tonight at ten — president biden hails "a giant step forward in the march toward justice in america". the conviction of a former us police officerfor the murder of an african—american man triggers a federal investigation into policing in minneapolis. the murder of george floyd while he was being detained provoked worldwide outrage. his family said this about the verdict... i'm going to miss him. but now i know he's in history. what a day to be a floyd, man. applause outside the court, campaigners welcomed the outcome, as did the president at the white house. nothing can ever bring

their brother, their father back, but this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in america. we'll have the latest from washington and from minneapolis after one of the highest—profile trials of recent years. also tonight... labour accuses the prime minister of presiding over a government of sleaze in a row over lobbying involving sirjames dyson. india is suffering a second wave of covid with record numbers of daily deaths and infections. and a victory for the fans as plans for the european football superleague bite the dust. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel... a late penalty by heung—min son gives tottenham victory over southampton in their first game post—mourinho. good evening.

within hours of the conviction of a former us police officerfor the murder of an african—american man a full federal investigation has been launched into policing practices in the city of minneapolis. the justice department will look at whether there has been a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. it follows national outrage over the killing of george floyd by derek chauvin. the former officer was convicted of all charges against him yesterday. president biden has described the conviction as "a giant step forward in the march toward justice in america". our north america correspondent nick bryant has the latest. guilty! cheering. guilty! there was joy in the moment ofjustice, a verdict heard around the world.

unintentional second—degree murder while committing a felony, find the defendant guilty. so now it was derek chauvin who was put in cuffs, a one—time police officer leaving the court a convicted murderer, who's since swapped his suit for prison clothing. it was the verdict the floyd family had yearned for, and their response became an act of remembrance. i'm gonna miss him, but now i know he's in history. what a day to be a floyd, man. wow! applause. at the white house, it was kamala harris, america's first black vice president, who addressed the nation. here's the truth about racial injustice. it is notjust a black america problem, or a people of colour problem. it is a problem for every american. it is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all. then camejoe biden, claiming the verdict could be a giant step in that quest forjustice.

"i can't breathe. i can't breathe. " those were george floyd's last words. we can't let those words die with him. say his name! george floyd! protesters immediately flooded the streets, this modern—day civil rights movement continuing its onward march. guilty! but it also felt like a victory parade, mixing celebration with relief. relief, relief, absolutely relief. i can exhale now and breathe. overwhelmed, overwhelmed. the site where george floyd was murdered has become a landmark of racial injustice, and last night it became a focal point for a swirl of emotions. at times, it felt like a street party. at times, it felt like a vigil. and amidst it all, the haunting iconography of george floyd, whose violent death and desperate final words personified america's systemic racism. this is a milestone moment in the ongoing struggle

for black equality. but it's farfrom being an end point. and while the murder of george floyd has brought about something of a racial reckoning, that's a very different thing from saying it's brought about racial reconciliation. there's no point talking of a new dawn in america. the history of hundreds of years will never be eradicated in a single moment. and we can finally say that we sent that killer cop to jail. but maybe there will be a new sense of police accountability, and maybe a new acknowledgement that black lives truly matter. nick bryant, bbc news, minneapolis. we can talk now to our correspondent lebo diseko, who's in minneapolis. following the verdict, and we saw some of the reaction in the report, how would you describe what people are saying locally there today? you

miaht are saying locally there today? you mi . ht still are saying locally there today? you might still be _ are saying locally there today? you might still be able to hear some of the views— might still be able to hear some of the views it, there are still some celebrations going on, but overall it's been— celebrations going on, but overall it's been much more reflective. we have _ it's been much more reflective. we have seen— it's been much more reflective. we have seen people bringing up flowers and taking _ have seen people bringing up flowers and taking in a moment to take in everything — and taking in a moment to take in everything that has happened. there is a real_ everything that has happened. there is a real sense that while yesterday's verdict brought accountability, justice would really be a change in the way black people are policed. i spoke to somebody in one of— are policed. i spoke to somebody in one of the _ are policed. i spoke to somebody in one of the shops here who was saying this is— one of the shops here who was saying this is a _ one of the shops here who was saying this is a community going through collective — this is a community going through collective ptsd and that that is what _ collective ptsd and that that is what it — collective ptsd and that that is what it is — collective ptsd and that that is what it is like being black in america _ what it is like being black in america. two young women told me they fear_ america. two young women told me they fear people will look at this around — they fear people will look at this around the world and say the justice system _ around the world and say the justice system in _ around the world and say the justice system in america works, and as far as they— system in america works, and as far as they are — system in america works, and as far as they are concerned when it comes to black— as they are concerned when it comes to black and — as they are concerned when it comes to black and brown people it is still failing. there are still a number— still failing. there are still a number of activists camped out here and they— number of activists camped out here and they have a list of 24 demands for systemic change they want to see _ for systemic change they want to see they— for systemic change they want to see. they say they will remain here

until that _ see. they say they will remain here until that happens. tomorrow this city will— until that happens. tomorrow this city will turn its attention to mourning another black man who was killed _ mourning another black man who was killed just _ mourning another black man who was killed just over a week ago in a traffic— killed just over a week ago in a traffic stop with police. his family will hold — traffic stop with police. his family will hold his funeral tomorrow. thank— will hold his funeral tomorrow. thank you _ will hold his funeral tomorrow. thank you again for the latest in minneapolis. the labour leader sir keir starmer has accused the prime minister of presiding over a government of sleaze following another controversy about the lobbying of ministers. the bbc has revealed a series of text messages sent at the start of the pandemic last year in which borisjohnson says he would fix some tax changes suggested by the businessman sirjames dyson whose company was designing ventilators. sirjames wanted to ensure that dyson workers returning to the uk to help with the pandemic response were not penalised by the tax system. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more details. the first lord of the treasury — it's on the letterbox, the most powerful politician

in the country... have you and other ministers broken the rules, prime minister? ..who we now know had been texting one of the wealthiest men in the land, who wanted guarantees that his company wouldn't pay extra tax if they worked in the uk making ventilators for the nhs. sirjames told the prime minister, "we are ready but nobody seems to want us to proceed, sadly. james." borisjohnson promised, "i'll fix it tomorrow, we need you." then he said, "rishi...", referring to the chancellor, "..says it is fixed. we need you here." the reply, "i'll give the ventilator our all." but later sirjames pressed again. "we really need rishi to answer the letter", going on to say, "he's freed up your ability to be in the uk but not to work there, even in support of this national emergency." the prime minister's assurance, "james, i am first lord of the treasury and you can take it that we are backing you to do what you need." but, given the public importance, were those private conversations appropriate? i make absolutely no apology at all,

mr speaker, for moving heaven and earth and doing everything i possibly could. i think any prime minister would in those circumstances. this shows once again that favours, privileged access, tax breaks for mates — they are the main currency of this conservative government. we take the tough decisions where they are necessary to protect the people of this country and get things done. sleaze, sleaze, sleaze. and it's all on his watch. ministers can talk to firms and outside organisations about government business, but officials should be present. if they are not, any significant content should be passed on their department as soon as possible. number ten says the prime minister did do this in a timely way, and they must act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. the prime minister's promised to publish his text messages about covid

contracts quite the commitment. there is to doubt about the scramble in those early desperate days of the pandemic, but the rules that govern ministers�* behaviour were in place then just as they are now. and several sources familiar with what was going on at the time have told me there were concerns even then. sirjames is a well—connected brexiteer, in the past even invited to a meeting at the cabinet table and, at the start of the pandemic, the prime minister asked him to help make ventilators — then in short supply. but the contract never came off. we were ready to go, ready to produce it. we bought the components and then the cabinet office said they didn�*t want it, they didn�*t need it. sirjames told the bbc he was responding to the prime minister�*s request during a national emergency and his text was simply seeking compliance with rules. 450 dyson people worked round the clock seven days a week to build potentially life—saving equipment. no companies received any benefit from the project and dyson voluntarily covered £20 million.

but there is growing worry in westminster about the links between politicians and the private sector. tonight, labour is calling for a full investigation into the prime minister�*s own behaviour. the question — whether boris johnson�*s own contacts have been just too close for comfort. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, downing street. india is being devastated by a second wave of covid, a coronavirus storm as the country�*s prime minister called it. india is now at the epicentre of the pandemic, with cases accelerating faster than anywhere else in the world. in the past 24 hours more than 2,000 people have died and nearly 300,000 new cases have been reported, but the true figures are thought to be much higher.? hospitals in many parts of india including the capital delhi are already overwhelmed. this report by our correspondent yogita limaye contains some

distressing material. a capital on its knees. at its biggest hospitals, people being pushed to the limit of human endurance. "my husband�*s in a very bad state, let me get through", this woman says. she�*s been carrying him around for ten hours. many of these people won�*t survive the night. "sir, for one minute, come and look at my mother", a man pleads. a doctor follows him to the ambulance and prepares to say the words he�*s had to say over and over again in the past day alone. "she�*s no more." herfamily among hundreds in india denied even the chance of saving a loved one. covid—i9 has hit this country with a ferocity not seen before,

but not unexpected either. she shouts this woman tries to revive her brother who was losing consciousness. balaji! balaji thirupathi, the father of two children, died minutes later. his family wanted their story to be heard. there is an acute shortage of oxygen too. sima died because the ambulance ran out of it. some hospitals have just a few hours of supply left. and this is delhi, which has among the best health care facilities in the country. it�*s what�*s been feared would happen since the pandemic began. but once the first wave subsided, the government almost declared victory over covid—i9. the country has been

caught unprepared. and now it�*s stunned by fear and grief. at this crematorium, new funeral platforms have had to be built overnight because of numbers they�*ve never had to handle before. in a protective suit, rohit sharma builds a pyre for his mother deepika with crematorium workers. it�*s a ritual normally performed together by families. we were not prepared. as a country, we were not prepared. and it�*s really sad to see my mother go, because she was just 59. and she recently retired. she wanted to spend some quality time with us, but all i could see was her lying down on the... that�*s all i... holding on to his mother�*s bangles, a broken man.

so many more will lose as the virus rips through india. yogita limaye, bbc news, delhi. the dreadful position in india with the pandemic. the latest coronavirus figures here show there were 2,396 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 2,463. just over 2,000 people are in hospital — the lowest number since the start of september. 22 deaths were reported — that�*s people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. on average in the past week, 24 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths is now 127,327. as for vaccinations, more than 107,000 people have had their first dose in the latest 24—hour period, meaning more

than 33.1 million have now had theirfirst dose. the take—up for the second jab remains high, withjust over 350,000 in the latest 24—hour period, meaning just over 10.7 million people are now fully vaccinated. the manchester united co—chairman, the americanjoel glazer, says the club "apologises unreservedly for the unrest" caused by the proposed european super league. the liverpool owner, john w henry, has apologised to his club�*s supporters. united, liverpool and four other premier league sides withdrew from the esl yesterday, after a furious backlash. mr glazer said they�*d failed to show enough respect for the game�*s deep—rooted traditions. the duke of cambridge, president of the fa, said he was glad the "fans had been listened to". our sports editor, dan roan, reports.

totte n ha m ! we want our tottenham back. spurs fans no longer have to worry about being part of football�*s ill—fated super league. but as they gathered outside their stadium tonight, it was clear the action of the club�*s owners will not be easily forgotten. this club is never going to change, and none of the six are going to change until they get rid of owners like they�*ve got here at the moment. it's just shown the ideology of the owners, the chairmen — not the views of the public, the fans, the ones that pay the money, come here and sit and watch the games. having been forced into a humiliating withdrawal as the super league unravelled, liverpool�*s elusive american owner, john henry, was reluctant to explain himself when approached by the bbc in boston. any word for the fans? but later in this message to the club�*s furious fans, one of the key schemers behind the plot admitted he�*d let them down. i want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of liverpool football club for the disruption i caused over the past 48 hours. it goes without saying,

but should be said, that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans. for days, the idea of a ringfenced european elite had been met with an unpresidented backlash. on a chaotic night, the english clubs abandoned the breakaway and one of the architects of the plan now admits the game is up. i remain convinced of the beauty of that project, of the value it would have developed in the pyramid and the creation of the best competition in the world. but admittedly no, i don�*t think that project is now still up and running. bundesliga teams refused to sign up to the super league, and having ordered a review into the sport, the government wants it to look at the german model of ownership with fans having majority stakes in their clubs. but it�*s unclear how such a model could be introduced into english football, where so many clubs are now controlled by overseas investors. today, manchester united�*s american co—owner, joel glazer,

apologised unreservedly to the fans as the attempt to claw back trust continued. but while the premier league carried on tonight, some are warning there is still a long way to go. some of those relationships will be difficult to repair because people have lied to us. they�*ve sat on committees and they haven�*t told the truth and they haven�*t come clean, and they have been off in a zoom paradise, a zoom bubble, plotting everybody�*s downfall. with the game having been brought back from the brink and fan power reasserted, the hope is that an episode football will never forget proves a catalyst for meaningful change. dan roan, bbc news. the inquest into the terror attack at fishmongers�* hall in london in 2019 has been hearing from survivors, who�*ve been describing the moment when they took on the armed attacker, using a fire extinguisher and decorative tusks. our home affairs correrspondent, daniel sandford, listened to the evidence.

the infamous fight on london bridge between a convicted terrorist and two former prisoners and a civil servant. today, they gave their official account. first, former prisonerjohn crilly, who described hearing screaming and coming down the grand staircase in fishmongers�* hall to find saskia jones bleeding to death. he then saw usman khan holding two knives, shouting "allahu akbar!", and threatening to kill everybody while wearing what turned out to be a fake bomb belt. i said, "what�*s that supposed to be, a suicide belt?", john crilly told the inquest. he started shouting things like, "i�*m going to blow you all up." so i said, "blow it then." he said, "i�*m waiting for the police." then civil servant darryn frost, who wept as he remembered seeing the seriously injured victims. he had also joined the battle inside, using two tusks from narwals, long—toothed whales. when khan was forced out onto the street, he followed.

darryn frost described running after khan onto london bridge, still carrying a narwal tusk. he said he saw khan�*s knives glinting in the sunlight and members of the public gathering like a shoal of bait fish being chased by a predator. then khan turned back towards him and he took the opportunity to strike at him with the tusk. the men brought khan to the ground where darryn frost pinned him down and then tried to persuade the armed police that arrived not to shoot. i said, "i�*ve got his hands, he can�*t kill anyone else. i won�*t let him kill anyone else.", darren frost told the jury. "i didn�*t want him to be shot, he wanted to die. i saw the chaos he caused in the whole. i didn�*t want him to have the satisfaction of his choice when he�*d taken that away from others." but then khan told one of the armed police that he had a bomb, and the officers pulled darryn frost off and opened fire. daniel sandford, bbc news,

at fishmongers�* hall. president putin has warned the west not to cross what he called a "red line" with russia, stating that it would trigger an "asymmetrical, rapid and harsh" response. mr putin�*s comments, during his state of the nation address, came at a time of increased tensions with the west, and as supporters of the jailed opposition figure alexei navalny staged protests against mr putin�*s rule. our moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg, has the latest. a touch of pomp. then cue the president. this was vladimir putin�*s 17th state of the nation address. he usedit 17th state of the nation address. he used it to portray this country is a besieged fortress, threatened by the west. and he warned, don�*t mess with russia. translation: i

russia. translation: ., , ., russia. translation: .,., translation: i hope no one will cross russia's _ translation: i hope no one will cross russia's red _ translation: i hope no one will cross russia's red line _ translation: i hope no one will cross russia's red line but - translation: i hope no one will cross russia's red line but come| translation: i hope no one will. cross russia's red line but come in cross russia�*s red line but come in each case, we the ones who will decide where the red line is. organisers of any provocation threatening our security will regret it, like they have regretted anything for a long time. the smokers haven�*t regretted anything. but is it moscow that�*s the threat? the us and nato say they are concerned by recent movements and a military build—up near ukraine for top there is also concern about alexei navalny, the jailed opposition leader, who was on hunger strike and in poor health. america has one russia of consequences if he dies. today police detained more than a thousand supporters of mr navalny. there were protests across russia. this was the same in moscow, close to the kremlin. people marched through the city, defying the authorities, who called the protests

illegal. russia will be free, they chanted. and we are the power here. vladimir putin always says everything is ok, and i�*m not ok with that. that�*s why i�*m here. in with that. that's why i'm here. in his speech, vladimir putin made no mention of alexei navalny or protests but, in many ways, what�*s been happening to mr navalny is a reflection of the state of this nation. the kremlin�*s most ferocious critic first poisoned and then put in prison. in one day, we saw two very different russias. to the kremlin, unsanctioned protest means chaos, disorder. president putin wants russians to believe that only he can guarantee them stability. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. on her 95th birthday, the queen has thanked people for their support and kindness

since the death of prince philip, saying she had been deeply touched. the queen said herfamily was in a period of deep sadness but the reaction to the duke of edinburgh�*s death had reminded them all of the extraordinary impact he�*d had on countless people throughout his life. the former veterans minister, johnny mercer, has described the government as "the most distrustful, awful environment" he has ever worked in — where "almost nobody tells the truth". last night, it was reported that the former army officer had resigned from the role, after accusing the government of failing to protect veterans who served in northern ireland from prosecution. but, speaking to bbc�*s newsnight, he said he was "sacked by text", having already informed number 10 of his intention to step down. a coroner has urged ministers to tighten the legally binding targets for improving air quality, following the death of a nine—year—old girl. ella adoo—kissi—debrah, who lived near the busiest road in south london,

became the first person in the uk to have "air pollution" listed as a cause of death, following an inquest last year. our environment correspondent, claire marshall, has more details. ella was a healthy child, then suddenly developed severe asthma. this cough an early sign of some of the damage being done to her lungs by toxic fumes close to her home near one of london�*s busiest roads. last year, in a legal first, a coroner ruled unlawful levels of air pollution helped to kill her. today, to prevent others dying from toxic exhaust fumes, he recommended the law should be changed, there should be stricter limits. they should be in line, he said, with tougher world health organization guidelines. i feel a bit relieved. ella�*s mother, rosamund, has been campaigning for this for years. i�*m really, really happy with it. it�*s very clear, it�*s concise, and it�*s about saving lives now.

40,000 people die prematurely in the uk due to air pollution and that needs to stop, and this is a start. it�*s just a start. even when ella was terribly ill, no one made the connection between her lung condition and pollution, and her mother wasn�*t warned. today, the coroner said that the public should be told much more about the dangers and that medical professionals should make the link clearer to their patients. this report isn�*t legally binding, but the fact that the recommendations are so clear and direct will make it very difficult for the government to ignore. and the world health organization believes the danger is global. how can we reduce air pollution? there is one message which is again very powerful — stop using fossilfuels. we have said that for a long time now. fossil fuels are literally killing us. the government says it will consider the report, that it�*s investing almost £4 billion in cleaning

up the air. there is now real pressure to do more to prevent others from suffering and dying like ella. claire marshall, bbc news, south london. alex salmond has launched the alba party�*s election manifesto, saying his party is the only one that is "taking scottish independence seriously". mr salmond said his party has a "proper plan" for scotland to leave the union, and promised alba would "bring urgency into the timetable" for independence if it wins seats in next month�*s polls. at the last general election, the town of hartlepool in the north—east of england once again elected a labour mp, while many seats in the surrounding region — also traditionally labour — turned conservative for the first time. the voters of hartlepool will be going to the polls in a parliamentary by—election on the 6th of may, after the town�*s labour mp resigned last month. our political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been to hartlepool

to assess the relative strength of the parties now. the shadow of past industry lingers on england�*s north—east coast. solid labour for decades, but support�*s gradually ebbed. nearby seats have changed colourfrom red to blue. the seaside town of hartlepool, though, still picked labour when it made its last choice. he�*s hoping it stays that way. a gp and former mp, he�*s pushing for improved public services, dismissing claims that hasn�*t always been the case. i was involved in bringing services back to hartlepool hospital. actually, we�*re showing on the doorsteps that lots of people believe in the same issues as us. they want to see services back in the hospital, they want to see more jobs in hartlepool and they want to see more police on the streets. the conservative candidate, a farmer and councillor, is pointing to benefits reaped in nearby tory towns, unashamedly saying she would aim for the same. we have seen with other mps

in the area, over in darlington, we have the treasury coming north, we have an economic campus coming north, and i want to get those opportunities for people here so they have got sustainable jobs for them and their children going forward. big names have been visiting, a sign of what is at stake. were recent tory wins on labour turf a one—off or permanent shift? does labour leadership have what it takes to win back support? voters here have the power to make waves. and some at this swimming group, a lockdown lifeline, are not afraid of a sea change. i�*m what you would call a classic labour voter, really, but this election, i just cannot bring myself to vote labour. i voted labour, brexit, conservative. but i'm voting conservative this time. i would like to see an mp having the leverage in the houses of parliament to really do something transformational in the town. nothing is clear, though. support is far from settled. usually labour.

probably still labour.