hear our voices are being heard, finally. the governor says the statue will be removed as soon as possible. but even when it's gone, the legacy of slavery will remain. tim allman, bbc news. friday is world environment day and, to mark it, we're looking at communities tackling the crisis. the world's most populated island is java, in indonesia, but land there is sinking, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. the destruction of mangrove forests are blamed. only one family remains in the village of bedono and they're trying to save what's left.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ l vaughanjones. this is bbc news. hello there. the warm and sunny days of the start of the week feel like a distant memory now as it's turning to cooler, more unsettled to end the week. friday into the weekend will be cool and showery, longer spells of rain in the north. it's also going to turn unusually windy for this time of year as well. the culprit is this area of low pressure, which has continued to deepen just to the north—east of scotland. it will continue to push in during the course of friday, bring some persistent rain across the north. further south, the winds picking up. it will be a blustery day for all with sunny spells but also blustery showers. some of these will be heavy and thundery at times, too. and those winds gusting 30—110 miles an hour. further north, 40—50 miles an hour, even stronger than that by the end of the day and this rain will become persistent and heavy

across the north and north—east of scotland. don't be surprised as well — with these sorts of temperatures of only around nine degrees, you could see a little bit of snow in fact on the mountaintops of scotland. further south, around the mid—teens celsius. we could just make 17 degrees across the extreme south. now, as we move through friday night, it stays blustery, further showers at times. the rain in the north begins to push southwards into northern ireland and into northern england, north wales. those temperatures falling to lows of around 6—8 degrees. area of low pressure still with us moving very slowly southwards on saturday. again, a real squeeze in the isobars, particularly central and western parts of the country. so in fact we are likely to see gales through friday night and into saturday as that area of low pressure slowly moves southwards across the country. we could see gusts of 60 miles an hour, which could give rise to some disruptions, particularly strong for this time of year. there's the area of low pressure spiralling off the east coast of england, bringing further bands of rain or showers. again, some of these

will be heavy and thundery. further rain pushing into northern scotland but a little bit of a temperature recovery in the north. highs of 17 degrees there, in fact. mid—to—high teens further south. on sunday, a little bit quieter. our area of low pressure weakening still, just to the east of england. so, it looks like eastern parts of england could see most of the rain whereas further west will be a bit drier with a little bit of brightness breaking through. the winds will be later. so, it will feel that touch warmer across the board. as we head on into next week, looks like we'll start off rather cloudy and cool, mainly dry. but the winds will be light, and then if anything, it looks like high pressure will start to build back in through the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the first of several memorial services have been held in the american city of minneapolis to remember the life of george floyd, the 46—year—old black man whose death in police custody has sparked worldwide protests. reverend al sharpton delivered the eulogy, and guests included civil rights activist jesse jackson. protests have continued in several cities across the us. hundreds marched through los angeles and gathered in front of city hall. this is the capital washington, where crowds are assembling outside the white house. tens of thousands of people in hong kong have defied a ban to turn out for a vigil on the anniversary of the tiananmen square crackdown. this year's vigil was banned by police, citing coronavirus measures. some protesters said they were also standing against china's growing control over hong kong.

now on bbc news, hardtalk.