our correspondent barbara plett usher is in minneapolis.evidence that derek chauvin spoke in the courtroom. up to the last minute, there was speculation about whether he would testify. have you made a decision today whether you intend to testify or whether you intend to invoke your fifth amendment privilege? i will invoke my fifth amendment privilege today. the decision whether or not to testify... i let me take this off. ..is entirely yours. is this your decision not to testify? - it is, your honour. all right. taking the stand would have been the only way for mr chauvin to tell his side of the story about this video. the defence argue that his knee was not the main cause of george floyd's death. but it would have opened him up to cross—examination by the prosecution, and he decided that the risk was too great. just a few miles away, another former police officer, kim potter, appeared in court — charged with manslaughter for shooting a young black man at the weekend. that sparked an explosion of anger in a city already on edge. there've be

barbara plett-usher reports from chicago. barbara: the police man chases boy down an alleyway.ur han," he shouts. then a shot is fired. police had said the boy, adam toledo, was carrying a gun. but the video shows him raising empty hands before he falls to the ground. 19 seconds from start to finish. a distraught officer stillman calls for medical backup, but they can't save adam. it seems he had dropped his weapon before turning round. th>> those videos speak for themselves. adam during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands." adam complied, turned around. his hands were empty and he was shot in the chest at hand of the officer. barbara: another shooting this week in minneapolis triggered nights of protest against police. the killing of a young black man at a traffic stop has become one more flashpoint in a year of demonstrations for racial justice. and now they have also started shouting adam toledo's name here. the anger has added to tensions over the george floyd murder trial, which is winding down. the city

our correspondent barbara plett usher is in minneapolis. weeks of evidence that derek chauvin spoke in the courtroom. up to the last minute, there was speculation about whether he would testify. have you made a decision today whether you intend to testify or whether you intend to invoke your fifth amendment privilege? i will invoke my fifth amendment privilege today. the decision whether or not to testify... i let me take this off. ..is entirely yours. is this your decision not to testify? - it is, your honour. all right. taking the stand would have been the only way for mr chauvin to tell his side of the story about this video. the defence argue that his knee was not the main cause of george floyd's death. but it would have opened him up to cross—examination by the prosecution, and he decided that the risk was too great. just a few miles away, another former police officer, kim potter, appeared in court — charged with manslaughter for shooting a young black man at the weekend. that sparked an explosion of anger in a city already on edge. t

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.hey released graphic body—camera video footage showing a policeman shooting and killing a 13—year—old boy in an alley in chicago. adam toleda appeared to have his hands raised when he was shot in the early hours of march 29th. the video shows a police officer running after the teenager in a neighbourhood on the city's west side. the policeman orders him to stop and show his hands, but when the boy complies, he is shot in the chest. police says the boy was holding a gun, but the family attorney says he was not holding it at the moment he was shot. those videos speak for themselves. adam, during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands." adam complied, turned around. his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest, at the hands of the officer. our correspondent larry madowo who's in minneapolis for the george floyd trial described what had happened in chicago. families of people whose children, fathers and mothers have b

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. the new round of us sanctions imposed on moscow is a proportionate and measured response to alleged russian interference in us elections and cyberattacks. russia has responded angrily to the new measures, summoning the us ambassador and warning that they deal a serious blow to mutual relations. mr biden said he could have gone further, but chose not to, saying any escalation of tensions was in neither country's interests. i was clear with president putin that we could have gone further. but i chose not to do so. i chose to be proportionate. the united states is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with russia. we want a stable, predictable relationship. if russia continues to interfere with our democracy, i'm prepared to take further actions to respond. our washington correspondent, gary o'donoghue has more on the impact of these sanctions. these are not the first sanctions against russia not likely to be the last. the biederman illustration says it plans to reta

barbara plett usher, bbc news, chicago.the focus of international talks between ukraine's president and the leaders of france and germany. volodymyr zelensky has been anxious to increase international support following the recent build—up of russian troops along ukraine's eastern border and in crimea. there have been tensions between russia and ukraine ever since russia annexed the crimea in april 2014, and russian—backed forces seized a large swathe of eastern ukraine's donetsk and luhansk regions, coloured in turquoise here. a ceasefire was negotiated in 2015, but it remains fragile. 0ur correspondentjonah fisher reports now from the front line near marinka in eastern ukraine. rpg shell. yours, or theirs? theirs. in eastern ukraine a war that had been dormant is coming back to life. just keep your head down a little bit. this is marinka. just a hundred metres separate these ukrainian army trenches from the positions of the russian—backed forces. for the last six years very little has changed here along the front line in e

barbara plett usher, thanks forjoining us.risjohnson should "respect scottish democracy", if the electorate votes for a majority of msps who support independence in next month's holyrood elections. the snp leader was speaking at the launch of her party's manifesto. here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. for the snp, this election is crucial because they believe victory for them will lead to another referendum on independence. so, the future direction of the scottish nation is on the ballot. it's a huge question, but not the only one on voters' minds. the snp are asking for an unprecedented fourth term. so, that means voters will notjust be looking at their plans for the future, the party also has to defend their record over the last 1a years in government. after seven years as first minister, nicola sturgeon�*s facing questions about whether she's delivered on education and poverty reduction, as well as scrutiny of how she's handled the covid crisis. do you owe voters an apology for the tragically high death rate in scotland

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.dy cameras appears to show that a 13—year—old boy shot dead in the us city of chicago last month was not armed at the moment police opened fire. adam toledo appeared to have his hands raised when he was shot in the early hours of march 29th. the video shows a police officer running after the teenager in a neighbourhood on the city's west side. the policeman orders him to stop and show his hands, but when the boy complies, he is shot in the chest. police says the boy was holding a gun, but the family attorney says he was not holding it at the moment he was shot. those videos speak for themselves. adam, during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands." adam complied, turned around. his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest, at the hands of the officer. this is the reaction from the mayor of chicago, lori lightfoot. even as our understanding of this incident continues to evolve, this remains a complicated and nuance

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.france, have condemned an increase in russian troop numbers near its border with ukraine. the joint declaration comes as ukraine says another one of its servicemen has been killed in clashes with russian—backed fighters in the east. yesterday the kremlin said it wasn't moving towards war, but wouldn't remain indifferent to the fate of russian speakers, in eastern ukraine. the mother of one of two people killed in the terror attack in london's fishmongers' hall in 2019 has given evidence at the start of an inquest. jack merritt and saskia jones were fatally stabbed by a convicted terrorist at a prisoner rehabilitation conference. anne merritt said her son's death was �*a tragedy�* but that his life had been �*a triumph�*. tom symonds has the story. the charity jack merritt worked for tried to help former criminals turn their lives around. saskia jones came to the event it held that day in fishmongers held that day in fishmongers' hall as a volunteer. in footage shown to the jury she see

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. said he's spoken to authorities in minnesota about the fatal police shooting and he's called for "peace and calm", noting that daunte wright's mother was asking for the same. was it an accident, was it intentional? that remains to be determined by a full—blown investigation. in the meantime, i want to make it clear again. there is no justification, none for looting. no, there is no justification for violence. peaceful protest understandable, and the factors is that we do know that the anger, pain and trauma that exists in the black community in that environment is real, it's serious and it's consequential. as we've just reported, minneapolis is already tense as the trial of a former police officer, derek chauvin, accused of murdering george floyd, has entered a third week. philonise floyd, the younger brother of george floyd, has been in the witness stand today. his testimony totalled less than 15 minutes, it portrayed george floyd as a family man with a strong relationship with his m

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.inues to battle a rapid spread of infection. according to india's health ministry, more than 1000 deaths have been registered for a second day. some areas have started imposing tougher restrictions, and reports suggest health care systems in some states are overwhelmed. ministers in the power sharing executive at stormont are to be asked later today to approve an easing of lockdown restrictions. it's understood that close contact services such as hairdressers and beauty salons will be allowed to re—open a week tomorrow, with non—essential shops allowed to admit customers a week later. the scottish national party has launched its manifesto for next month's holyrood elections. the snp says it would put the nhs at the heart of its pandemic recovery plan, with a pledge to increase health spending by 25% over the next five years, and abolishing all dental charges. the party's leader, nicola sturgeon, said a majority snp government would hold another referendum on independence, once the covi

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.ut back a year because of the covid19 pandemic. the organisers insist the games are full steam ahead — the torch relay is underway and athletes all over the world back in training. but injapan, support for the olympics and paralympics remains low because of concerns about coronavirus. from tokyo rupert wingfield hayes reports. if the latest opinion polls are to be believed, these people in tokyo demanding the olympics be cancelled are just the tip of a very large iceberg. with coronavirus infections surging across western japan, 72% now say the olympics must be postponed or cancelled. one of them is nobuko shimizu, who is worried about the threat to her elderly mother. we can't have the olympics. my mother is 91. so she is very vulnerable to the covid things. i think maybe i would take her to the countryside for maybe two or three weeks, away from tokyo. it's more safe. japan doesn'tjust have a large number of elderly, they have only started getting covid vaccines this week. while the

barbara plett usher, bbc news, wisconsin.neapolis just after 3.00pm this afternoon as the closing arguments get under way. more than three—quarters of licensed premises in england remain closed, despite the easing of lockdown restrictions — that's according to a survey by the hospitality industry. pubs and restaurants in england have been allowed to serve customers outside for a week and many of those which did open enjoyed a busy weekend, asjon donnison reports. reason for cheer. for many in england, this weekend saw them out on the town for the first time in months. a little bit of sunshine adding to the mix. it was about an hour and a half to two hours we queued up. it wasn't too bad. we had a couple of drinks in the queue. we ordered our food, whatever, happy days. but with only outdoor table service allowed, figures from the hospitality industry show less than a quarter of licensed premises in england have actually been able to reopen. around a third of all pubs are back pulling pints, many with beer gardens, but it's be

barbara plett—usher, bbc news, wisconsin.nd stripes at half—mast outside columbine high. the school sealed off, the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought that they would actually go through with it. one of the most successful singer—song writers of all time, the american pop star prince has died at the age of 57. i was — it's hard to believe it. i didn't believe it. we just — he was just here saturday. for millions of americans, j the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has i meant conflicting emotions. a national day of— mourning next wednesday, sitting somehow uneasilyi with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. and lift off of the space shuttle discovery with the hubble space telescope, our window on the universe. this is bbc news — the latest headlines: twelve of europe's top football clubs have confirmed they plan to form a breakaway super league, in defiance of european football's governing body — uefa. a big milestone in the fight against coronavirus — at least half the adult population o

laura: barbara plett-usher reporting from chicago. you are watching bbc world news america.come, ahead of tomorrow's funeral for the duke of edinburgh, we will be life at windsor castle -- live at windsor castle. serious ethical issues are being raised after it emerged that u.s. and chinese scientists implanted human cells in monkey embryos. the aim of the research is to understand more about how the cells develop. >> these are not human embryos. they were never destined to develop into a human being. they are just groups of cells. while people have a gut reaction of discomfort, this is actually something we have been doing for several decades. there are concerns about what it might one day in the future lee to -- lead to. we need to make sure people have an opportunity to air their discomfort, have their voices heard. laura: the royal family is preparing to say goodbye to prince philip whose funeral wil take place tomorrow at windsor castle. there will only be 30 mourners, due to the pandemic. this is a funeral that prince philip designed himself. what can we expect? >> it

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. cathedral�*s roof and toppled its spire. now 1,000 oak trees have been felled across france to replace the spire and its medieval rafters, as workers prepare for reconstruction. 0ur paris correspondent lucy williamson has been finding out more about this vast restoration project. beneath its protective cranes, notre—dame still embodies the horror and heroism that unfolded here two years ago. since then, workers have been clearing the debris, since then, and dismantling the scaffolding that securing the structure, melted in the fire — 40,000 tubes of it, fused melted in the fire — 40,000 tubes of it, fused into strange new sculptures — each mangled piece into strange new sculptures — each mangled piece cut away one by one. now, for the first time, thoughts are turning to the reconstruction. a thousand trees have been pre—selected to rebuild the roof — nicknamed the forest for its sheer number of rafters. some of them more than 20 metres tall to span the vast spaces inside the cathedral

i have been speaking to barbara plett usher, our us state department correspondent, who has been monitoringutside the us capitol. she now gives us a sense of how the country has been reacting to the incident. over the past weeks, i think the city had begun to relax a bit more because since january sixth, there'd been a massive security increase around the capitol building, as you know. there had been some warnings about possible attacks, but nothing had happened. and now something has, so people are on edge again and nervous about what to expect. now, this is nothing like on the scale, of course, of what happened onjanuary 6th, which was a mob storming the capitol building with arms, hunting down congresspeople, attacking police officers. this seems to be a one—man attack. at this point, it appears that he acted alone. it's also not at all clear that he might be, you know, connected to some kind of political or other cause. the officers who spoke to us earlier said that they were not calling it a terrorist attack, and this man has not appeared on law enforcement radar before. he's not known

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.eers in the uk are being recruited to take part in a study looking at whether a mix of covid vaccines can be used for the first and second doses. if you're young and black, you've been hit hardest hit by unemployment during the pandemic; according to new research, 35% of young black people are out of work in the uk. police and protesters clash for a third night in the us city of minneapolis, after an unarmed young black man daunte wright was shot dead by a white police officer. there will be a debate in the uk parliament today, to decide if there should be a parliament—run inquiry into the links between the former british prime minister david cameron and the failed finance firm greensill capital, and mr cameron's lobbying of current ministers and how they responded. prime minister borisjohnson insists the independent inquiry he's ordered into mr cameron's lobbying will have carte blanche to talk to anyone. but labour says the review has all the hallmarks of a cover—up. 0ur political co

from minneapolis, barbara plett usher reports.me familiar scenes in the year of civil unrest over police violence. with every deadly encounter igniting a smoldering anger. there's a standoff between police and protesters here. smoke bombs have been fired, tear gas has been fired after another police shooting of a black man in minnesota. that man was dauntay wright, 28 years old of mixed race. —20 years old with the city already on edge over the trial of the george floyd killing, police moved quickly to release footage from the camera worn by the officer involved in the shooting. it shows that mr wright was pulled over for a minor offence. that escalated when police decided to arrest him on a previous warrant. he tried to run. but then a fatal mistake the police chief said. the officer was struggling with yelled taser, taser. during this encounter however the officer through their handgun instead of the taser. it is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser but instead shot mr wright with a single bullet. t

barbara plett usher, bbc news, wisconsin. you have also written a book about racism in america's largest code. you have done a lot of research about police officers and why they so rarely face consequences for excessive use of force. what are your theories? right now ou force. what are your theories? right now you have _ force. what are your theories? right now you have a _ force. what are your theories? right now you have a system _ force. what are your theories? ii grit now you have a system where prosecutors in america largely depend on police officers to win cases. that creates this kind of incentive structure where prosecutors are rarely incentivised to look at police cases that don't make sense and look at cases where they think police are planting drugs on a suspect or a suspect is even dead. there is so much pressure for prosecutors to blindly move forward on cases and some even fear physical violence or some career suicide. the police violence you see on the streets is emboldened by prosecutors and evenjudges streets

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.nvaded afghanistan in 2001 — almost 20 years later, they are still there. but not for much longer. he will withdraw the remaining 2,500 troops by september the 11th — the anniversary of the terror attack that led to the invasion. here's what president biden had to say. keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country at a cost of billions each year makes little sense to me and to our leaders. we cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal, and expecting a different result. so how will president biden's announcement affect the millions of afghans living in a deeply divided country? the taliban still control many areas, including parts of balkh province. from there, our correspondent secunder kermani reports. victory, they believe, is theirs. as american troops prepare to leave afghanistan, the taliban promises to create what they call an islamic government. but whe

let's speak to barbara plett usher, our us state department correspondent, who's been monitoring eventsthe us capitol. once events from outside the us capitol. again the us c attack once again the us capitol under attack in a shocking situation for the country. attack in a shocking situation for the country-— the country. yes, it is. in fact i have to say — the country. yes, it is. in fact i have to say that _ the country. yes, it is. in fact i have to say that over - the country. yes, it is. in fact i have to say that over the - the country. yes, it is. in fact i have to say that over the past | have to say that over the past weeks, i think the city had begun to relax a bit more because since january the 6th there have been a massive security increase around the capitol building as you know. there had been some warnings about possible attacks but nothing had happened. and now something has swivel are on edge again and nervous about what to expect. now this is nothing like on the scale of course of what happened on january the 6th, which was a of what happened onjanuary the 6th, which w

barbara plett usher reports from chicago. the policeman chases the boy down an alleyway.then a shot is fired. stop! gunshot police had said the boy, adam toledo, was carrying a gun but the video shows him raising empty hands before he falls to the ground. 19 seconds from start to finish. shots fired, shots fired. get an ambulance over here now. a distraught officer stillman calls for medical back—up but they can't save adam. it seems he had dropped his weapon before turning round. those videos speak for themselves. adam, during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands," adam complied, turned around, his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest at the hands of the officer. chanting another shooting this week in minneapolis triggered nights of protests against police. the killing of a young black man at a traffic stop has been one more flashpoint in a year of demonstrations for racialjustice. and now they have also started shouting adam toledo�*s name here. the anger has added to tensions over the george

barbara plett usher is in minneapolis, and has been following the trial. would testify, and the decision was only really made last night. taking the stand would have given him a chance to tell his own version of the story of that video, of him kneeling on george floyd's net. but at the same time it would have opened him up to intense cross—examination by the prosecution, and in the end his final decision was not to take that risk. his lawyer has wrapped up the case, it took him two days to present, compared to two weeks for the prosecution, and he focused on the prosecution, and he focused on the cause of death, his chief witness was a forensic pathologist who said that mr floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance brought on by multiple factors, rather than a deprivation of oxygen brought on by mr chauvin. and remember, george, that the defence does not have to prove that derek chauvin is innocent, it only has to raise doubt about whether mr chauvin was the main cause of mr floyd's death. we will be hearing closing arguments on monday and then the jur

barbara plett usher reports from chicago adam toledo was killed in the alleyway right behind me.rage and that's been amplified by the fact that there was this delay in releasing the footage. it took more than two weeks. and during that time police talked about an armed confrontation. and, on top of that, this is all happening at the same time as the trialfor the killing of george floyd, which also resonates deeply here. thanks to barbara there. china has said it is willing to co—operate more with some european countries over the challenges of climate change, as the argument continues over which of the major economies is the biggest polluter. president xijinping made the pledge during a video summit with the leaders of germany and france. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. china is the world's greatest factory and its biggest polluter, and america is the second largest. together, they account for nearly half of global emissions, and there's now a us president determined to change that. we can't wait any longer. we see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bone

barbara plett usher reports from chicago adam was killed in the alleyway right behind me and he was onent years and so, of course there is outrage and that has been amplified by the fact that there was this delay releasing the footage. it took more than two weeks and during that time, police talked about an armed confrontation. 0n about an armed confrontation. on top of that, this is happening at the same time as the trial of the killing of george floyd, which also deeply here. i've been speaking to lorenzo boyd, who served as a deputy sheriff in boston, and who is currently a police consultant and trainer. he gave me his assessment of the police officer's actions, based on the bodycam footage that has been released. i think ithinkfar i think far too often police officers default to deadly force when they are unsure or if they are afraid. i think we need to retrain police officers how to engage with civilians, certainly with young people. if you can get them to retrain and not so quickly go to deadly force, i think that will be a game changerfor force, i think that will be a game change

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. the headlines on bbc news...study looking at whether a mix of covid vaccines can be used for the first and second doses. the row over the lobbying activities of the former prime minister, david cameron, for the collapsed firm greensill capital — mps vote today on whether to hold a parliamentary inquiry. if you are young and black and have lost your job if you are young and black and have lost yourjob in the last year, do get in touch with us with our correspondence. marcus said he is currently unemployed and cannot find employment. so there was a time late last year when he had a friend in an accent on a joint company, gave him his be to give to the appropriate will internally, he came back a weekend a bit later and said the overhead management talking and according to him, they said we don�*t need any more black people disrupting the balance, plus we already have four of them so we�*ve met our quota. i guess, after that, i�*vejust lost faith, met our quota. i guess, after that, i�*ve just lost faith, says marcus

_ events ofjanuary six and now the events that have occurred here today — i'm joined now by barbara plett usherte department correspondent who is following closely what is happening outside the us capitol. we heard a very emotional acting head of the capitol police, but take us through what happened at lunchtime today.— us through what happened at lunchtime toda . , ., ., lunchtime today. yes, a car rammed into the security _ lunchtime today. yes, a car rammed into the security checkpoint - lunchtime today. yes, a car rammed into the security checkpoint about i into the security checkpoint about 100 yards away from the entrance to the senate side of the capital building, ramming itself into the structure injuring two police officers, and that a man came out of the car wielding a knife. and lunged towards the police officers. at which point he was shot. taken to hospital and has been pronounced dead. the two officers got medical attention from one of them got medical attention outside on the scene. the other one was medevac to hospital. and one of them has passed away, he succumbed to his injuri

barbara plett usher has this update from chicago.olice in recent years and so there is outrage and that is been amplified by the fact that there was this delay in releasing the footage, took more than two weeks and during that time, police talked about an armed confrontation. 0n time, police talked about an armed confrontation. on top of that, this is happening at the same time as the trialfor the killing of george floyd, which also resonates deeply here. i am nowjoined by lorenzo boyd, associate professor of criminaljustice at the university of new haven. he served as a deputy sheriff in boston he's a police consultant and trainer. there has been body can footage of the officer's action and that body can footage has been seen widely, what is your assessment of what use of the officers actions? i what is your assessment of what use of the officers actions?— of the officers actions? i think far too often police _ of the officers actions? i think far too often police officers - of the officers actions? i think far too often police offi

barbara plett usher reports from chicago. stop! the policeman chases the boy down an alleyway.," he shouts, then a shot is fired. stop! gunshot. police had said the boy, adam toledo, was carrying a gun, but the video shows him raising empty hands before he falls to the ground. 19 seconds from start to finish. shots fired, shots fired. get an ambulance over here now. a distraught 0fficer stillman calls for medical back—up, but they can't save adam. it seems he had dropped his weapon before turning round. those videos speak for themselves. adam, during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands," adam complied, turned around, his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest at the hands of the officer. chanting: say his name! daunte white! _ say his name! daunte white! another shooting this week in minneapolis triggered nights of protests against police. the killing of a young black man at a traffic stop has been one more flashpoint in a year of demonstrations for racialjustice. and now they have also started shouti

our correspondent barbara plett usher reports from brooklyn center.are trying to push them back with flares and smoke bombs. protesters are angry about another police shooting of a black man which took place on sunday. police are trying to arrest a man after pulling him over for a traffic violation. all of this is happening ten miles north of minneapolis, where the trial is under way of the former police officer derek show then, for the killing of george floyd. the third week of testimony is set to begin on monday. the city is on edge. this incident hasjust intensified very strong emotions. sixty years ago, mankind went into space for the very first time. for the ussr, yuri gagarin's single orbit of the earth was a huge achievement — and a propaganda coup. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports on the moment a new russian hero was born. he was the original rocket man. yeah gagarin, the first human being to do this. let's go, he said. he went into space. we can will never forget the moment is the first spaceman returned to us. he landed in yi

barbara plett usher reports from chicago. adam toledo was killed in the alleyway right behind me. there is outrage and that's been amplified by the fact that there was this delay in releasing the footage. it took more than two weeks. and during that time police talked about an armed confrontation. and, on top of that, this is all happening at the same time as the trial for the killing of george floyd, which also resonates deeply here. thanks to barbara there. you're watching bbc news. the latest headlines: final preparations are under way for the duke of edinburgh's funeral at windsor castle on saturday. the ceremony has been planned by the duke and will reflect his life and interests. russia has expelled ten us diplomats and has banned visits by some american officials in response to president biden's new sanctions on moscow. now, a group of guests at the notorious fyre festival will receive compensation after a lawsuit against the organisers. 277 people will receive more than $7,000 each. the 2017 eventin than $7,000 each. the 2017 event in the bahamas to global attention after

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.d is expected to announce plans later to allow hairdressers to re—open a week from tomorrow. under the proposed timetable, nonessential shops would also re—open at the end of the month. unlike the rest of the uk, northern ireland has yet to publish a road map out of lockdown. four in five rapid coronavirus tests taken in the last month appear to have returned a correct result. that's according to the latest figures from public health england. there had been concerns about the reliability of lateral flow tests but scientists say the latest results show they can be a valuable tool in controlling the pandemic. the tests are currently available forfree to everyone in england, while a similar scheme will be introduced in scotland from the end of the month. introducing so—called coronavirus vaccine passports could amount to unlawful discrimination. that's the warning from the equalities watchdog. the government in england is considering introducing the covid—status certificates for entry int

from minneapolis, barbara plett usher reports. familiar scenes in the year of civil unrest over police violence. every deadly encounter igniting a smoldering anger. there's a standoff between police and protesters here. smoke bombs have been fired, tear gas has been fired after another police shooting of a black man in minnesota. that man was dauntay wright, 28 years old of mixed race. —20 years old with the city already on edge over the trial of the george floyd killing, police moved quickly to release footage from the camera worn by the officer involved in the shooting. it shows that mr wright was pulled overfor a minor offense. that escalated when police decided to arrest him on a previous warrant. he tried to run. but then a fatal mistake the police chief said. the officer was struggling with mr wright taser. during this encounter however the officer through their handgun instead of the taser. it is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser but instead shot mr wright with a single bullet. this appears

i'm joined now by barbara plett usher, our us state department correspondent who is following closelyappening outside the us capitol(. this car came this carcame up this car came up to the security entrance just outside the senate building and rammed into the barrier, the police barrier. the physical structure. and he hit two police officers and then according to the briefing we have just heard he got out of the car wielding a knife and started to aggressively run towards the police. at which point they shot him and he was taken to hospital and he has been pronounced dead. the other two officers receive medical care can we saw some pictures of one of them apparently being treated at the site by a paramedics. the other one was and that he backed —— medevac by helicopter. i would've the police officers succumbed to his injuries, one of the police officers has died. currently the suspect is not note the capitol police or to the metropolitan police. no indication of his motivation. we were told that it was not being viewed as an act of terrorism at this point. and that there was no indica

barbara plett usher, bbc news, wisconsin.licing in the us. let's get more on this from sonia pruitt, a retired captain of the montgomery county maryland police department and founder of the black police experience. thank you for talking to us. if derek chauvin is convicted, what message will it send out, do you think? i message will it send out, do you think? ~' message will it send out, do you think? ~ .,, ., message will it send out, do you think? ~ ., , ., ., think? i think those of us who have been waiting _ think? i think those of us who have been waiting for— think? i think those of us who have been waiting for so _ think? i think those of us who have been waiting for so long _ think? i think those of us who have been waiting for so long for - think? i think those of us who have been waiting for so long for what . been waiting for so long for what justice looks like, that will be a positive step in the right direction. but like one of your guest said in the clip you just played, it'sjust one guest said in the clip you j

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.n. it's twenty years after they first went in following the 9—11 attacks. president biden is set to make the formal announcement later. but the speaker of the afghan parliament has warned the withdrawal could lead to civil war. the united states has spent around two trillion dollars and lost more than 2,000 service members since 2001 in what has been its longest war. at its height, there were more than 100,000 us troops stationed in afghanistan. today, there are around 2,500 us troops in the country as part of a 9,600—strong nato mission. let's hear a little of what antony blinken had to say about the withdrawal, speaking at nato headquarters in brussels. almost 20 years ago after the united states _ almost 20 years ago after the united states was_ almost 20 years ago after the united states was attacked, together we went into — states was attacked, together we went into afghanistan to deal with those _ went into afghanistan to deal with those who attacked us and to make sure that _ th

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.uties four days after the death of the duke of edinburgh, to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official. the monarch held herfirst in—person event to host a ceremony at windsor as william peel formally stood down as lord chamberlain. the earl had overseen the arrangements for the duke's funeral. the world's longest rabbit has gone missing and is thought to have been stolen from its enclosure. that is a long rabbit! darius, a continental giant rabbit measuring four feet long, disappeared from his home in stoulton, worcestershire, on saturday night. his owner, annette edwards, has offered a £2,000 reward for his return and said it was a "very sad day". he claimed the guiness world record for the longest rabbit alive in 2010. ididn't i didn't know there was a longest rabbit award. find i didn't know there was a longest rabbit award.— i didn't know there was a longest rabbit award. �* ., ,., , rabbit award. and what did we say, was it 2010? _ rabbit award. and what did we s

here's barbara plett usher. protesters had been demanding justice for daunte wright.m wasn't good enough for them. they wanted it to be murder, and so another face—off with police — the fourth night of unrest. kim potter had already resigned before she was arrested and booked into the countyjail. a bitter end to 26 years in the force. she was actually training a new officer when they stopped mr wright because of an expired car registration. they discovered a previous warrant for his arrest and he tried to flee. the police department said she attempted to tase him, but mistakenly drew her gun. ijust shot him. the civil rights attorney who represents the wright family called this an unlawful use of force, not an accident. all this training... at what point did you not feel that this was a gun in your hand, versus a taser? that is the key question many protesters are now asking. i want to show you some of this article from the new york times. it reports that so—called "weapon confusion" has happened 15 times before. but there have only been 3 convictions. it quotes geoff

barbara plett—usher reports.d smoke bombs. the protesters are angry about another police shooting of a black man, which took place on sunday. police were trying to arrest the man after pulling him over for a traffic violation. all of this is happening just ten miles north of minneapolis where the trial is under way of the former police officer derek chauvin for the killing of george floyd. the testimony, the third week of testimony, is set to begin on monday. the city is on edge, and this incident has just intensified very strong emotions. a tropical cyclone has ripped across a 621 mile stretch of western australia, leaving a trail of damage, and almost wiping out one holiday town. courtney bembridge reports. this is the moment the storm made landfall in western australia's mid west region. it brought heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 170km/h — winds so strong they ripped the roofs of houses, brought down power lines and left a path of debris. some residents said they had to hide in cupboards after their walls w

barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis.. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale, has been given special access to the first full rehearsal. 0ur royal correspondent sarah campbell is at windsor castle. we are expecting the names of the attendees to be announced, many of them will be close family members, but there will be room for others? good morning, a beautiful morning in windsor. the sun is shining over windsor. the sun is shining over windsor castle. quite a busy morning. 0bviously windsor castle. quite a busy morning. obviously there is lots of preparations under way for the funeral, which is two days away now. as you say, announcements we are expecting today are more detail about the service itself on saturday, at 3pm. 0ne about the service itself on saturday, at 3pm. one of the guest list, as you say. in normal times, pre—pandemic, we would have expected something like 800 people to be filling st george's chapel. but that number has been reduced down tojust 30. of course, all will be socially distance and be weari