this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the terrible toll of coronavirus. in the uk more than 40,000 people, have now died — the second worst in world, behind america but there is some more postive news, latest figures for england suggest infections are falling, dramatically. a pensioner is assaulted by police in new york state, as the protests over the death of george floyd, continue. meanwhile us job figures show that the unemployment rate has fallen. welcoming the data president trump has come under fire for bringing george floyd into his comments about the economy. hopefully, george is looking down right now and saying, "that's a great thing that's happening for our country." that's a great day for him. "it's a great day for everybody.

it's a great day for everybody. there's a great, great day in terms of equality." in pakistan doctors are warning the already weak healthcare system could soon be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. and a new boss in the house. tim davie is the bbc‘s new direcor general promising accelerated change, when he takes up the role. with swimming pools shut and the unusual warm weather — ‘wildswimming' is on the rise in the uk — but how safe is it? we find out about the risks involved. 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. the terrible toll of covid— 19 on the uk, has been starkly

highlighted today in the passing of a grim milestone. the number of people who've died after testing positive for the coronavirus, has passed 40,000. britain is now only the second country in the world to reach that figure, after the united states. but the number of new infections is falling and quite dramatically. an office for national statistics study of adults and children in private households estimates one in a thousand people in england tested positive for the coronavirus in the last week of may, not counting those staying in hospitals or care homes. this is down from last week's estimate of one in 400. with the latest, here's our health editor, hugh pym. forfamilies for families and friends of the bereaved some of whom spent weeks in intensive care to have the months of grief and emotional turmoil. she was my best friend. she was kind, funny. this is just the worst pain in the world. i feel like without the proper protection, then more things like this and more families will lose a loved one.

since the first uk death in early march, a total of 40,000 have now died after testing positive for coronavirus. the government's chief scientific adviser said keeping the death total to 20,000 or below would be a good outcome. it is now above 40,000. how do you assess that outcome, given where we are now? the day that the number of deaths from coronavirus has gone over 40,000 is a time of sorrow for us all. we have got to remember that each one of these is... is an impact on a family that will never be the same again. and my heart goes out to them all. and it makes me redouble my determination to deal with this virus. so how did we get here? on march the 11th, the world health organization formally declared a pandemic.

that day, spanish football fans were in liverpool for a champions league fixture. the next day, testing and tracking of new community cases was stopped, with resources focusing on hospitals. the four day cheltenham racing festival was in full swing. 0n the 16th of march, people were told to avoid pubs and other social venues and work from home as possible. the next day, the chief scientific adviser made this prediction. if we can get this down to numbers, 20000 and below, that is a good outcome. on march the 23rd, lockdown began across the uk. 0n the 21st of april, the daily death toll hit a peak, with more than 1000 deaths. since then, the overall total has climbed and now stands atjust over 40,000 deaths, though this does not include those in all settings where there was not a test. some experts argue that government should have reacted more quickly after seeing what was happening in italy. we had two to three weeks

more time to get ready for this. but i think we just took it too easy, to be very frank. i think we assumed that we were different, that somehow, we were going to respond in a different way, that we could cope. and then, by the time they realised they had the problem, it was too late. the uk covid—i9 death toll, at around 40,000, is ahead of other european countries, with italy next on the latest reported figure atjust over 33,500, followed by france, spain and belgium. but adjusted for the size of the population, belgium has the highest death rate, at around 84 per 100,000 people, with the uk at 60, a little above spain, italy and france. there are slight differences in the way each country calculates its figures. this virus has hit lots of very developed nations with robust health care systems, robust health infrastructures, and it has taken a lot of people by surprise and i don't

think the uk is alone having been taken by surprise. i think we need to essentially wait until the end of the pandemic and then have a section of what happened and learn lessons from it. for now, the authorities will focus on testing as many people as possible and then tracing their contacts, seen as the best way to suppress the virus. hugh pym, bbc news. so as we mentioned, new figures suggest coronavirus infections in the community are falling. the office for national statistics, says the number of cases in england is down to 5,600 a day, from 8,000 a day, last week. although one study suggests that in the north west and the south west of england, the rate at which the virus is reproducing, the so called r rate, could be near one, suggesting infections may rise. here's our science editor, david shukman. with people out and about across the uk over the past week or so,

what do we know about the virus and whether it is under control? well, despite the scale of the death toll, there are some signs that things may now be going in the right direction, at least for the moment. the latest survey shows how the percentage of the population testing positive for covid—i9 as fallen in each of the last five weeks, which is of course good news. but bear in mind that there is a very wide margin of error with this study and also that the swab tests were carried out by people themselves. because that is not easy, the results may not be that accurate. i think it is incredibly important for us not to lose sight of the fact this is a virus which is incredibly contagious, can transmit very easily and efficiently between people, and still, most of the population have not seen this virus and are susceptible which allows it to spread very rapidly if we let our guard down. the big worry is that more

contact will mean more infections. so what is the latest assessment about the speed with which the virus is being spread? at the height of the outbreak, the infection rate, the r number, was running at about three, meaning anyone infected was on average passing it on to three others. the key was to get it down below one because below that number, the disease does not escalate, and the latest estimate is that we are for the whole uk running at about 0.7 up to 0.9. below one, but not falling rapidly. and if we break that down across the uk, the picture varies. 0ne computer model shows that in most areas of england, the rate is thought to be below one except in the north—west and south—west, where it is estimated to be right on one. a different study suggests that scotland, wales and northern ireland are on 0.8. so for the moment, the advice is still to keep at least two metres apart, and barriers and signs have been springing up to remind people.

the lockdown has suppressed the virus but it hasn't killed it off. david shukman, bbc news. the parent company of british airways, iag, is considering a legal challenge to quarantine rules, which are due to come into effect from monday. the uk's biggest airline, opposes travellers entering the country having to isolate for two weeks. iag argues it wasn't consulted over the plans, but government officials say they were ‘disappointed,’ at ba's absence from a meeting yesterday, to discuss the proposals. people living in the republic of ireland, will be able travel anywhere inside their own county from monday, instead of being limited to a range of 20km from home. the irish cabinet is accelerating the easing of the country's lockdown, allowing groups of up to six people to meet indoors or outside, provided social distancing is maintained. so with an assessment of what today's figures mean, and how they might direct government policy in england, here's our health editor hugh pym.

the new daily reported death total, the trend for that, the seven day rolling average, is moving downwards. that being said, there are one or two slightly worrying signs. hospital admissions in england and wales have gone up for the last couple of days as no data from scotland and northern ireland. they have fallen. we have been hearing this regional r number, in the southwest and northwest of england because it's up at one which isa england because it's up at one which is a very maximum it can be before epidemics start picking up again. there is concern there. matt hancock, the health secretary, made clear at the briefing people should very clear at mass demonstrations this weekend, he said he was a part of the death of george floyd understand why people were deeply upset, but said coronavirus is still a health crisis and a real threat. and people should certainly try to avoid large gatherings of more than six people.

as the protests about the death in police custody of george floyd continue, president trump has said that every american must receive equal treatment from law enforcement, regardless of race, gender, or creed. it comes as a new video has emerged of a 75—year—old man being pushed to the ground by police in new york state. aleem maqbool‘s report contains some content that some may find distressting. we're not leaving. and there's no sign they are. not here outside the white house, in spite of driving rain. and not around the country, including chicago, where kanye west took to the streets with protestors. but there continue to be staggering and disturbing incidents involving police. in buffalo, new york, a 75—year—old protestor was shoved to the ground by an officer. he is seen motionless and bleeding from his skull, as police file past without coming to his aid.

two officers have been suspended. but it is just the latest in a torrent of apparently unjustified use of force at these protests. an assault from behind in seattle. what is that really doing? the arrest in charleston of a man peacefully trying to reason with officers. and police in la, driving into protestors, to name but a few examples. particularly troubling, given the incident that sparked awe of this. three officers have now appeared in court charged with aiding and abetting murder, in addition to the one already charmed with murdering george floyd. the president of the us. the president's called for authorities to continue to be tough on the streets, but has also talked of equality for black people. they have to receive fair treatment from law enforcement. they have to receive it. we all saw what happened last week. we can't let that happen.

hopefully george is looking down right now and saying, "this is a great thing that's happening for our country." it is a great day for him, it's a great day for everybody. nobody‘s ever done for the black community, what president trump has done. think of it. well, it is easy to say there should be fair treatment for african—americans, but given the deep—rooted issues with racism in this country, and, as we are seeing almost daily with police culture, that is of course far harder to achieve in practise. aleem maqbool, bbc news in washington. well, as we heard in aleem's report there, president trump pondered on what george floyd might think about the economy. joe biden — who's likely to be the democrat candidate taking on mr trump in november's election for the white house — called his comment despicable. george floyd's last words, i can't breathe. i can't breathe. have

echoed all across this nation and quite frankly around the world. for the president to try to put any other words in the mouth of george floyd, i frankly think is despicable. and the fact that he did so despicable. and the fact that he did so on despicable. and the fact that he did so on the day when black unemployment rose, hispanic unemployment rose, hispanic unemployment rose, hispanic unemployment rose, black youth unemployment rose, black youth unemployment skyrocketed, it tells you everything you need to know about this man. and what he really cares about. congresswoman frederica wilson campaigned for change following the death of her constituent trayvon martin, an unarmed teenager who was shot dead by george zimmerman in 2012. shejoins me now from florida. very good to have you with us. eight yea rs very good to have you with us. eight years ago, when trayvon martin was shot dead, you called for change, do you think this time is different?”

think that the video that we saw, there was no video with trayvon martin, and the video we saw was despicable. and to watch a man plays his foot on the throat of a human being and leave it there until he died, it took, it tore this country apart. and that's what you see today. because people are tired of that. trayvon martin was the start, but he was not murdered by a police officer. so these are the people that are sworn to protect us, and that are sworn to protect us, and thatis that are sworn to protect us, and that is what makes it so despicable. sworn to protect the american public, but today we are focusing on another incident, doesn't it this time not involve a black man, it involves a 75—year—old elderly man. you see police officers walk past

him as blood pours from his ear. what do you think there is so little accountability? i think that this started, i'm going to give you a history lesson. 0ur started, i'm going to give you a history lesson. our nation has a lwa ys history lesson. our nation has always had an army. we never had a police force until after the slaves we re police force until after the slaves were freed. and the police force was organised for the specific purpose of tracking, torturing, dehumanizing black men. so they were hanged and the escrow items were removed, and people carried them around as trophies. and this whole police methods, the police, you must remember now that these are family members from generation to generation. most police officers with the father of a police officer, the son, the grandson. so this is an

intrinsic hates, i believe, of black men. so does it conduct recruitment? asa men. so does it conduct recruitment? as a conductor diversity in the police force? i think diversity helps, but the colour blue is still there. even when it's diverse. in my particular city that i live in diversity has helped considerably. and it's in miami. miami, florida and miami gardens because we insist upon it. something else we have, is called a consent decree that president 0bama put into place that demanded oversight of police in cities that had excessive police forces. my city had seven black men killed in seven months, and a consent decree was put over them,

that was back in 2011. we have not had a police incident since then. a police shooting or police murder, or police shooting or police murder, or police killing. that's very interesting. let me ask about the legislation he proposed last year. it's called the commission on the social status of black men and boys act of 2019. what does that do? social status of black men and boys act of 2019. what does that (mm would provide a clearing house in the department ofjustice under the civil rights division to establish a commission for the express purpose of looking at all of the disparities that we know historically affect black men and boys. education, health care, criminaljustice, housing, welfare, all kinds of things. a holistic approach looking

at holistically the deep rooted problems. which we see in the job figures, good job problems. which we see in the job figures, goodjob figures problems. which we see in the job figures, good job figures much better than we thought, i say that they are good, they are terrible but a lot better than people supposed that they would be. when you look at them and look deeper into the numbers is that things have gotten worse for african—americans. numbers is that things have gotten worse for african-americans. and it has a lot to do with discrimination and racism, but this commission will investigate this, and it allows for us investigate this, and it allows for us to have a huge panel of experts to serve on this commission, to investigate the causes and come up with solutions, and to put in policies that will help us. as we try to deal with this issue that has been haunting this nation since it was founded. since they brought us to this country. black men, what can

i say? can i ask you one other thing? the mayor of washington has called on president trump to remove the military and federal police from the military and federal police from the city. there was this ring of steel getting bigger and bigger around the white house, and wondering what you see when you see the white house cut off from the people like that? first of all, the president is not what we would call a strong leader. the president is afraid, and he has every right to be afraid, and he has every right to be afraid, because there are so many people who want to stop him from being such a coward. he should be the leader of this nation, and speaking out to calm everybody, and to bring us together. he is a uniter, and that's why he is building the fence. because he is a divider. he should be a uniter, but

he isa divider. he should be a uniter, but he is a divider. it is so sad that during this time we have to deal with a president who is quite racist, there's no question about it. and so what is happening in our country now is showing that people are not listening to him. they are following their hearts. and it's so wonderful to see so many different kinds of people who are protesting and who are marching, and who are disturbed, and who are upset. and that's what's different from the trayvon martin case. very good to talk to you today. thank you very much for being with us. the european union's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has accused the uk of ‘backtracking' on its commitments, over a future trade deal. however the government's chief negotiator, david frost, says the latest round of talks had

been "positive in tone," and the uk remained "committed to a successful outcome". time is running out, with just six months to go to reach an agreement, before the end of the uk's transitional arrangements with brussels. we cannot accept this backtracking, but we will have the full respect of the withdrawal agreement. 0ur reality check correspondent chris morris has this assessment of what each side wants to achieve. it's the fourth round of post—brexit trade talks between the uk and the eu and they've been taking place remotely in the shadow of the coronavirus crisis. now, that hasn't really helped matters but it's not been the only reason these talks haven't made much progress. there's even no agreement so far on the structure of what they're trying to negotiate. the eu wants one comprehensive deal, but the uk sees that as an effort to keep it tied more closely than it wants to european institutions and ways of doing things.

the uk argue that there should be a series of separate agreements, but the eu sees that as another example of the uk trying to cherry pick the benefits it wants while avoiding the obligations of eu membership. there are also specific issues on which negotiators seem to have hit a brick wall. there is what's known as the level playing field. that's measures to ensure businesses on one side don't have an unfair advantage over their competitors on the other. now, all trade agreements have these, but the eu wants the uk to stick particularly closely to eu rules on things like workers' rights, environmental regulations and subsidies for business. then there's fisheries. now, the uk would like full access to the eu market to sell its fish there, but in return the eu wants full access for its boats to fish in uk waters. british negotiators say that has to change. and then there's the governance of any future agreement. that's partly about how new agreements would be enforced and about the role of the european court ofjustice.

now, it normally takes years to do a trade deal but this process only has a matter of months left. remember, the uk left the eu on january the 31st and we're now in a transition period when all the rules and regulations and payments stay the same until the end of the year. but if no trade agreement is completed by then the uk won't have any formal deal with its closest neighbours, which account for nearly half its total trade. by law, any extension to the transition period would have to be agreed by the end of this month and the eu says it's willing to talk about an extension. the scottish and welsh governments are also in favour. so is the northern ireland assembly. but the uk government has repeatedly ruled it out. so can any basic deal still be done? well, if there's political will to make concessions on both sides, then, yes, perhaps it can. the prime minister will get directly involved this month, holding talks with the european commission and council presidents on how the negotiations are going, and high—level political involvement

can lead to progress. if it doesn't, businesses on both sides of the channel have just over six months to prepare for an abrupt change in the way they trade at a time when many are already struggling to stay afloat. those economic challenges caused by covid could strengthen the case for compromise, or they could provide cover for those who favour a far more radical break with the eu. so crunch talks coming up later this month between borisjohnson and the commission president. we will talk more about brexit and what the chances are of a breakthrough in the coming half—hour, seduced do stay with us for that. we will also talk about the grim milestone pastor in the uk, 40,000 deaths now from the coronavirus. in the latest from the 0ffice coronavirus. in the latest from the office of national statistics.

plenty to talk about, do stay with us. good evening. not only has it turned a lot cooler this week, but during the day today it has turned a lot windier as well. the reason is this deep area of low pressure, unusually so for the time of year, and the tightly packed isobars are bringing some stronger than average winds to say the least. gale force winds across parts of the north of the uk, particularly scotland and northern ireland which will continue through the rest of today and pushed southwards into tomorrow. even ahead of it there was some quite lively gusts of wind, but potentially 50, 60 mph gusts through the night which of course, with the trees in full leaf could cause some issues. and we are getting some rain with this system as well. much—needed rain. a few millimetres falling as the head this way southwards, but as it does so through the day on saturday it could well turn quite showering. that said, when you put a little bit

of the junior strength sunshine in there it could turn heavy and sundry. lots of showers coming in behind, and another band of rain as well further north. so it still, or the potential is still there for some rainfall, much—needed rainfall for the gardens. but it will be windier tomorrow for the south as winds really picking up here. gusts of 40 — 45 mph. still pretty windy further north, although it using just a little across eastern scotland. but still some more rain to come here. of course there will be some sunshine in between those showers, and as a result we may realise temperatures into the high teens, but for most of us it will feel much cooler. and much cooler because of the wind direction and wind strength. now that will continue through the night to push that through saturday night and sunday committed to push shall rearrange southwards. all the time, i think with that crowd and that breeze temperatures will hold up. but as you can see at eights and nines. and then gradually through the day on sunday. so as we move into sunday we start to see these hi pushing it off the atlantic. so that will have two effects, it will start to ease the wind

and start to cut off the moisture for the showers. so sunday still looks unsettled as you can see. we will stop showers around across much of north and eastern scotland, and across much of england as well, particularly near the north sea coast, but fewer showers. and hopefully lengthier and drier spells if that's what you are after, of course, further west. but unfortunately no usable rain. but it does mean that temperatures might get up again into the high teens, possibly pushing 20 degrees, and the winds will ease. and that process will continue into the early part of next week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the terrible toll of coronavirus. in the uk more than 40,000 people, have now died — the second worst in the world, behind america. but there is some more postive news — latest figures for england suggest infections are falling, dramatically. shouting. a pensioner is assaulted by police in new york state, as the protests over the death of george floyd continue. meanwhile, us job figures show that the unemployment rate has fallen. welcoming the data, donald trump has come under fire for bringing george floyd into his comments about the economy. hopefully, george is looking down right now and saying, "that's a great thing that's happening for our country." that's a great day for him. "it's a great day for everybody.

it's a great day for everybody. there's a great, great day in terms of equality." in pakistan, doctors are warning the already weak health care system could soon be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. and a new boss in the house: tim davie is the bbc‘s new direcor general, promising accelerated change when he takes up the role. with swimming pools shut and the unusual warm weather — "wildswimming" is on the rise in the uk — but how safe is it? we find out about the risks involved more details are emerging of the new suspect in the case of british girl madeleine mccann, who went missing while on holiday in portugal in 2007. according to german media, the suspect is also being

investigated, over the disappearance of a five—year—old girl in germany. it's reported the man, partially named as christian b, is 43—years—old and is believed to have been in the same area of southern portugal at the time madeleine went missing. 0ur correspondent gavin lee has more details. this is christian b. the man suspected of the murder of madeleine mccann. she disappeared in 2007. ten years later, the suspect became the focus of a europe—wide police investigation when german police received a tip—off from an associate of the subject who says he made disturbing comments as they watched tv news coverage in a bar on 10th anniversary of madeleine's disappearance. here in praia da luz, we're told police have been making house to house inquiries since then. this person works close to one of the properties used by christian b.

"i think i have seen this man, at some point i saw him not here but in the town." he says the police have come back several times after the first search for her body. two years before madeleine mccann went missing from this hotel apartment, a woman was raped in praia da luz. christian b is remanded in germany charged in connection with that case. he's also charged with other crimes, and locals are questioning while portuguese police hadn't picked up this man with an extensive criminal past before that. in the years after madeleine mccann‘s disappearance, the suspect is said to have moved several times between germany and portugal. in 2015, he owned this run—down property in the east of germany. it's emerged he has also also been invested over this german girl who went missing from a family party. that investigation has now been re—opened. the search for madeleine mccann has been unprecedented with numerous

suspects and several false hopes. we have been told this joint operation depends on new information from the public, if they are to find clear evidence in this case. gavin lee, bbc news. more now on the uk research that suggests there's been a significant drop in cases of coronavirus in england, on the day that the uk's official tally of covid deaths passed 40,000. the office for national statistics estimates that during the past fortnight, one in 1,000 people had the disease outside hospitals and care homes. that equates to 53,000 cases — less than half the previous estimate of 133,000. in separate analysis, the 0ns examined the extra deaths seen during the pandemic that are not registered as covid—related. it found that lives lost to dementia have been higher than average. 0ur head of statistics, robert cuffe, has been looking at the details and joins us now. there are two studies out there

today. there's the 0ns one that says that there are 6000 new infections every day, then there's the public health cambridge university study, which says the number could be closer to 17,000 a day. there's a big disparity between these two studies, which one should we trust was yellow i think i would always go for one that finds out directly how many infections there are. and that is what the 0ns survey does. it goes to people's houses and administers swa b tests to people's houses and administers swab tests to people directly, so they swab themselves. that goes back to the 0ns. there picking people at random, doesn't matter if you have symptoms or not. that's how they work out how many people are infected. the public health england model is different. they're trying to calculate what's going on in the epidemic. they do that by looking at the number of deaths we've seen recently in the pattern in deaths.

they have some assumptions about how long it takes for the infection to turn into a death. what the death rates are. and then on top of that, they added some more assumptions about what's happening, some more mobility data. there are assembling a jigsaw with lots of different pieces from lots of different boxes to come up with a big picture of what's going on in the epidemic. they do two very different things, but simply i'm just asking, how any people are infected? the 0ns asks people, so i think that's the primary one to look at. let's talk separately about the r rate, which is the rate of infection. largely across the uk right now, it is below one, but there are two areas we have concerns about, and that is the northwest of england and the southwest of england. what is going on there? again, this is based on the modelling data. so we have lots of different hotspots coming into it. and models like that from

cambridge and public health england, and another one posted today are all trying to estimate what's going on in the regions using things like death rates or the infection rates, 01’ death rates or the infection rates, or the number of people in hospital to work out what's going on with the epidemic. and while they've seen a slight hint that the rates might be higher in the southwest, for example, in the southwest they've had a very low level of infection overall, there's been an outbreak in the hospital there recently. and when you see that happening, that can when you see that happening, that ca n stall when you see that happening, that can stall the progress that we've seen can stall the progress that we've seen that —— the constantly following figures we've seen over time. there's normally a lag, and you're saying in two weeks' time we might seea you're saying in two weeks' time we might see a rise in the death rate in those particular areas?” might see a rise in the death rate in those particular areas? i think it is probably too soon to say to say there is a lag if this was a real increase in r, we would see. it

is quite possible this is an a rtefa ct that is quite possible this is an artefact that is caused by an outbreak, for example, in a hospital 01’ outbreak, for example, in a hospital oran outbreak, for example, in a hospital 01’ an area outbreak, for example, in a hospital or an area that's had very low level of infections. so that makes a big difference. the model that has led to this discussion is one of at least six that fits into sage, the scientific advice group for emergencies, and when you look at all those models, there is really strong evidence of big regional differences. there's regional differences, of course there is local variations, you will see changes of infection. but when you look at units of 10 million people, you're not seeing strong examples of one area being radically different. we should say this was to be expected, that there would be a slight rise in the protected r rate, because government figures were supposed to go up as they lock down the economy. there's going to be more opportunities for the virus to spread as people walk around, and that rate might rise some. what

people are worried is whether it goes above one. the evidence is strong, we could look at the data and see the number of infections are falling. 0ne and see the number of infections are falling. one of the issues with these models, they are based on deaths and historical data, and there is a lag. the 0ns shows that there is a lag. the 0ns shows that the number of infections in england has been falling over the last few weeks. the data from the 0ns shows that over the last five weeks, including three weeks it the stay alert area, the margin of error but make the most recent set of figures where one in 1000 people are infected. it could be twice as high and that is shown by the hairline that shows the infection rates. but the infection rates haven't done have consistently been going down. the overall trend is showing that overall infections are going down in

england. we will take good news wherever we can get it. thanks so much. the uk health secretary, matt hancock, has implored people not to attend large gatherings, including protests over the killing of george floyd this weekend. a senior metropolitan police officer has said any future mass gatherings to protest against the death of mr floyd would be "unlawful" — amid concerns they could lead to the spreading of the coronavirus. the comments come ahead of two planned demonstrations in london this weekend as part of the black lives matter movement. london's mayor has also urged those attending to respect social distancing rules. 0ur correspondentjames waterhouse reports. the now—familiar pose against racial injustice. today is small in scale, but huge in meaning. i'm lucky enough to be relatively unscathed, living in northwest london. but i have seen it, i've seen it covertly and overtly. and the issues that exist in the us exist here, except you can't see them.

it an nfl player called colin kaepernick who first took the knee in 2016. his sporting career has stalled since, but the movement he started has not. these students from ireland took their turn to protest over the death of george floyd and outline what they want to happen. more money into the curriculum and educating people on institutional racism, colonization, getting books like the good immigrant and why i'm no longer talking to white people about race into regular parlance, like getting people talk about it and they'll learn. they have to learn! there is a momentous field to the last ten days embodied here by some of our emergency services feeling able to take a knee, as well. the fact that a white police officer would show solidarity by taking a knee i think demonstrates the decency of our police. some will criticise them for doing so, i don't. i think what it shows is the fact that our police services empathize with the protests, and they do accept and believe that black lives matter. social distancing was impossible when thousands

came out on wednesday. at the time, police said they stood by them but urged people to follow social distancing guidelines. now, the language has changed. it is unlawful. you know, the government have set that for health reasons, that people should not be in groups of more than six. so we would strongly encourage people not to come out and gather in these large numbers because they're putting themselves and others at risk. i went to south end for a drive, and that was awful. but no one was talking about social distancing then, i was just seeing articles saying, like, people are out there sunbathing — the day people were in conga lines, you know? for thousands, the need to highlight racism and prejudice has been at odds with the social distancing laws we are expected to follow. neither this movement nor health crisis are going anywhere soon. james waterhouse, bbc news. more now on progress with brexit talks, after the european union's chief negotiator, michel barnier, said there has been no significant progress in talks with the uk

about a future trade deal. let's cross to brussels where we can speak to roberta metsola — an mep for malta who is also the home affairs spokesperson for the european people's party group. lovely to have you with us, thanks for being on the programme. i wonder what you make of what you heard today, it doesn't seem like there's been great progress. where do you think we go from here? well, we had hope, andi think we go from here? well, we had hope, and i think there is a lot of disappointment in brussels, but also across the european union, including in my home country of malta, that has a very long—standing historical and cultural tie with the united kingdom. the day is approaching, we have a solid road map that is the blueprint of what this trade agreement should look like. in a few weeks, borisjohnson agreement should look like. in a few weeks, boris johnson is agreement should look like. in a few weeks, borisjohnson is going to meet with the commission president,

andi meet with the commission president, and i must say today, we don't know what that meeting will look like. and that is a real pity.” what that meeting will look like. and that is a real pity. i saw michel barnier waving around papers today, saying that you can read this in any language you want, it is quite simple and straightforward. in english it is the political declaration. yet months ago, he told us declaration. yet months ago, he told us the political declaration wasn't legally binding, it was just an ambition of where they want to go. so why is he criticising the uk side for sticking to something that's not legally binding, or not sticking to what they promised in that document? it was because the uk side was present and agreed to that document, together with every single other member start in together with every single other memberstart in uk together with every single other member start in uk parliament. when you enter in negotiation, you expect the other party to... it's not legally binding, that's the point they're making. there are lots of issues that were outlined at that there was agreement upon, and today we've seen the uk starting to

backtrack. we are still very far on what the role of the european court ofjustice is, on fisheries, i think the line in the sand has been drawn without officials, and i think at this point we should hope for clarity, both sides playing a fair game, and making sure rules are followed. because ultimately, what will i tell my citizens, but will i tell of the businesses and uk citizens living in malta or eu citizens living in malta or eu citizens living in the uk? they want clarity as to where we will be going forward. nobody wants, at least i can speak for a lot of us here, a ha rd can speak for a lot of us here, a hard brexit. that would be so economically problematic for both sides. i think it would be much more mature to return back to the table, which is also what michel barnier said today, that he hopes the next meetings to be in person. because ultimately, a deal has to be done.

this was not started by the eu, the eu is not the enemy. but there are things that need to be tied... we should be clear if there was no deal on the future relationship, that would still leave the withdrawal agreement in place, so citizens' rights would still be protected. yes, and there are in fact a number of eu citizens who have been democrat received status. it lots of uncertainty exists in every single other area. when we talk about the future commercial relationship, when we talk about what will happen with movement — we have not yet set out the rules as they will apply, on money laundering, counterterrorism, we are still very far away. of course we need to ask what will happen. we would like there to be a deal before he crashed into a no deal, and that would be, i think, unnecessary and unwanted by both sides. just moving away from brexit, i wonder if i can get your thoughts ona i wonder if i can get your thoughts on a life breaking copy here that i have that donald trump says the us

will impose a tariff on eu cars u nless will impose a tariff on eu cars unless the eu changes its tariffs on american lobsters. i think donald trump should focus on what's happening in the us right now before starting to talk about creating another war with the european union. laughter. bringing it back to brexit, is this theissue bringing it back to brexit, is this the issue here that obviously the uk wa nts the issue here that obviously the uk wants this deal with the us, but you have an income in the white house who may be there for the next four yea rs, who may be there for the next four years , we who may be there for the next four years, we don't know, who plays ha rd ball years, we don't know, who plays hardball with the years, we don't know, who plays hard ball with the eu ? years, we don't know, who plays hardball with the eu?” years, we don't know, who plays hardball with the eu? i think playing hardball hardball with the eu? i think playing hard ball means hardball with the eu? i think playing hardball means that you stick to your ground. but at the same time, you need to play fair. now if a trading partner will play fair, the eu will oblige, but if the other party decides to go astray from everything it has — if you don't say bound, but at least was discussed, that is not what we saw today, we saw backtracking which is unacceptable for us. do you eat american lobster in malta?”

unacceptable for us. do you eat american lobster in malta? i eat lobster. everywhere, i'm not sure what nationality... you might have to eat more, i don't know, we will see. thank you very much for being with us separately lobster has no by nationality, thank you very much. the bbc has appointed a new director general, who'll take over from tony hall in september. tim davie is currently the head of bbc studios, one of the corporation's commercial subsidiaries. among his priorities for the corporation, will be funding and the future of the licence fee. we can now speak to chris curtis, editor in chief at broadcast magazine. good to have you with us. he was the favourite, but is he the right choice? he's a very credible choice, and he's got lots of the right attributes to take on what is a very difficultjob. as you said in the intro there, he's a commercial animal. he's a deal—maker, a strategic leader with lots of business expertise. and a lot of

what he will be tasked with doing is having the high level political conversations around bbc finances that will be crucial for its future. he isa that will be crucial for its future. he is a deal—maker, but one of the deals he won't be involved in is who becomes the next chairman of the bbc next february. could that be a problem for him? he starts in september, so he's got six months working with sir david clemente, the incumbent chair. that gives him a little bit more time to get his feet under the table, get his vision under the table, get his vision under way. i think that time is incredibly important because it will give him a chance to establish things and be moving in a certain direction, so that when the new chair comes direction, so that when the new chaircomes in, direction, so that when the new chair comes in, they will most likely want to influence and shape a strategy that is already in place, as opposed to if tim davie was

starting now with a brand—new chair who might want to have greater influence on his own vision for the corporation. he will have to negotiate the next licence fee, the work will probably start on that in earnest in 2022. the fact that he comes from a commercial background, will that inform how he thinks? whether he thinks it can be a full licence fee, whether it means he has to find other methods of funding — can that affect the decision? potentially. there is two questions around funding. there's the question around funding. there's the question around the level of funding the bbc has in the question around the method of funding. now the licence fee, the way it is done at the moment as a nonprogressive charge thatis moment as a nonprogressive charge that is paid universally across the board — those are the principles

that will be up for debate. and it will be interesting to see the extent to which the bbc is totally wedded to the licence fee as a funding model, or whether it will countenance a different model as long as that model didn't inevitably lead to a massive decline in funding. if the level of funding coming to the bbc was significantly less, that would mean vast cuts. and no one wants to be the director general that has to usher in an era of vast cuts. one of the other issues he will have to focus on is trust in the bbc. we've seen over the last couple months with coronavirus huge audiences, record audiences for the bbc. so the demand is still there, but there is still a big question over trust. it is accentuated by social media — not only what people are saying about the bbc, but also the role presenters and reporters have on social media. look, the nature of

impartiality has become more complex in the last decade than it was previously. and it is also challenging when there are so many red hot topics. at the moment, bbc is covering the black lives let matter movement. the bbc can tie itself up in impartiality, it doesn't need to be impartial in issues like racism. but once that tends to the clinical sphere, that's where it gets very complicated. and there are lots of examples of director generals who have got into hot water and, ultimately it has cost them theirjob because of scandals around news, bbc‘s light on things, and that coming into conflict with the political world. big challenge ahead of him. thanks for talking to us. thank you. chris curtis there.

taking a dip in a stream, waterfall, or lake is fashionably called "wild swimming" these days and it's become more popular under lockdown. with swimming pools shut and weeks of warm sunshine, one group in sheffield has seen its membership swell by 700 in just six weeks. but outdoor swimming also carries risks, as 0livia richwald reports. you cannot beat the thrill of getting into cold water. it's a huge dopamine fix, it really is. it's a bit like a reset button after a hard day at work, and you come out and you just swim, and you feel calm afterwards. it's completely all—body, all—mind, sensory—overwhelming experience. life under lockdown has been restricted and confined. it's no wonder that many people have sought out adventures on their doorsteps.

0pen water — or wild swimming — in rivers and lakes is becoming more popular, fuelled by social media where people post photos of their dips. these sheffield swimmers say they enjoy the hobby safely and responsibly. 0utdoor swimmers always have a mantra — that you leave the place cleaner than you found it. and every outdoor swimmer that i've seen often comes to the place with a plastic bag, and they fill up all the rubbish from around. they're part of the sheffield 0utdoor plungers, a group with more than 4,000 members. but swimming in nature does carry risks. both south yorkshire fire service and yorkshire water want to discourage open—water swimming, saying it can be very dangerous. although water may look enticing, you don't know what lurks underneath — there might be strong currents or hidden hazards which could hurt you, or you could get cold water shock, which could lead to death. is it safe? yes — if you inform yourself.

i mean, i think there are two approaches to safety, aren't there? one approach is to ban anything that has the slightest element of risk. and the other approach is to give people really good, true information. you know, we're very much into getting that information to people. i make sure it's safe. so for example, i make sure she has a wet suit on — because she loses body heat quicker than we do. also, i make sure she gets dressed as soon as we get out — i get her dressed first before me. she's got shoes to protect her feet and she has flotation devices, and she never leaves my side. so i'd say yeah, it's pretty safe. these wild swimmers are all experienced. they recommend that novices seek advice and also company before attending their first dip. 0livia richwald, bbc look north, sheffield. if you are considering doing that this weekend, i would take a look at the weather forecast before you do that. you might need to grease up,

it will be very cold. stay with us on bbc news, still more to come. good evening. not only has it turned a lot cooler this week, but during the day today it has turned a lot windier as well. the reason is this deep area of low pressure, unusually so for the time of year, and the tightly packed isobars are bringing some stronger than average winds to say the least. gale force winds across parts of the north of the uk, particularly scotland and northern ireland which will continue through the rest of today and pushed southwards into tomorrow. even ahead of it there was some quite lively gusts of wind, but potentially 50, 60 mph gusts through the night which of course, with the trees in full leaf could cause some issues. and we are getting some rain with this system as well. much—needed rain. a few millimetres falling as the head this way southwards, but as it does so through the day on saturday it could well turn quite showering. that said, when you put a little bit

of the junior strength sunshine in there it could turn heavy and sundry. lots of showers coming in behind, and another band of rain as well further north. so it still — or the potential is still there for some rainfall, much—needed rainfall for the gardens. but it will be windier tomorrow for the south as winds really picking up here. gusts of 40—45 mph. still pretty windy further north, although it using just a little across eastern scotland. but still some more rain to come here. of course there will be some sunshine in between those showers, and as a result we may realise temperatures into the high teens, but for most of us it will feel much cooler. and much cooler because of the wind direction and wind strength. now that will continue through the night to push that through saturday night and sunday to push showery rain southwards. all the time, i think with that crowd and that breeze temperatures will hold up. but as you can see at eights and nines. and then gradually through the day on sunday. so as we move into sunday we start

to see these highs pushing it off the atlantic. so that will have two effects — it will start to ease the wind and start to cut off the moisture for the showers. so sunday still looks unsettled as you can see. we will still have showers around across much of north and eastern scotland, and across much of england as well, particularly near the north sea coast, but fewer showers. and hopefully lengthier and drier spells if that's what you are after, of course, further west. but unfortunately no usable rain. but it does mean that temperatures might get up again into the high teens, possibly pushing 20 degrees, and the winds will ease. and that process will continue into the early part of next week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the terrible toll of coronavirus. in the uk more than 40,000 people, have now died — the second worst in world, behind america but there is some more postive news, latest figures for england suggest infections are falling. a 75 year old man is assaulted by police in new york state, as the protests over the death of george floyd, continue. meanwhile us job figures show that the unemployment rate has fallen. welcoming the data president trump has come under fire for bringing george floyd into his comments about the economy. hopefully george is looking down right now and saying is that the great thing that's happening for our country. this is a great day for

him, isa country. this is a great day for him, is a great day for