lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.dent kamala harris spoke to the american people following the verdict. today, we feel a sigh of relief. still, it cannot take away the pain. a measure ofjustice isn't the same as equaljustice. this verdict brings us a step closer and the fact is, we still have work to do. we still must reform of the system. last summer, together with senator cory booker and representative karen bass, i introduced the george floyd justice and policing act. this bill would hold law enforcement accountable and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities. this bill is part of george floyd's legacy. the president and i will continue to urge the senate to pass this legislation, not as a panacea for every problem but as a start. this work is long overdue. america has a long history of systemic racism. black americans and like many in particular have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human —— black men. black men are fathers and brothers and sons and grandfathers a

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.k is getting worse — and hospitals in the indian capital, delhi, have run out of oxygen to treat seriously ill covid patients. india has reported the biggest daily rise in infections of any country since the pandemic began more than a year ago, more than 315,000 cases. and it's feared this second wave hasn't even peaked yet. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyahathan reports. -- rajini —— rajini vaidyanathan. the scale of india's loss is becoming hard to comprehend. thousands dying every day, each pyre a family in grief. and for some, it's turned to anger. my father is now dead. he was cold—blooded murdered. nobody else helped me. i called each and every hospital. i called all the oxygen suppliers. nobody helped me. vinay srivastava was a father and a freelance journalist. like so many others in india, he'd made a desperate plea on social media to find a hospital bed. ..he tweeted. a day later, his oxygen had dropped to 31. ..he begged. the last photo he shared, his finger attach

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. and hospitals in the indian capital of delhi have run out of oxygen to treat seriously ill covid patients. india has report the august daily rise in infections in any country since the pandemic began. nearly 315 -- nili 315,000 —— nili 315,000 cases and its fear this isn't even takeout. a professor from the us via michigan told us why she thinks things have deteriorated so quickly. yeah, so that, you know, last — the first wave in india, the virus curve started declining from september 2020 and steadily declined until february. but in the middle of february, we started noticing this uptick and i think the ferocity and the velocity that we are seeing, in like a virus inferno, is a confluence of different factors. it is definitely a lapse of covid—appropriate behaviour. as soon as the country reopened, weddings were happening, massive election rallies were going on, religious gatherings were happening, cricket matches were being played, malls and restaurants reopened, kids went back to

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis., a ship carrying more than 1,000 survivors of a deadly insurgent attack has arrived at the port of pemba. armed isis—linked militants raided the coastal town of palma last week — a hub for the country's natural gas industry. islamist insurgents have been increasingly active in the northern province of cabo delgado since 2017, they are fighting for. mark lobel has this report, which contains distressing stories. crying. finally safe, 250km south of where the attacks began over one week ago, escapees consoled one another but their pain is far from over. translation: i'm so tired. it was seven days in the bushes. i'm so tired. we crossed paths several times with evildoers. the situation is really bad. many dead, many dead. still in shock and searching for her son, this survivor says she heard the attackers were targeting the military. translation: some of them were cutting the throats - of people from there. it's been a traumaticjourney for many of the over 8000 the un estimates are disp

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.r, lebo gave us more details about courtney ross�* testimony. she was in tears as she described how much she loved mr floyd and the life they shared together, the kind of person he was, talking about when they met and how he would come over and see her and prayed with her and really talking about what a gentle soul he was in her life. the defence really pushed her on the issue of their drug use. the earlier testimony, she said they had taken opioids together and the defence for derek wanting to prove that there was more to that. but there may have been drugs that he took that she did not know about and also pressing this point that people mr floyd was with that day had sold him drugs in the past. and also finding discrepancies between her testimony in court and the fbi. but it was very moving testimony and no doubt, she was very distraught on the stand. we later heard from the paramedics that arrived on the scene and in contrasting testimony, they were very matter—of—fact, saying that

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.utbreak is getting worse, and hospitals in the indian capital, delhi, have run out of oxygen to treat seriously ill covid patients. india has reported the biggest daily rise in infections of any country since the pandemic began more than a year ago, more than 315,000 cases. and it's feared this second wave hasn't even peaked yet. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyahathan reports. the scale of india's loss is becoming hard to comprehend. thousands dying every day, each pyre a family in grief. and for some, it's turned to anger. my father is now dead. he was cold—blooded murdered. nobody else helped me. i called each and every hospital. i called all the oxygen suppliers. nobody helped me. vinay srivastava was a father and a freelance journalist. like so many others in india, he'd made a desperate plea on social media to find a hospital bed. ..he tweeted. a day later, his oxygen had dropped to 31. ..he begged. the last photo he shared, his finger attached to an oximeter showing a d

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. some of the day's other news now. dutch prime minister has narrowly survived a vote of no—confidence in parliament. the opposition had accused mark rutte of lying when he denied trying to silence an mp who has been highly critical of the government by offering him a "job elsewhere" and then lying about his role in the scheme. chile has closed its borders for the whole of april as it seeks to slow the spread of coronavirus. health officials said a second wave of the pandemic had left hospitals close to collapse. chile has one of the world's fastest rates of vaccination but has seen cases spike following the southern hemisphere summer holidays. major oil producing countries are increasing output in an attempt to stop fuel prices rising. the group 0pec+ said there had been improvements in the market because of global vaccination programmes and stimulus packages but production will still remain well below pre—pandemic levels. in mozambique, a ship carrying more than 1,000 survivors of a deadly insurgent attack has arrived

let's go live to minneapolis, and the bbc�*s lebo diseko. report, it was tough to watch, but you and everyone in the court has seen the body camera footage and the security camera footage again and again. gruelling day? absolutely, mike, in the last hour or so the prosecution pretty relentlessly showing body camera footage from all four officers that we hear that day, arresting mr floyd and taking us through the interaction. from the beginning, right around the corner here, and bringing him infront around the corner here, and bringing him in front of the cup foods store. the prosecution will want the jury to go home with those images in their minds over and over again, hearing mr floyd egging for his life. very distressing, but as they say, i think the impact was what the prosecution was hoping thejurors would go home in their minds with. find home in their minds with. and it is very clear, _ home in their minds with. and it is very clear, from _ home in their minds with. and it is very clear, from the way some of the witnesses are dealing wi

let's get more from our correspondent lebo diseko, who's live in minneapolis. lebo.al and shocking. we heard from george floyd's girlfriend and the paramedics who attended the scene. just a warning that viewers may find the footage that was played in court and you are about see distressing. a man who enjoyed food, exercise and taking dad selfies — george floyd's girlfriend of three years painting a picture of the man she loved. she told the court about the life that they'd shared, including their addiction. our story is... it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction, many times. the prosecution wanted to show mr floyd's addiction was not a reflection on his character, but the issue is central to mr chauvin�*s defence. for the majority of the time, mr floyd was clean, right? yes. and it was your belief that mr floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? i noticed a change in his behaviour, yes. the court heard that mr floyd had previously overdosed and that bo

aleem maqbool, bbc news. 0ur correspondent, lebo diseko, is in minneapolis.was a gruelling day for the prosecution, witnesses, and everyone in court. the prosecution pretty relentlessly showing body camera footage from all four officers that were here that day, arresting mr floyd and really taking us through the interaction with him. from the beginning, they began right around the corner here, and bringing him infront of the cup foods store. very distressing. but the prosecution will really want the jury to have gone home with those images in their minds, overand overagain, hearing mr floyd begging for his life. very distressing, but as you — as i say, i think the impact was what the prosecution was hoping thejurors would go home in their minds with. and it's very clear, from the way some of the witnesses are dealing with giving their testimony, this is still a very open wound? absolutely. i mean, hearing a 19—year—old boy, really, talking about the fact he still wishes he'd done things differently. i mean, he talked about the fact that he had considered actu

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.resident kamala harris spoke to the american people following the verdict. today, we feel a sigh of relief. still, it cannot take away the pain. a measure ofjustice isn't the same as equaljustice. this verdict brings us a step closer and the fact is, we still have work to do. we still must reform of the system. last summer, together with senator cory booker and representative karen bass, i introduced the george floyd justice and policing act. this bill would hold law enforcement accountable and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities. this bill is part of george floyd's legacy. the president and i will continue to urge the senate to pass this legislation, not as a panacea for every problem but as a start. this work is long overdue. america has a long history of systemic racism. black americans and like many in particular have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human —— black men. black men are fathers and brothers and sons and grandfathe

lebo diseko there.that the 46—year—old died from "a lack of oxygen", due to the way he was restrained. former us police officer, derek chauvin, was filmed kneeling on george floyd's neck during his arrest last may. he denies the charge of murder. this is what the expert, dr martin tobin, was asked in court by the special assistant attorney general. have you formed an opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, on the cause of mr floyd's death? yes, i have. would you please tell the jury what that opinion or opinions are? yes. yes, mr floyd died from a low level of oxygen. and this caused damage to his brain that we see and it also caused a pea arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop. well, dr tobin also rejected the suggestion that the drug fentanyl was in any way responsible for george floyd's death. you're familiar with the way people die from fentanyl? yes, very. do they or do they not go into a coma before they die from a fenta nyl overdose? yes, they will. was mr floyd ever in a coma? no

our north america correspondent, lebo diseko, has this report.et me see your other hand! police body camp footage shows george floyd's arrest from every possible angle. video from each of the officers involved played relentlessly in court. witnesses still traumatised by the events of that day, like this local resident who pleaded with mr floyd to comply with officer as. ~ ., floyd to comply with officer as, ~ ., , ., ., floyd to comply with officer as, ~ ., , ., floyd to comply with officer as. ~ . , ., ., as. what stood out to you about what mr floyd — as. what stood out to you about what mr floyd was _ as. what stood out to you about what mr floyd was saying - as. what stood out to you about what mr floyd was saying when | what mr floyd was saying when you saw him on the ground? ianthem you saw him on the ground? when he ket you saw him on the ground? when he kept saying. — you saw him on the ground? when he kept saying. i— you saw him on the ground? when he kept saying, i can't _ he kept saying, i can't breathe, and when he said, more ma -- _

here is lebo diseko.dure — daunte wright's mother and father arriving at his funeral. mourning with them, the community in which he lived and was loved. i never imagined that i'd be standing here. the roles should be completely be reversed — my son should be burying me. sobs my son had a smile that was worth a million dollars. when he walked in the room, he lit up the room. he was a brother, a jokester and he was loved by so many. he's going to be so missed. daunte leaves behind six siblings and a son, dauntejr. i didn't get to tell him i loved him before he left. he didn't deserve this. minneapolis... here, too, the families of george floyd and others of black people killed by police, lending their support to another enduring a pain they know all too well. daunte wright's life mattered! all repeat: daunte | wright's life mattered! it's almost two weeks since daunte was shot dead by police during a traffic stop. the officer, kim potter, says she meant to use her taser. she has since resigned and been char

lebo diseko reports.t i, unintentional second degree murder while committing a felony, find the defendant guilty. derek chauvin convicted of two counts of murder and one of manslaughter. the former policeman led from court in handcuffs. cheering. it was a result many hadn't dared to believe was possible. in these types of cases, you know, justice has not gone in the way of victims, when victims are african—americans, at the hands of the police. so to hear that he was guilty on all three of the charges, just seemed like a dream. it's a beautiful day. it's a sad day because george floyd isn't here any more with us. but it's a beautiful day. because justice was served. mr floyd's family called it a victory for anyone who has ever been pinned down. he showed me how to be strong. he showed me how to be respectful. he showed me how to speak my mind. i'm going to miss him. but now i know he's in history. what a day to be a floyd, man. wow! it was a death that shook the world. much of the evidence was not gathere

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.und guilty of belonging to a banned neo—nazi terror group, and possessing extremist material. the 22—year—old, is the first serving british police officer, to be convicted of a terror offence. benjamin hannam, was a member of the far right extremist group, nationalaction, which was banned in 2016. he lied about his past, when applying to join the met. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford has the story. pc ben hannam, 22 years old, who today became the first police officer in britain to be convicted of terrorism. although he faces a certainjail term, he was released on bail until the sentence is passed. we had to chase him to talk to him because he ran from a side door of the court. why did you join a terrorist organisation and then join the police? ben, ben... his father, keeping me from asking questions, and whisking him away in a taxi. he'll be sentenced in three weeks. at his passing out parade three years ago, it was cressida dick, the head of the metropolitan police, wh

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.movements notjust in the us, but all around the world. paul adams reports. when george floyd died it was notjust america when george floyd died it was not just america that when george floyd died it was notjust america that reacted. the reaction was global. why should a single man�*s face appear in syria? should a single man's face appear in syria?— should a single man's face appear in syria? george floyd! georae appear in syria? george floyd! george floyd! _ appear in syria? george floyd! george floyd! the _ appear in syria? george floyd! george floyd! the violence - appear in syria? george floyd! george floyd! the violence i. appear in syria? george floyd! | george floyd! the violence i am referring — george floyd! the violence i am referring to _ george floyd! the violence i am referring to is _ george floyd! the violence i am referring to is called _ george floyd! the violence i am referring to is called racism. - referring to is called racism. for many— referring to is called raci

our thanks to lebo diseko and just one quick bit of news from the us.a following the state of georgia's adoption of a new law that affects the right to vote. critics of the new legislation claim it makes it harder for black people and other minorities to vote in elections. the announcement comes a day after president biden called for the game, which was set to be at the home of the atlanta braves, to be rescheduled. the sport's commissioner said baseball supported voting rights for all americans. let's get some of the day's other news. officials from tehran and washington will travel to vienna next week as part of efforts with other world powers to revive the 2015 iranian nuclear deal. the us and iran are not expected to hold direct talks but russia has said the talks are on the right track. the iran nuclear deal was scrapped by president trump's administration after he accused tehran of breaking the conditions. india's cricket legend sachin tendulkar has been hospitalised after testing positive to coronavirus earlier this week. the former captain said

lebo diseko, bbc news, washington.unds it receives from the uk, after the government reduced its international aid budget. the un population fund says the reduction is devastating for women and girls across the world. britain says cuts are necessary because of the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the uk economy. thousands of people who live near a landfill site in staffordshire have complained that their physical and mental health is suffering because of its terrible smell. levels of hydrogen sulphide at the former quarry in newcastle—under—lyme have twice breached recommended standards. the operator, red industries, has promised to cap part of the area by the weekend. here's phil mackie. this is walley's quarry in silverdale. it is used as a landfill site and here's the problem. it's right next door to hundreds of homes and is giving off a terrible smell. since it was allowed to increase the amount of waste it takes, the stink has got worse and, if you're downwind, it's horrible. we obviously knew there wa

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. him to summarise the significance of the conviction. it is a conviction on one day literally on the time that the conviction and verdict was read, a 15, possibly 16—year—old girl called for help from the police in columbus, ohio. later that afternoon, she was shot and killed. a teenage girl. so i feel relief, a measure that, you know, the worst outcomes, things that we sought not long where police officers would get away with exactly this, even on video. that didn't happen today and it is not nothing. and also on the same day that we had that relief, we have a child taken from us in police violence. it is relentless, it does not stop. it's an important day but it is also a tuesday. ok, lots to unpick in lots of what you said there. in terms of the work that still needs to go on, what shape does that takes? so we are hearing a lot people talking about the justice and policing act named after george floyd because this is such a huge problem and we expect the federal government to be the

thank correspondent, lebo diseko. you so much forjoini| us. thank you so much forjoining us.cs and the policies and numbers are just a bit but i have watched countless states of the union and this is sort of the union and this is sort of a state of the union address. this is what is going to be unique. i've never seen anything like this one, have i? absolutely. as you saying there, lots of historic firsts. this will be the first time an american president makes a speech like this and by two women. nancy pelosi and the vice president kamala harris. also very different because of the coronavirus response but also joe the coronavirus response but alsojoe biden will talk about the insurrection that place here just a few months ago. many of the lawmakers that will be here tonight were here on that day also. so lots of things that are very different. what is, i guess, the same is that he will be talking about his achievements for the first hundred days, saying talking about things like the coronavirus vaccine response. the stimulus checks that were sent out to americans. and also t

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.notjust for the legacy of george floyd, but for the legacy of america. the legacy of trying to make america for all americans. so that george floyd's victory and america's quest for equal justice under the law will be intertwined. america, let's frame this moment as a moment where we finally are getting close to living up to our declaration of independence, that we hold these truths to be self—evident, that all men are created equally, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that amongst them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! well, america, that means all of us, that means black people, that means hispanic people! that means asian people, that means all of us, america! we frame this moment for all of us, notjust for george floyd. this is a victory for those who champion humanity over inhumanity, those who champion justice over injustice, those who champion morals over immorality. america, let's lean into this moment, and let's make sure, re

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis.hat's it been like covering it?— covering it? there's a lot of emotion. — covering it? there's a lot of emotion. i _ covering it? there's a lot of emotion, i think _ covering it? there's a lot of emotion, i think that's i covering it? there's a lot of emotion, i think that's the l covering it? there's a lot of- emotion, i think that's the best way to describe it. i've seen so many tears here notjust in the coat room but outside of it too. —— courtroom. i've met people like gwen, the mother of a man who was killed in new york. and when her son was on the ground, he also said he couldn't breathe. i've met the cousin of emmett till, emmett till was wrongfully accused 55 years ago of offending a white woman and was killed because of their at. people have been coming here in solidarity with the floyd family, and they all say that america has not changed that much. there's been progress but there's still a lot to do to dismantle racism and white supremacy in the many ways that it exposes its

lebo diseko reports.ove entitled matter as to count i, unintentional second degree murder while committing a felony, find the defendant guilty. derek chauvin convicted of two counts of murder and one of manslaughter. the former policeman led from court in handcuffs. cheering. it was a result many hadn't dared to believe was possible. in these types of cases, you know, justice has not gone in the way of victims, when victims are african—americans, at the hands of the police. so to hear that he was guilty on all three of the charges, itjust seemed like a dream. it's a beautiful day. it's a sad day because george floyd isn't here any more with us. but it's a beautiful day. because justice was served. mr floyd's family called it a victory for anyone who has ever been pinned down. he showed me how to be strong. he showed me how to be respectful. he showed me how to speak my mind. i'm going to miss him. but now i know he's in history. what a day to be a floyd, man. wow! it was a death that shook the world. but

our correspondent lebo diseko is in minneapolis and has been watching the trial.uch| about the police response. lt zimmerman, one of- the longest—serving and most respected officers here in minneapolis, telling| the court that in his 35 years on this force in minneapolis, he has never been trained l to kneel on someone's neck and that is because it. constitutes deadly force. also talking about the fact that once somebody is in. handcuffs, they no longer constitute the same - level of threat. and really saying that as a police officer, i you have a duty of care - to somebody once they are handcuffed, that their safety is your responsibility. - let's get some of the day's other news. officials from tehran and washington will travel to vienna next week as part of efforts with other world powers to revive the 2015 iranian nuclear deal. the us and iran are not expected to hold direct talks, but russia has said the talks are on the right track. the iran nuclear deal was scrapped by president trump's administration after he accused tehran of breaking the conditions. the

our coreresponent, lebo diseko was at the court throught the fourth day of testimonies. told us the court paid particular attention to one. fix, particular attention to one. dispatcher who had been watching what had been at the dispatch centre she was so alarmed that she called derek chauvin�*s supervisor. he called at the scene and was not told that they had restrained him in such a way that derek chauvin had put annie on george floyd's neck. —— a knee. that was only told once in hospital. very notable that at the end of the day he was asked at what point the restraint should have stopped and he said when it was clear george floyd was no longer resisting. videos obtained by the bbc from northern ethiopia appear to show people in ethiopian army uniforms killing unarmed civilians. in november the government launched a military campaign in the region of tigray. this was after an attack on an army base there thought to have been carried out by the rebel tigray people's liberation front. there have been accusations of serious abuses, by all sides in the conflict. our africa c

our correspondent, lebo diseko, is in minneapolis and has been watching the trial.the police response. lt zimmerman, one of the longest—serving and most respected officers here in minneapolis, telling the court that in his 35 years on this force in minneapolis, he has never been trained to kneel on someone�*s neck and that is because it constitutes deadly force. also talking about the fact that once somebody is in handcuffs, they no longer constitute the same level of threat. and really saying that as a police officer, you have a duty of care to somebody once they are handcuffed, that their safety is your responsibility. major league baseball has announced it's moving its all—star game out of atlanta following the state of georgia's adoption of a new law that affects the right to vote. critics of the new legislation claim it makes it harder for black people and other minorities to vote in elections. georgia's republican governor says he is "streamlining" voting procedures and "restoring confidence" in the electoral system. the announcement comes a day after presiden

here is our washington correspondent lebo diseko. think is very notable that this is being done through executive order. these are measures that, you know, some people might say are effectively just tinkering around the edges because of how difficult it is to get such measures through congress and passed into law. i think the most significant of today's measures that were signed by executive order were around, you heard him talking about the ghost guns, these are guns made from kits you buy over the internet, they don't have serial numbers so they are very hard to trace, and experts say they are increasingly being used in crimes. so the president wants the department ofjustice to come up with a way to reduce those numbers and he has given them 30 days, they have 30 days to come up with new rules around that. and the second quite important that was assigned today was around this, is a device called a stabilising brace and it is put onto pistols and the administration says that it effectively turns them into a short barrel rifle full a

our correspondent lebo diseko is in minneapolis and has been watching the trial.ut the police response. lt zimmerman, one of- the longest—serving and most respected officers here - in minneapolis, telling the court that in his 35 years on this force in minneapolis, - he has never been trained l to kneel on someone's neck and that is because it. constitutes deadly force. also talking about the fact that| once somebody is in handcuffs, they no longer constitute the same level of threat. _ and really saying that as a police officer, i you have a duty of care to somebody once they are handcuffed, that - their safety is your responsibility. here in the uk, more than 70 mps, including 41 conservatives, have condemned the idea of vaccine passports for entry into public venues or workplaces in england. the policy, which would mean people showing a certificate confirming their covid status, has been described as "divisive" and "discriminatory". the government says no final decision has yet been made. our political correspondent nick eardley has more. a small taste of freed

lebo diseko, bbc news, washington.o days, we are going to see a classic mixture of sunshine and april showers. and some of the showers will turn out to be heavy with some hail and some thunder in places also. other areas staying dry altogether. they will be hit and miss in nature. one thing we are also seeing is much colder arctic air spreading right across the country for the next few days. we will see a return to overnight frost in many rural areas. now, the showers will tend to fade away, a few continuing overnight for scotland, northeast england, that get wintry over that higher ground. but for many places, it will be dry with lengthy clear spells. these are the towns and cities' values, you can see the blue hue indicates that frost in rural areas. so, friday starts cold and frosty, but bright. a lot of sunshine around, but as that strong sunshine gets going, then showers will develop quite widely again. some of them will be heavy with some hail and thunder, a bit of wintriness over the higher ground of scotland. s

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. general, merrick garland has announced thejustice department is opening an investigation into policing practices by the minneapolis police department. the investigation will look at everything from excessive use of force, to whether it discriminates against people with behavioural health disabilities. i strongly believe that good officers do not want to work in systems that allow bad practices. good officers welcome accountability because accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community, and public safety requires public trust. i have been involved in the legal system in one way or another for most of my adult life. i know thatjustice is sometimes slow, sometimes elusive and sometimes never comes. the department ofjustice will be unwavering in its pursuit of equaljustice under law. the challenges we face are deeply woven into our history. they did not arise today or last year. building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all

let's talk now to our washington correspondent, lebo diseko who's on capitol hill for us.pecting a light. what we were initially thinking of as a traditional transitional president, he could potentially be transformational, a big, big announcement is coming up in the next hour.— the next hour. yes. i think that he — the next hour. yes. i think that he is _ the next hour. yes. i think that he is certainly - the next hour. yes. i think that he is certainly putting i the next hour. yes. i think. that he is certainly putting an ambitious plan forward. the two plans that will work together or proposals they work together is the americanjobs plan and the american families plan comes to about $4 trillion in spending. that is certainly more of a transitional president. once that is putting forward proposals that really will change the way the role of government here in america and change social spending here. this is going to be an evening of quite a few firsts. joe biden is the oldest president. somebody that old will never have taken this step before and also he will be flanked

let's talk now to our washington correspondent, lebo diseko who's on capitol hill for us.union usually comes a bit earlier than this, doesn't it, but it's been a very unusual year — if nothing else, unusual because this is a president addressing his fellow politicians in a chamber that just a few months ago was at the heart of the great insurrection on capitol hill. heart of the great insurrection on capitol hill-— heart of the great insurrection on caitol hill. ~ , , ., ., , capitol hill. absolutely, and many ofthe capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers _ capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will _ capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will have - capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will have been l capitol hill. absolutely, and many i of the lawmakers will have been here on that day — and that is something that he will include in his speech. he will also be talking about the pandemic and wanting to talk about his achievements when it comes to that. so, for example, the vaccine roll—out, also the impact of the stim

we can talk now to our correspondent lebo diseko, who's in minneapolis.dict, 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 somebo

let's speak to the bbc�*s lebo diseko on capitol hill who has been listening to president biden�*s speechng poverty was one of the big themes. lets get stuck in. america is on the move, it began with him hailing his success as president, especially when it comes to tackling covid—19. absolutely, you mentioned earlier he was talking about the vaccination rates. he has gone past is 200 million vaccinations that he had set as a target, also talking about the money he was able to put into america's bank accounts as a result of the stimulus. the real centrepiece of this speech was the two proposals that he has that will put trillions into really reshaping and reforming the social welfare system here in this country, so we are looking at over $4 trillion in these two fans, but he did talk about his first 100 days, all that has been achieved in his american rescue plan, particularly things like cutting child poverty. thanks to the american rescue plan we are on track to cut child poverty in america in half this year. (applause). in the process, while this is all going on the economy created more

live to our correspondent lebo diseko — she's in minneapolis.p-to-date with the trial so far. ., ., ., bring us up-to-date with the trial so far. ., .,, , bring us up-to-date with the trial sofar. ., , , . so far. today has been very much about the police _ so far. today has been very much about the police response, - so far. today has been very much about the police response, so - so far. today has been very much about the police response, so we| about the police response, so we heard from the head of the minneapolis homicide department. he is one of the most senior and longest—serving, most respected officers on this force. he said that what derek show vended in kneeling on george floyd's next was totally unnecessary, totally uncalled for —— derek chauvin. in his 30 will five years on this force, he's never been trained to kneel on someone's neck, and that is because it constitutes deadly force. he also talked about the fact that once somebody is in handcuffs, the threat level they pose goes down and that officers have a duty of care to that p

our correspondent lebo diseko has been watching the evidence — and a warning her report contains somea man who enjoyed food, exercise and taking dad selfies — george floyd's girlfriend of three years painting a picture of the man she loved. she told the court about the life that they'd shared, including their addiction. our story is... it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction, many times. the prosecution wanted to show mr floyd's addiction was not a reflection on his character, but the issue is central to mr chauvin�*s defence. for the majority of the time, mr floyd was clean, right? yes. and it was your belief that mr floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? i noticed a change in his behaviour, yes. the court heard that mr floyd had previously overdosed and that both friends with him on the day he died had sold him drugs before. next on the stand, the paramedics who'd been called out to the scene. both testified that mr floyd was unresponsive when they arrived. in a liv

lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. matt sepic, a journalist with minnesota public radio, whose team have been covering the trial. thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for coming on the programme-— thank you for coming on the programme. glad to be here. difficult evidence _ programme. glad to be here. difficult evidence to - programme. glad to be here. difficult evidence to listen - programme. glad to be here. difficult evidence to listen to | difficult evidence to listen to today. what did you make of it? the prosecution is really taking a three prong stand here. they are trying to get out in front of defence argument that floyd died of a drug overdose or health problems are not the knee on his neck. you can expect to hear a lot more in the weeks to come from medical expert witnesses. the government is also relying heavily on video. there is plenty of it. body can footage was played yesterday. as well as other footage taken by witnesses.— by witnesses. what was the reaction to _ by witnesses. what was the r

let's talk now to our washington correspondent, lebo diseko who's on capitol hill for us this speechle hours�* time. what�*s the mood music they are about the scale of the ambition that will these debts be displayed? and what sort of reception will be received where, yes, the democrats have the majority, but in the senate, it�*s a wafer thin majority? but in the senate, it's a wafer thin majority?— thin ma'ority? well, it is hu:el thin majority? well, it is hugely ambitious. - thin majority? well, it is hugely ambitious. along j thin majority? well, it is - hugely ambitious. along with the other part of his proposals, there are two big proposals, there are two big proposals, there are two big proposals, the american families plan and the american jobs plan, which is more than $2 trillion together, they�*ll cost more than $4 trillion. this comes off the back of the covid relief bill which was recently put in that cost more than $2 trillion. that�*s the cost that republicans are complaining about in their response to this. we�*ve heard some excerpts around this, and they�*ve compared t

our correspondent, lebo diseko, is in minneapolis and sent this summary of day 5 of the trial.enant zimmerman, one of the longest—serving and most respected officers here in minneapolis telling the court that in his 35 years on this force in minneapolis he has never been trained to kneel on someone's neck, and that's because it constitutes deadly force. also talking about the fact that once somebody is in handcuffs they no longer constitute the same level of threat, and really saying that as a police officer you have a duty of care to somebody once they are handcuffed, and that their safety is your responsibility. now this comes after a week of really quite gruesome footage that we have seen, new body camera footage from each of the four officers that went out to the four officers that went out to the scene of george floyd's arrest and really seeing the last moments of george floyd's life from the arrest, for when he was on the ground to when he was placed in the ambulance. also seeing footage not seen before from the grocery store which had actually called out the police over

live to our correspondent lebo diseko — she's in minneapolis.ow so far-— bring us up-to-date with what we know so far. , ~ ., , know so far. this week we have been heafina know so far. this week we have been hearing from — know so far. this week we have been hearing from the _ know so far. this week we have been hearing from the prosecution's - hearing from the prosecution's witnesses, basically trying to establish that it was derek chauvin�*s actions, his knee on george floyd's net, that because george floyd's net, that because george floyd's net, that because george floyd to die, that that use of force was unreasonable. also trying to dispel any arguments around whether or not george floyd had been aggressive or posing a threat to officers. we have heard from a number of people that were at the scene, what has been really striking is how many of them still carry dealt with them to this day. we heard from very young children, teenagers still saying they think how they intervened, had they done things differently, would george boyd still be alive