>> watch events unfold on france 24 and france24.com. paris. are watching live from i'm julia kim. these are our top stories this hour. derek chauvin is sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for murdering george floyd. the former minneapolis police officer broke his silence at his sentencing, offering condolences to floyd's family. president joe biden hosts afghan leaders at the white house as the u.s. moves forward with its troop drawdown amid escalating taliban violence. and cyclists are gearing up in the region of brittany, the departure point for the world's most's to just cycling race, the

tour de france -- the world's most prestigious cycling race, the tour de france. ♪ let's go straight to our top story this hour -- derek chauvin has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison after being convicted of murdering george floyd in may 2020. he was found guilty in april of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against floyd's neck for over nine minutes. footage of that fatal arrest reignited a nationwide manhunt -- nationwide protest against police brutality. after his sentencing, shogren -- chauvin broke his silence,

offering condolences to the lord family. >> and to offer my condolences to the floyd family. there will be some information in the future that will be of interest, and i hope it will give you some peace of mind. julia: that was derek chauvin speaking before receiving his sentence. our reporter has been following the trial and sentencing for us. do you make of this verdict? >> the verdict was something that many here were expecting in the sense that it is 10 years more than what the guidelines were saying in the state of minnesota for a second/third deee an intentional murder. usually, it would have been 12 and a half years. the judge decided on 22 and a half years, and he said why he

deded to add those 10 years to the state islands. he said it was because of aggravating factors. remember, the prosecution had asked for 30 years. the defense had asked for time served and probation, meaning that derek chauvin should have been able to walk out. the judge decided to go closer to what the prosecution was asking for. and those aggravating factors -- he had agreed to four of the aggravating factors, but when he gave up the sentencing, he focused on two of those aggravating factors. one was the particular cruelty in which derek chauvin acted when he murdered george floyd. the other was abuse of trust and authority as a police officer committing that crime. that is why he decided to act -- at those 10 years. what does it mean going forward? derek chauvin and his lawyer are likely going to appeal this

seence, so that couldappen in the coming weeks and months. the other thing to know is that in the state of minnesota, people who are convicted and sentenced serve out usually about 2/3 of their sentence, and then they are eligible to be released on probation, which is likely what will happen. julia: we will have to leave it there. thank you very much. let's bring in a legal expert, who also joins us live from washington. thank you very much for joining us. i wanted to ask if you think this is a fair sentence. >> yes, it seems very fair given that it was a murder committed by a police officer, which was in fact aggravated by the fact that george floyd was in effect

a prisoner in his custody, that the police officer was responsible for his care. it is a long time, even though he will probably not serve much more than 2/3 of it, as was just that, but it is still a long time under difficult situation -- under difficult circumstances, and even the context of a police officer charged, in a historical context, it is a lengthy sentence. with all of that, i don't think that even the victim in the case and their family, even though the prosecution asked for the full 30 years for this particular charge, i don't think they could have hoped for a longer sentence, so with all the factors in place, the judge seems to have struck the right note. julia: what is next for derek chauvin? we were hearing earlier he is likely to appeal this sentence, but he also faces a federal civil-rights trial.

what other legal battles is he facing? >> he could face more charges on the federal level. the federal government will have to decide in light of this sentence if their resources are best spent in pursuing further charges against him. that is on the criminal side. on the civil side, there's the potential for remedies, for monetary damages that the victim and the victim's family can obtain. there are still legal obstacles facing george floyd, and he will fight almost certainly through appeal the verdict in this state criminal trial, which there's almost always appeals filed. he will have perhaps a colorable argument in terms of jury selection and the fact that the judge insisted on keeping the trial in that particular forum in that particular location and insisted on not sequestering the

jury, even though during the trial, there were other disturbances, other instances of civil unrest that surely impacted or were known to the jury at the time the case was going on. that is also a tough one to make from a legal perspective, but not impossible. but all of these things will stack up. it is certainly not the end of legal challenges that mr. floyd will face -- i'm sorry, mr. chau vin will face, but none more significant than the fact that he is in jail and will be for the better part of the next 22 years under very difficult conditions. >> what do you think this verdict could mean for america's police officers, and also the victims of police violence, many of whom have not received the same kind of justice? >> it is significant because it shows there is a price to pay -- a serious price to pay. the better part of a lifetime in

jail for engaging in this conduct. i think it shows for the first time on a public scale, on a nationwide scale, something that was is closely watched as this, that there are really consequences for a police officer, that it is not conduct that can occur routinely without risk and that even though it still remains a problem and still will surely occur, the fact is that people will be thinking about it more, and that is very significant and will affect people going over. i think it already has affected the notion of policing going forward in terms of how new recruits and then job applicants and people thinking of policing as a career view that. they know that the world's

expectancy is not the same as it will be going forward. julia: let's move on now. the afghan president and president joe biden are meeting today at the white house as the u.s. speeds up its troop withdrawal from afghanistan, ending america's longest war. the taliban continue to gain ground in the country's north, leading to significant losses in the afghan army. >> in northeastern afghanistan, the front line in the taliban's military offensive. the city already fell to the group twice, and now rebels are attacking it again. the army is on alert, and already, food and power are beginning to run short. the taliban are gaining ground in the city's suburbs after a successful takeover of a border post here to giga stand. dozens of civilians have been hurt, and many more were killed.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> as u.s. forces continue their pullback from the country, afghans are increasingly worried about a nationwide taliban takeover. the group is taking control of some 60 districts in recent weeks. on wednesday, on demand march kabul and claimed they would support afghan security forces if the taliban we t move toward the capitol. similar scenes were observed in western provinces where this militia gathered in a show of strength. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the next day in the same city, 130 talibans relinquished their arms in front of tv cameras.

meanwhile, negotiations for a national unity government that would include at -- include the taliban remain at a standstill. jua: tense talks in the eu extended into the overnight. member states were divided on a franco german proposal to resume summit eating's with russia. it was thwarted in the end by eastern european nations, but others said the eu should have shown more courage. >> hopes for dialogue with russia dashed at the eu summit after leaders rejected a franco german bid to continue talks with russia. they argued it would send the wrong message to russia. french president macron stressed the need for solidarity between the 27 member states.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> instead of trying to strengthen ties with moscow, the bloc went in a different direction. during the summit, leaders called for further sanctions on russia if it continues what it called cyber as well as overt attacks. lgbtq rights were another source of division. several leaders denounced hungary's new legislation that would ban showing content about lgbtq issues to young children. critics say it links homosexuality with pedophilia. >> most of us were very clear that new hungarian law goes against our values, and therefore, at the coalition, we have assessed this law

thoroughly. we have written to the hungarian authority, the hungarian government detailing out our legal concerns. quick the law is due to come into force in 15 days' time. julia: turning out to germany, and a man armed with a long knife has killed three people and seriously injured five others in bavaria. he was shot and arrested by police. the suspect is a 24-year-old somali man with a history of mental illness. investigators say they have yet to determine if this was an islamist terror attack or due to the suspect's psychiatric state. u.s. vice president harris is visiting the u.s.-mexico border, which is seeing a 20-year high in illegal crossings. harris is aiming to counterclaims from republicans that she is being slow to visit the region. the vice president was tasked by

joe biden to address the root causes of immigration. her visit to el paso, texas, follows trips to guatemala and mexico earlier this month. harris toward a migrant sing -- a migrant processing center -- harris toward -- harris toured a migrant processing center. >> you have heard me say many times most people do not want to leave home and when they do, it is because they are fleeing some type of harm or they cannot take -- take care of the basic needs of their family staying where they are. we are here to address and talk about what has gotten to the u.s. border and continue to address the root causes which cause people to leave their home country. julia: republicans critical of the administration's policies say harris should be visiting the rio grande valley where most of the migrant crossings occur, not el paso.

>> every morning, she would support a police bus carrying people. she runs a humanitarian organization in the small town of del rio. her association receives asylum-seekers who have been granted a provisional permit to stay in the united states. since president joe biden took office, the number of illegal migrants in the country has multiplied. in may, 180,000 people were apprehended at the border, the ghest monthly figure in two decades. >> we used to just get 25 a week. that was it for the whole week. one day, it could be three or four times that. >> however you explain it? >> change of administration. >> the center helps migrants organize the next leg of their

journey for relatives already living in the u.s. >> there is an airplane. the taxi leaves in less than one hour. th airplane goes from del rio to dallas and then outward. >> over the past three months, people from 72 different countries came here. they were mainly people from venezuela and haiti, and they have been traveling for year and a half and crossed 10 countries. >> [speaking foreign language] >> even though she volunteers to help migrants, she says the current situation is untenable. >> it is not about being for or against immigration. it is about what the country can sustain. >> vice president harris has been charged with leading the response to the immigration crisis, one of the toughest

problems facing the biden administration. julia: now the most prestigious cycling race in the world was about to get under way for its 108th edition. tour de france starts this saturday and will see cyclists race around the country taking on flat and mountainous roads. teams are currently gearing up in brittany where the race will begin this saturday. after last year's astonishing end, many more surprises could be on the way. >> behind the face masks, silence and nervousness bubbles up on both sides as crowds cheer on the teams ahead of the tour de france 2021. after last year's edition was delayed due to the pandemic, the most celebrating -- celebrated cycling race in the world is back on schedule. they will travel all across the country to the strenuous

mountain stages in the alps and the pyrenees before wrapping up in paris. after a sensational win when he clinched a last-minute victory in his first ever tour, the 22-year-old slovenian champion will be fighting to defend his title. >> i'm confident every day has some tricks and obstacles in it, so, yeah, day by day. >> the will champion is hoping to become the first french winner since 1985. >> the crowd has given me a very warm welcome. i'm very happy to be here for my fifth tour. i will fight for it and try to put on a show for the crowd. we will see what the tour has in store for us. >> it promises to be another

gripping race. julia: time now for a look at the day's top business news with brian quinn from the business desk. let's start with price pressures in the u.s. inflation is back. >> indeed, and the question is -- is it here to stay? we don't know. the u.s. commerce department has just reported the personal consumption index from a passing the biggest year-to-year rise since 1992. most of that game came from energy prices, which were up a massive 27.4% after a cyberattack shut down the east coast gas pipeline. personal income actually fell by 2% as the government begins winding down stimulus payments. investors have been watching closely for signs the federal reserve may soon raise interest rates.

the international monetary fund says recent price spikes are most likely temporary as the economy recovers from the pandemic in fits and starts. >> the spike in inflationary pressures that we have seen reflects transitory supply demand mismatches, temporary input shortages, and largely one-off shifts, including commodity price increases coming off the very low base of last year. >> turning next to the day's trading action, that big inflation number ailing to rattle the markets. s&p 500 closed at a new record in its best week since april. investors cheered by the conclusion that the u.s. banking industry could withstand even a severe recession. the dow finishing up .7%. european indexes ended the week mixed.

london under the day of around .3%. -- london ended the day up around .3%. a major deal friday on reforms to the eu's massive foreign subsidy program. the common agricultural policy is by far the bloc's single logistics manager accounting for numeral one/3 -- 1/3 of the total budget. talks have dragged on for three years, mostly over reducing a contribution toward industrial farming and moving it toward sustainable agriculture. environmental campaigners say the deal fails to fight climate change with many of the sustainability measures difficult to enforce or even voluntary. the green commissioner acknowledge the deal is not revolutionary, but he hailed it nonetheless. here he is.

>> if you look at it from a truly european perspective, which is all change is evolution, reform, and not revolution, i think we have reached a day, a real game changer with this agreement. >> here in france, music lovers are rejoicing after the recent announcement that indoor standing concerts will be allowed to resume starting next wednesday. the club set to reopen in july after nearly a year and a half of closure, but as the sector tunes up for revival, plenty of westerns remain. -- plenty of questions remain. >> paris-based australian singer melissa is taking the rough with the smooth. she has been booked for many dates. yet, cafe and restaurant owners, squeezed by the pandemic as well, are only willing to pay a meager fee. >> having to accept something

that is less than standard, and they want to maintain a healthy culture, but i think it will take time to get back to where we were. >> live music venues and nightclubs have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. before the crisis, france had 1600 nightclubs. 152 are close for good. 25% of those remaining say they will not be able comply with health protocols due to their ventilation systems. festivals are coming back for the summer, but the french music industry's top advocacy organization says it will not be smooth sailing. ticket sales are sluggish because of the confusion about vaccine and testing health certificates along with the fact that many top concerts have already been rescheduled for 2022. in 2020, 90 billion euros in aid were distributed. so far in 2021, it has

distributed 60 million. >> finally for business, another hurdle clear in the race to private spaceourism. virgin galactic announced friday it has received approval from the u.s. federal aviation at nist ration to begin sending customers into space from its new mexico facility. the company's billionaire entrepreneur founder servitude branson was initially set to join the test flight to space later this year. meanwhile, amazon founder jeff bezos is planning to be on board one of his blue origin rockets as it has passed the earth's atmosphere on june 20. more than 2100 people have already reserved seats on board virgin galactic at a starting price of $20,000. the price is expected to rise once the company starts taking reservations again. i think you could not maybe pay me to get on one of those things. julia: i will have to start saving up for us.

thank you very much for that business update. that is it from us. there's more news coming in just a few minutes. we are taking a quick break, but we will be right back. stay tuned. ♪ >> sudan, the land of the black pharaohs, is the new holy grail for archaeologists the world over. while some hope to get rich by plundering the ruins, other -- others seek to protect the sites and raise popular awareness. >> [speaking foreign language] >> don't miss this investigation by our reporters from the archaeological site of sudan.

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06/25/21 06/25/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the humanitarian situation is dire. looting of aid supplies, estimated 350,000 people are threatened by famine. amy: as ethiopia faces the world's worst famine and a decade, the ethiopian military bombs a marketplace in tigray