welcome to bbc news, i'm ben boulos. our top stories. president biden urges congress to approve a policing reform bill, in memory of george floyd after meeting his relatives on the first anniversary of his murder. the us secretary of state pledges aid to rebuild gaza during his visit to the region, but says israelis and palestinians must address the root cause of their conflict. world leaders call for hard—hitting sanctions against belarus after a flight was forced to divert to minsk and a dissident journalist arrested. for the first time in 3,000 years, tasmanian devils are born in the wild on the australian mainland.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. president biden has urged the us congress to pass a policing reform bill quickly, in memory of george floyd. after meeting mr floyd's relatives at the white house, exactly a year after he was killed by a white policeman, mr biden said both accountability and trust were needed in the justice system. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports from minneapolis. taking a knee in the place that george floyd was killed — a symbol of what's become a global struggle. an act of remembrance that lasted nine minutes and 29 seconds — the duration of his murder.

chanting: one, two, three, four! _ police violence no more! the march for racial justice must often seem like a never—ending journey, with milestones along the way but no endpoint in sight. chanting: george floyd, george floyd! _ that's certainly how it feels a year on from the murder of george floyd. protesters are angry they haven't seen more change. we are hunted in america just for being black, and that's not good. it's time for a change. i got a black boy, a son, a two—year—old. i shouldn't have to teach him to put his hands up when he sees the police. i'm marching because these are racially—motivated murders that this state and other states, the united states of america has committed against our people, and enough is enough. and i'm marching in solidarity with other families, because their days of hurting our people and these racially—motivated murders are over with.

policing is going to change... at a rally outside the courthouse where his murderer, derek chauvin, was found guilty, the floyd family's lawyer demanded landmark legislation. we must use this opportunity. to get the george floyd justice in policing act passed, i so we can prevent some of these unnecessary, - preventable, unjustifiable, illegal and unconstitutional killings of our people! - tonight, the family met joe biden at the white house, but congress has failed to meet today's presidential deadline for police reform to be enacted. he's not happy about it not being met, but all in all, he just wants the bill to be right and meaningful and that it holds george's legacy intact. let me hear your voice! change! _ change hasn't come fast enough for these modern—day civil—rights protesters. black lives... ..matter! and on the first anniversary of george floyd's murder,

the mantra of their movement sounds still like an anguished cry. black lives... ..matter! 0ur correspondent barbara plett usher is in minneapolis, where commemerative events are being held. well, what we've seen already today is this street party here at george floyd square, a street festival with food and music and lots of activities, family—friendly activities. we are expecting a concert to start shortly very close to us, so if you hear suddenly a blast of noise, you'll know what's going on. and then later on, a candlelit vigil will be held in commemoration of george floyd. there were some activities in another location, as well, which the mayor attended, also george floyd's sister. and what i get very strongly from around this area anyway is that there's a strong sense of community solidarity. people who had not really being that activated before in socialjustice issues, but also just in sort of being

active in the community, have been very galvanised. and there's a very positive spirit about that. there's also a much greater focus on racism nationally. you've got a different president in the white house, which is a big difference, and he has made socialjustice and racialjustice and equality a big part of his platform. so, as far as that goes, the tone and emphasis has changed in the white house as we saw with the visit there by the family members of mr floyd. but at the same time, that crucial issue of policing reform, what to do about how americans are policed, especially americans of colour, there hasn't been significant movement on that. there have been some changes made at the state level. rules, for example, say banning that neck restraint that was used on george floyd, but not that kind of root and branch reform that activists have been demanding. and that policing reform bill is still stuck in congress, and even that, activists say, wouldn't do enough.

(pres)i'm joined now by clayborne carson a history professor and founding director of the martin luther king, jr., research and education institute at stanford university the root and branch reform still have not come about, what do you think it will take for that to come about? having experienced the 1960s, i think it will take a lot more protest, i was at the march on washington, 200,000 people showed up. we demanded freedom now, passage of voting rights, civil rights legislation. it took a year to get the civil rights legislation, more to get the voting legislation, and in the voting legislation, and in the meantime the opposition became stronger and we have the white backlash against the changes. i white backlash against the chances. , . , .,

changes. i see a similar thing happening — changes. i see a similar thing happening now— changes. i see a similar thing happening now in _ changes. i see a similar thing happening now in the - changes. i see a similar thing happening now in the sense l changes. i see a similar thing i happening now in the sense that ten times as many people were on the streets after george floyd's murder than were at the march in washington in 1963. but the change has been very slow coming, and the nation is at least as divided as it has ever been. congress is evenly divided. so the chances of getting the kind of legislation, the kind of lasting change that we need is probably even less than it was then. and ifear that we probably even less than it was then. and i fear that we will be coming back to the same question... be coming back to the same question- - -_ be coming back to the same question... the question that was asked. — question... the question that was asked, where _ question... the question that was asked, where do - question... the question that was asked, where do we - question... the question that was asked, where do we go l question... the question that. was asked, where do we go from here? i don't think we have answered it. at least 17 states, including minnesota, since the killing of george

floyd have restricted the use of choke holes and neck restraints. if individual states can achieve that within a year, why can it not happen at federal level? is it purely down to the sharp divide in congress?— down to the sharp divide in concress? ., , congress? -- chokeholds. some states have _ congress? -- chokeholds. some states have acted, _ congress? -- chokeholds. some states have acted, others - congress? -- chokeholds. some states have acted, others have l states have acted, others have not acted. that is the dilemma. some states have actually strengthened the laws so that more people can have guns. so there is less oversight of the police. it's geographically divided, and certainly an idea logically divided country. is there a danger that, now we are passing the one—year anniversary, that fatigue, despair sets in about change

actually happening, and that some of the momentum we have seen over the past 12 months is lost? ., ~' seen over the past 12 months is lost? ., ~ ., , lost? no, i think actually the momentum _ lost? no, i think actually the momentum will _ lost? no, i think actually the momentum will stay - lost? no, i think actually the momentum will stay the - lost? no, i think actually the i momentum will stay the same, but another thing we learned from earlier periods of social change, like the 60s, is the more protests, also the more opposition. the massive protests of the mid—1960s did not result in a more liberal america. the 1964 election was the last election in which the majority of white americans have voted for a democrat. so we shouldn't underestimate the amount of backlash against change, against the demands for change. i think it's hopeful that young people, and i think this movement is driven by young people, ultimately they will be the majority, but that might take 20 years. it's still a long way away, where they can have majorities, especially in

more conservative states. so i applaud the young people who are mobilized. i admire them. but i keep saying to the ones i talk to, you have to be a long distance runner, this is not a sprint. distance runner, this is not a srint. , ~ , ., distance runner, this is not a srint. , ~ . ., sprint. these kinds of change will take time. _ sprint. these kinds of change will take time. professor, - will take time. professor, thank you very much indeed. us secretary of state antony blinken says america will make tens of millions of dollars available to the palestinians as it seeks to consolidate the ceasefire that ended the fighting between israel and hamas. but after talks with palestinian leaders in the west bank, mr blinken said the hamas militants in gaza shouldn't benefit from aid going to the territory. i've heard a shared recognition from all sides that steps need to be taken, work needs to be done to address the underlying conditions that helped fuel this latest conflict. the ceasefire creates space to begin to take those steps. attending to the urgent

humanitarian needs of palestinians in gaza and helping rebuild is a key starting point. the united states is committed to rallying international support to that effort and doing our part. that's why we announced additional assistance for the palestinian people today. but we all know that is not enough. as president biden has said, we believe that palestinians and israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely. antony blinken is on a three—day trip to the middle east, where he'll also visit a jordan and egypt. his trip started injerusalem. israel where he met israel's prime minister. the secretary of state reaffirmed that the us supports israel's right to defend itself. and benjamin netanuyahu's message was this. if hamas breaks the calm and attacks israel, our response will be very powerful. and we have discussed ways of how to work together to prevent hamas rearmament

with the weapons and means of aggression. antony blinken then travelled to the west bank to meet the palestinian president. here he is with mahmoud abbas in ramallah. he leads the palestinian authority which runs the west bank. his rival, hamas, controls gaza. here's mr abbas. translation: we also thank the us administration - for its commitment to a two—state solution i and the maintenance - of the status quo injerusalem and to keep the residents ofjerusalem and sheikhl jarrah in their homes. and also we thank the us - administration for its position vis—a—vis the expansion - of settlements and the actions ta ken by settlers. we can talk now to jonathan schanzer in washington, dc. he is the senior vice president for research at the foundation for defense of democracies, an institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.

what did you make of the meetings that were put forward? we haven't really heard much new from this administration, they are trying to reassure the region that the united states is still in charge, although it's hard for the region to trust this administration right now. really for two reasons. one, this administration has already stated bluntly that it plans to pivot away from the middle east, to spend less time on problems where there are very clear answers. with the us having to deal with the great power competition with china, i think that is a fake complete. the region is also watching nervously for the us decision to re—enter the iran nuclear deal, when that happens i think

hamas, with iran as its primary patron... trying to calm the nerves but there are greater challenges awaiting. == nerves but there are greater challenges awaiting.- nerves but there are greater challenges awaiting. -- that is a fait accompli. _ challenges awaiting. -- that is a fait accompli. it _ challenges awaiting. -- that is a fait accompli. it is _ challenges awaiting. -- that is a fait accompli. it is one - a fait accompli. it is one thing to bring about temporary cessation of hostilities, it is quite another to establish a lasting resolution. what hope is there of that when the two sides, on the israeli side you have a prime minister, election after election, cannot secure a parliamentary majority. and on the palestinian side, mr abbas doesn't speakfor the the palestinian side, mr abbas doesn't speak for the political control in gaza. i doesn't speak for the political control in gaza.— doesn't speak for the political control in gaza. i would argue that hamas — control in gaza. i would argue that hamas barely _ control in gaza. i would argue that hamas barely speaks - control in gaza. i would argue that hamas barely speaks for| that hamas barely speaks for the people of the west bank. he is 16 years into a four year term with no election insight. so you have two leaders who have been in powerfor a long time, they don't like each other, they don't have a lot of

interest in talking right now. i would add that the israelis have put on the table a number of peace agreements that have been rejected by the palestinians over the years. but that said, we're not going to get anything until we have new leaders on the scene. thea;e new leaders on the scene. they will probably — new leaders on the scene. they will probably be _ new leaders on the scene. they will probably be a _ new leaders on the scene. they will probably be a fifth - new leaders on the scene. they will probably be a fifth round of elections in israel. do you think someone else needs to now get involved in order for this process to have credibility and hope of reaching some kind of resolution? i hope of reaching some kind of resolution?— resolution? i actually think the real answer _ resolution? i actually think the real answer to - resolution? i actually think the real answer to all - resolution? i actually think the real answer to all of i resolution? i actually think. the real answer to all of this is trying to address the issue of the palestinian divide. you mentioned two different sovereigns in the west bank and the gaza strip, which dates back to a civil war among the palestinians in 2007. their territories have remained under two different governments which are at odds with one another,

the animosity is clear. it is impossible to have a two state solution as long as the palestinians themselves are hopelessly divided. there does not appear to be an easy answer. i would welcome some mediation, i don't think the us can do it, because we don't recognise hamas and cannot engage as they are a terrorist organisation, but other intermediaries could help this conflict be solved.— intermediaries could help this conflict be solved. really good to net conflict be solved. really good to get your _ conflict be solved. really good to get your thoughts _ conflict be solved. really good to get your thoughts and - to get your thoughts and analysis. the tasmanian devils born — in the wild — on the australian mainland for the first time in 3000 years. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am.

taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juventus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the j tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of. the indian people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than 4500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she's left the spice girls. argh, i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, girl power — not geri, why? this is bbc news, the latest headlines. president biden has urged the us congress to pass a policing reform bill quickly

in memory of george floyd. the president met family members exactly a year after mr floyd was killed by a white policeman. the us secretary of state has pledged aid to rebuild gaza during his visit to the region, but said israelis and palestinians must address the root cause of their conflict. the exiled belarussian opposition leader has joined calls for further hard—hitting sanctions to isolate the regime of president lukashenko. it follows the international outcry after the arrest of the opposition journalist roman protasevich when a passenger plane was forced to land in belarus. he had been travelling with his girlfriend sofia sapega, who was also detained. in the last few hours, she has appeared in a confession video where she appears to be speaking under duress. at the white house earlier, the us press secretary outlined how the biden administration plans to address the situation. i will say that the president has asked his team to develop

appropriate options in close coordination with the european union, our allies and other international organisations to help hold the lukashenko regime to account, including sanctions. 0ur correspondent in sarah rainsford is in minsk, the capital of belarus, and explained what impact the international reaction is having. well, it's having one direct effect. we flew in from moscow, and that's now one of the few ways to get here, in fact. as you were mentioning there, eu airlines are cancelling flights here. the belarusian airline belavia is no longer flying to europe, and the airspace over this country is now pretty much closed, off—limits to european airlines, too. so, that's one direct change. but in terms of the political reaction here to what's happening, well, there's been so far a pretty big shrug. belarus, the belarusian government is presenting itself essentially as a country that stepped in to save the day with that ryanair flight. they're saying that there was a real security threat on board and that the belarusian

authorities offered a safe landing here in minsk. so, they're saying the fact that a very prominent wanted man, a very vocal critic of alexander lukashenko was on board that flight and then detained, well, as far as the belarusians are concerned here, that was pure coincidence. the most vocal critics, the most vocal opposition to the government here and to president alexander lukashenko is now outside the country, or if not, they're behind bars. ithink, you know, one of the really kind of clear things that i'm getting, and i've only been on the ground here again for a few hours this evening, but from people i'm speaking to already, you really get a sense, a fear here, people are nervous like they've never been before in all my visits to this country. so, it's really changed here, the atmosphere has changed. people are telling us that they don't know who could be next. let s get some of the day s other news. the united states has called on the world health 0rganisation to ensure transparency during the next phase of investigations

into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. a series of media reports in the us suggest there's growing evidence that the virus emerged from a laboratory in wuhan, rather than from animals. china has rejected the theory. hong kong has warned it could have to throw away vast stores of coronavirus vaccines because of people's reluctance to have a jab. the slow take—up rate has been blamed on a relatively low number of infections and distrust of the government. the american wrestler—turned—actorjohn cena has apologised to china for calling taiwan a country. the controversy began when the fast and furious film star said taiwan would be the first country to be able to watch fast and furious 9 in an interview. beijing opposes the suggestion taiwan is an independent state. the washington post is reporting that manhattan's district attorney has convened the grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict former president donald trump, should prosecutors present the

panel with criminal charges. it says the panel was convened recently and will sit for several months. a protestor has been shot dead during clashes with police in the iraqi capital, baghdad. many hundreds had gathered to demand justice for dozens of activists killed since pro—democracy demonstrations began in iraq in 2019. the authorities have so far failed to identify and punish the killers. mark lobel reports. hundreds vent theirfury in baghdad's tahrir square at the rise of targeted assassinations in the country. translation: we returned to protest to demand - the dismissal of the central government because our previous demands to reveal the killers of our protesters have been ignored. under the banner "who killed me?" citizens hold up photographs

of some of those killed in recent months, from human rights activists to journalists in karbala, basra and elsewhere. protesters accuse the government of allowing known perpetrators, thought to be from iranian—backed armed groups, to roam free. after a peaceful start to this planned demonstration, protesters threw bricks and stones. the police used tear gas and live rounds. at least one protester has been killed, with several injured on both sides. iraq's protest movement took off in 2019, forcing a change in prime minister, with demands for an end to foreign meddling and better public services. now there are fears these unchecked killings could continue for months in the lead up to parliamentary elections in october. some activists have fled, others want elections delayed

until the killings stop. mark lobel, bbc news. tazmanian devils have been born in the wild in australia's mainland for the first time in 3,000 years. it's a big milestone for this endangered species as the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. the tasmanian devil. it's thought they were wiped out from australia's mainland long ago, so conservationists reintroduced 26 adults into a large sanctuary north of sydney, hoping to bring them back. and now, for the first time in 3,000 years, new tasmanian devils have been born in the pouch in the wild in australia's mainland. ten years ago, we started with 44 founder devils and we've now had over 450 joeys. we've been able to historically, albeit in its infancy, return the devil to mainland, and today is another

milestone entirely. they get their name from their ferocity when they fight over food. hard to imagine, though, since these creatures are so — well, cute. there is so much at stake here. we've done everything we can, but if the devil's don't breed, it's all over. they're still an endangered species, but with a bit more mating, these devils are one step closer to redemption. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. and finally, we leave you with an adrenaline boost... ...spain's bienvenido aguado has landed the biggest dirt to dirt frontflip in history at the darkfest 2021, the mountain biking event held this year in south africa — he jumped 30 metres. the previous record was at 21. here are some of the otherjumps of these incredible riders.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @benmboulos. hello there. the bank holiday weekend is fast approaching, and we could all do with something a little more settled, couldn't we, to make outdoor plans. well, i can offer you certainly some drier weather over the next few days and into the weekend, and it will be warmer, too. now, just how warm, take a look at this. with the wind direction coming up from the south by the weekend, we could see temperatures peaking into the low 20s, and we've only seen that once so far this may. so, that's something to look forward to. during wednesday, however, this weather front will enhance some showers coming out of eastern scotland during the morning and sinking their way steadily south across north east england, down through the pennines, maybe into the east midlands, although weakening somewhat. behind, we could see a few scattered, sharp showers developing. one or two odd rumbles

of thunder, as well, into scotland. the best of the sunshine across wales, central and south west england, but the wind direction coming from the north, so a cool source. that means that temperatures still on the disappointing side. 12—14 degrees into the north. we could see 16—18 across parts of england and wales. so, moving towards thursday, a relatively dry start with some early morning sunshine. conditions will cloud over a little into the afternoon, but a ridge of high pressure is building keeping things largely quiet. winds light, and as a result, temperatures will be a degree or so higher, 18—19 degrees. there is a weather front for the start of friday. it's pushing in from the west, but it's a very weak affair. as it bumps into that high pressure, it will die away. so, there is the potential on friday of some light patchy rain perhaps into northern ireland, western fringes of scotland, the isle of man, let's say. and it will be quite cloudy, misty, murky, patchy mist and fog to higher ground here. but the best chance of seeing

that cloud breaking up perhaps the south east, east anglia, and temperatures will respond with highs of 20 degrees. that's going to feel very pleasant indeed. so, if you are thinking about heading to the coast for the bank holiday weekend, i don't think you'll be too disappointed. we can't rule out the risk of a few showers up into the north, but generally it'll be fine and warm. if you want something just that little bit warmer and you don't want to head towards the coast, stay inland. again, temperatures are likely to peak into the low 20s, very nice indeed. and after the miserable month of may, that will certainly be welcome news.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: president biden has urged the us congress to pass a policing reform bill quickly, in memory of george floyd. the president met family members exactly a year after mr floyd was killed by a white policeman. mr floyd's family have expressed disappointment that the bill has not yet been approved. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has stressed that a two—state solution — establishing a palestinian state alongside israel — was the only option for lasting peace in the region. he was speaking after holding talks with israeli and palestinian leaders. the un human rights watchdog has demanded the immediate release of the journalist, roman protasevich, by the authorities in belarus. it said the manner in which he was detained — after a plane was forced to land in minsk — was "tantamount to extraordinary rendition". now on bbc news, it's tuesday in parliament.