this is bbc news — i'm kasia madera with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. george floyd's former girlfriend reflects on his life and their battle with addiction — on day four of ex—police officer derek chauvin�*s trial. we both cried with pain. disturbing videos, which appear to show the massacre of unarmed civilians in northern ethiopia, have been obtained by the bbc. the ousted leader of myanmar, aung san suu kyi, has been charged with violating the country's

official secrets act. the un secretary general antonio guterres rebukes wealthier countries for stockpiling vaccines — and tells the bbc his view on vaccine passports. is it possible to have a vaccine passport that facilitates exchanges and movement but at the same time it creates a new level of inequality in the world. and at the age of 81, why sir ian mckellen has chosen to take on one of the toughest roles in theatre. hello and welcome. the girlfriend of george floyd — whose death in minneapolis last year

sparked protests across the world — took the stand today in the trial of derek chauvin, the police officer accused of murdering him. courtney ross cried as she talked about how she first met mr floyd and described their struggle with opioid addiction. derek chauvin has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of manslaughter. our correspondent lebo diseko has been watching the evidence and a warning — her report contains some disturbing images. a man who enjoyed food, exercise and taking dad selfies — george floyd's girlfriend of three years painting a picture of the man she loved. she told the court about the life that they'd shared, including their addiction. our story is... it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction, many times. the prosecution wanted to show

mr floyd's addiction was not a reflection on his character, but the issue is central to mr chauvin�*s defence. for the majority of the time, mr floyd was clean, right? yes. and it was your belief that mr floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? i noticed a change in his behaviour, yes. the court heard that mr floyd had previously overdosed and that both friends with him on the day he died had sold him drugs before. next on the stand, the paramedics who'd been called out to the scene. both testified that mr floyd was unresponsive when they arrived. in a living person, there should be a pulse there. i did not feel one — i suspected this patient to be dead. and at the moment that you're checking for this carotid - pulse, are the officers still positioned - on top of mr floyd? yes. for the first time, we had

medical evidence that suggested george floyd died at this spot, and while that was less emotional than the testimony heard at the start of the day, it was no less impactful. lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. well, a little earlier, lebo gave us more details about courtney ross�* testimony. she was in tears as she described how much she loved mr floyd and the life they shared together, the kind of person he was, talking about when they met and how he would come over and see her and prayed with her and really talking about what a gentle soul he was in her life. the defence really pushed her on the issue of their drug use. the earlier testimony, she said they had taken opioids together and the defence for derek wanting to prove that there was more to that. but there may have been drugs that he took that she did not

know about and also pressing this point that people mr floyd was with that day had sold him drugs in the past. and also finding discrepancies between her testimony in court and the fbi. but it was very moving testimony and no doubt, she was very distraught on the stand. we later heard from the paramedics that arrived on the scene and in contrasting testimony, they were very matter—of—fact, saying that when they arrived, they thought mr floyd was dead, and really powerful hearing from them that they had been trying to check for george floyd's pulse to see if there are any signs of life and had to ask mr chauvin to move and get off his neck whilst they were doing that. that medical evidence absolutely crucial in our understanding of what happened that day. yes.

i think the point that the prosecution is trying to show is that really, there was no cause for the police officers to still be kneeling on george floyd for the length of time that they were, it was clear that he was no longer responsive and interestingly the day ended with testimony from chauvin�*s supervisor. we heard from a 911 dispatcher who had been watching would have been happening inside the dispatch centre that she called derek chauvin at the scene and was not told that they had restrained him in such a way that they put a knee on george floyd's neck. that detail only came out much later when they were in hospital and efforts were being made to revive george floyd.

very, very notable that at the end of the day, he was asked at what point the restraints should've stopped and he said when it was clear that george floyd was no longer resisting. disturbing videos which appear to show the killing of unarmed civilians in northern ethiopia, by people apparently dressed in ethiopian army uniform, have been obtained by the bbc. in november, the government launched a military campaign in the region of tigray, following an attack on an army base there thought to have been carried out by the rebel tigray people's liberation front. there have been accusations of serious abuses by all sides in the conflict. our africa correspondent leila nathoo's report contains images that some will find very disturbing. armed men in uniform, leading a group towards a cliff edge.

bodies appear strewn across the ground. a man is urged to throw one off the cliff. these graphic videos and others like it were passed to the bbc and began circulating on social media last month. we have been able to match elements of the landscape shown, to features visible on satellite images to identify the location. it's in ethiopian�*s northern tigray region. in november 2020, following an attack on a military base, the ethiopian army began an offensive in the region against the tigray people's liberation front, or tplf. they are challenging central government rule. troops from eritrea are also involved, backing the ethiopian government. the conflict has largely been hidden from view, as access has been severely limited. the un is currently investigating numerous allegations of atrocities committed by all sides.

we can't say for sure when these videos were filmed, but the armed men are wearing uniforms that match those used by the ethiopian national defence force, or endf. they are heard speaking one of ethiopia's official languages. the victims are dressed in civilian clothing and are heard speaking the language of the tigray region. for those trying to piece together what is happening on the ground, this is more evidence of shocking violence. since the beginning of the conflict in the tigray region we have documented a whole magnitude of very serious abuses, including extrajudicial executions by ethiopian government forces and their allies, and this is absolutely an incident which will require further investigation because what we are seeing here in the video could amount to war crimes. we put the videos and claims to the ethiopian government, who said they were open to independent investigations

in the tigray region and said social media posts and claims could not be taken as evidence. they added that investigations into allegations were welcome for remedial action and accountability. after months of darkness, slowly a horrifying picture is beginning to emerge of the bloody events that have occurred there over the past five months. in mozambique, a ship carrying more than a thousand survivors of a deadly insurgent attack has arrived at the port of pemba. armed militants raided the coastal town of palma last week, causing thousands of people to flee into the surrounding forests. islamist insurgents have been increasingly active in the northern province of cabo delgado since 2017, although it remains unclear what specifically they are fighting for. aid groups believe the latest attack has left tens of thousands displaced.

translation: i am so exhausted. we spent seven days on the run, seven times we crossed paths with people who wanted to do us evil. the situation is terrible. so many people are dead. myanmar�*s detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi is facing another charge — for violating the nation's official secrets act. this is the most serious charge she now faces — and carries a possible jail term of 14 years. ms suu kyi hasn't been seen in public since she was ousted from power. it's been two months since the military takeover in myanmar. in the past 2a hours, the un and the us has evacuated family members of its staff because of the worsening security situation. we're also hearing it's become difficult and dangerous for foreign embassy staff, journalists and medical workers on the ground. myanmar authorities have ordered an internet shutdown until further notice. more than 520 people have died in the crackdown since february 1st.

according to the charity, save the children, it's now been revealed 43 of them are children. the youngest being a seven—year—old girl who was shot at, at her home during protests in mandalay. and this was the funeral for a 13—year—old boy who was reportedly shot in the head as he ran away from the security forces. save the children said, "it's a nightmare situation" "children have witnessed violence and horror. it is clear that myanmar is no longer a safe place for children." earlier i spoke to john sifton, the asia advocacy director at the human rights watch. he says the military is showing its "true colours" and the international community has to take harder action. we have always known that the myanmar military are not ashamed to attack civilians

across myanmar during civil war, insurgencies. and against the rohingya several years ago. we are now seeing them showing their true colours, as always. people arrested in the dead of night. the international community must actually take hard action that shows that this type of behaviour is intolerable.— this type of behaviour is intolerable. when you talk about hard _ intolerable. when you talk about hard action, - intolerable. when you talk about hard action, we - intolerable. when you talk| about hard action, we know intolerable. when you talk - about hard action, we know that sanctions simply don't seem to persuade the regime to stop this kind of behaviour. they feel that they have no friends in the international community anyway, so, what kind of hard actions could possibly curb their behaviour? the united states, their behaviour? the united states. the _ their behaviour? the united states, the uk, _ their behaviour? the united states, the uk, already - their behaviour? the united | states, the uk, already have sanctions, again some of the

military owned industries that exist in burma. but it is not just a military force, it is also a business, corporation, but the sanctions from the us and the uk and a few other countries are brought to bear are good, but not enough. if you really want to get the military�*s attention you have to impose sanctions that have not been approached in the past, sanctions which target the hard currency revenues that the hard currency revenues that the military makes from selling natural gas to thailand and china and raw minerals, gemstones and valuable timber like teak, which are exported to china and malaysia. these are the hard—currency objects. the difference than before it is that now the military is more integrated into the global economy and to work at making this actions affect affected you have to target the ongoing revenue, because there is money

that they share about that can be got if the international community does this. so there is the risk, _ community does this. so there is the risk, the _ community does this. so there is the risk, the situation, - community does this. so there is the risk, the situation, the l is the risk, the situation, the violence going on since the 1st of february, and we are talking about the death of so many children. it about the death of so many children. , about the death of so many children-— children. it is complicated, and you — children. it is complicated, and you have _ children. it is complicated, and you have powerful- children. it is complicated, and you have powerful oill children. it is complicated, i and you have powerful oil and gas companies that are concerned about the virus, but they say that it is too complicated. the truth is, it could be better. the european union, the united states, and the uk could put in place sanctions that would force banks and oil and gas companies do not pay the burmese government. it could be done. it is a question of the political will at the united nations level and between washington and brussels. this can be got. it is an enforcement of

money—laundering, money—laundering, money—laundering laws and anti—corruption laws. you could cut off the burmese military spending schemes, and they are not impervious to pressure, but it has to be brought quickly. it is important that we stand with the people of burma who are themselves sabotaging the own economy. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: 0n on all occasions... why sir ian mckellen has chosen to take on one of the toughest roles in theatre at the age of 81. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worst, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions

worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become - a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, - many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is- being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffeh — this is bbc world news,

the latest headlines... on day four of ex—police officer derek chauvin�*s trial, george floyd's former girlfriend reflects on his life and his battle with addiction. a series of disturbing videos have been obtained by the bbc which appear to show the killing of unarmed civilians in ethiopia's northern tigray region, by people wearing ethiopian army uniforms. the united nations secretary general has told the bbc that rich nations should share the coronavirus vaccines they've bought, instead of stockpiling them. 600 million doses have been distributed worldwide but more than 80% of them have been used by the richest countries. meanwhile many countries are struggling to secure any vaccines. the un secretary general antonio gutteres has been speaking to the bbc�*s laura trevelyan. secretary general, thank you so much forjoining us. a great pleasure. the united states and other developed countries

are stockpiling coronavirus vaccines. what is your reaction to the situation? we have been asking the developed countries not to stockpile vaccines, and to share the vaccines they have bought, and in many circumstances they have bought more vaccines than the ones needed for their population, to share them early with the developing world. because if you want to defeat the covid, you need to be able to defeat it everywhere, and it's very important to start vaccinating especially front—line workers and vulnerable populations everywhere. the united states is saying that it's holding on to its stockpile because it may want to vaccinate adolescents, for example. is that a good reason to hold onto it? it's important to vaccinate the whole population, but for us, the priority is to vaccinate those that are in the front line and those vulnerable groups everywhere, before we vaccinate the whole of the population in developed countries. and the reason is very simple. we have a virus that mutates.

and we see that we have mutations that are more frequent when spreading is more frequent too. and so, if we don't stop the spreading of the virus in developing countries, there will be more and more variants, and some of those variants might put into question the vaccines that exist today, being used in the developed world. which means those vaccines might become useless for the future. so, even to make the vaccination campaigns in the global north effective, we need to make sure that we are able to vaccinate in the global south, to avoid the spreading, and with the spreading, the development of new variants that might become a serious problem to eradicate covid. there is a lot of talk here in the united states about a vaccine passport, so that people can begin to live their lives again. but what concerns do you have about the idea of a vaccine passport?

the main problem of a vaccine passport is equity. and is it possible to have a vaccine passport that facilitates exchanges and movements, but at the same time creates a new level of inequality in the world. that is the concern. we see that there is huge inequality in the way people have access to vaccination and treatment, and huge inequality in the way that countries are able to mobilise resources for recovery. and that is why we are insisting on the need to provide more liquidity and effective debt relief for the developing countries and middle income countries that need it, in order to be able to get it —— guarantee to their populations, while the developed world being able to do with the massive mobilisation of resources that is being made. what is the lesson that we hope the world has learned from the pandemic? the biggest lesson is to understand how fragile we are, as a global society. fragile in relation to the pandemic, fragile

in relation to climate change. fragile in relation to lawlessness in the cyberspace, fragile in relation to the lack of capacity to have a control about technological developments that can put into question our global security, so we are very fragile, and where we recognise, when we are humble enough to recognise how fragile we are, i hope we will learn that we learn to face the challenges that are so clear to this world. secretary general, thank you so much forjoining us. it is a pleasure. at the age of 81, the celebrated actor sir ian mckellen is taking on one of the toughest roles in theatre. he's playing hamlet — half a century after he first played the role. the curtain should go up injune when restrictions on theatres are finally eased. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has been talking to sir ian during rehearsals at the theatre royal windsor about the huge challenge ahead.

of all occasions to inform against me and spur my dull revenge! the mode, these days, of casting people who don't necessarily look the part, because it's the inner person you're going after, and if i can rake around inside and discover the young man in me, then hopefully it'll be all right. strikes me that the biggest challenge is the physicality, is the movement. well, what am i to do? i can't pretend i'm 20. no—one's going to believe it. but i can feel that i'm 20. it is going to be an 80—year—old man playing a man 50 years younger. i have played gandalf, who was over 7,000 years old. no—one said i was too young! you first played hamlet as a child when you had your toy theatre, didn't you? yes, yes, i'd be about ten or 11. my parents gave me a pollock's toy theatre, which was a theatre that you have to cut up and reassemble.

cardboard. and behind a tea towel, i was saying the words. i did a shortened version of hamletjust after christmas lunch! and you cannot have imagined then that you would be playing it, what, 70 years later? no, of course not, no. i thought i'd be playing polonius, if not the skull, by this time! yorick�*s skull. there will be people who come to collect this hamlet. i remember when i played it in 1971, two old gentlemen came round to see me afterwards and said, "congratulations, you're our 73rd hamlet". how do you think theatre's going to respond to what's happened in the last 12 months? it's been pretty devastating. during my lifetime, the theatres in london were closed for longish periods during the second world war, but always sprang back. sir ian mckellen once again plays the prince, undimmed by the whips and scorns of time. will gompertz, bbc news. police in brussels have

dispersed a crowd of several thousand young people who had turned out for a non—existent concert. officers on horseback and using water—cannon broke up the gathering, which was announced on social media apparently as an april fool's dayjoke. some in the crowd shouted "freedom" and threw projectiles at police. strict covid—19 social—distancing rules in belgium prohibit gatherings of more than four people outdoors. and finally, before we go, it seems easter has come early for a couple of monkeys and meerkats here in london. the zoo animals rushed to find treats hidden for them in easter eggs hanging from branches in their enclosures. it's part of an annual easter tradition at london zoo, although no guests were there to see it. zoos in the uk have been closed to visitors due to lockdown restrictions,

but are currently scheduled to reopen on april 12, when many outdoor attractions are set to reopen. i don't think the animals were forced at all. —— fussed. temperatures have been coming down day by day, coming into the easter period. we should see quite a bit of sunshine around although it be cold with overnight frosts. gardeners beware. heading into monday, cold arctic blasts will bring a mixture of sunshine and also wintry showers. for good friday we have high pressure building on, some slightly cooler air around it, and breezy across northern and eastern areas. here is where we will see most of the cloud. for scotland and eastern england with may be the odd light shower and run through the morning. parts of england will stay cloudy and breezy and cool. further west,

the best of the sunshine and it is here from northern ireland down through wales in the south—west where we could make 13-14 south—west where we could make 13—14 celsius, cooler across northern and eastern areas. heading through friday night and into saturday morning it will stay cloudy and breezy across the eastern half of the country, clear skies and lighter winds further north. here to the west we will see a widespread frost. the area of high pressure still with us as we head through saturday and indeed into sunday as it starts to fade away. a dry day, thanks to fade away. a dry day, thanks to higher pressure, with the best of the site and across north and west areas, with more planned for central and eastern england, and quite chilly here, temperatures reaching highs of around 12—13 celsius. temperatures, we should be looking at through early april. for easter sunday, it looks like we should have another fine day but as that area of high pressure retreats it will

allow wetter and windier colder weather across the north of the uk, then further south into the uk, then further south into the uk, milderwith highs uk, then further south into the uk, milder with highs of 15 degrees, but changing sunday into easter monday with opening the floodgates to the attic. the weather front sync southwards reports of isobars in the charts, so very windy and cold and strong northerly winds bringing in plenty of hail, sleet and snow showers, pretty much anywhere. there will be some sunshine in between but we could see some snow in the hills across northern scotland. with that cold arctic win, it is going to feel much colder than that 1t— eight celsius.

this is bbc news. the headlines. george floyd's girlfriend has described how they both struggled with opioid addiction. her testimony came as the murder trial of former police officer derek chauvin entered it's fourth day. he denies charges of murder and manslaughter. chauvin�*s defence team say mr floyd died because of ill—health and drug overuse. a series of disturbing videos have been obtained by the bbc which appear to show the killing of unarmed civilians in ethiopia's northern tigray region, by people wearing ethiopian army uniforms. ethiopia's government says it's open to independent investigations but added that social media posts and claims cannot be taken as evidence. the un secretary—general has told the bbc that rich nations should share the coronavirus vaccines they've bought — instead of stockpiling them. 600 million doses have been distributed worldwide — but more than 80% of them have been used by the

richest countries. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with zeinab badawi