George Floyd: Steve McQueen dedicates Cannes films to his memory

Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen has dedicated his two films selected for Cannes Film Festival to the memory of George Floyd.

Mangrove and Lovers Rock would have featured at the festival before it was cancelled due to coronavirus.

McQueen said: "I dedicate these films to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the US, UK and elsewhere."

Mr Floyd died in US police custody.

He died on 25 May in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, while three other officers face charges of aiding and abetting murder.

The death has caused protests and sporadic rioting in America, along with global mass demonstrations.

Quoting the legendary Jamaican protest singer and reggae star Bob Marley, McQueen added: "'If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.' Black Lives Matter."

Both of his listed films are part of his BBC Small Axe anthology, consisting of five feature-length stories, which are all now in honour of Mr Floyd.

Stars back John Boyega after Black Lives Matter protest

Stars including JK Rowling and Jordan Peele have praised John Boyega for his emotional speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in London on Wednesday.

"Black lives have always mattered," said the Star Wars actor. "We have always been important. We have always succeeded regardless."

He paid tribute to African-American George Floyd, who died in police custody on 25 May - but said his comments could damage his career.

Instead, Hollywood offered its support.

"We got you, John," said Peele, the Oscar-winning director of Get Out.

Happy to work with you any time, John," said Harry Potter author JK Rowling, whose third Fantastic Beasts film is currently in pre-production. She tweeted applause emojis in response to his speech.

Boyega, who was born in London to parents of Nigerian descent, observed: "I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this."

Film maker Matthew A Cherry, who won an Oscar this year for animated short film Hair Love - about an African-American father styling his daughter's hair for the first time, added his support.

BBCnews

The man whose death sparked US unrest

A memorial service will be held at 1300 local time in Minneapolis today for the man whose death has set off more than a week of unrest in the US.

But who was the man?

Before the image of George Floyd lying under the knee of a policeman set off shock, anger and protests across the US, the arch of his life crossed crests and troughs.

There were highs, as when he, as a teenager in Houston, played American football for the 1992 Texas state champion runners-up Yates High School Lions.

There were lows, as when he was arrested for robbery in 2007 and served five years in prison.

But mostly, it would seem that Floyd, who was 46 when he died in Minneapolis on 25 May, 2020, was simply trying to live life as any other American, in search of betterment in the face of both personal and societal challenges.

BBC

Duchess of Sussex: 'George Floyd's life mattered'

The Duchess of Sussex has issued a personal message about the impact of George Floyd's death in the United States, saying his life "mattered".

Addressing students graduating from her former school in Los Angeles, California, Meghan called on young people and students at the school to come together to rebuild society.

Taraba youths stop soldier from committing suicide

For over an hour, residents of Jalingo, Taraba State, have been struggling to save a military man from committing suicide.

The soldier, whose name is given as Ali, has climbed the Welcome to Taraba Roadblock Tower -over 24fts high, and is threatening to jump down.

He is speaking in Hausa and pidgin, saying: “I want to die. Allow me to jump down and die.” But the youth who have gathered there are begging him: “Please do not jump. We don’t want you to die.”Ali is seen on the high altitude Tower, attempting severally to jump down, but the people are trying to make sure they save him if he jumps. But they say they prefer he changes his mind and does not jump.

Witnesses said the soldier’s behaviour attracted their attention when they spotted him on top of the tower pulling and throwing down the items of clothing on him.

“We noticed someone climbing the place and pulling off his clothes. We got there to discover he is someone we know. He was left with under pant and an inner vest and poised to jump. We went close and began to beg him,” an eyewitness said.

A close look reveals he has an injury on his left kneecap, which he bandaged.

The Nation

Former Commanders Fault Trump's Use of Troops Against Protesters

Retired senior military leaders condemned their successors in the Trump administration for ordering military units Monday to rout those peacefully protesting police violence near the White House.

As military helicopters flew low over the nation’s capital and National Guard units moved into many cities, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly aligned themselves behind a president who chose chemical spray and rubber bullets to clear peaceful protesters from a park so that he could stage a photo op at a nearby church.

In so doing, Esper, who described the country as a “battlespace” to be cleared, and Milley, who wore combat fatigues on the streets of the capital, thrust the 2 million active-duty and reserve service members into the middle of a confrontation in which the “enemy” was not foreign, but domestic.

The reaction has been swift and furious.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote on Twitter that “America is not a battleground. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy.”

Gen. Tony Thomas, the former head of the Special Operations Command, tweeted: “The ‘battle space’ of America??? Not what America needs to hear … ever, unless we are invaded by an adversary or experience a constitutional failure … ie a Civil War.”

Adm. Mike Mullen, another former chairman, wrote in the Atlantic: “Whatever Trump’s goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.”

The New York Times

Govt: if you’re 55 and above, avoid mosques, churches

The Federal Government on Tuesday gave an advice to Nigerians: If you are 55 years old and above, avoid churches and mosques.

Those with health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, among others, are also enjoined to stay at home to worship, the government added.

It noted that the advice was necessary because places of worship have been recognised as a major avenue of potential spread of Coronavirus.

The Nation.