Only two states in the U.S. have reported a decline in COVID-19 cases compared to last week.

Florida set a single-day record on Saturday with 9,585 new cases being reported. On Sunday, another 8,530 cases were reported. The state is among the country's new virus epicenters.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Sunday the spike is tied to a swell in young people flouting social distancing rules. He's also in recent days blamed the rising numbers on an increase in COVID-19 testing. But the former CDC Director Tom Frieden addressed that issue with Fox News on Sunday, saying, "As a doctor, a scientist, an epidemiologist, I can tell you with 100% certainty that in most states where you're seeing an increase, it is a real increase. It is not more tests; it is more spread of the virus."

At least two counties in Florida have decided to close beaches over the fourth of July weekend, including Miami. To help contain the spread of the COVID-19, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered bars to shut down in seven counties including Los Angeles.

The surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases is further fueling efforts to develop a vaccine. The U.S. plans to start its largest trials in July. 30,000 volunteers will test a government-created vaccine. Results of summer trials will give experts a better idea of how soon a vaccine may be ready for the public. Duke University health economist David Ridley told the Associated Press he doesn't believe a vaccine will become available by year's end.

Some U.S. lawmakers have voiced concern that President Trump could push out an unproved vaccine for the purpose of boosting his chances for reelection in November.

"We want a vaccine, not a headline," Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said at a recent Senate committee hearing.

In a separate House committee hearing last week, Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, promised lawmakers that any approvals of a vaccine would be based on science.

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Beijing reports 14 new COVID-19 cases, all locally transmitted

The Beijing Health Commission said on Sunday that 14 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were recorded on Saturday, raising total infections to 311 since June 11, when the first case of Beijing's Xinfadi market cluster was detected.

The 14 cases were reported in two districts in Beijing: 10 in Fengtai, four in Daxing.

Beijing also registered three asymptomatic cases on Saturday, the health authority said.

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution strongly condemning the continuing racially discriminatory and violent practices perpetrated by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent.

The resolution came in the wake of U.S. citizen George Floyd's death in Minneapolis on May 25.

Black lives matter

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that Floyd's killing has become emblematic of the excessive use of disproportionate force by law enforcement against people of African descent, people of color, indigenous people and racial and ethnic minorities in countries across the globe.

"Since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis last month, a wave of massive protests has surged forward, not only across every state in the United States but also in dozens of countries in Europe and all around the world," Bachelet said.

China's firm stand to against racism

At an urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations and related issues on Wednesday, Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva, reiterated China's stance to take a consistent stand against racism and racial discrimination of any form.

"We urge the United States to heed the call of the international community and honor in all seriousness its international human rights obligations; to eliminate racism, racial discrimination and other human rights violations and protect the legitimate rights of ethnic minorities; to stop using human rights as a political tool and abandon double standards," he said.

What happened to George Floyd?

On May 25, Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. A white police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, begging for his life and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe." Videos from security cameras and made by witnesses later became public.

His death has triggered protests against racism and police brutality across the globe.

Read more:

In The Spotlight: Beyond the name – who was George Floyd?

(With input from agencies)

The former Atlanta officer who shot and killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was charged with felony murder, officials say.

Garrett Rolfe, who has already been fired, faces 11 charges related to Brooks' death. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. 

On June 12, Brooks was shot dead in a fast-food restaurant's parking lot after he was accused of drunk driving, resisting arrest, and running away with an officer's gun.

Read more: 

Protests in Atlanta after black man shot dead by police

Rayshard Brooks' family speaks of devastation in news conference

(Cover: A woman paints a portrait of Rayshard Brooks at the site of a Wendy's restaurant set ablaze overnight in Atlanta, June 14, 2020. /AP )

Protesters in cities across the U.S. are calling for police reform even for entire departments to be "defunded."

The country's biggest force, the New York Police Department, is already facing ​possible budget cuts and new regulations as a result.

But with thousands of police departments across the country and powerful unions protecting the interests of officers, experts say implementing change will not be easy.

CGTN's Sarah Walton reports from New York.

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George Floyd's brother tells UN black lives do not matter in U.S.

"Black lives do not matter in the U.S.," George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, said on Wednesday as he delivered testimony to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) through video message.

"The way you saw my brother tortured and murdered on camera is the way black people are treated by police in America," he said.

Meanwhile, he urged the UNHRC to launch a commission of inquiry to "investigate police killings of black people in America, the violence used against peaceful protesters." 

On Wednesday, the council held an urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations and related issues.

(Cover: AP file photo of Philonise Floyd)

UN human rights chief says George Floyd's killing emblematic of excessive force against people of color

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that George Floyd's killing has become emblematic of the excessive use of disproportionate force by law enforcement against people of African descent, against people of color, against indigenous peoples and racial and ethnic minorities in countries across the globe. 

The chief made the remarks at a UN urgent debate on racism and police brutality in the follow-up to the killing of George Floyd in the United States. 

She also criticized the "gratuitous brutality" on display in the killing of George Floyd, warning that it had "come to symbolize the systemic racism that harms millions of people of African descent". 

A resolution on the topic was expected to be adopted by the Council later Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

(With input from agencies)

Dozens of U.S. police officers resign in recent days

In the U.S. city of Buffalo, New York, 57 police officers resigned over the suspension of two officers who pushed an elderly protester to the ground. In South Florida, "10 officers resigned from their city's SWAT unit over concerns about safety", according to a report from CNN on Wednesday. 

Following George Floyd's death weeks ago,  outrage continues to spread in the U.S. to the world as protesters head to the streets to march against racial inequality and police brutality.

Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order to reform police departments, calling for a ban on dangerous chokeholds. 

(Cover: file photo) 

After weeks of pressure following the death of George Floyd, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to reform police departments, calling for a ban on dangerous chokeholds, but he stopped well short of demands made at nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

"We have to break old patterns of failure," Trump said in a Rose Garden ceremony attended by police and Republican congressional allies, though no black civil rights representatives or political opponents.

Trump has limited power over policing, which is run mostly at the state and local levels. However, Trump said that he would use access to federal funding grants as leverage to persuade departments "to adopt the highest professional standards."

His executive order encourages de-escalation training, better recruitment, sharing of data on police who have bad records and money to support police in complicated duties related to people with mental or drug issues.

Departments that seek out external certifications have a better chance of being awarded federal grants. Police departments will also be able to share information on officer complaints more easily, so as to prevent disciplined or terminated officers from seeking jobs in other nearby localities.

A highlight of Trump's proposals, which he said could be complemented by legislation being negotiated in the Republican-controlled Senate, was ending chokeholds "except if an officer's life is at risk," he said.

Trump called his initiative "a tremendous step" toward "safe, beautiful and elegant justice."

The administration recognizes that many times police are called on for duties that may be beyond their skills and provides for co-responders to accompany officers to non-violent calls.

While the executive order provides guidance for immediate police reform, Trump acknowledged that Congress must pass legislation for there to be long-term change in law enforcement.

Critics, including the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, derided his efforts.

"The president's weak executive order falls sadly and seriously short of what is required to combat the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality," she said in a statement.

"During this moment of national anguish, we must insist on bold change, not meekly surrender to the bare minimum."

Trump began by announcing he had just met in private with families of several black people killed in encounters with the police.

"We are one nation. We grieve together and we heal together," he said.

However, Trump's choice to keep the televised audience overwhelmingly white, male and focused on law enforcement representatives reinforced his main message.

"Americans know the truth: without police, there is chaos," Trump said.

Only a "very tiny" number of police commit wrongdoing, he said in remarks that frequently veered into a campaign speech about his accomplishments.

Democrats and civil rights groups say that full-scale rethinking of police culture, and even cuts in police funding, are needed to bring necessary change.

A first wave of unrest began more than three weeks ago, after the May 25 death of George Floyd, an African-American man, in Minneapolis.

Floyd stopped breathing when an officer knelt on his neck, having already handcuffed and pinned him to the ground during arrest for a minor offense. Amateur video of the incident sparked demonstrations nationwide and looting and arson in some places.

New tensions erupted last week after the death in Atlanta, Georgia, of Rayshard Brooks, another African American whom police say was shot in the back as he ran away from arresting officers, having grabbed one of their tasers and aimed it at them.

The Black Lives Matter movement has spun off into attacks by activists against statues commemorating figures from colonial or slavery eras. On Monday, a man was shot when a heavily armed right-wing group tried to defend a statue of a 16th century Spanish conquistador in Albuquerque, local media reported.

Trump has struck a hardline tone throughout the tense period, sparking uproar even from his own Republican Party with his warning that he could send federal troops to cities unable to control the crowds.

The president clearly felt that the tough approach played well with his base, a passionately loyal minority of the electorate that he hopes will power him to a win, however narrow, in November. The slogan "law and order" has become a new pillar of his reelection campaign platform.

Trump's frequently lukewarm attempts to express empathy for the fear and powerlessness that many black Americans say they feel on a daily basis when encountering police left a vacuum that his Democratic opponent Joe Biden is seeking to fill.

"Systemic racism pervades every part of our society, including law enforcement – and we have to do the hard work to root it out," Biden tweeted on Tuesday.

(With input from Reuters)

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The weeks of massive protest against the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, has reignited a push to reform policing across the U.S.

Here's what the future of law enforcement could look like.

Banning chokeholds and strangleholds

In the wake of the George Floyd killing two weeks ago, the city of Minneapolis has banned the use of chokeholds by police. Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with second-degree murder, is accused of placing a knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. While not a chokehold, it is not a move sanctioned by most police departments.

Since Floyd's death, New York City, Washington D.C., Denver, Dallas, and Houston have since also banned chokeholds.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has also called for a ban on "carotid holds" such as the "lateral vascular neck restraint" which is any movement that cuts off blood to a person causing them to lose consciousness.

Limiting use of force

Activists and politicians have called for policies that outline when force by police can be used, and some have even called for the complete elimination of use of force.

Recommendations include requiring officers to exhaust all alternatives before using deadly force, requiring de-escalation of all conflict situations, and requiring officers to give a verbal warning before using deadly force.

Some also want to require officers to intervene and stop excessive force used by other officers and report such incidents and to require officers to report each time they use force or threaten to use force against civilians.

Banning shooting at moving vehicles

Shooting at a moving car can put other people at risk and can lead to an uncontrolled vehicle.

After New York City banned the practice in 1972, there was a large reduction in police shootings.

End policing of minor crimes and for-profit policing

Some call it "broken windows policing" or the enforcement of minor crimes, including sleeping in public places, marijuana possession, loitering and consuming alcohol on streets, to dissuade larger crimes.

Activists say that has led to criminalization and over-policing of people of color and poor people.

Many have also called for police departments to stop using methods that are only meant to generate profit such as fines and ticketing.

People are also calling for states to ban the practice of civil asset forfeiture.

It allows police to seize assets and money from people who are suspected of committing a crime.

These assets can be sold to add to police budgets, even if no one is convicted of a crime.

Requiring body cams and protecting public use of cell phones to record police actions

Activists say that nearly every case where a police officer was charged with a crime for killing a civilian in 2015 relied on video evidence showing the officer's actions.

Independent prosecution and investigation

Many have called for independent and unbiased investigation and prosecution of cases in cases of police violence.

Since prosecutors rely on policy to gather evidence and also have a duty to defense police actions, many activists say this makes it impossible for them to have an unbiased view when prosecuting police.

More training and hiring people of color

In 2015, four Black parole officers were held at gunpoint by white officers in Ramapo, New York.

The police said they got a report of people wearing bulletproof vests in a car. The Black officers sued the city, and said it wouldn’t have happened if they had been white.

Many have called for police to hire more people of color.

White men are about 40% of the U.S. population, but make up about 64% of officers.

Research shows police departments with more Black officers are less likely to kill Black people.   Police also need more training on how to interact with communities, activists say.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, police stopped five unarmed Black children between the ages of 12-14 in 2017.

They said they got a report of a teenager carrying a firearm that matched the boys' description. The incident, and the police explanation shocked the boys and their parents.

Police need more training on how to interact with communities, activists say.

The Police Executive Research Forum says police recruits spend 58 hours learning to shoot guns.

But they only spend 8 hours learning how to de-escalate situations. 

More community oversight

Activists also want greater community  oversight of police such as civilian review boards.

They say the community should determine what consequences police face instead of other officers.

Large police departments received 26,000 citizen complaints on use of force in 2002, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found.

Only 8% of them resulted in sufficient evidence to place disciplinary actions against officers.

Only about 20% of large police departments actually have civilian complaint review boards.

Departments with review boards had a higher rate of force complaints compared to those without, the Bureau found.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted to hold an "urgent debate" this week, on topics ranging from systemic racism to police brutality. The council received a letter signed by 54 African countries, calling for a meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday that will seek to improve how police officers treat African-Americans and others by improving credentialing, training and mental health resources, administration officials said.

The order comes after Trump struck a strict "law and order" tone in his response to protests around the country sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Trump has faced criticism from Democrats for his response and some allies are concerned that his handling of the protests and the coronavirus pandemic are hurting his and other Republican leaders' chances of re-election in November.

Senior administration officials said the order will aim to incentivize police departments to improve by tying federal approval of discretionary grants to good policing practices.

The order would encourage police departments to employ the latest standards for use of force; improve information sharing so that officers with shoddy records are not hired without their backgrounds being known and add social workers to law enforcement responses to non-violent cases involving drug addiction and homelessness, officials said.

(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, June 14, 2020. /AP) 

The family of Rayshard Brooks, the black man who was killed by Atlanta police outside a fast-food drive-thru, held an emotional news conference on June 15, speaking of devastation and demanding justice.

The Atlanta Police Department released on Sunday new videos of the Rayshard Brooks shooting on June 12. The police bodycam and security camera videos show the interactions between two white officers and 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks who was unarmed.

Police says they were called to a Wendy's fast-food restaurant. They say employees complained that Brooks was asleep in a car that blocked the restaurant's drive-thru lane.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the officers attempted to take him into custody after they say he failed a field sobriety test. Brooks admitted to the officers that he had been drinking, and offered to walk home, or over to his sister's house nearby.

The videos showed Brooks resisting arrest. All three wrestled to the ground. The first officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, drew his Taser. Brooks grabbed it. Brooks managed to stand up. He punched Rolfe and started running.

One of the videos shows Rolfe, firing his Taser at a fleeing Brooks. Video from a security camera provides a wider perspective on the action. Rolfe chased Brooks through the parking lot. Rolfe, holding a Taser in his right hand, passes it to his left, and reaches for his sidearm.

Brooks is still running away with Rolfe trailing him by a few yards. Brooks looks over his shoulder at Rolfe and fires the Taser in Rolfe's direction. Officer Rolfe draws his pistol. Brooks still has his back to Rolfe who fires three shots. Brooks falls face forward onto the asphalt.

Atlanta PD fired Rolfe and placed Brosnan on administrative duty. The city’s police chief Erika Shields resigned the next day, Saturday, after the shooting.

The incident comes nearly three weeks after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. 

The family of Rayshard Brooks called for justice in emotional press conference on Monday. Their attorney, L. Chris Stewart, called Brooks' death a "rerun of George Floyd."

A Black Lives Matter banner was removed from the facade of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Monday, two days after it was unfurled in a show of solidarity with the anti-racism movement.

The banner and a smaller rainbow flag put up for Pride Month were replaced with a “We will not forget” banner, marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.

An embassy spokesman said U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris, a retired Navy admiral, ordered it taken down to avoid the “misperception” that taxpayer dollars were used to support an organization.

“The Ambassador decided to put the Black Lives Banner up to communicate a message of solidarity with Americans concerned with racism, especially racial violence against African Americans,” the spokesman said. “He wanted to highlight the enduring American values of racial equality, freedom of speech, and the right to peacefully protest.

“However, the Ambassador’s intent was not to support or encourage donations to any specific organization. To avoid the misperception that American taxpayer dollars were spent to benefit such organizations, he directed that the banner be removed.”

Bloomberg News reported that the banner was removed after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Trump expressed their disapproval upon seeing news coverage of the two-story-tall banner hanging behind the main flagpole displaying the U.S. flag.

“This in no way lessens the principles and ideals expressed by raising the banner, and the Embassy will look for other ways to convey fundamental American values in these times of difficulty at home,” the embassy spokesman said.

The banner, which also was displayed on the embassy’s Web page, was the most dramatic and straightforward display of diplomatic sympathy with the underlying issues behind the Black Lives Matter protests. And its removal is likely to fuel frustrations among many career diplomats who are unhappy with Pompeo’s leadership at the State Department and his seeming reluctance to back them when Trump disparages their work.

(With input from the agencies)

UK PM Johnson announces inequality review after anti-racism protests

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a government review into "all aspects of inequality" following a wave of anti-racism protests in Britain, adding that there had been "huge progress" in tackling racism "but there is much more that we need to do, and we will."

Britain has been rocked by protests against racial discrimination, some of them violent, following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died while being arrested by police in the United States. In a broadcast interview, Johnson said he wanted to "change the narrative so we stop the sense of victimization and discrimination."

Black Lives Matter protests: Here is what we know so far

- The autopsy of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man who was shot dead on Friday, shows that he was shot twice in the back and died from organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds, local media reports said, citing the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.

- Hundreds of protesters create the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" in downtown Seattle, and the infrastructure inside the "Autonomous Zone," includes "medics, guards at the barricades, a 'No-Cop Co-op' that is giving away vegetables, a hot dog truck, and a booth offering free supplies that have been donated," CNN said in a report.

- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he would be "uncompromising" against racism. He also noted that the country "won't erase any name from its history. It will forget none of its artworks; it won't take down statues."

(Cover: Protesters take part in a demonstration against racism in Paris, France, June 13, 2020. /VCG) 

On Sunday, the Atlanta police department announced that officer Garrett Rolfe who shot Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man dead on Friday was fired. 

The second officer, Devin Brosnan, who was involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned on Saturday and the city mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Friday's shooting was not a "justified use of deadly force."

The death of Rayshard Brooks has sparked the protests against police brutality in Atlanta. The case is currently under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The charges against the two officers are pending until the investigation results come out.  

As protests against racism and police brutality continued around the world, many police officers feel they were abandoned. They expressed disappointment about how the government handled the conflict between protesters and the police.  

In Minneapolis, at least seven police officers have quit the job and there are more in the process of resigning over the lack of support from the police department and city leaders following the death of George Floyd on May 25.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, many officers are upset with the city's decision to abandon the Third Precinct station during the protests.

As of Sunday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has surpassed two million in the U.S., with total death toll over 115,000.

Health experts and state governors are warning the public to maintain social distancing rules and wear face coverings when outside to prevent the second wave of coronavirus.

On Sunday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened to lock down Manhattan and the Hamptons again if residents cannot follow the social distancing rules. 

The governor said the state has received 25,000 complaints about businesses that are in violation of the reopening plan.

"Manhattan and the Hamptons are the leading areas in the state with violations," Cuomo said.

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More than 20,000 people attended a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Berlin on Sunday as demonstrations continued across Europe.

For the second consecutive week, people lined the streets of Germany's capital to protest for racial equality following the murder of African American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the U.S. on 25 May.

A socially distanced  human chain - stretching from the world-famous Brandenburg Gate past the TV tower at Alexanderplatz and into the ethnically diverse Neukoelln district - had to be extended to accommodate the numbers. 

The progressive movement group, Unteilbar (indivisible) organized the protest, which also saw people campaign against inequality, which the group says is worsening because of the pandemic.

Unteilbar spokesman Georg Wissmeier said: "The coronavirus is worsening existing inequalities. Many people are threatened with being left behind. We will not allow that. Human rights, social justice and climate justice belong together indivisibly."

Read more: Large Black Lives Matter protests in Paris demand 'justice'

An estimated 4,000 people also gathered in Switzerland's capital, Bern, as part of the Black Lives Matter protests, while a further 10,000 marched in Zurich.

Police wanted to halt the Zurich march over concerns that it could accelerate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but allowed it to go ahead on the provision that it remained peaceful. No incidents were reported during the protests. 

Similar gatherings also took place in Lucerne, while 10,000 people gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to coincide with Floyd's funeral in the U.S.

BLM protestors have also left their mark in Italy, where a statue of Italian journalist Indro Montanelli was covered in red paint and the words "racist" and "rapist" scrawled across the monument.

Read more: Brands show support for Black Lives Matter protests

Montanelli admitted to buying a 12-year-old Ethiopian girl, Desta, to be his wife when he was 24 during Italy's colonial occupation of the country in the 1930s. 

Despite that confession, which was made during a TV interview in 1969, a statue of him was erected in a Milan park bearing his name following his death in 1992 and the city's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, says the statue should stay.

At least seven Minneapolis police officers have resigned and more than half a dozen others are in the process of leaving, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports as anti-racist protests continue to rock the United States.

The report says the officers from the Minneapolis Police Department (MDP) are feeling misunderstood and stuck in the middle of a state probe, protests, city leaders and the media after the death of an unarmed black man during arrest last month.

George Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.

After several minutes of the police officer pressing his knee on Floyd's neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, protests has spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd's family.

Following the resignations of the officers, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder told the newspaper that the resignations would not affect the department's ability to provide public safety services.

"There's nothing that leads us to believe that at this point the numbers are so great that it's going to be problematic," The Hill quotes Elder. "People seek to leave employment for a myriad reasons — the MPD is no exception."

Putin condemns 'mayhem and rioting' at U.S. anti-racism protests

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday criticized anti-racism protests in the United States for sparking crowd violence, in his first comments on the issue.

"If this fight for natural rights, legal rights, turns into mayhem and rioting, I see nothing good for the country," Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television to be broadcast in full on Sunday evening.

"We have never supported this," he said.

The Russian leader stressed he supported black Americans' struggle for equality, calling this "a long-standing problem of the United States."

"We always in the USSR and in modern Russia had a lot of sympathy for the struggle of Afro-Americans for their natural rights," he insisted.

But Putin added that "when - even after crimes are committed - this takes on elements of radical nationalism and extremism, nothing good will come of this."

Click here for more.

Dozens arrested in Atlanta as protests grow

At least 36 people have been arrested in Atlanta after police fired tear gas at protesters and shut down an interstate as a Wendy's where an Atlanta police officer shot and killed a black man was set on fire, CNN reported citing the Atlanta Police spokesman.

One of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks was dismissed and another was placed on administrative duty. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said in a statement that she had stepped down from her role out of "a deep and abiding love for this city and this department," according to the report.

Far-right protesters clashed with police in London on Saturday after staging a counter-demonstration against the Black Lives Matter movement.

Atlanta protests grow over deadly police shooting of African American man

Protests are growing in Atlanta, Georgia, over the deadly police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, an African American man, outside a fast-food restaurant in the city on Friday.

As of 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, the protests are continuing in the city and the demonstrators have marched onto a highway which now has been shut down.

At the other side of the city, local media reported that the police have dispatched tear gas on crowds outside of the restaurant where Brooks was killed. 

(Cover: Demonstrators react after marching onto I-75 and shutting down the interstate in Atlanta, U.S., Saturday, June 13, 2020. /AP) 

Atlanta's police chief resigned on Saturday, the city's mayor said, as protesters took to the streets hours after the fatal shooting Friday night by police of a black man who had fallen asleep in his car at a Wendy's fast-food restaurant drive-thru line.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields after the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta. Dozens of protesters gathered Saturday afternoon around the spot south of downtown where the man was shot and killed.

"I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer," Bottoms said at a news conference.

Atlanta's police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Authorities have not yet released the names of the two officers involved in the shooting, both of whom were white.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant's drive-thru lane. The GBI said Brooks failed a field sobriety test and then resisted officers'attempts to arrest him.

(Cover: Protesters rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of black man Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 13, 2020. /Reuters) 

Ongoing protests continue to spread around the world on Saturday, as demonstrators in support of the Black Lives Matter head to the streets to demand changes to institutional racism and police brutality.

While the majority of the protests were peaceful, unrest and violence would break out in a handful of protests.

In Paris, police had to stop confrontations between anti-racist protesters and far-right activists. Meanwhile, a Black Lives Matter group in London called off a demonstration, saying the growing presence of right-wing counter protesters would make the situation more dangerous.

These are some protest scenes from around the world.

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A 27-year-old man was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer on Friday after police responded to a complaint of a man sleeping in a car blocking a fast-food drive-thru lane, Georgia authorities said.

The Associated Press reports, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the shooting of Rayshard Brooks, which took place at a Wendy's restaurant.  According to the GBI, Brooks was shot during a struggle with an officer after he failed a field sobriety test and resisted arrest. He was taken to a local hospital where he died after surgery.

On Saturday morning, demonstrators gathered outside of the restaurant where Brooks was shot.

Gerald Griggs, an attorney and vice president of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, estimated at least 150 people were at the scene. 

“[The protesters] want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything,”Griggs said. 

He added that even if there was a struggle with officers,“they could have used non-lethal force to take him down.” 

Authorities from the GBI said its agents are reviewing videos taken by witnesses and pleaded for any witnesses to come forward on Twitter.

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Mass protests over police misconduct have sparked concerns that they could be breeding grounds for the coronavirus and potentially trigger new outbreaks. 

So some U.S. cities are offering protesters free COVID-19 tests to determine if they've become infected.

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As protests against racism spreads across the world, police dash cam video from March 10 has emerged from Alberta, Canada of an indigenous chief being assaulted during a violent arrest by Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The 12-minute video shows an officer charging at Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam, tackling him to the ground and punching him. The police said Adam's truck had expired plates. He was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the video“shocking", and demanded an independent investigation into the matter. Alberta's watchdog agency is investigating the incident. 

Opposition Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he was troubled by the video. Brian Beresh, Adam's lawyer filed a court motion to have the charges dropped over violation of his constitutional rights. Beresh issued a statement and said,“All of this resulted from an expired license plate tag. The video speaks for itself."

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French police clashed with protesters in Paris marching against racism and alleged police brutality.

The police used teargas to disperse the stone-throwing crowd who tried to hold demonstrations that the BBC reports were banned.

The rally was meant to be held in support of a Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the killing of an unarmed black man in the U.S. last month.

George Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.

After several minutes of the police officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, protests have spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd’s family.

In Paris, police blocked the anti-racism activists as they tried to stage a march to the Opera.

The march had been banned because of the possible threat to local businesses.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday urged communities in the state to reform their police forces over the next nine months, saying they would receive no funding from the state if they failed to do so.

"You tell us, county by county, city by city, what police force do you want," CBS News quotes Cuomo, explaining that he wanted communities to make decisions within nine months in order to "birth a new vision for the police force."

The 62-year-old said if counties and communities failed to pass laws to reform their police forces by April 2021, they would miss out on funding.

"If you don't want state funding, then you don't have to do it," Cuomo said. He said protesters don't need to demonstrate anymore, arguing they "won" and localities now agreed police forces should be reformed.

The U.S. has been rocked by weeks of protests since the death of an unarmed black man during arrest in Minneapolis.

George Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.

After several minutes of the police officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, protests have spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd's family.

London police announce restrictions on anti-racism protests

London police on Saturday announced a series of measures and restrictions on anti-racism protests, which are expected to happen on the weekend. 

Measures including requiring the events to end at 17:00 BST are in place following violent scenes last weekend.

Due to the concern about the COVID-19 pandemic, local police also called on people not to attend the demonstrations in the capital and choose other ways to express their voices.

Statues of historical figures, including Winston Churchill, which have been at the forefront of demonstrations by anti-racism groups, were boarded up on Friday ahead of the expected protests in London.

The statue of WWII leader Churchill outside Parliament was sprayed with graffiti last week after what had been a mostly peaceful demonstration over the death of George Floyd.

So far, there were dozens of arrests and 27 police officers were injured in demonstrations, which police said were on the whole peaceful.

The Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved a resolution declaring it will create a "transformative new model" of policing in the city, to pursue a community-led public safety system to replace the police department following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the city's police, local media reported.

"The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers is a tragedy that shows that no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department against members of our community, especially Black people and people of color," five council members wrote in the resolution.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned protesters on Friday that those who cause disruption and violence will "face the full force of the law".

Like millions of African Americans in the United States, 46-year-old George Floyd was struggling to survive the economic and emotional jolts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Floyd, who had moved to Minneapolis in 2014 to turn his life around for good, lost his job as a bouncer at a nightclub amid Minnesota's coronavirus stay-at-home order, which shuttered bars and restaurants.

Out of work, he was looking for a new job before he was killed on a street corner on May 25 by a white police officer named Derek Chauvin for allegedly trying to use a counterfeit 20 U.S. dollar note at a grocery store.

But this was not the first time their paths had crossed. Until the end of 2019, Chauvin worked outside the same club when he was off duty, while Floyd managed security inside. 

People who knew Floyd say he always handled heated situations with patience and a big smile. However, the officer, with some 17 odd years of experience in service, had a low tolerance for "troublemakers" - he preferred firing pepper spray over everyone whenever a fight broke out.

Standing about six-feet-seven tall with superhero muscles, Floyd loved being a bouncer. Popularly known as "Big Floyd" among his circle of friends and co-workers, he was described as "always cheerful" by the owner of another bar where he worked part-time.

"He had a good attitude. He would dance badly to make people laugh. I tried to teach him how to dance because he loved Latin music, but I couldn't because he was too tall for me," Jovanni Tunstrom told WCCO, a local news channel based in Minnesota.

Floyd grew up in Houston's Third Ward, a historically black neighborhood with incomes about half of the city average and unemployment nearly four times higher. Despite hardships, he dreamed of becoming a U.S. Supreme Court justice as a kid.

"We came up together, we didn't have much, our mom did what she could. Me and my brother did a lot of things together, like talking over our mom, dancing with our mom, cooking with our mom, brothers and sisters," Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd said at a memorial service in Houston.

Known as "big friendly," Floyd graduated from Jack Yates High School where he played football and basketball. After high school, head basketball coach George Walker recruited Floyd to play for him at South Florida State College in Avon Park, Florida. Floyd was a student there from 1993 to 1995. "He didn't give me too much trouble as a basketball coach," Walker told CNN. "He was a pretty good athlete, averaged 12 to 14 points a game."

Former NBA player, Stephen Jackson, also from Houston, calls Floyd his twin. "Big Floyd Da God. Been fresh Twin. If he saw all these people riding for him, he would use these three words 'that's right huh mayne' one of his favorite saying. Get ya rest champ, real ones don't die. 3rd Ward legend. My brudda. Twin," he wrote on Instagram.

Jackson, who won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, told CNN: "The difference between me and bro was I had more opportunity than he did."

Between 1997 and 2005, Floyd was arrested multiple times on drug and theft charges, spending most of his time in jail. In 2007, he was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2009.

Upon release, life was complicated with a criminal record, five children from different relationships, bills to pay and no job. The only way forward was to leave the dark past behind.

"The last time I talked to him was about a year ago and every conversation we had in that year was about bettering ourselves and being better fathers," Jackson said.

Rose Hudson, who dated Floyd over two decades ago, told KTRK, a local television station in Houston, that they had a daughter, who is now the mother of a toddler.

"I will just let her know what a great guy he was," she said. "He was a good father to his girls. I just have memories, that's all I can give her, memories of her grandfather."

On the last day of 11th grade at Jack Yates, George and his friends were asking each other about their aspirations, "George turned to me and said, 'I want to touch the world,'" recalled Jonathan Veal in an interview.

Tragically, Floyd did touch the world not in life but in death. He's become a symbol of resistance, the face of an anti-racism movement and possibly an agent of change.

Black Lives Matter protests are still going strong in many parts of the U.S.

In Seattle Washington, artists and protesters painted a large mural across several blocks.

Similar murals are also being painted in other cities in the U.S.

While murals are going up, statues honoring colonizers and slave traders are getting torn down.

White Supremacists are lashing out toward protesters and advocates for the Black Lives Matter movement.

In Michigan, a man did a Nazi salute in front of protesters.

In California, a woman threatened a mother and her 8-year-old-daughter for participating in antiracism protests.

As protests continue, other cases of police brutality have gone viral online.

Recently released body cam footage from Oklahoma City police show Derrick Scott saying "I can't breathe" while being arrested. He died in police custody on May 20th, 2019.

All around the world, statues are being targeted and taken down by both BLM protesters and officials alike. Do you agree with their removal?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a sweeping package of bill aimed at combating police misconduct on Friday following protests of George Floyd's killing, including a ban on the use of chokeholds and the one allowing the release of officers' long-withheld disciplinary records.

The measures were approved earlier this week by the state's Democratic-led Legislature. Some of the bills had been proposed in years past and failed to win approval but lawmakers moved with new urgency in the wake of massive, nationwide demonstrations over Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Cuomo was joined at the signing ceremony by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by police in New York in 2014.

"Police reform is long overdue and Mr. Floyd's murder is only the most recent murder," Cuomo, a Democrat, said.

The laws will ban police chokeholds, making it easier to sue people who call police on others without good reason, and set up a special prosecutor's office to investigate the deaths of people during and following encounters with police officers.

Eliminating the law, known as Section 50-a which was originally intended to shield good cops from vigilantes, would make complaints against officers, as well as transcripts and final dispositions of disciplinary proceedings, public for the first time in decades.

For generations, the law has been used to keep officers accused of misconduct and the departments they work for, from public scrutiny.

Decades-old measures which have allowed the police to keep the disciplinary and personnel records of officers secret may finally overturned. 

On June 18, City council members will vote on a long-delayed oversight bill that would force the New York Police Department to give details about its surveillance tools, the council's speaker's office said on Friday.

The Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act already has enough co-sponsors to win the two-thirds support needed to override veto from the mayor, who has opposed the bill.

"New Yorkers deserve to know the type of surveillance that NYPD uses in communities and its impacts," Council Speaker Corey Johnson said in a statement. 

Like other proposed police reforms, the POST Act has been in limbo for years. Backers said anger over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis and its aftermath helped push the legislation forward.

(With input from agencies)

British, Australian PMs advise people not attend weekend demonstrations

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has advised people not to attend demonstrations this weekend, adding that anyone attacking public property or the police would face "the full force of the law."

"My message to everybody is that for all sorts of reasons they should not go," he told Sky News.

He also said on Friday the police would make more arrests in connection with earlier protests. "We will bring them to justice and they will face the full of the law. It is not acceptable in this country to attack a police officer, it is not acceptable to set out in a calculated way to do damage to public property," he said.

Australian Prime Minister also warned the public against attending upcoming rallies, saying attendance went against health advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is not about the issue, this is about people's health and welfare and I would urge Australians to respect that by not attending those events," Morrison said. 

"I don't believe there should be a double standard. Australians have made great sacrifices to get us where we are today." 

Meanwhile, Paris police issued a statement and urged businesses to take precautions prior to protests in the weekend.

"Owners must put in place protection against damage and close all terraces and stalls which should be empty of anything that can be used as a missile or weapon," the statement said.

"A requisition has been made to the Mayor of Paris so that all objects that could serve as missiles may be removed and building sites on the protest route will be secured."

(With input from agencies)

Confederate statues removed following the death of George Floyd

The confederate statues around the U.S. and Europe have been rapidly torn down by protesters triggered by the death of George Floyd. 

Statues, including Christopher Columbus and those connected to the slave trade or racism, have been taken down. 

In Belgium, thousands of people are demanding the removal of statues celebrating the reign of the nation's former ruler, King Leopold II, as the country faces its controversial past. 

Meanwhile, protesters in Oxford, London, and Bristol have also demanded the removal of colonialist statues in their cities.

PM Boris Johnson: UK anti-racism protests 'hijacked by extremists'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Friday that the UK anti-racism protests had been "hijacked by extremists" who were attacking national monuments to "censor our past". 

"It is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence," Johnson said in a statement issued on Twitter.

Police have boarded up prominent statues around London ahead of a new wave of demonstrations and rallies this weekend.

A famous statue of Winston Churchill outside parliament was defaced last weekend during "Black Lives Matter" rallies sparked by George Floyd's death during a police arrest in Minnesota on May 25.

Johnson called the targeting of Churchill "absurd and shameful". 

"The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny," said Johnson, who lists the war-time leader as one of his personal heroes. 

"Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial," Johnson wrote.

Protesters blame Churchill for policies that led to the death of millions during a famine in the Indian state of Bengal in 1943. 

"We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history," said Johnson. "The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations." 

The New Zealand city of Hamilton on Friday tore down a statue of the colonial military commander after whom it was named, joining a growing list of places worldwide that are reckoning with their past.

A crane hoisted the bronze sculpture of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton from the town square after local Maori requests and threats from anti-racism protesters to topple it.

Hamilton City Council acknowledged the statue's extraction was part of a push to remove memorials, which were seen to represent cultural disharmony and oppression sparked by global anti-racism protests.

Anti-racism protesters had vowed to tear it down at a demonstration this weekend, with activist Taitimu Maipi labeling Hamilton a murderer.

Hamilton was a naval commander who fought indigenous Maori defending their land against British colonial expansion in the 19th century.

The statue was donated to the council in 2013, and the council said its removal came after a formal request from the regional iwi or tribe, Waikato-Tainui.

For the past two weeks, the police killing of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man, and the scale of protests in the U.S. have sparked thousands of people around the world to focus the same matters in their own countries.

(With input from agencies)

Seattle mayor says illegal for Trump to send military to clear protesters

The mayor of Seattle said on Thursday it would be unconstitutional and illegal for U.S. President Donald Trump to send military forces into the city to clear protesters occupying a neighborhood, as he has suggested.

But Mayor Jenny Durkan, speaking at an afternoon press conference, did not say how or when authorities would remove the roughly 500 demonstrators who have established a makeshift encampment behind barricades in the Capitol Hill district.

"It is unconstitutional and illegal to send the military into Seattle," said Durkan, a first-term Democrat. "There is no imminent threat of an invasion of Seattle."

Activists have occupied the area since police on Monday moved street barricades and abandoned their East Precinct station in a move city officials say aimed to reduce tension.

Pentagon chief orders review of National Guard's response to protests

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has ordered a review of the National Guard's response to recent protests over police brutality and racism, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

"The report will address a range of issues, including training, equipping, organizing, manning, deployment, and employment of National Guard forces," the statement said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced modest plans for an executive order on policing, while making it clear he would not support sweeping proposals in response to nationwide protests against police brutality prompted by the killing of George Floyd.

Speaking at a campaign-style event at a church in Dallas, Trump said the order would advise police departments to adopt national standards for the use of force.

His administration would also support better training for police and pilot programs for social workers to work alongside law enforcement officers, he said.

But he derided the "defund the police" movement that advocates reducing budgets for police departments and funneling that money to programs for education, social welfare, housing and other community needs.

Trump repeatedly stated his support for police and said progress would not be made by labeling millions of Americans as racist.

He said on Thursday that police should be able to use force but that it should be "force with compassion."

Police officers still need to "dominate the streets," he added, in reference to the recent protests, with violent incidents reported in some cases.

Trump sought to move the focus beyond policing by saying his administration wanted to foster economic development in minority communities, address healthcare disparities by race and provide more school choice.

U.S. protesters are working on a "Black Lives Matter" mural in an area they call the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" in Seattle, Washington State. The mural is one of the several painted in a six-block area that is now barricaded off by protesters. People have been using paint rollers to block out the letters for the last few days.

Australian PM calls for racism protesters to be charged

Black Lives Matter protesters should be punished for ignoring coronavirus lockdown rules Australia's prime minister said Thursday, sparking anger by also claiming slavery never existed in the country.

Tens of thousands of Australians demonstrated this week against systemic racism at home and in the United States, and more protests are planned for the coming days.

Critics have called for marches to be banned on health grounds, sparking debate over freedom of speech and the country's colonial past.

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Houston mayor signs executive order banning police use of chokeholds

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday signed an executive order on police reform which prohibits police techniques such neck restraints and chokeholds.

According to the executive order, officers can only use the prohibited techniques when it's objectively necessary to prevent imminent serious bodily injury or death to the officer or others.

"Officers shall not place their knee, foot, or body weight on the neck of a suspect to control or contain the suspect's movement," Mayor Turner said.

"We believe that taking all these things in collaboration can help restore and maintain the confidence of the general public. We want the public to know that we are responding and listening to their concerns and taking some immediate steps, which we believe will create a much better system for everyone."

The executive order also covered other requirements on police department's response to resistance, de-escalation, use of deadly force, and no-knock warrants. 

Pompeo vows probe into police brutality against foreign reporters covering U.S. protests

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a Wednesday news conference that a probe will be launched into complaints regarding foreign journalists being mistreated while covering protests against racism and police brutality in the U.S.

"I know there have been concerns from some countries of their reporters having been treated inappropriately. We've seen some of those allegations come into the State Department. You should know and those countries should know we will handle them in a completely appropriate way. We will do our best to investigate them," Pompeo said.

The promise came after emerging media reports said journalists were targeted by police officers during their coverage. Some were being shot at, some were teargassed, arrested and even intimidated.

It also prompted governments of several countries including Australia, Britain and Germany to voice concern to the U.S. over the mistreatment of their journalists. 

Trump rejects renaming U.S. bases named after Confederate leaders

President Donald Trump ruled out renaming U.S. military bases that are named for Confederate leaders on Wednesday even as NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its races and Democrats sought the removal from Capitol Hill of statues of people representing the pro-slavery South in the 1860s Civil War.

With Americans more conscious about race issues in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, Trump drew a line in favor of keeping the names of 10 military bases from Virginia to Texas that are named for Confederate military leaders.

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At least seven LA police officers taken off field duties after using excessive force during protests

At least seven Los Angeles police officers have been removed from field duties after using excessive force during recent protests, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate allegations of misconduct, violations of department policy, and excessive force during the recent civil unrest… So far, there are a total of 56 complaint investigations, with 28 involving alleged uses of force. Seven employees have been assigned to non-field duties."

The department also said 40 investigators have been assigned to "look into every complaint thoroughly" and "hold every officer accountable for their actions."

Police officers and their handling of protesters in the U.S. have come under scrutiny in the weeks following the killing of George Floyd who died in police custody, which has sparked nationwide and global demonstrations. 

Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer who was involved in George Floyd's death, was released from jail on Wednesday after posting bond, according to the Hennepin County Jail website.

Lane, 37, helped Derek Chauvin constrain Floyd and was later charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. 

Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who court documents said knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, faces second-degree murder charges. 

(Cover: AP) 

George Floyd's younger brother took his grief to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday with an impassioned plea that lawmakers not let his brother's death be in vain, lamenting that he "didn't deserve to die over 20 dollars" in what he called a lynching.

As the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives took up the issues of police violence and racial injustice in America, Philonise Floyd appeared before the first congressional hearing since his brother's death in Minneapolis sparked protests around the world. A day before, Philonise Floyd had just buried the man he called his "personal superman" at a funeral that drew hundreds of mourners.

"They lynched my brother. That was a modern-day lynching in broad daylight," Philonise Floyd, 42, of Missouri City, Texas, near Houston, told the committee, his voice breaking with emotion.

"His life mattered. All our lives matter. Black lives matter," he added, wiping away tears.

The House is moving forward with sweeping reform legislation that could come to a vote by July 4, while Senate Republicans are crafting a rival plan.

The session, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, was meant for Democrats to review the Justice in Policing Act, a far-ranging package of proposals amid a national debate on policing and racial inequality.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old Houston native who had worked security at nightclubs, was unarmed when taken into custody outside a market where an employee had reported that a man matching his description tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.

"George wasn't hurting anyone that day. He didn't deserve to die over 20 dollars. I'm asking you, is that what a black man's worth? 20 dollars? This is 2020. Enough is enough," his brother said. "It is on you to make sure his death is not in vain."

"I'm here to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain," Philonise Floyd testified. "George called for help and he was ignored. Please listen to the call I'm making to you now, to the calls of our family and the calls ringing on the streets of all the world."

Police officer Derek Chauvin was fired after the incident and charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter. George Floyd and Chauvin worked as security personnel at the same nightclub.

Philonise Floyd said Chauvin knew his brother and killed him with premeditation "just because he didn't like him," adding that "it has to have something to do with racism."

Political divide

The hearing highlighted divisions in Congress and the country between those who want broad changes to policing practices and those who defend the work of law enforcement and blame any problems on, as Republican Representative Mike Johnson put it, a "few bad apples."

While several Republicans pledged cooperation and voiced support for a pivotal provision that would scale back so-called qualified immunity protections that shield police from lawsuits by people suing for damages, it is unclear whether Democrats and Republicans will eventually overcome partisan differences to pass legislation that President Donald Trump would be willing to sign.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, who said the Republican president may take policy action on race and policing through an executive order, called reduced qualified immunity a "non-starter." McEnany said Trump's administration has nearly finalized plans to address police brutality that could be made public within days.

Rev. Darrell Scott, who is part of Trump's national diversity coalition, blasted activists' push to dismantle police departments as "one of the most unwise, irresponsible proposals" ever.

During the hearing, lawmakers also heard testimony from civil rights and law enforcement leaders.

"The vast, vast majority of law enforcement officers are responsible, hard-working, heroic first responders," added Representative Jim Jordan, the committee's top Republican.

Scott noted he, like many black men, has been pulled over by police for "driving while black," as he put it.

"I could very easily have been George Floyd," he testified. "However, I do not recommend throwing out the baby with the bathwater."

Those who testified also included Angela Underwood Jacobs, the sister of a black law enforcement officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, who was shot and killed while guarding a federal courthouse in California during the protests that followed Floyd's death.

A former Republican candidate for Congress, she called for justice for Floyd and for her brother. While she said the idea of defunding the police was "ridiculous," she also urged the lawmakers to find answers.

(With input from AP, Reuters)

The weeks of massive protest against the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, has reignited a push to change policing across the U.S.

Many are calling called for a defunding of police departments all together.

Here's what the future of law enforcement at the state and local level could look like. (Stay tuned for another report on what changes at the federal level could look like.)

Defunding police can include decreases in funding or transferring funding of police departments to more community-oriented aid.

Last year, after a campaign by a group called Durham Beyond Policing, the city council voted against hiring 18 new police officers and began discussing a “community safety and wellness task force” instead, the New York Times reported.

In Eugene, Oregon, a nonprofit organization works with police and goes out on calls when the request is related to someone's mental health.

Minneapolis has also shifted funding for eight new officers toward an office for violence prevention and council members have announced a plan to disband the police department.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, the mayor of Los Angeles is looking into cutting as much as $150 million in the police budget.

Similar considerations are also taking place in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Many activists point to decades of declining crime, while police funding has increased significantly.

In the last 40 years, according to a U.S Census data analysis by Bloomberg Businessweek, the cost of policing has tripled while crime, and in particular violent crime, has significantly decreased.

Back in 2014 and 2015, New York police officers staged a work "slowdown" in an attempt to show the mayor that less policing would lead to increased crime, the Guardian reported.

But crime actually decreased.

When New York City ended its controversial "stop and frisk" police policy, there was also no increase in crime.

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CGTN Correspondent Dan Williams has been covering the events following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. 

More than two weeks after his death, and subsequent protests around the country, he reflects on what it was like to talk to people coping with the tragedy and report on the events happening.

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The White House is working on an executive order on police reform, two weeks after the death of an unarmed black man during arrest in Minneapolis.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany suggested this was possible earlier on Wednesday.

"We do believe that we will have proactive policy prescriptions, whether that means legislation or an executive order," she said on Fox News.

As President Donald Trump weighs endorsing some type of police reform measures, CNN reports that his top aides are expected to present options to the President as early as Wednesday.

The U.S. has been hit by a wave of protests since the death of George Floyd last month, with some descending into chaos.

George Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.

After several minutes of the police officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, the resultant protests have spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd’s family.

According to CNN, some aides have eyed Trump's Thursday visit to Dallas as a potential venue for him to unveil which police reform measures he supports, though it's not yet clear whether he'll have made a decision by then.

The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said Wednesday as he announced the first steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Arradondo said a thorough review of the contract is planned, adding that the contract needs to be restructured to provide more transparency and flexibility for true reform. The review would look at matters such as critical incident protocols, use of force, and disciplinary protocols, including grievances and arbitration.

He said it's debilitating for a chief when an officer does something that is grounds for termination, but the union works to keep that person on the job, and on the street.

"This work must be transformational, but I must do it right," Arradondo said of changes to the department.

Arradondo's remarks come a day after George Floyd, the unarmed black man killed by police in Minneapolis, was laid to rest at the Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland.

Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.

After several minutes of the police officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, protests have spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd's family.

George Floyd’s brother: Make sure his death is not in vain

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, testified before Congress on Wednesday, calling on the law makers to make sure his brother’s death would not be in vain.

“I couldn’t take care of George the day he was killed, but maybe by speaking with you today, I can make sure that his death would not be in vain,” said Philonise Floyd.

He said that his brother didn't deserve to die over 20 U.S. dollars. “I am asking you, is that what a black man’s life is worth? 20 dollars? This is 2020. Enough is enough."

Anti-racism protesters in Virginia tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus on Tuesday night in Byrd park in Richmond, then draped it in a burning flag and dumped it in a lake as seen in images posted on social media.

A wave of demonstrations has swept across the United States and Europe following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, 46, died after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while he was held face down in a street in Minneapolis on May 25.

Some of the civil action has focused on monuments glorifying countries' imperialist past, which some people see as offensive in today's multi-ethnic society. Protesters have torn down statues linked to empire and the slave trade.

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 and his voyages across the Atlantic opened the way for European colonization of the Americas. He first arrived in the Americas on October 12, 1492, a date marked as Columbus Day in the United States, a federal holiday.

Read more:

Black Lives Matter protests reignite focus on Britain's slave trading past

After weeks of rioting and with legislators promising police reform or abolition following George Floyd's death, New York police union head Mike O'Meara took a stand to slam lawmakers and the media for treating police like "animals" and "thugs" at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday.

Seethed at anti-police sentiment in politics and the media, O'Meara, president of the New York Association of Police Benevolent Associations, said "the legislators, the press, everybody's trying to shame us into being embarrassed about our profession."

"Stop treating us like animals and thugs, and start treating us with some respect…. We've been left out of the conversation, we've been vilified – it's disgusting," O'Meara blasted.

O'Meara condemned the killing of Floyd, calling Chauvin's actions "disgusting," and insisted that his department is "restrained."

"I am not Derek Chauvin; they are not him," O'Meara said while gesturing to officers gathered behind him. "He killed someone. We didn't."

The NYPD has faced challenges containing widespread rioting and looting in recent weeks. To pacify the anger of demonstrators, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that the city government would slash some of the department's funding and divert to other programs.

Besides, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has promised to sign a package of police reform laws this week. At the height of the rioting, he said, "The police in New York City were not effective at doing their job…."

NYPD chief Terence Monahan hit back at Cuomo's remarks the next day.

"I'm watching my men and women out there dealing with stuff that no cop should ever have to deal with, bricks, bottles, rocks, hit in the face with bottles and continuing to go forward to make an arrest," Monahan said. "For a governor to be sitting in his office saying that we're not doing a good job, I'm outraged."

Though O'Meara didn't mention any specific name in his speech, his disappointment and passion towards legislators were tangible. Holding up his police badge, he said that 375 million interactions between the public and the police each year are "overwhelmingly positive," excoriating the reports he read all week that in the black community mothers are worried about their children getting home from school without being killed by a cop.

"What world are we living in? That doesn't happen. It does not happen!" a frustrated O'Meara shouted.

Though O'Meara defended his police union, recent events haven't painted his profession in a flattering light. Earlier on Tuesday, an NYPD officer surrendered himself to face assault charges after he was caught on video shoving a female protester to the ground last month and verbally abusing her.

Additionally, a video in which a 75-year-old man fell to the ground and suffered a head injury after an interaction with two officers clearing the plaza outside City Hall went viral. The incident in Buffalo on Friday lead to second degree assault charges of the two police officers at the weekend.

Read more: Systemic racism or 'a few bad apples'？

Thousands of anti-racism protesters rallied in the heart of London in support of U.S. protests against police brutality. They waved placards and chanted: "No justice, no peace, no racist police."

The global protests reflect rising anger over police treatment of ethnic minorities. The British government had warned people to stay away because of the threat of the coronavirus. But huge crowds still gathered at Parliament Square, making social distancing impossible.

The killing of African-American George Floyd has reopened the wounds of "ingrained racism" looming in the American society. "Legal" racial discrimination has ended, but the racial hierarchy of the colonial days continues unabated.
 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday slammed U.S. President Donald Trump for his tweet criticizing a 75-year-old protester who was captured on video bleeding on the sidewalk after police officers shoved him. Trump tweeted without evidence that the confrontation between the elderly protester and the police may have been a "set up." 

National Guard troops in Washington D.C. test positive for COVID-19

Numerous National Guard members deployed in Washington D.C. to deal with the massive protests over the death of African American George Floyd have tested positive for COVID-19, the military said on Tuesday.

Authorities said in a statement that the accurate number of infections in the National Guard would not be revealed due to "operational security."

All members had COVID-19 tests before they were sent to the capital, and will have another round of testing before leaving, the statement said.

Videos on social media showed that many National Guard troops did not wear face masks while responding to the nationwide protests, and it was next to impossible to keep any social distancing.

Local media reported that thousands of National Guard troops were deployed to respond to the growing unrest.

D.C. Council unanimously passes emergency police reform bill

The District of Columbia Council on Tuesday unanimously passed police reform legislation banning the hiring of officers with a history of serious misconduct, who got fired from another police department and prohibiting the use of tear gas or rubber bullets on peaceful demonstrators. 

According to a report from CNN, vote on Tuesday stays in effect for 90 days, which can be extended to 225 days with a second vote. 

In pictures: Funeral held in Houston to bid farewell to George Floyd

The funeral of African American George Floyd was held Tuesday in the southern U.S. city of Houston, where he was brought up and spent most of his life, two weeks after his tragic death in police custody in Minneapolis.

Hundreds of people came to say a final goodbye to Floyd at the Fountain of Praise Church. Memorial services had also been held for Floyd in Minneapolis and North Carolina.

Beginning at around 11 a.m. Central Time (1600 GMT), the private funeral service celebrated Floyd's homecoming with over an hour of singing and praying, before families and friends took turns to share their memories of Floyd and his 46 years of life.

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sent his condolences to Floyd's family via video.

"When there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America," said the expected Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election.

Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner announced at the funeral that he would sign an executive order banning city police from using chokeholds and strangleholds.

Floyd is expected to be laid to rest next to his mother, whom he called out for during his final moment of suffocation as his neck was under a white police officer's knee.

As former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden delivers a taped address during George Floyd's funeral, more instances of alleged racism in the U.S. are captured on video.

George Floyd, a black man whose death under the knee of a white police officer roused worldwide protests against racial injustice, was remembered at his funeral on Tuesday as "an ordinary brother" transformed by fate into the "cornerstone of a movement."

Dozens of Floyd's family members, most dressed in white, took part in the four-hour service. Grammy-winning singer Ne-Yo was among those who sang.

Civil rights leaders and other dignitaries who attended the service included Rev. Al Sharpton, actors Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum, J.J. Watt of the NFL's Houston Texans, rapper Trae tha Truth, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who brought the crowd to its feet when he announced he will sign an executive order banning chokeholds in the city.

The funeral service also drew hundreds who sought to show solidarity with Floyd's family following his death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The 46-year-old died on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man saying, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd's neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protests from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

In the two weeks since his death, protests have spilled beyond the U.S. as countries across the world show solidarity with the demonstrators seeking justice for Floyd's family.

The memorial was punctuated by gospel music and a video montage of shared memories of the man affectionately known as "Big Floyd."

Floyd's younger brother, Terrence, spoke about awakening in the middle of the night in recent days traumatized by the memory of seeing his older sibling calling out for their mother as he lay dying.

His older brother, Philonise, sobbing in grief, told mourners, "George was my personal superman."

Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in the November 3 election, Joe Biden, made a video address to the service lamenting that "too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life."

"We can't turn away. We must not turn away. We cannot leave this moment thinking we can again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul, from systematic abuse that still plagues American life," he added.

While Biden eschewed mentioning his opponent in November, other speakers took swipes at President Donald Trump, who has ignored demands to address racial bias and has called on authorities to crack down hard on lawlessness.

"The president talks about bringing in the military, but he did not say one word about 8 minutes and 46 seconds of police murder of George Floyd," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist. "He challenged China on human rights. But what about the human right of George Floyd?"

Floyd served nearly five years in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon before becoming a mentor and a church outreach volunteer in Houston. He moved to Minnesota several years ago through a program that tried to change men's lives by helping them find work in new settings.

At the time of his death, Floyd was out of work as a bouncer at a Minneapolis club that had closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. He was seized by the police after being accused of passing a counterfeit 20 dollar bill at a convenience store.

Four Minneapolis officers were arrested in his death: Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with second-degree murder. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao were charged with aiding and abetting. All four could face up to 40 years in prison.

Some of the mostly peaceful demonstrations that erupted after Floyd's death were marked by bursts of arson, assaults, vandalism and smash-and-grab raids on businesses, with more than 10,000 people arrested. But protests in recent days have been overwhelmingly peaceful.

(With input from AP, Reuters)

New York Mayor says a street in each borough will be named "Black Lives Matter"

In each borough at a "crucial" location, a street will be named "Black Lives Matter," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.

"What will be clear – the street name and on the streets of our city – is that message that now this city must fully, fully deeply feel and this nation must as well, that Black Lives Matter," de Blasio said. 

A private funeral will be held for George Floyd in Houston, where he grew up, Tuesday morning. The 46-year-old African-American man died in police custody on May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis. 

The police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. 

About 500 guests invited by the Floyd family, including political leaders and celebrities, are expected to be in attendance at the funeral, local media said.

Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz also asked all Minnesotans to observe eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence when the funeral starts.

Prior to the funeral, thousands of well-wishers filed past Floyd's coffin in a six-hour public viewing on Monday, the final stage in a series of ceremonies paying tribute to Floyd.

Many people made the sign of the cross as they approached the open casket to say a last goodbye, while others took a knee or bowed their heads in silent prayer.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: People pay their respects before the funeral for George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis police custody has sparked nationwide protests against racial inequality, in Houston, Texas, U.S., June 9, 2020. /Reuters)

London mayor sets up commission to review diversity of London's public realm

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced on Tuesday the creation of a commission to review and improve diversity across London's public realm to ensure the capital's landmarks suitably reflect London's achievements and diversity, according to a statement from the municipal government website.

The commission will focus on increasing representation among black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community and disability groups, the statement outlined. 

"The Mayor is committed to ensuring that the capital's history is celebrated and commemorated in the most appropriate way," read the statement.

Jack Yates High School has held a candlelight vigil for George Floyd. Local residents and alumni of the school took part on Monday night, honoring Floyd on the field where he played football. His funeral will be held on Tuesday in Houston. Meanwhile, his family lawyer has sent a request to the UN to intervene in the investigation into his death.

George Floyd's casket left the Fountain of Praise church in Houston after a public viewing that drew thousands to mourn the man whose killing sparked massive protests for racial justice in the U.S. and beyond.

Thousands of Houston residents braved the heat to honor Floyd at an event full of pain and reflection. Mourners had to wear masks inside the church, and could only stay for a few seconds in front of the open casket, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Court approves ban on Minneapolis police from using choke holds, neck restraint

A judge of Hennepin Country court in Minnesota has ordered the Minneapolis Police Department to prohibit the use of all neck restraint or choke holds for any reason.

The order appeared to address the tactic used by former officer Derek Chauvin on George Floyd for more than eight minutes before his death.

Judge Karen Janisch's order says any member of the Police Department who observes another member using any unauthorized use of force, including choke hold or neck restraint, has an affirmative duty to immediately report the incident.

Officers are also required to "safely intervene by verbal and physical means" against such inappropriate use of force, or "they shall be subject to discipline to the same severity as if they themselves engaged in the prohibited use of force."

LAPD to halt training and use of the Carotid Restraint Control Hold immediately

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced Monday that Police Chief Michel Moore and Police Commission President Eileen Decker have agreed to an immediate moratorium on the training and use of the Carotid Restraint Control Hold.

A carotid restraint compresses the neck arteries of a person and restricts blood from flowing to the brain. 

The LAPD said in a statement the moratorium will be in place "until such time that the Board of Police Commissioners can conduct a detailed review."

Officer charged in George Floyd's death suggested rolling him over, lawyer says

A lawyer for one of the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death, Thomas Lane, told CNN's Chris Cuomo that Floyd resisted arrest and his client suggested rolling Floyd over while officer Chauvin was kneeling on his neck.

"My client is holding his legs, Mr. Floyd is saying he can't breathe and my client says to the 20-year veteran Chauvin should we roll him over," Lane's lawyer Earl Gray said in an interview with Cuomo.

Chauvin said no to Lane's suggestion, according to Gray.

Lane had only been on the force for four days when he helped to arrest Floyd, said his lawyer.

Gray said his client "did not want to see the man die" and started performing CPR on Floyd after they got on the ambulance.

Officer Lane was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

The controversial statue of a famous British slave trader torn down by Black Lives Matter protesters would not necessarily be reinstated, the official cultural watchdog Historic England said Monday.

The bronze statue of Edward Colston, erected in 1895 as a Grade II listed monument to commemorate his philanthropy, had long divided public opinion in the port city of Bristol with calls for it to be removed.

"We recognize that the statue was a symbol of injustice and a source of great pain for many people. Whilst we do not condone the unauthorized removal of a listed structure, we recognize and understand the emotion and the hurt that public historical commemoration can generate and we encourage Bristol City Council to engage in a city wide conversation about the future of the statue," said Historic England.

"We are here to offer guidance and support but believe the decision is best made at a local level – we do not believe it must be reinstated," it added.

Protesters pulled the statue down from its plinth on Sunday and threw it into a river, which was described by British government officials as an act of vandalism and criminal damage.

Meanwhile, a total of 27 police officers were hurt during anti-racism protests in London over the weekend, the Met Police has revealed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said these demonstrations have been "subverted by thuggery."

"People have a right to protest peacefully and while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police. These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery – and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account," he said on Twitter.

(Cover image: People look at the pedestal of the toppled statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, England, following the downing of the statue on Sunday at a Black Lives Matter demo, June 8, 2020. /AP

Protests against racism and police brutality have spread across the United States over the last month, following the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Lead by the Movement for Black Lives, the protests have found a variety of supporters and communities, especially people from the Latino Community.

CGTN speaks with Chris Zepeda-Millan, associate professor in the Departments of Chicana/o Studies and Public Policy at UCLA, about the Latino involvement in the recent protests and the solidarity between Black Lives Matter and the immigration movement.

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Democratic lawmakers knelt in silent tribute to George Floyd in the U.S. Congress on Monday before unveiling a package of sweeping police reforms in response to the killing of African Americans by law enforcement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were joined by some two dozen lawmakers in Emancipation Hall -- named in honor of the slaves who helped erect the U.S. Capitol in the 18th century.

They knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds to mark the length of time a white police officer pinned his knee on the neck of 46-year-old unarmed and handcuffed Floyd, whose May 25 death in Minneapolis sparked protests against racial injustice across the United States and beyond.

The Democrats said their bill aimed to create "meaningful, structural change that safeguards every Americans' right to safety and equal justice."

The 134-page bill also would ban chokeholds and require the use of body cameras by federal law enforcement officers, restrict the use of lethal force and facilitate independent probes of police departments that show patterns of misconduct.

Two weeks after Floyd's death, the impact continued to resonate at home and abroad. Protesters nationwide now are demanding police reforms and a reckoning with institutional racism in response to the death of the African-American and calls to "defund the police" have become rallying cries for many.

The Minneapolis City Council has vowed to dismantle the city's 800-member police agency.

In Portland, Oregon, the city's police chief resigned Monday, just six months into her job, amid criticism of her department's handling of protests in Oregon's largest city. An African American lieutenant on the force replaced her. The shake-up came as police have been sharply criticized for using what has been called inappropriate force against some protesters as huge demonstrations continue in Portland.

In Paris, France's top security official said police would no longer permit chokeholds that have been blamed for multiple cases of asphyxiation and have come under renewed criticism after Floyd's death.

As democrats are rolling out the policing reform plan in Washington, DC, at least 6,000 of mourners on Monday flooded to a church in Houston where Floyd grew up, to say goodbye to him.

Under a blazing Texas sun, mourners wearing T-shirts with Floyd's picture or the words "I Can't Breathe" waited for hours to pay their respects as Floyd's body, dressed in a brown suit, lay in an open gold-colored casket. Some sang "Lean on Me" and Houston's police chief bumped fists and embraced others in line.

In Los Angeles, a funeral-style procession of cars inched through downtown as the viewing began in Houston. In Tennessee, residents of Memphis held a moment of silence.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, who has been charged with second-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death, made his first court appearance by video link on Monday.  At the hearing, bail for him was raised by 250,000 U.S. dollars to 1.25 million dollars.

Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank argued that the "severity of the charges" as well as the strength of public opinion against Chauvin made it more likely that he would flee if set free, the Star Tribune reported.

Chauvin's bail was raised to 1.25 million dollars from one million dollars without conditions, and to one million dollars from 750,000 dollars with conditions, according to a conditional release order signed by Hennepin County District Judge Jeannice Reding.

The conditions include prohibitions against working in law enforcement and contact with Floyd's family. Chauvin would also have to surrender any licenses or permits for firearms to qualify for the lower bail amount, the order said. Chauvin and his attorney did not object to the bail conditions.

(With input from agencies)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led the Democrats by announcing police and justice reform legislation in the U.S. on Monday. 

Pelosi said this "moment of national anguish is being transformed into a movement of national action as Americans from across the country peacefully protest to demand an end to injustice."

"We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural change, which is why the Justice in Policing Act will remove barriers of prosecuting police misconduct and covering damages by addressing the quality immunity doctrine," she added.

Some highlights of the legislation include: 

– Demilitarizing the police by limiting the transfer of military weapons to state and local police departments

– Combating police brutality by requiring body and dashboard cameras

– Banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases

– Ending racial profiling

It will also make lynching a federal hate crime.

Pelosi also called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to swiftly take up the legislation once the bill is passed in the House of Representatives.

"A profession where you have the power to kill should be a profession that requires highly trained officers who are accountable to the public," Representative Karen Bass, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, told a news conference. 

Democrats expect to bring the legislation to the House of Representatives floor by July 4. 

Anticipating resistance in the Republican-controlled Senate, Democrats hope to enlist the aid of public sentiment as opinion polls show widespread public concern about police violence. 

The bill does not address calls by protesters to defund police departments, a move advocates say would free up funds to address social ills that officers are ill-equipped to handle. 

Instead, legislators said such issues would be addressed in subsequent legislation. 

After a weekend with no public events, Trump held a roundtable with law enforcement officials at the White House on Monday. 

Floyd's death in Minneapolis, where a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, was the latest in a string of deaths of black people at the hands of police that have sparked fresh calls for reforms. 

Among the legislation's provisions, Democratic aides and analysts say allowing civil lawsuits against police could prove most effective in curbing police brutality. But it is likely to face opposition from Republicans. 

(With input from Reuters)

A CNN report on Monday cited data that police in the U.S. typically shoot, arrest and imprison more people than police in other developed nations. 

"Floyd was just one of the many Americans killed by police officers each year. But in other developed countries, such incidents are rare," said the report.

However, the report also added that "it is impossible to know exactly how many people die at the hands of police officers in the U.S. each year," because no single, nationwide database exists that contains such information.

UK PM Johnson 'does not agree that Britain is a racist country,' says his spokesman

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not agree that Britain is a racist country, but is committed to continuing stamping out racism and discrimination, said his spokesman on Monday.

"The PM doesn't doubt that there continues to be discrimination and racism but would not agree that this is a racist country. We have made very significant progress on this issue but there remains more to do," the spokesman told reporters.

In response to anti-racism protesters in England pulling down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader Edward Colton in Bristol, the spokesman said the prime minister regards the removal of the statue as a criminal act.

NYT opinion editor quits after backlash over piece advocating for military intervention

The New York Times' editorial page editor James Bennet resigned Sunday after facing backlash for publishing an opinion piece by U.S. Senator Tom Cotton that advocated for using federal troops to quell protests.

The fallout was swift after the Arkansas Republican's piece was posted online late Wednesday. It caused a revolt among Times journalists, with some saying it endangered black employees. Others called in sick on Thursday in protest. 

Following a review, the newspaper said Cotton's piece should not have been published, at least not without substantial revisions. It also announced that Katie Kingsbury, a Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing who joined the Times from the Boston Globe in 2017, will oversee the opinion pages through the November elections.

Car rams into protest in Seattle, driver opens fire: police

One person was injured after a suspect drove a vehicle into a crowd and opened fire in Seattle on Sunday afternoon, according to the local police department's official Twitter account.  

The suspect was detained by the police. 

The injured person is undergoing treatment in hospital and the police believe there are no additional victims. 

Barack Obama addresses nationwide unrest

Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday commented on the ongoing nationwide protests linked to the deaths at the hands of police of black people, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, at YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" virtual ceremony.

Referring to the tragedies, Obama said they represented "decades worth of anguish, frustration, over unequal treatment and a failure to reform police practices in the broader criminal justice system." 

He added that "these shocks to the system that we're seeing right now...they remind us that we can't take things for granted, we have to work to make things better."

Earlier, Obama also posted a statement on Twitter on the death of George Floyd.

"It can't be 'normal.' If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better," Obama said in a statement as protests continued across the country.

(Cover: File photo) 

Fox News apologizes for chart of stock gains after black killings

Fox News has apologized for airing a graphic showing how stock markets had responded after high-profile acts of violence against black men, including the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the recent police killing of George Floyd.

The chart appeared Friday on "Special Report with Bret Baier" and showed how markets had risen after the 1968 killing of the civil rights leader, the acquittal of police involved in the 1991 beating of Rodney King, and the deaths of teenager Michael Brown in 2014 and Floyd this year.

"The infographic used on FOX News Channel's Special Report to illustrate market reactions to historic periods of civil unrest should have never aired on television without full context," the cable channel said in a statement Saturday retweeted by Baier without comment.

Click here for more. 

The council of the U.S. city of Minneapolis voted late Sunday to dismantle and rebuild the police department, after the death in custody of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests about racism in law enforcement, pushing the issue onto the national political agenda.

Nine members – a veto-proof supermajority – of the 13-member council voted to disband the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), which has long been accused of racism.

"Our commitment is to end our city's toxic relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department, to end policing as we know it, and to re-create systems of public safety that actually keep us safe," Lisa Bender, president of the city council, said at a community meeting with activists in Powderhorn Park on Sunday.

In a statement, members of the council said that "decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed, and will never be accountable for its actions."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, is against getting rid of the department, and the head of the city's powerful police union, Bob Kroll, appeared on stage last year with President Donald Trump.

The vote by a majority of councilors came a day after Frey was booed at and asked to leave a "Defund the Police" rally. He later told AFP he supported "massive structural reform to revise this structurally racist system" but not "abolishing the entire police department."

Bystander video of the incident – which captured the unarmed George Floyd calling for his mother and saying he couldn't breathe after white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes – has sparked two weeks of mostly peaceful demonstrations across the country.

On Sunday, protesters in cities including Washington, New York and Winter Park, Florida, began focusing their outrage over the death of the unarmed Floyd into demands for police reform and social justice.

(With input from Xinhua, AFP)

The mayor of Minneapolis ran a gauntlet of angry, jeering protesters on Saturday after telling them he was opposed to their demands for de-funding the city police following George Floyd's fatal encounter with law enforcement.

Mayor Jacob Frey, a former civil rights attorney who took office two years ago vowing to repair the police department's strained relations with minorities, was showered with angry chants of "Go home, Jacob, go home," and "Shame, shame," as he stalked away through the crowd, head bowed.

Onlookers' video of the spectacle went viral on social media on a day when tens of thousands of demonstrators in cities across the country staged a 12th straight day of protests demanding an end to racial bias and brutality in America's criminal justice system.

Frey was first thrust into the national spotlight nearly two weeks ago, after cellphone footage emerged showing Floyd, an African-American in handcuffs, lying face down in the street and struggling to breathe as a white policeman knelt on his neck.

The 38-year-old mayor immediately decried the deadly use of force in Floyd's May 25 arrest as unjustified.

(With input from the agencies)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ended a nightly curfew on Sunday, a day earlier than he had planned.

The curfew ran from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. most nights and was put in place last Monday by de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo amid protests against police brutality and intermittent looting.

City lawmakers had been urging de Blasio to end the curfew, saying it was being used by police to justify arrests and using night sticks and pepper spray on protesters who defied the curfew.

"Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city," de Blasio said in a statement ending the curfew.

(With input from the agencies)

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard's withdrawal from Washington, D.C.

"I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control," Trump wrote in a Twitter post on Sunday morning. "They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!"

Trump's order comes three days after mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser requested the withdrawal of the U.S. National Guard from the capital.

Early this week, about 4,500 National Guard troops from around the U.S. were flown to Washington on Trump's orders in light of heated protests over the killing of African American George Floyd while in police custody.

Read more:

Trump blasts DC mayor as 'incompetent' over force withdrawal request

(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 10, 2018. /Reuters)

Protesters gather in London to call for an end to systemic racism

Protesters in London gathered and surrounded the U.S. Embassy in the UK on Sunday as part of a large-scale demonstration against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Events will also take place on Sunday in other cities across the UK, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Bristol, to demand an end to systemic racism.

A total of 14 police officers were injured in violent clashes between small groups of protesters during anti-racism protests in central London on Saturday, London police chief Cressida Dick said on Sunday.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he supported the peaceful protesters taking part in the anti-discrimination demonstration, but condemned those who resorted to violence as endangering the peaceful protest.

NYC ends curfew after peaceful protests

Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced an early end to New York City's curfew which was originally set to be moved on Monday (June 8). 

"New York City: We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city. Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other," he wrote in a Twitter post Sunday morning.

The curfew, effective each day from 8 p.m. until the next morning at 5, was imposed on Monday evening as the city was gripped by heated protests over the killing of George Floyd which saw clashes between police and protesters and even looting.

According to the New York Times, more than 2,000 people have been arrested.

Protesters gather in Rome against racial inequality

A lot of people knelt in silence for eight minutes before screaming, "George Floyd is here! No to racism" at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy, on Sunday in protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody. The protest was organized by multiple organizations.

Australian minister calls anti-racism protests 'self-indulgent' over coronavirus concern

Australians who defied public health rules and rallied in support of the U.S. "Black Lives Matter" movement were reckless and self-indulgent, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told Sky News on Sunday.

Cormann said the protesters risked a second outbreak of the novel coronavirus. "I think it is incredibly selfish," he said. "It's incredibly self-indulgent."

The comment came after over 20,000 people protested in Sydney and other cities on Saturday, in solidarity with U.S. anger over the killing of George Floyd and called for an end to similar deaths among indigenous Australians.

Protests are continuing to unfold in major world cities outside the U.S. to show solidarity and local officials have also voiced similar concerns to Cormann as the coronavirus pandemic is still a threat to the public health.

Asked during an interview on Sky News on Sunday whether the number attending protests made an increase in COVID-19 cases more likely, British health minister Matt Hancock said, "It is undoubtedly a risk."

"I support very strongly the argument that is being made by those who are protesting ... but the virus itself doesn't discriminate and gathering in large groups is temporarily against the rules precisely because it increases the risk of the spread of this virus."

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has also appealed to protesters to "keep your distance, wear a mask, and take care of each other."

"The fight against racism needs our common commitment," he tweeted. "But crowds of people in the middle of the pandemic worry me."

(With input from Reuters)

South Korean boy band BTS donates $1 million to Black Lives Matter

Popular South Korean band BTS donated one million U.S. dollars to Black Lives Matter (BLM) in support of U.S. protests against police brutality, its music label, Big Hit Entertainment, told Reuters on Sunday.

Fans of BTS have taken over the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag, a counter movement to #BlackLivesMatter, by posting images and videos of their favorite singers. 

Reclusive British street artist Banksy published a new artwork online on Saturday, depicting the United States flag being set alight by a candle that forms part of a memorial to an anonymous, black, silhouetted figure.

The artwork appeared as thousands of people gathered in London and other cities around the world to protest the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where a white police officer detaining him knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

"People of color are being failed by the system. The white system," Banksy wrote in a short statement that accompanied the image on the social media platform Instagram.

Banksy likened racism to a broken pipe flooding a downstairs apartment, and said the downstairs occupants would be entitled to break into the apartment upstairs to fix the problem.

"This is a white problem. And if white people don’t fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in," Banksy wrote alongside the image.

Banksy frequently chooses topical themes for his artworks, which are normally stenciled on walls.

Last month, he showed a young boy choosing a nurse as the superhero he wants to play with over Batman and Spiderman, in a new artwork to encapsulate the gratitude Britons have felt toward the country’s National Health Service during the coronavirus crisis.

(Cover: An artwork by Banksy is seen in this image obtained from his Instagram account on June 6, 2020. /@banksy on Instagram)

The White House wanted to deploy 10,000 active duty troops to the streets of Washington DC and other U.S. cities earlier this week to quell protests, but Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint of Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley refused to sanction the move, CNN reported on Saturday citing a senior defense official.

Protests against racism and police brutality sparked by the police killing of unarmed African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis entered a 12th day on Saturday with tens of thousands of demonstrators marching in Washington DC and other U.S. cities.

The protest in the U.S. capital has been shaping up to be the largest of the many demonstrations seen this week around the world.

Miley believed the situation did not require active duty troops' assistance, CNN reported, adding that Esper ultimately put around 1,600 active duty troops on standby in Washington DC and they began to leave the city on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the U.S. National Guard on Saturday said it has deployed more than 43,300 soldiers across the nation to curb the unrest, an additional deployment of 1,800 military personnel compared to Friday.

"Today, more than 43,300 members of the National Guard are deployed in 34 states and DC to support security forces in the face of civil unrest, while more than 37,000 Guard soldiers continue to support the COVID-19 response," the National Guard posted on its official social media account.

Former U.S. diplomats also expressed concern over the Trump administration's strong-arm response to protests.

"If you're an American diplomat overseas, suddenly we look hypocritical," said Nicholas Burns, former ambassador to Greece and NATO under the Clinton and Bush administrations.

"We've been saying to countries, 'Do the right thing. Treat minority populations well. Don't use force against protesters. Let people exercise their civil and constitutional rights in your societies.' Now they're coming to us and telling us to do that. How sad is that?" he added.

Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Obama administration, said: "It really was – humiliating is an accurate phrase but doesn't fully capture it. It's more a feeling of shame, of our inability to address our own problems."

Shapiro noted that the protests actually show hope and inspiration for reform as many young people join the calls for change.

"Even in this story, the response of the people and these incredible inspiring protests, led by young people who are articulating our best values, is actually a reason for hope and pride. So that's part of the story too. It should always be told that way too," he said.

(Cover: DC National Guard Military Police officers and law enforcement officers stand guard during a protests against the death of George Floyd, near the White House in Washington DC, U.S., June 1, 2020. /Reuters )

Protests worldwide embrace Black Lives Matter movement

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities worldwide on Saturday, demonstrating in support of U.S. protests against police brutality and racial discrimination.

After a largely peaceful protest in London, a few demonstrators near British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's residence threw bottles at police and mounted officers charged and pushed protesters back. Earlier more than a thousand protesters marched past the U.S. Embassy on the south bank of the River Thames, blocking traffic and holding placards.

In Australia, approximately 20,000 people attended anti-racial injustice protests in Sydney in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday, New South Wales (NSW) police said in a statement. Rallies are also going ahead in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Police in the German city of Hamburg used pepper spray on protesters and said they were ready to deploy water cannons. In Berlin, demonstrators filled the central Alexanderplatz square.

In Paris, the authorities banned demonstrations planned outside the U.S. Embassy and on the lawns near the Eiffel Tower. However, several hundred protesters, some holding "Black Lives Matters" signs, gathered on Place de la Concorde, close to the embassy.

Demonstrations have flared up in Mexico City in recent days in solidarity with the nationwide protests in the United States. The Mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, said she does not tolerate members of her police force committing acts of brutality on demonstrators. Sheinbaum was reacting to reports of police violence committed against a female teenage protester in front of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Friday. 

(With input from Reuters)

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Washington, DC and other U.S. cities on Saturday to demand an end to racism and brutality by U.S. law enforcement as protests over the police killing of unarmed African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis entered a 12th day.

The protest in the U.S. capital was shaping up as the largest marches seen this week in cities and smaller towns nationwide, as well as in countries around the world.

In the DC, thousands gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and elsewhere before converging on the White House. The demonstrations in Washington were expected to be the biggest since the protests began.

A protester near White House said "we can't take much more," with hundreds of others chanting "Hands up, Don't shoot!" "We March for hope, not for hate," and "I can't breathe!"

Protests are ongoing in other big cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing on Saturday that "New York is going to lead the way" in change and hopes to set an example for the rest of the country.

As in previous days, the protests in cities from Los Angeles and Chicago to New York and Washington involved a series of loosely organized marches.

There are now more than 43,300 National Guard members responding to protests around the nation following Floyd's death, according to local media.

Heavyweight boxing star Anthony Joshua urged anti-racist protesters to remain peaceful in their quest for justice for George Floyd, who was killed during an arrest last week.

The 30-year-old joined hundreds of people from his Watford community at a Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday.

"We need to speak out in peaceful demonstrations - just like today, so well-done Watford." he said in a speech shared via his official Instagram account.

"We must not use a demonstration for selfish motives and turn it into rioting and looting."

He however reiterated calls by other protesters that there is need to end the killings targeting minority groups.

"We can no longer sit back and remain silent on these senseless, unlawful killings and sly racism on another human being - based on what? Only their skin colour," he said.

Floyd died on Monday last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. However, the video didn't show how the confrontation started.

After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault Saturday after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who was hospitalized with a head injury, prosecutors said.

Both of the officers pleaded not guilty to second-degree assaults and were released without bail.

The officers had been suspended on Thursday night after TV crew captured the incident.

The 75-year-old man was identified as Martin Gugino and is currently hospitalized with a head injury, according to the New York Post.

This video taken by WBFO, a local radio station, shows the 75-year-old protester approaching a group of officers during a protest against the death of George Floyd shortly after Buffalo's curfew began on Thursday evening in Buffalo, New York.

In the video, Gugino tried to stop a group of the officers and to talk while an officer yells "push him back," and then another one extends his baton toward Gugino. Several seconds later, Gugino fell backward and blood can be seen leaking from his ear.

An officer then leaned down to examine the old man but then was pulled away by another. Several other officers were captured walking by the motionless old man without looking in his direction.

In response to the suspension of the two officers, all 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team resigned on Friday to display solidarity with their colleagues.

In photos: Large crowds gather at Parliament Square in London 

Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square in London, UK, following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis.

Apart from targeting social media platforms, Donald Trump has attacked protesters who kneel during the national anthem, after NFL player Drew Brees apologized for his remarks about the practice. So what exactly does the gesture of kneeling mean and why is Trump against it?

As protests over the death of African-American George Floyd sweep the U.S., videos of police brutality have emerged and spread over social media.

The death of another black man, who screamed "I can't breathe" before dying in police custody in Tacoma, Washington, has intensified the conflicts between the police and the protests. Manuel Ellis died as a result of oxygen deprivation and physical restraint on March 3.

The family's attorney told CNN they have an audio recording of the police dispatch where it's possible to hear "I can't breathe" in the background. 

According to a report from Pierce County Medical Examiner's office, the 33-year-old musician and father of two from Tacoma died from respiratory arrest, hypoxia, and physical restraint. The report ruled his death as a homicide

The report also listed methamphetamine intoxication and heart disease as contributing factors.

"We know that Manuel Ellis was one of far, far too many Black men who died while in police custody in America, including here in Washington State. Washingtonians deserve every assurance that investigations and charging decisions related to police shootings and deaths of people in police custody are handled with urgency, independence and commitment to justice," Washington Governor, Jay Inslee, said on Friday.

The Mayor of Tacoma, Victoria Woodards, directed City Manager Elizabeth Pauli to fire the officers involved in the restraint of Ellis on Thursday night. Her order comes as the state and the nation have been roiled by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Four Minneapolis officers have been arrested and criminally charged.

The officers encountered Ellis on the night of March 3 at an intersection when seeing him banging on the window of another car, Ed Troyer, the spokesman of the Tacoma Police Department said.

Ellis "initiated the confrontation when he picked up a police officer" and appeared to be suffering from some sort of breakdown when the policemen approached him. Then he attacked the officers who were trying to calm him down.

Witness Sara McDowell was in a car behind the officers and saw the arrest, providing a different account.

"I initially thought it was a friendly talk. But suddenly an officer threw open the door of the car and knocked Ellis to the ground," she said in an interview with New York Times on Friday.

Gov. Inslee claimed the state will conduct an independent review of the investigation and any charging decisions related to Manuel Ellis' death.

Tacoma police union representatives said they worried the decision regarding the officers' fate was being made before the investigation is complete and said they're confident since evidence will prove the four officers did no wrong.

"Without any facts, without an investigation, without due process, and with less than a minute of short, blurry, partial Twitter videos in hand, the mayor passed judgment on the actions of four Tacoma Police Officers," the union wrote in a statement.

In another development on Friday, a 35-year-old black man in federal prison in New York City died after he became "disruptive" and guards used pepper spray, according to CNN. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Australian court green lights Sydney protest on Saturday 

Thousands of Australians gathered in protests Saturday embracing the cause of U.S. protesters angered by the death of a black man in police custody after a court in Australia overturned an injunction which banned a march and rally in Sydney on Saturday.

New South Wales state officials Friday night had prohibited Saturday's rally due to social distancing concerns.

Other cities in the country like Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart are also set to hold rallies to show solidarity.

Michael Jordan to donate $100 million in fight for racial equality

Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand have pledged to give 100 million U.S. dollars to organizations committed to promoting racial equality and social justice.

In a joint statement posted Friday on social media, the basketball legend and Jordan Brand announced the 100-million-U.S. dollar donation will be paid over the next 10 years to "organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."

"Black lives matter," said the statement. "This isn't a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country's institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of Black people."

Click here for more.

Canadian protesters chanted "Stand up to Trump!" to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he joined thousands at an anti-racism rally on Friday and took a knee alongside protesters.

Trudeau, wearing a black mask and surrounded by bodyguards, made a surprise appearance at the "No justice = No peace" rally in front of Parliament. His appearance came a day after police shot and killed an indigenous woman during a wellness check in eastern Canada.

Demonstrations were held in other Canadian cities on Friday, including Toronto, where hundreds walked downtown in protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while in police custody in Minnesota.

Trudeau three times took a knee alongside other protesters, a gesture used to protest against police brutality and the treatment of African-Americans by police. Afterward, several people thanked Trudeau for kneeling.

Discrimination by Canadian police against indigenous people and people of color "needs to end," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

On Monday, police tear-gassed peaceful protesters outside the White House to make way for President Donald Trump to have his picture taken holding a Bible while standing in front of a church.

Asked to comment on Trump's idea of using soldiers against protesters on Tuesday, the Liberal prime minister paused for more than 20 seconds before he said that Canadians were watching the United States with "horror and consternation."

Trudeau did not speak at the rally Friday and left as the protesters began a march to the U.S. Embassy, near the Parliament building.

"What needs to happen is long-term change," said Sisi Akhigbe, 24, who raised more than 9,000 Canadian dollars online to provide drinks and snacks for the protesters in Ottawa. "We've been treated unfairly and we're tired."

(Cover image is a screenshot from video)

Denver blocks police from using chemical agents against protesters

U.S. District Court Judge in Colorado banned the Denver Police Department from using tear gas, pepper balls or projectiles of any kind against peaceful protesters, local media reported. 

The ruling came a day after four Denver residents filed a lawsuit against the city claiming the city's police violated the protesters' constitutional rights during a recent protest. 

U.S. District Court Judge R. Brook said in the ruling that actions of some law enforcement officers in Denver and across the nation "disgusting", adding that "the Denver Police Department has failed in its duty to police its own".

Trump blasts DC mayor as 'incompetent' over force withdrawal request

U.S. President Donald Trump Friday fiercely lashed out at Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., calling her "grossly incompetent" after she requested Trump to withdraw thousands of National Guard troops deployed to the nation's capital in wake of protests over the killing of George Floyd.

In a series of tweets, Trump said Bowser is "in no way qualified to be running an important city like Washington, D.C. If the great men and women of the National Guard didn't step forward, she would have looked no better than her counterpart Mayor in Minneapolis!"

Trump said Bowser "is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment..."

Bowser has officially requested Trump to withdraw all feral law enforcement and military presence from the city on Thursday and called for soldiers to stop patrolling the city.

"We don't think that soldiers should be in the nation's capital patrolling or policing streets," Bowser told reporters on Friday.

Click here for more.

The Washington City Council changed the name of 16th Street, which runs in front of the White House, to that of the anti-racist movement "Black Lives Matter," a name that has also been painted in yellow on this section of road.

57 Buffalo police officers quit unit to protest colleagues' suspension

All 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team resigned this Friday to display solidarity with the two officers who were suspended after being filmed shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during a protest on Thursday night. 

The 75-year-old man was identified as Martin Gugino and is currently hospitalized with a head injury, according to the New York Post.

This video taken by WBFO, a local radio station shows the 75-year-old protester approaching a group of officers during a protest against the death of George Floyd shortly after Buffalo's curfew began on Thursday evening in Buffalo, New York.

In the video, Gugino tried to stop a group of the officers and to talk while an officer yells "push him back", and then another one extends his baton toward Gugino. Several seconds later, Gugino fell backward and blood can be seen leaking from his ear.

An officer then leaned down to examine the old man but then was pulled away by another. Several other officers were captured walking by the motionless old man without looking in his direction.

John Evans, the president of the union who represents Buffalo police officers, confirmed the resignation later on Friday.

Click here for more.

Video showing a riot gear clad police in Buffalo, New York shoving an elderly white man who laid bleeding on the ground as police marched by. Two officers were suspended after the incident came to light. A Buffalo police statement initially said the man had, “tripped and fell.”

Clashes broke out in Mexico during anti-police brutality demonstrations and one officer was set on fire. He's reported to have survived.

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Minneapolis city has agreed to ban the use of chokeholds by police as a way of restraining suspects during arrest.

The law enforcers will also be required to intervene and report any incidences of unauthorized use of force by their colleagues.

The moves come after days-long anti-racist protest sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during arrest last week after a policeman knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

The new regulations are part of a stipulation between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which launched a civil rights investigation this week in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody. The City Council is expected to approve the agreement Friday.

The agreement, which will be enforceable in court, would require any officer, regardless of tenure or rank, to immediately report the use of any neck restraint or choke hold from the scene to their commander or their commander’s superiors.

Similarly, any officer who sees another officer commit any unauthorized use of force, including any choke hold or neck restraint, must try to intervene verbally and even physically. If they don’t, they’d be subject to discipline as severe as if they themselves had used the prohibited force.

The agreement also requires authorization from the police chief or a designated deputy chief to use crowd control weapons, including chemical agents, rubber bullets, flash-bangs, batons, and marking rounds. And it requires more timely decisions on disciplining officers.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has written an extensive letter to U.S. President Donald Trump requesting the withdrawal of federal law enforcement from the district.

The letter echoes Bowser's comments on Thursday where she said she wants out-of-state military troops out of the nation's capital after they were called in to handle the protests over the death of George Floyd.

The death of Floyd, the African American who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has sparked protest nationwide and some have turned violent. 

Background: Police brutality and race protests in the U.S.

George Floyd, the African American who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has become a fresh symbol of police brutality against blacks in the U.S. 

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the family of Floyd on Thursday said it was "the pandemic of racism and discrimination" that killed Floyd. 

Floyd's death has sparked protest nationwide and some has turned violent. The situation is like a déjà vu as the "pandemic of racism" has been rooted in the U.S. society for a long while.

Black deaths caused by police 

About one in every 1,000 black men will be killed by the police in the U.S., a tragedy 2.5 times more likely to happen than to a white man, according to a study published by the National Academy of Science journal in 2019. 

"Mapping Police Violence," a research and advocacy group, found that in 2019, 24 percent of killings were of black Americans, despite only making up 13 percent of the U.S. population. Rates in cities like New York and Washington DC, where the black population accounts for nearly 50 percent, even reached 88 percent.

The research also noted that 99 percent of all officers involved in police killing cases were not charged.

Click here for some of the major cases from 2014 onward.

Donald Trump's response to the protests has drawn criticism from politicians and the public. Former defense secretary James Mattis said the president is trying to turn Americans against one another. Also, former President Barack Obama has broken his silence. In a distinct contrast in tone to his successor, Obama offered words of hope.

Two police officers in Buffalo, New York suspended after shoving elderly man

Two police officers in Buffalo, New York have been suspended without pay after shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during protests, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement Thursday night.

A video captured by local media WBFO shows the man bleeding from his head.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo condemned the incident, describing it as "wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful" in a Twitter post.

Hundreds of health workers rallied on Thursday to show solidarity for Black Lives Matter as protests continued in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd.

Arrests at widespread U.S. protests hit 10,000; NYPD calls for calm

More than 10,000 people have been arrested for demonstrations after the death of George Floyd, according to an AP tally. The count has grown by the hundreds each day as the protests continue to spill into the street and encounter a heavy police presence.

Meanwhile, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Thursday, that the city "absolutely" does not need active duty U.S. military soldiers to keep the demonstrations under control.

Shea also called for calm Thursday at a news conference that opened with a broadside against elected officials and others whom he blamed for stirring up animosity by speaking against police and sharing videos on social media that, presented without context, are seen as evidence of officer misconduct.

Click here for more.

Military commanders split with Trump over Floyd protests

President Trump on Monday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to send military forces to states experiencing unrest, however, military commanders seem to disagree with this decision.

On Tuesday evening, the Pentagon confirmed that approximately 1,600 active-duty troops from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York were flown into the Washington DC area, as the nation braced for another day of protests over the death of George Floyd. 

The troops, who are "postured" on military bases near the District of Columbia, have so far not taken part in any support to "civil authority operations" the Pentagon said in a Tuesday night statement. 

On Wednesday, Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that while he ordered the deployment of 1,600 troops to the region, he does not support invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow president to send the active-duty military to respond to civil unrest in cities across the country.

Meanwhile, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley penned a memo to the armed forces on Tuesday reminding them of their oath to defend the Constitution and serve the American people.

Click here for more. 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted a copy of a letter that referred to the peaceful protesters who were dispersed from a park near the White House on Monday as "terrorists."

The letter was reportedly penned by former Trump lawyer John Dowd to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. In the letter, the writer denounced Mattis for criticizing the president's approach to protesters in front of the White House.

On Wednesday, Mattis issued a stinging condemnation of Trump, accusing the president of trying to "divide" America.

The retired four-star Marine general made the remarks as Trump was widely criticized for a visit on Monday to St. John's Episcopal Church.

More: Trump says he likely won't need military to respond to protests

Tear gas and flash grenades were used to clear what appeared to be peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and near St. John's Church.

More: 'Law and order' Trump vows 'heavily armed' military to stop protests

"The phony protesters near Lafayette were not peaceful and are not real," read the letter, without giving any evidence.

"They are terrorists using idle hate filled students to burn and destroy. They were abusing and disrespecting the police when the police were preparing the area for the 1900 curfew," the letter further claimed.

Trump shared this letter on his Twitter, saying "I thought this letter from respected retired Marine and Super Star lawyer, John Dowd, would be of interest to the American People. Read it!"

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump also tweeted to criticize Mattis, calling him the world's "most overrated general" and swiped at his leadership capabilities, claiming that Mattis' strength was not his military prowess "but rather personal public relations."

(Cover image is a screenshot from video)

Metal fencing has been installed around the White House complex as protests continue in Washington D.C. as part of the widespread Black Lives Matter demonstrations taking place across the U.S. The new fencing comes after other such barricades were reported in recent days, with some protesters moving to gather outside a Trump International Hotel due to the extended perimeter around the White House.

Latest on George Floyd killing in the U.S.

- Bail set for three former police officers: A judge set cash bail of one million U.S. dollars on Thursday for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of George Floyd. The bail would be lowered to 750,000 U.S. dollars if they agreed to certain conditions, including forfeiting any personal firearms.

- Memorials held for Floyd: Major memorials were held in New York and Minneapolis on Thursday in remembrance of Floyd with family, local residents and senior officials in attendance. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was pictured breaking down in tears, his body heaving, as he knelt with one hand on Floyd's casket. Police officers on duty also took a knee as Floyd's hearse arrived for the memorial service in Minneapolis,

Read more:

Three fmr. Minneapolis officers to bail out, Floyd memorials held

George Floyd Memorial: Police officers in Minneapolis take a knee

- MN governor asks protesters to be tested for COVID-19: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has asked everyone who protested the death of Floyd to be tested for coronavirus. 

"Anyone who demonstrated should receive a test for COVID-19. If you think you've been exposed, get a test 5 days after the event. If that test turns up negative, get tested again 14 days after the event. If you start to experience symptoms, get tested right away," he wrote on Twitter Thursday night.

- Peaceful protests continue: Protests began Thursday afternoon and continued into night in major U.S. cities, including Washington DC and New York. 

Trump sued over police violence outside White House

U.S. civil rights groups on Thursday filed a case suing President Donald Trump after security forces fired pepper balls and smoke bombs to clear peaceful demonstrators outside the White House. 

Law enforcement officers forced protestors back before Trump walked to a nearby church for a photo op on Monday, amid nationwide protests over police brutality that have increasingly divided the country. 

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups accused the president and top officials of violating the constitutional rights of Black Lives Matters campaigners and individual protestors. 

Continued signs of progress in the U.S. state of New York in the fight against COVID-19. 

Last weekend, fewer than a thousand people tested positive for the virus for the first time since mid-March. The percentage of daily positive tests has fallen from more than 50 percent to under two percent.

The latest daily death toll was 54, down from nearly 800 in April. But now the state's governor is worried protests triggered by the death of an unarmed African American are bringing thousands into the streets of New York City and creating the possibility of a second virus wave.

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As a hearse carrying George Floyd arrives for his memorial service in Minneapolis, police officers on duty take a knee. 

George Floyd's family is holding a memorial service today, before he is laid to rest in Houston on Friday. 

Many of Floyd's family members and friends moved by the death in police custody of George Floyd gathered on Thursday for a memorial service in Minneapolis. 

George Floyd breathed his last at the hands of four police officers, one of who kept his knee on Floyd's neck. 

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Numbers behind anger: U.S. racism, inequality in stats

The protests that have engulfed U.S. cities in the past few days were triggered by the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died after a white police officer held him to the ground and pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

But the systemic racism and inequality that African Americans, Latinos and other minority communities face every day laid the groundwork for this explosion of anger and outrage.

Click here for more. 

Several U.S. National Guard troops were asked to join and march with thousands protesting against the death of George Floyd in Los Angeles on Wednesday. As they couldn't leave their posts, the soldiers took a knee alongside protesters, a symbolic gesture to protest police brutality.

Manchester-based artist Akse was seen working on a painting on a disused concrete structure in memory of George Floyd, a black man caught on video gasping for breath as a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis. Artists across the globe, from Syria to Los Angeles, have been honoring George Floyd's memory.

George Floyd protests given huge boost as football authorities soften stance on athlete activism

Rarely has a rule looked so incongruous with the current political climate. 

The International Football Association Board, the sport's rule-makers, prohibits all players from showing "any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images" during a game.

Notwithstanding, Borussia Dortmund wonder-kid Jadon Sancho and three other Bundesliga stars were righteously aggrieved when reports emerged that they could face punishment for taking a firm stance against racism on the pitch. 

As a nod to the tragic death of a black American man in police custody that has resonated around the world, Sancho lifted his jersey to reveal a handwritten "Justice for George Floyd" message on his undershirt after scoring on Sunday. 

His teammate Achraf Hakimi and Schalke 04's Weston McKennie performed similar stunts, while Borussia Moenchengladbach's Marcus Thuram took a knee, evoking memories of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick's signature gesture in protest against police brutality.

Click here for more. 

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Portland laid face down on the Burnside Bridge for nine minutes of silence to mark George Floyd's death.

Protests against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer knelt his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, continued across the U.S.

Obama: Protests could spark nationwide reforms 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday applauded the "profound" protests by Americans demanding racial justice and said the demonstrations could spark nationwide reforms.   

In his first video comments since Floyd's death on May 25, Donald Trump's predecessor also urged state and local authorities to review their policies on the use of force.   

Obama directed his comments at young black men and women who he says have often witnessed or experienced too much violence.   

"Too often some of that violence has come from folks who were supposed to be serving and protecting you," Obama said in a webcast with activists. "I want you to know that you matter. I want you to know that your lives matter, your dreams matter." 

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Mattis: Trump trying to 'divide' America

Former Pentagon chief Jim Mattis issued a stinging condemnation of his erstwhile boss Trump on Wednesday, accusing the president of trying to "divide" America.   

"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try," Mattis wrote in a statement posted online by The Atlantic. 

"Instead, he tries to divide us," continues the retired Marine general, who had previously argued it would be inappropriate for him to criticize a sitting president.  

Mattis resigned as U.S. defense secretary in December 2018. Trump later said he had "essentially fired" Mattis and criticized his performance. 

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George Floyd's death was due to cardiopulmonary arrest – or the stopping of his heart – the final autopsy results released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said, adding that he had tested positive for COVID-19 although there is no indication that it was a factor in his death.

A press release from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said that Floyd, who struggled to breathe as an officer pinned him down by kneeling on his neck, had "recent methamphetamine use" and "fentanyl intoxication" – along with hypertension and coronary artery disease – all of which were possible contributing factors to his death. 

The report also noted Floyd appeared asymptomatic and his lungs appeared healthy but he had some narrowing of arteries in the heart. 

Protests against policebrutality have spread to the United Kingdom. Protesters in front of 10 Downing Street are calling for reform, even as only 3 police killings were reported in all of the UK in 2019, including the shooting death of the London Bridge attacker, Sudesh Amman.

Police in London have joined protesters in taking a knee against police brutality. The large group in front of 10 Downing street were reportedly chanting for officers to join them.

Star Wars actor John Boyega also joined protests in London. 

He addressed the crowd at a Black Lives Matter protest In Hyde Park, saying: "I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing, and that isn’t the case anymore."

"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations." U.S. Defense Sec. Mark Esper says he's against using the military on U.S. protesters, in contrast to Trump's call.

Washington State Patrol apologized after one of its officers was recorded telling his colleagues, "Don't kill them, but hit them hard," during protests in Seattle Tuesday. The department said the officer used a 'poor choice of words'.

Other countries around the world are also standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

From South Africa to the Netherlands, see how people are marching with U.S. protesters.

All 4 former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death

Three former Minneapolis police officers will be criminally charged Wednesday in connection with the death of George Floyd, Sen. Amy Klobuchar wrote in a post on Twitter.

In addition, Derek Chauvin, a former officer who had already been charged with third-degree murder in the case, will now be charged with second-degree murder.

Klobuchar did not detail the charges that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison plans to file against the three other ex-cops: Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. All four officers were fired last week after the arrest. 

But a local newspaper, the Star Tribune, earlier said the trio will be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, citing sources. 

The ex-cops had assisted Chauvin in arresting Floyd on Memorial Day on the suspicion that Floyd passed a counterfeit bill. 

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More than thousands of demonstrators marched on Washington on Tuesday. This was fifth day and the largest crowd to be gathered in Washington D.C. to protest in solidarity of George Floyd's death. 

As the 7 p.m. curfew started, protesters continued to remain peaceful and some of the crowd started to disperse. However, as the night fell, protesters started banging and shaking the newly installed fences in front of the White House, in an attempt to break it down. 

Some agitators also tried  to provoke the police by throwing water bottles at them and shouting curses. 

Peaceful protesters tried to shout - "That is not peaceful, That is not peaceful", but to no success. 

One woman is also seen having a verbal fight with the peaceful protesters. 

The agitators continued to attempt to break the fence. After a long time, the police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd through the fence. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday he does not support invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty forces to quell civil unrest for now, despite President Donald Trump's threats to militarize America's response to mass protests. 

"The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now," Esper told a news briefing. "I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act. 

"I've always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best-suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations."  
Trump said earlier this week he could use military forces in states that fail to crack down on sometimes violent protests over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. But on Wednesday, the U.S. president said he did not believe that he would need to use troops to counter the protests. 

"It depends, I don't think we'll have to," Trump said when asked in an interview with Newsmax TV whether he would send the military to any cities.

To deploy the military on U.S. soil for law enforcement purposes, Trump would need to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act – something last done in 1992 in response to the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. 

The military has pre-positioned 1,600 active duty forces on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., to deploy if needed. 

A U.S. official said that the Army on Wednesday had been told of a decision to send some of the active duty troops back to their home base, but Esper reversed course following a meeting at the White House and discussions at the Pentagon. 

Esper said he regretted using the term "battlespace" this week to describe areas gripped by protests. "In retrospect, I would use different wording so as not to distract from the more important matters at hand or allow some to suggest that we are militarizing the issue," he said. 

(With input from Reuters, AFP)

Trump says he did not ask for protesters to be moved before visit to church: Fox News Radio

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he did not ask for protesters to be moved out before he walked to an historic church in Washington that had been partially burned, to pose for photos with a Bible and top aides. 

"They didn't use tear gas," Trump told Fox News Radio interview, contradicting reports by a large number of protesters and reporters that tear gas was deployed to move them away from the church. "Now, when I went, I didn't say 'Oh, move them out.' I didn't know who was there."

Trump also denied media reports that he was rushed for his safety to the White House bunker while protests raged in the streets outside. "It was a false report," Trump told Fox News radio, before elaborating that he did go into the secure area but only for a "tiny, little, short period time."

Minnesota governor apologizes for arrest of CNN reporter during protest coverage 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz apologized to CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez after police arrested him and his crew on Friday while they were covering protests in Minneapolis, CNN reported.

"Thank you for the professionalism, thank you for understanding and I'm deeply sorry. And you know that we've made other mistakes on this as far as making sure that you have access," Walz added.

World leaders react to George Floyd's death and U.S. protests

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he's heartbroken to see violence on the streets in the U.S.. He also said grievances must be heard, but should be expressed peacefully and authorities must show restraint in responding to demonstrations.

"In every society, diversity is a richness – never a threat. Racism is an abhorrence that we must all reject."

UK PM Boris Johnson Wednesday said black lives matter and he understands the anger and grief felt around the world. He also said he supports the right to protest, but it should be carried out in a lawful way.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesperson Steffen Seibert said the German government is shocked by the death of George Floyd. "It is an appalling and avoidable death," he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States…It is a time to pull people together, but it is a time to listen, it is a time to learn what injustices continue despite progress over years and decades." Trudeau hesitated for 20 seconds when asked about Trump's handling of protests.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the killing exposed true nature of the rulers of the United States.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in London's Hyde Park against the killing of unarmed black man George Flyod at the hands of Minnesota officers in the United States. Earlier, British police said they were appalled by the way George Floyd lost his life and by the violence that followed in U.S. cities. The protest in central London started at 1 p.m. in solidarity with protests in the U.S., with people flocking to the park in crowds, chanting: "No justice, no peace" while holding up signs.

British PM Johnson says 'Of course black lives matter' as hundreds protest in Hyde Park

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday black lives mattered and he supported the right to protest, in a lawful and socially-distanced way, after the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in the U.S. stirred widespread anger.

"Of course, black lives matter and I totally understand the anger, the grief that is felt not just in America but around the world and in our country as well," he told parliament.

"I also support, as I've said, the right to protest. The only point I would make... is that any protest should be carried out lawfully and in this country protests should be carried out in accordance with our rules on social distancing."

On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters in London gather in Hyde Park in solidarity with protests in the United States.

Earlier, British police said they were appalled by the way George Floyd lost his life and by the violence which followed in U.S. cities. 

"We stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life," police chiefs from across the UK said in a joint statement. "Justice and accountability should follow." 

"We are also appalled to see the violence and damage that has happened in so many U.S. cities," they said. "So for whatever reason people want to come together, we ask that people continue to work with officers at this challenging time," the police chiefs said.

(With input from Reuters)

U.S. restaurants support race protests as violence adds to pandemic woes

Restaurants from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. are taking a stand with crowds protesting racial injustice in the U.S. despite violence bruising their pandemic-battered businesses.

Fast-food chains, coffee shops, bakeries, and breweries have weighed in on the police killing of George Floyd and are responding to rallies taking over the streets with messages of support, fundraising initiatives and free meals to protesters.

The death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in the custody of Minneapolis police last Monday was ruled a homicide. Footage of police officer Dereck Chauvin digging his knee into the neck of the handcuffed and unarmed man triggered nationwide outrage over police brutality and racial bias.

Calls for justice to be served and chants of "I can't breathe" – Floyd's repeated plea to Chauvin – have been echoing across U.S. cities for over a week, growing louder as police and protesters come face to face.

Foodservice establishments have not turned a deaf ear, showing they're attuned to the pulse of the street by speaking out against racism and disproportionate police violence against people of color. By breaking their silence, they also broke a long-held tradition of businesses in the hospitality sector keeping mum on political matters and affiliations in an attempt not to lose customers.

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'I want justice': Mother of George Floyd's daughter says he was a good man, father

The grieving mother of George Floyd's daughter on Tuesday demanded justice for him, saying he was a good father who did not deserve to die face down on the pavement, pinned under the weight of three police officers.

With her six-year-old daughter Gianna clinging to her, Roxie Washington told reporters she wants all four officers involved in Floyd's death to pay for the killing, which has sparked protests across the U.S. and the world.

"At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families," Washington said. "Gianna doesn't have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle."

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Police arrested protesters in Los Angeles during a peaceful demonstration over George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, which has become a symbol of police brutality toward African Americans and has sparked unrest across the country. 

Leaders across the U.S. sought ways to stem mounting unrest over police racism, from extending curfews to engaging protesters, as President Donald Trump dismissed fierce criticism for using force to break up a peaceful rally.

Minnesota National Guard plans to test all deployed members for coronavirus after one confirmed infection

The Minnesota National Guard (MN National Guard) plans to test all of its deployed members for the coronavirus after one staff tested positive for the virus, and nine others have presented symptoms, according to a CNBC report citing a spokesman.

Around 7,000 national guard personnel have been deployed so far in response to protests erupted by the killing of George Floyd.

However, the MN National Guard did not reveal when was its member diagnosed or what kind of contact has he been made with other members and the public.

Protesters have marched in cities across the U.S. for eight consecutive nights over the death of George Floyd. The cities of Minneapolis, where Floyd died, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington re-established curfews Tuesday night to stop the after-hours violence and looting of businesses.

Floyd outrage goes global, as Trump decries 'lowlifes' drawing riots return

Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump pressed governors to put down the violence set off by George Floyd's death and demanded that New York call up the National Guard to stop the "lowlifes and losers," protesters streamed back into the streets in New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, St. Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina, Orlando, Florida as well as in Washington, D.C., where thousands of people gathered to decry the killings of black people. 

Trump on Tuesday reiterated his calls to governors to clamp down on "lowlife" protests across the country as leaders across the world continue to condemn the killing of an unarmed black by police last week.

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New York police arrested about 200 protesters on Tuesday night as of 1 a.m. local time, according to local media. 

On Monday night, more than 700 arrests were made, most of them involving youths, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. will remain in place until Sunday morning. 

Starting on Tuesday, no traffic is being allowed in a large part of Manhattan as soon as the curfew begins, with exceptions made for residents, essential workers, buses, and truck deliveries, according to the NYPD.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was "disappointed and outraged" by what happened, and added criminal activity is hurting everyone.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in several U.S. cities on Tuesday, clashing with police and looting stores. 

14,000 complaints lodged against Seattle Police amid George Floyd protests

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability received around 14,000 complaints about police officers' response during the George Floyd protests last weekend, spokesperson Anne Bettesworth said on Tuesday.

The causes for the complaints include using pepper spray on peaceful protesters, beating demonstrators with no resistance, deliberately shutting off law enforcement video recorders, and covering up officer badge numbers.

Bettesworth vowed to regulate the officers' conduct and be more transparent while enforcing the law. 

Seattle extends overnight curfew to June 6 amid ongoing protests

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best just announced the city's mandatory curfew will remain in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time through the morning of Saturday, June 6. 

The police chief also urged demonstrators to remain peaceful after violent protests over the weekend.

A suspect was killed, and several others were injured, including two police officers, during a shooting in Brooklyn, New York, local media reported citing law enforcement sources. 

The incident was reported Tuesday night after 9 p.m., according to WABC-TV New York. Police said a suspect shot at least one, possibly two people. Responding police returned fire.

Protests ongoing in major U.S. cities over Floyd's death

Protesters in Los Angeles and New York City continued to march through city streets after their respective curfews went into effect.

In New York City, the curfew started at 8 p.m. ET. A citywide curfew went into effect at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) in Los Angeles. 

Thousands of protesters have rallied outside of the White House despite the curfew, which started 7 p.m. local time. 

The crowds grew thinner around 10 p.m. local time, but there were still some protesters outside the White House fence, according to CGTN reporter Eshalaxmi Barlingay on the scene. 

On Tuesday night, social media users posted photos showing a military show of force on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. capital. 

U.S. first lady Melania Trump urged citizens to obey the curfews in a tweet, adding that all cities, communities and citizens deserve to be kept safe. 

The Pentagon said on Tuesday has moved about 1,600 U.S. Army troops into the Washington, D.C., region. 

"Active duty elements are postured on military bases in the National Capitol Region but are not in Washington, D.C.," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement. 

He said the troops were on "heightened alert status" but "are not participating in defense support to civil authority operations." 

The troops include military police and those with engineering capabilities, along with an infantry battalion, Hoffman said.

The Trump administration floated the idea of taking control of Washington's police department amid nationwide protests over police brutality, according to media reports on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in remarks in the White House Rose Garden on Monday he would deploy thousands of soldiers and law enforcement officers to halt violence in the U.S. capital and threatened to do the same in other cities.

"I think you heard the president yesterday that he wanted a show of force in D.C. and we know that they examined a lot of ways to do that," Muriel Bowser, the city's mayor, told reporters on Tuesday.

Her office told reporters the Trump administration had floated the idea of federalizing the district's 4,000-member police force, the Washington Post and the local NBC affiliate reported earlier.

The district's Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Washington, D.C. is among several U.S. cities engulfed by protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis after an officer, who was later fired and charged with murder and manslaughter, pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck for some nine minutes.

Trump, who last week tweeted "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," urged governors to get tough on disturbances following the death of George Floyd.

In a recording of the conference call heard by Reuters, Trump said, "you have to dominate, if you don't dominate you're wasting your time. They're going to run over you, you're going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate."

In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Houston police chief Art Acevedo responded to Trump telling governors to "dominate" protesters. "Let me just say this to the President of the United States, on behalf of the police chiefs of this country,"Acevedo said, "please, if you don't have something constructive to say, keep your mouth shut." 

"This is not about dominating. It is about winning hearts and minds... and it's time to be presidential and not try to be like on 'The Apprentice.' This is not Hollywood, this is real life and real lives at risk," the police chief added.

Protests outside the White House

Protesters outside the White House were forcibly pushed back and reported being tear-gassed by police on Monday before Trump walked to a nearby church for a photo op.

A White House spokesman said the U.S. Park Police were reacting after protesters ignored orders to clear the area. The U.S. Park Police confirmed the statement and said smoke canisters and pepper balls were employed.

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic resolution on Tuesday that would have condemned Trump for the use of gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters near the White House.

Democrats tried to use fast-track procedures to pass the measure criticizing the Republican president by a unanimous voice vote but were stopped when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also a Republican, objected.

"It just indulges in a myopic obsession with President Trump that has come to define the Democratic side," he said.

Washington, D.C.'s special status means its 700,000 residents pay federal taxes but don't have political representation in the U.S. capitol, and local politicians have less control over law enforcement.

U.S. state governors are in control of the local national guard, but in Washington the guard reports to the president. The city is also home to dozens of federal agencies with their own active law enforcement.

The protests come as millions of Americans are unemployed as a result of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened 1.8 million and killed more than 105,000 people.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Washington, D.C. National Guard military police block a street near the White House from protesters as the number of U.S. military forces deployed to the streets of the nation's capital increases, while protests continue against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2020. /Reuters)

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., chanting "no justice, no peace," "kneel with us" and "we need justice for George Floyd," just before curfew.

The U.S. capital implemented a curfew starting from 7 p.m. local time (2300 GMT) on Monday through 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Mayor Muriel Bowser voiced her support for the protests but aims to stop the repeat of looting and property destruction inflicted on her city the previous two nights. 

Evening curfews were ordered in dozens of cities in the U.S. following a week of demonstrations over the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. 

Protests have been largely peaceful during the day, but violence and pillage have erupted after dark.

U.S. President Donald Trump displayed show of force by the U.S. National Guard and D.C. police on Monday at the White House, as thousands gathered outside in protest of police brutality and his administration for the fourth day.

Just before his press conference, he ordered police to clear the people that were for the most part peacefully protesting outside.

During his speech, he said that he would end the the "rioting and looting" and protect the rights of Americans including the 2nd Amendment, which is the right to bear arms.

Just moments before, police mounted on horseback had pushed the crowd away while other police fired rubber bullets and multiple tear gas canisters. Some also and tackled protestors.

Staff for CGTN America was covering the protest outside and was also pushed out of the area by police. One officer even pointed a rubber-bullet gun at a CGTN photographer. 

"If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," Trump said.

"As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property," Trump said about the actions in the nation's capital.

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Countries all over the world join the U.S. in protesting over the death of George Floyd.

Thousands in over 10 countries have organized protests in solidarity with those in the U.S..

Protesters demonstrated at Dam Square in Amsterdam on Monday, in solidarity with those protesting against police brutality in the United States.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Auckland, New Zealand. 

Supporters and activists of the Black Lives Matter movement demonstrated outside the United States embassy in Nairobi.

Six Atlanta police officers have been charged after a dramatic video emerged online showing the law enforcers pulling two young people from a car during protests over the death of George Floyd, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the charges during a news conference.

"I feel a little safer now that these monsters are off the street and no longer able to terrorize anyone else," said Messiah Young, who was dragged from the vehicle along with his girlfriend, Taniyah Pilgrim, while they were caught in traffic.

The incident happened on Saturday night and was uploaded on social media, from where it went viral capturing the attention of news outlets and authorities.

Throughout, the couple can be heard screaming and asking officers what is happening.

Two of the officers, Investigator Ivory Streeter and Investigator Mark Gardner, were fired Sunday.

Streeter and Gardner are both charged with aggravated assault. Two others are also charged with aggravated assault, while one is charged with aggravated battery. Some of the officers are also charged with criminal damage to property as well as pointing or aiming a gun.

George Floyd died on Monday last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. However, the video didn't show how the confrontation started.

After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

Resultant protests across the U.S. have deteriorated into chaos, causing injuries and damage to property.

New York City will extend an unprecedented curfew for the rest of the week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, as protests continue to rock many states in the United States.

George Floyd died on Monday last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. However, the video didn't show how the confrontation started.

After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

New York is one of the states that have been rocked by protests as demonstrators demand justice for Floyd.

In New York City, some businesses have suffered damages as some protests turned violent, leading to police confrontation with protesters.

Source(s): Bloomberg

Biden urges Congress to push forward police reform

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday called on Congress to pass legislation to push forward police reform. 

Biden made the remarks in his speech at the Philadelphia City Hall amid nationwide protests over George Floyd's death. 

"No more excuses, no delays. If Mitch McConnell can bring in the United States senate to determine Trump's unqualified judicial nominees who will run roughshod over our Constitution now, it is time to pass legislation that  will bring true meaning of our constitutional promise of equal protection under the law," Biden said.

Meanwhile, U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said decisions would be made "in just a short period of time" on legislation to address racial profiling and actions by police, after days of mass protests in the United States.

She said lawmakers were discussing different proposals, with some wanting a "comprehensive" bill.

U.S. Secret Service closes several streets near White House: CNN

The U.S. Secret Service has closed several streets near the White House, reported CNN. 

It came a day after peaceful protests outside the White House before curfew were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets.

In his first tweet of the morning, President Trump said there were "no problems" in Washington, D.C. or Minneapolis last night. 

It also came after President Trump's on-foot visit to St. John's Church near the White House on Monday. The president is now being criticized after tear gas and flash bangs were used to clear what appeared to be peaceful protesters across the street from the White House and near the church. 

Speaking highly of Washington's operation, President Trump also tweeted about last night's protests in New York, saying the region was "lost to the looters, thugs, Radical Left, and all others forms of Lowlife & Scum." 

"The Governor refuses to accept my offer of a dominating National Guard. NYC was ripped to pieces," he tweeted. 

A little over 20,000 National Guard members have now been activated to support civil unrest response, reported CNN citing a Defense Department official. At least 28 states and Washington, D.C., have activated their National Guard forces. 

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday that the ongoing protests in the United States triggered by George Floyd's death reveal "endemic inequalities."

"In the United States, protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd are highlighting not only police violence against people of color, but also inequalities in health, education, employment, and endemic racial discrimination," she said.

She also noted that the current COVID-19 pandemic has had a "devastating impact" on people of African descent as well as other ethnic minorities, in the U.S., the UK, Brazil, and France. 

"It is a tragedy that it took COVID-19 to expose what should have been obvious, that unequal access to healthcare, overcrowded housing and pervasive discrimination make our societies less stable, secure and prosperous," she added.

According to the UN official, the impact from COVID-19 on people of African descent as well as ethnic minorities in some countries seemed to be worse.

In the United States, she said, COVID-19 death rate for African Americans is reported to be more than double that of other racial groups.

People from racial and ethnic minorities are also found in higher numbers in some jobs that carry increased risk, including in transport, health and cleaning sectors, she said.

 "The fight against this pandemic cannot be won if Governments refuse to acknowledge the blatant inequalities that the virus is bringing to the fore," she said, adding that the efforts to tackle COVID-19 and to begin the recovery process will only be successful when "everyone's rights to life and health are protected without discrimination". 

Bachelet on Tuesday also urged people to put an end to racism wherever present. 

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A person holds a "Black Lives Matter" sign in Seattle, Washington, U.S., June 1, 2020. /Reuters) 

Australia is investigating a U.S. police attack on two Australian journalists outside the White House with a view to launch a formal complaint, the foreign minister said Tuesday.

"We have asked the Australian embassy in Washington D.C. to investigate this incident," Marise Payne said after the journalists were shoved, punched and hit with a baton live on television.

"I want to get further advice on how we would go about registering Australia's strong concerns with the responsible local authorities in Washington," she said, indicating a formal complaint would follow.

Earlier on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the U.S. police attack on Australian journalists. 

Footage showed 7News reporter Amelia Brace being clubbed with a truncheon and cameraman Tim Myers being hit with a riot shield and punched in the face by police clearing Washington's Lafayette Square of protesters on Monday.

The journalists said they were later shot with rubber bullets and tear-gassed, which Brace said left the pair "a bit sore." 

The incident was widely broadcast in Australia, causing consternation in a country that has been a close U.S. ally. 

Two Las Vegas shootings, one officer shot amid Floyd protests

A Las Vegas police officer was shot Monday night amid protests over the killing of George Floyd, local media said.

The officer was shot in the area of the Las Vegas Strip and another officer was "involved in a shooting" in the same area, reported AP, without giving details of the officers' condition.

So far, at least five U.S. police have been hit by gunfire during protests, and U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to use the military to stem the unrest.

More: 'Law and order' Trump vows 'heavily armed' military to stop protests

Demonstrators set fire to a strip mall in Los Angeles, looted stores in New York City and clashed with police in St Louis, Missouri, where four officers were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Four officers shot in St. Louis amid ongoing protest 

Four officers in St. Louis were struck by gunfire Monday night during the downtown unrest, tweeted St. Louis police.

"All have been transported to an area hospital. All are conscious and breathing. Their injuries are believed to be non-life threatening," the police said.

Police officers in several U.S. cities took a knee in solidarity with protesters demonstrating against the death of George Floyd, who died after an officer pressed his knee into his neck as he pleaded for air. Protests have erupted across the country, including the capital Washington D.C, with sporadic violence.

Protesters reenact the arrest of George Floyd as they rally in Times Square in New York on Monday to demand justice for the death of George Floyd that ignited the country's most sweeping unrest in decades. Violence erupted outside the White House in Washington, DC, with police firing tear gas and protesters setting nearby structures ablaze, as inside Donald Trump refrained from delivering the sort of unifying national message historically associated with U.S. presidents.

How do Americans view George Floyd's killing, protests and Trump's response?

New polling suggests that in a deeply-divided United States, most Americans are united in their view of the killing of George Floyd but split over the protests his death sparked and dissatisfied with the response of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Footage of Floyd's death, officially declared a homicide on Monday, has been watched by 76 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans, YouGov polling suggests. Protests over the latest police killing captured on video to rock the U.S. have now entered a seventh day amid serious civil unrest. 

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2 people killed during unrest in Chicago 

At least two people were killed and 60 were arrested during unrest in a Chicago suburb amid protests over the death of George Floyd, local media reported Tuesday citing officials in the town of Cicero.

New York curfew extended through Tuesday evening

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio extended the city's curfew through Tuesday evening.

The Tuesday night curfew will begin at 8 p.m. ET, de Blasio said on Twitter. The curfew on Monday started at 11 p.m. ET. 

"These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property. Our first priority is keeping people safe, so I'm extending the curfew to Tuesday. It will begin at 8 pm," de Blasio said.

U.S. military helicopters seen over Washington

Several U.S. Blackhawk military helicopters were seen hovering over Washington, D.C., according to local residents.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was deploying thousands of heavily armed soldiers and law enforcement to halt violence in the U.S. capital and vowed to do the same in other cities if mayors and governors fail to regain control of the streets.

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has joined millions of people across the globe to seek justice for African American George Floyd who died in police custody in the United States.

Akufo-Addo wrote in a Facebook post that the death of Floyd was "carried with it an all too painful familiarity, and an ugly reminder. It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism."

"On behalf of the people of Ghana, I express my deep condolences to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd."

Akufo-Addo added that he hopes the "unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head on the problems of hate and racism."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday called for a national ban on excessive force by police and announced a curfew for New York City following violent protests triggered by the death in Minneapolis of an unarmed black man in police custody.

In a joint statement, Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city of eight million people would be under curfew from 11 p.m. local time on Monday night until 5 a.m. the next morning. 

They said the police would double their numbers to stem violence and property damage.

A medical examiner's office on Monday ruled that the death of George Floyd, the black man whose killing in Minneapolis police custody last week triggered nationwide protests, was a homicide and that he died from asphyxiation.

The medical examiner's finding that the death was a homicide confirms the same conclusion of the independent autopsy that was also released on Monday, but there are key differences over the cause.

A press release from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said that Floyd, who struggled to breathe as an officer pinned him down by kneeling on his neck, had "recent methamphetamine use" and "fentanyl intoxication" - along with hypertension and coronary artery disease - all of which were possible contributing factors to his death.

But two doctors who carried out that independent autopsy of Floyd, 46, and two attorneys for the family said that he had no underlying health conditions that may have contributed to his death. They argued that not only the officer who was kneeing Floyd's neck killed him, but also two officers who were pressing their weight onto Floyd's back while he was on the ground.

They added that they did not have information on toxicology and any drug or alcohol use by Floyd.

Dr. Allecia Wilson of the University of Michigan, one of the two forensic doctors who performed the independent autopsy, said the evidence pointed to homicide by "mechanical asphyxia" meaning from some physical force that interfered with oxygen supply.

While the county's full autopsy report has not yet been released - Monday's press release appeared to show authorities walked back their conclusions on what killed Floyd.

The original criminal complaint against the police officer who pinned Floyd with his knee cited the medical examiner's office when it said it found no findings of strangulation.

Carolyn Marinan, a spokeswoman for Hennepin County, did not confirm any reversal, saying only that Monday's press release were the "final findings."

Floyd's funeral

The family's lawyer said Monday that Floyd's funeral will be held June 9 in Houston.

"In Minneapolis, there will be a memorial here Thursday, at 1:00 to 3:00," said attorney Ben Crump, speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis to report the findings of the independent autopsy.

"On Saturday, there will be a memorial service in North Carolina, where he was born, at 1:00 to 3:00. And then on Tuesday, June the ninth, the funeral will take place in Houston, Texas at 11:00 am," said Crump, who is representing the Floyd family.

Not just Chauvin

Bystander video showed Floyd pleading to be let up and saying repeatedly that he couldn't breathe as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Two other officers applied pressure with their knees to Floyd's back.

Chauvin, who is white and has been fired from the Minneapolis police department, was hit with third-degree murder and manslaughter charges last week.

But Dr. Michael Baden, who took part in the independent autopsy at the behest of Floyd's family, said that the two other officers' actions also caused Floyd to stop breathing.

Baden has worked on several high-profile cases, including the 2014 death of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being choked by police in New York City. He also countered the argument that if Floyd could speak then he could breathe.

Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who is also representing the Floyd family, said that all four officers at the scene should be facing charges, not just Chauvin.

The independent autopsy and video evidence make it clear that Floyd was dead while he was still lying on the street with police atop him, said Crump.

The Floyd family, according to Crump, wants to see charge lodged against all four officers who were at the scene - and for Chauvin, who kneed Floyd’s neck, to be facing first-degree murder charges.

But they are also seeking an end to the violent protests that have beset the United States to end.

"George died because he needed a breath, a breath of air," Crump said. "I implore you all to join his family in taking a breath - taking a breath for justice, taking a breath for peace."

(Cover image: A local resident stands in front of a makeshift memorial honoring George Floyd, at the spot where he was taken into custody, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., June 1, 2020. /Reuters)

(With input from Reuters, AFP)

"We will end it now," U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday as a dramatic escalation of a national crisis entered into the seventh day after the death of a black man in police custody.

Calling himself the "law and order" president, Trump said that "domestic terrorism" was to blame for the unrest and the military should be dispatched.

"As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property," he said. 

Trump made the remarks during his visit at St. John's Episcopal Church, along with officials including U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Tear gas and flash bangs were used to clear what appeared to be peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and near St. John's Church, which protesters set fire to briefly Sunday night. 

"What happened in the city last night was a total disgrace," Trump said.

"Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled," he continued.

"If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," he added.

An active duty military police battalion consisting of some 200 to 250 military personnel is now in the process of being deployed to Washington, D.C., and could be in the nation's capital as soon as tonight, CNN reported citing U.S. defense officials.

The troops are expected to provide security but not perform law enforcement duties such as the arrest and detention of protesters, according to the report.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for restraint from U.S. authorities in responding to demonstrators, saying that grievances must be heard, but they must be expressed in peaceful ways.

Cases of police violence need to be investigated. Police forces around the world need to have adequate human rights training, and there also needs to be an investment in social and psychological support for police so they can do their job properly in terms of protecting the community, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Guterres.

It's been one week since George Floyd died under the knee of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. Since that time protests have spread to nearly every state in the U.S. Many are calling for an end to police violence and the killing of unarmed Black men by White officers. 

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has now officially ruled Floyd's death a 'homicide' caused by 'law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,' but will that be enough for protesters to leave the streets of many of America's cities?

Here are some of the places rocked by increasingly violent demonstrations.

Washington, D.C. police and National Guard soldiers advance on protesters as 7:00 pm curfew hits the nation's capital. Some were filmed beating protesters.

Video has surfaced allegedly showing police attacking seemingly peaceful protesters. Multiple protesters alleged police have placed black tape over their badge numbers to prevent identification. No location was given.

Video from Washington DC's protests Sunday shows what many say is the difference between protesters and other 'bad actors'. Demonstrators can be seen tackling a man who was destroying DC city property with a hammer and then hand him over to police nearby.

Thousands of protesters organize demonstrations across the United States as calls for justice for black lives lost persevere.

From acts of brutality to marching to show support, see how police around the U.S. are reacting to anti-police violence demonstrations.

While social distancing isn't being implemented during many protests around the U.S., these volunteers are helping people stay safe amid widespread demonstrations in Washington DC.

White House spokesperson calls for 'law and order,' blames Antifa for the protests

"We need law and order in this country," White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Monday. 

She also blamed Antifa, an anti-fascist group, saying that it was "certainly behind" the violence.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not made major public statement to address the spreading protests over the death of George Floyd, but described protestors as "thugs" and threatened to activate the U.S. military. 

Critics have been accusing Trump for stoking the tension rather than addressing the issue.

"He's not helping ... He is not leading, he is causing further disruption," Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN.

Charges against Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck for several minutes, should be upgraded to first-degree murder, Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump told CBS on Sunday.

George Floyd, who was 46, died last week after the encounter with the Minneapolis police officers. 

Chauvin was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder last Friday, while the other three officers involved in the incident were fired but have not been charged.

George Floyd's younger brother Terrence echoed Crump's sentiment. He told ABC News that he wants the other officers charged as well.

In an interview with the media, Terrence said that he condemns the violent protests happening and wants everyone to know his brother stood for peace.

"My brother was about peace," he said. "He was a gentle giant."

Two dead and a police officer injured in shootings in Iowa

Two people were killed during overnight shootings in Davenport, Iowa, the chief of police Paul Sikorski said in a press briefing.

Four people in total were shot, including a police officer.

The chief said around 3 a.m., three officers who were patrolling the city "were ambushed" and shot at with several rounds.

Officers responded to 45 disturbance calls over the course of the night, said Sikorski.

Davenport Mayor Mike Mateson said he will enact a curfew in the city and asked Governor Kim Reynolds to activate the National Guard.

One man fatally shot by law enforcement in Kentucky

A man was shot and killed by law enforcement in Louisville, Kentucky early Monday morning, police said.

At around 12:15 a.m., Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and National Guard were dispatched to Dino's Food Market to disperse a large crowd in the parking lot, the chief of LMPD Steve Conrad told the press.

Officers and soldiers at some point were shot at and both LMPD and National Guard members returned fire, Conrad said. One man was shot dead at the scene.

The police are interviewing multiple persons of interest and collecting video from the incident, the chief said. More information is expected to be released tomorrow. 

Journalists under attack while covering U.S. protests over death of George Floyd

Two members of a Reuters TV crew were hit by rubber bullets, and a photographer's camera was smashed in Minneapolis on Saturday night, the news agency reported.

Footage taken by cameraman Julio-Cesar Chavez showed a police officer aiming directly at him as police fired rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse about 500 protesters in the southwest of the city shortly after the 8 p.m. curfew, according to Reuters.

"A police officer that I'm filming turns around, points his rubber-bullet rifle straight at me," said Chavez.             

Minutes later, Chavez and Reuters' security adviser Rodney Seward were struck by rubber bullets as they took cover at a nearby gas station.

Attacks and assaults on journalists covering the George Floyd protests in the U.S. have intensified as protests raged across the U.S. There have been about 10 reported incidents of journalists getting injured or threatened, according to incomplete statistics.

George Floyd protests go global

George Floyd's death in U.S. police custody sparked an outpouring of solidarity from protesters around the globe. As protests continue across the United States, people around the world have begun marching in solidarity with American protesters who have taken to the streets following his death.

The death of Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man who was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a white police officer pushed his knee into his neck for nearly 9 minutes, has garnered international attention, as have the sometimes-violent protests that have erupted in the U.S. 

Demonstrations in solidarity with Floyd protesters have popped up in cities like Auckland, Manchester, London and Berlin.

Officials warn U.S. protests could spark COVID-19 flare-up

After weeks and months of stay-at-home measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, mass protests are threatening to spark a flare-up of cases as large groups of people congregate, many of them without masks.

U.S. cities have erupted in anger and violence following the death last week of an African-American man, George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, Atlanta, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and other major cities. Protesters have clashed with police, who have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Shops have been looted, property has been set on fire and thousands have been arrested. There have been reports of several people being killed and states and cities have imposed curfews, while the National Guard has been called in.

But the already volatile situation is made worse by the raging COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 104,000 people in the U.S. so far, with close to 1.8 million confirmed cases.

The wearing of masks, orders to stay at home and bans on mass gatherings have been effective tools to contain the epidemic over the past few months, as the virus can be passed on even if a person does not exhibit symptoms.

But now large crowds mingling, shouting and clashing with law enforcement threaten to undo the progress that was made in flattening the curve. 

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Tear gas fired in a pharmacy in Washington, D.C.

Police fired tear gas in a CVS Pharmacy to disperse protesters in downtown Washington, D.C. on Sunday night before the curfew was enforced.

Meanwhile, local authorities used tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades against protesters in the U.S. capital city. 

Anger is continuously erupting following the death of George Floyd.

Facts Tell: Protests, arrests and curfews across the U.S. after George Floyd's death

George Floyd's subsequent death caused widespread anger against police brutality as calls rang out for justice and for all four police officers at the scene to be held accountable. Protests, arrests and curfews came up across the U.S. after that. Freedom of speech? Personal liberty? Take a look.

Protest against anti-black racism in Montreal turns violent

An anti-racism protest in Montreal, Canada demanding justice for George Floyd, a 46-year-old black Minnesota man who died in police custody last week, turned violent Sunday.

About three hours into the march that started out peacefully, Montreal police declared the gathering illegal after they say projectiles were thrown at officers who responded with pepper spray and tear gas.

George Floyd killing: NYC mayor's daughter arrested at Manhattan protest 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter, Chiara de Blasio, was reportedly arrested around 10:30 p.m. local time on Saturday near Union Square in Manhattan during citywide protests over the killing of an unarmed black man, identified as George Floyd, local media reported.

Chiara, 25, was taken into custody after cops declared an unlawful assembly at 12th Street and Broadway in Lower Manhattan, reports said. 

As of 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday:

- Around 5,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen have been activated in the U.S.

- 40 U.S. cities and Washington, D.C. have imposed curfews amid ongoing protests 

- More than 1,000 protesters gathered at Lafayette Park across from the White House

- U.S. President Donald Trump spent much of Sunday using Twitter to urge tougher action by police against protesters

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection with the death of George Floyd, is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. CT on June 8, according to the Hennepin County website.

Chauvin was initially scheduled to appear in court on Monday but the appearance was later pushed back until June 8.

The ex-officer has now been moved to a Minnesota Department of Corrections facility in Oak Park Heights, northeast of Minneapolis, partially due to the COVID-19 concerns.

The former police officer, who knelt on Floyd's neck for minutes in Minneapolis, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, amid nationwide outrage following the 46-year-old black man's death.

At least 40 cities have imposed curfews and National Guard troops have been deployed in 15 states and Washington, D.C. amid an array of race protests.

Police have arrested at least 1,669 people in 22 cities in recent days with nearly a third in Los Angeles, according to the AP.

Read more:

Live updates: U.S. race protests spread nationwide

Tanker truck drives into protesters in Minneapolis

A tanker truck ploughed into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators on a Minneapolis highway in the United States on Sunday, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

"The truck driver was injured and taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries," the department said, adding that the motorist is under arrest.

No protesters were hit by the truck.

Washington D.C. declares citywide curfew

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a citywide curfew, joining a host of cities to implement such a measure amid protests over the death of George Floyd.

In a tweet, the mayor said people are not allowed on the streets from 11:00 p.m. ET on Sunday through 6:00 a.m. ET on Monday.

Bowser has also activated the D.C. National Guard to support the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

'Black Lives Matter' protests spread across Europe over George Floyd killing

Thousands of protesters in Germany and the UK are chanting "I can't breathe" in tribute to an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in America on Monday.

Demonstrators outside the U.S. embassy in Berlin are holding banners reading "Black Lives Matter," after George Floyd's death led to a global backlash against police brutality and racism.

Protests erupted on Tuesday across the U.S. after a video of the incident in Minneapolis, in which a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd's neck, pinning him to the ground as he pleaded "I can't breathe," went viral on social media.

READ MORE: LA declares state of emergency as curfews set in multiple U.S. cities

George Floyd's subsequent death caused widespread anger against police brutality as calls rang out for justice and for all four police officers at the scene to be held accountable. After days of protests – some violent – 44-year-old Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and negligent manslaughter.

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Journalists covering nationwide protests over the death of a black man at police hands in Minneapolis have found themselves under attack, by police and at times by protesters.

The arrest and handcuffing Friday of a black CNN journalist by police in Minneapolis -- even as he was reporting live on camera following the death of George Floyd -- may have drawn the widest coverage.

The journalist, Omar Jimenez, was released an hour later after the Minnesota governor personally intervened.

But there have been several other serious incidents across the country, notably in Louisville, Kentucky, where a riot-squad policeman fired what appeared to be pepper-spray pellets at a local TV crew filming the scene.

"I'm getting shot!" Kaitlin Rust, a reporter with local TV channel WAVE-3, cried out on camera.

And in Minneapolis, freelance journalist Linda Tirado was struck in the left eye by a rubber bullet fired by police, and said later on Twitter that she had permanently lost vision in that eye.

"Authorities in cities across the US need to instruct police not to target journalists and ensure they can report safely on the protests without fear of injury or retaliation," said a statement from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Members of the media have also come under attack by protesters. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, photographer Ian Smith said he was subjected to a beating until other demonstrators came to his defense.

In Atlanta, the headquarters of news network CNN was attacked Friday by several dozen people. Someone in the crowd lobbed a flash grenade into the building's lobby as police stood guard there.

And on Saturday morning, a Fox News journalist who was reporting from a position in front of the White House was pummeled and chased by demonstrators until police intervened.

"If you are a protester, do what you feel is right, but don't stop us from doing what we know is the job we have to do for the public. Please do not target, intimidate, humiliate or block our efforts," said a statement from the Society of Professional Journalists.

About 1, 000 people are shot to death by police officers in the U.S. every year, according to a database maintained by the Washington Post. Research shows the victims are more likely to be African-Americans and Hispanics. Officers who kill on duty very seldom face criminal charges, claiming they were acting out of self-defense.

In New York City, police cars clashed with protesters marching against the death of George Floyd. This sparked further outrage, prompting demonstrators to retaliate. In Houston, reports said a female protester was knocked down and injured after a police officer on horseback blew a whistle and rode through to disperse the crowds.

Trump will not activate federal troops for now, says national security adviser

The Trump administration will not invoke federal authority over the National Guard for now, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Sunday.

"We're not going to federalize the Guard at this time," O'Brien told reporters at the White House, adding that law enforcement decisions should rest with governors and mayors.

The National Guard said in a statement Sunday that 5,000 of its soldiers and airmen had been activated in 15 states and Washington, DC. Another 2,000 National Guard soldiers were ready to activate if needed, the statement said. 

Protests over the death of George Floyd continued on Sunday across multiple cities in the U.S.

Anti-racism protests are spreading beyond the borders of the United States, with protesters gathering in 'Black Lives Matter' demonstrations in countries including Canada, the UK, Germany and Denmark. 

The marches came as a nationwide anti-racism protest triggered by George Floyd's death broke out in the United States.

A police officer was seen in the footage of an amateur video pressing his knee on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed male African American, for several minutes although the latter had been arrested, handcuffed and pinned to the ground. The 46-year-old man later died, sparking a nationwide protest in the country. 

So far, protests have erupted in at least 30 U.S. cities. A total of 25 cities in 16 U.S. states have imposed curfews.

With the protests entering its fifth day in the U.S., the marches are now spreading to other countries. 

On Sunday, protesters gathered in London's Trafalgar Square to take part in a demonstration against the death in Minneapolis police custody of Floyd. On the same day, there were also people gathering in Germany's Berlin and Denmark's Copenhagen to show their support of "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations. 

As people were angered by Floyd's death, a case of a black woman in Canada has also sparked wide attentions in the country, triggering thousands of people to take to the streets to decry racism. 

On Saturday, a rally was held in Toronto following the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who fell from an apartment building while police officers were present.

The march, organized by a group called Not Another Black Life, peacefully followed a route through major city streets and ended at police headquarters downtown.

Protesters, who were chanting "justice for Regis," "not another Black life," "abolish the police" and "no justice, no peace," demanded answers following the death of Korchinski-Paquet. 

The fatality has sparked wide attention after the 29-year-old's mother claimed on social media that Korchinski-Paquet was pushed by police.

It's unclear if anyone witnessed her death as no family members were inside the unit at the time when she died.

Local police launched a special investigation unit to look into the case and have called for anyone with information about the allegations to contact them.

Floyd's death: Straw that broke the camel's back amid pandemic pain

George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died in Minneapolis on Monday while he was being restrained by the police. Video footage of the incident shows that, handcuffed and in the custody of four white police officers, he was pressed face down on the ground while one officer pushed a knee against his neck for about seven minutes.

As the attention of the country switched from the coronavirus to the death, that African Americans are disproportionately and unfairly targeted by the epidemic seemed to have been forgotten. Nearly one third of those who have died across the country are black, much higher than the national black population of 13 percent. Why? Inherent racism.

The protests happening now are not only a revolt against Floyd's death and racial discrimination more broadly, but also a response to a concentrated outbreak of other social and economic problems in the U.S. caused or exacerbated by the pandemic: High unemployment, declining living standards, and longstanding health and socio-economic disparities.

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Timeline of May 30 protests in Washington, D.C. 

Violence escalated as protests were held across the United States following the police killing of George Floyd. On May 30, protesters knocked down the White House security's barricade as tensions over Floyd's death mounted. On the same day, the National Guard was activated in Washington, D.C. to assist police handling angry demonstrations.

Here is a timeline of what happened according to a China Media Group (CMG) reporter at the scene:

- At 9:55 p.m. local time 

Police use rubber bullets to disperse angry protesters around the White House.

- At 10:10 p.m. local time

Police use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

- At 10:17 p.m. local time 

Outside the White House, a large number of protesters confront law enforcers and the standoff continues.

One person killed in shooting during protest in Indiana

At least three people were shot and one killed during a protest in downtown Indianapolis, the city's police chief said at a news conference on Saturday.

Police gave no further information about the shooting and advised protesters to avoid the area.

Protests have rocked Indianapolis for the past two days with some demonstrators damaging buildings, lighting property on fire and clashing with police.

The police killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis earlier this week has led to outrage in the U.S. with people pouring out onto the streets nationwide to protest racial bias. In an interview with a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter on the ground, protester Dora King said she thought police should be reformed to end lasting corruption and noted that U.S. President Donald Trump "is not doing anything." "He's a modern-day Hitler," she said.

A CCTV reporter was hit with tear gas while covering a protest over the death of George Floyd. Police across the U.S. have deployed tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to control angry crowds. "My eyes are irritated, I can't open them," he said.

Since Thursday, nearly 1,400 people have been arrested in 17 cities in the United States amid ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd, according to local media reports.

A total of 25 cities in 16 states have imposed curfews, including Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on latest unrest on Twitter, saying "the National Guard has been released in Minneapolis to do the job that the Democrat Mayor couldn't do. Should have been used 2 days ago."

Trump also praised the National Guard in the tweet. "Great job by the National Guard. No games!" he wrote.

National Guard activated in Washington to help protect the White House

The National Guard has been activated in Washington, D.C. to assist police handling protests around the White House on Saturday, according to a statement from the DC National Guard on Facebook.

The DC National Guard (DCNG) ultimately reported to the President but was activated at the direction of the Secretary of the Army, according to the statement.

"The DCNG is always ready to assist district and federal agencies to protect human life and property. The DCNG is especially trained and equipped for this U.S. Park Police support mission and we proudly accept it,” Major General William J. Walker said in the statement.

LA and Seattle declare overnight curfews amid protests

Los Angeles and Seattle have joined other U.S. cities in imposing weekend curfews amid widespread protests over the killing of an unarmed black man by police in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said a curfew will be in effect in the city's downtown from 8 p.m. on Saturday to 5:30 a.m. on Sunday local time. Seattle is taking a similar measure, with no one allowed on the streets from 5 p.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. the next day.

Garcetti called for calm as demonstrators climbed on a metro bus and set police cars ablaze in the Fairfax District, saying "Whether you wear a badge or whether you hold a sign, I'm asking all of Los Angeles to take a deep breath and step back for a moment."

Meanwhile Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement that "The curfew is intended to prevent violence and widespread property damage, and to prevent the further community spread of COVID-19 through continued gathering."

"During those hours residents and visitors should remain in their residence to the extent possible and should refrain from traveling in and through Seattle," she added.

Curfews set at U.S. cities for increasing unrest

A certain number of cities in the United States have set curfews amid the ongoing protests following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd.

Governors in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas activated the National Guard after protests there turned violent overnight, while nighttime curfews were put in place in Portland, Oregon and Cincinnati.

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Minnesota will have 2,500 National Guard personnel deployed by Saturday noon 

Major General Jon A. Jensen of the Minnesota National Guard said 2,500 National Guard personnel will be mobilized by 12 p.m. on Saturday to cope with the protests, an increase from 1,700 which he had said previously. 

In the morning hour on Saturday, over 1,700 National Guard personals have already been activated, the largest mobilization in National Guard's 164-year history.

Reporter covering protest in Minnesota has to stop reporting due to crowd disturbance. Before the curfew order, U.S. police were already using tear gas and other riot control measures.

Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, told a Saturday media briefing that the destructive demonstrations going on in the city over the killing of George Floyd is longer about protest nor verbal expression, but violent.

Frey said protests earlier in the week were peaceful, but they turned violent as more and more people coming from outside the city and region, trying to "cause violent."

Speaking at the joint briefing, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also said the unrest is "no longer, in any way, about the murder of George Floyd," adding the violent protests are about attacking society.

Minnesota has fully activated the National Guard, with some 1,700 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are deployed to cope with the unrest, representing the largest domestic deployment in Minnesota's National Guard's 164-year history.

Meanwhile, Walz vowed to protect peaceful protesters and urged them to practice social distancing during the special time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump threatens White House protesters with Secret Service, 'ominous weapons'

U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday touted the Secret Service's handling of protesters outside the White House, while saying protesters only "cause trouble" and "had little to do with the memory of George Floyd."

The White House was partially locked down on Friday night by the Secret Service amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd.

"Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had, they would ... have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least. Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action," Trump wrote in a slew of tweets Saturday morning.

Protests erupted in over 20 cities across the U.S. over the deadly arrest of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis is facing a growing outrage where protesters are clashing with officers in the streets over the death of an African-American man in police custody. Nationwide from Chicago to New York to Georgia, there is mounting outrage over the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, including CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

'I urge for peace at this time,' says Minnesota governor 

As protests continues to rage across the U.S. cities over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died this week after being pinned down by the neck by a white police officer in Minneapolis, the governor of Minnesota has called for calm. 

"Minnesotans are asking for and deserve confidence that we can respond to this crisis, and we will. We are continuing to coordinate efforts at the state and local level while accessing resources from across the country to keep our communities safe," Governor Tim Walz tweeted on Saturday morning. "I urge for peace at this time."

Two Federal Protective Service officers were shot, and one died amid protests Friday night in Oakland, California over the death of George Floyd, CNN reported citing the Oakland Police Department.

"Two Federal Protective Services officers stationed at the Oakland Down Town Federal Building suffered gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, one succumbed to his injury," the police department said.

At least 7,500 protesters took to the streets of Oakland for the protests, police told CNN.  

The force declared the protest an unlawful assembly after multiple officers were injured when projectiles were thrown, according to the department's Twitter post shortly before 10 p.m. local time.

Trump's racist remarks fuels new round of racial division in the U.S.

Three days after the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, Trump tweeted "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." Taking into account the context of the original expression, the platform flagged the post for "glorifying violence."

The phrase was used both by Miami's police chief, Walter Headley, in 1967, and by presidential candidate and segregationist George Wallace the following year.

On Friday afternoon, Trump tried to walk back from the accusation, tweeting, "Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don't want this to happen, and that's what the expression put out last night means...."

Despite Trump's attempts to re-frame the narrative of the comments, his rhetoric inevitably remind everyone of his history of inflaming racial tensions, even during his presidency.

Click here for more.

Over 1,700 National Guard soldiers have been deployed in Minnesota as of Saturday morning to help keep the peace amid the protests over the killing of George Floyd, representing the largest domestic deployment in Minnesota's National Guard's 164-year history.

"More than 1,000 additional Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are activating today. This is in addition to the 700 that were on duty as of late last night," the MN National Guard wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning.

Earlier, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said over 2,500 officers are currently working at the protest site, adding it's one of the largest civil police forces Minnesota has ever seen.

While some 50 people have already been arrested as the protests continue on early Saturday morning in Minneapolis.

Several U.S. cities have been gripped by violent protests overnight in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis this week after a white police officer knelt on his neck.

From Minneapolis to New York City, Atlanta, and Washington, protesters clashed with police in a rising tide of anger over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement.

The demonstrations broke out for a fourth night despite prosecutors announcing on Friday that the policeman filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck, Derek Chauvin, had been arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

While the other three officers, who were also at the scene, were fired but not charged. 

Wife of officer charged with murder in George Floyd's death files for dissolution of marriage

The wife of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was charged with third-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, is filing for a dissolution of marriage, according to her lawyer.

"This evening, I spoke with Kellie Chauvin and her family. She is devastated by Mr. Floyd's death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy. She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin," the Sekula Law Office said in a statement on Friday night.

"While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time."

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that the situation in Minneapolis remains "incredibly dangerous" as protests continue in the city following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old who died in the custody of police who knelt on his neck.

In an early morning press conference on Saturday, Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey both urged people to go home. 

"This is not grieving, this is not making a statement. This is life-threatening and dangerous to the well-qualified forces that are out there facing this," Gov. Walz said. "You need to go home. You need to go home."

Walz later urged peace while expressing confident to response to the crisis. "Minnesotans are asking for and deserve confidence that we can respond to this crisis, and we will. We are continuing to coordinate efforts at the state and local level while accessing resources from across the country to keep our communities safe. I urge for peace at this time," he wrote on Twitter.

Frey has ordered everyone off the city's streets starting at 8:00 p.m. (0100 GMT Saturday) until 6 a.m., excepting law enforcement, fire and medical personnel and national guard troops deployed for peacekeeping. 

But many protesters defied the curfew and took to the streets chanting "I can't breathe" with some protesters even setting fire to public facilities. 

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in face of the unrest and arrested several demonstrators who violated the curfew. While in some other 20 cities across the U.S., demonstrators have also gathered on the streets, some peaceful and some destructive.

According to CNN, two Federal Protective Service officers suffered gunshot wounds amid protests Friday night in Oakland, California and one of the officers has died from his injuries.

And earlier, media report said a 19-year-old also died during protest in downtown Detroit.

Read more:

One dead after shots fired at Detroit protest over killing of George Floyd

Two Federal Protective Service officers shot, one killed in Oakland protests

From Garner to Floyd, racist killings choke off American society

American people who cannot breathe is seemingly not only George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died after the police pinned him to ground. The rage and anger are uprisings across the U.S. with people never forget the death of Eric Garner in 2014, the Ferguson riots, the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, and the African American woman Breonna Taylor's death at her home just happened this year. 

The last word of George Floyd is surrealistically similar to the shouting of Eric Garner before death on Staten Island after a banned chokehold arrest in 2014: "I can't breathe." 

Some chronic diseases return as the U.S. society is facing severe challenges from the public health side and political debates. It just takes one night to draw the public unrest when racist killings stage a comeback. 

Inevitable consequences are out there through years of killings of colored American residents. 

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Trump says spoke to family of man who died in Minneapolis arrest

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he had expressed condolences to the family of George Floyd, the African American man who died while a policeman knelt on his neck during an arrest, sparking riots.

"I spoke to members of the family, terrific people," Trump said at the White House. "I just expressed my sorrow. That was a horrible thing to witness," he said. "They were grieving. I could see very much that they loved their brother."

Trump has been criticized for earlier comments on Twitter that called protesters in Minneapolis "THUGS" and warning that "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." In his latest comments, Trump said he supported peaceful protests but "we can't allow a situation like happened in Minneapolis to descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos." 

"I understand the hurt, I understand the pain. People have really been through a lot. The family of George is entitled to justice and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety," he said. 

"You had a lot of people out there that were protesting out of sorrow and then you had people that got out of control," he said. "That won't happen again, it can't happen again."

Asked about the racially charged overtones to the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" – well known during the tense years of the civil rights era – Trump said he wasn't aware about the words' origin. "I've heard that phrase for a long time. I don't know where it came from," Trump said. "I wouldn't know a thing like that." 

One person was killed in downtown Detroit on Friday night after someone in an SUV fired shots into a crowd of people protesting George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, AP reported citing a Detroit police spokeswoman.

The victim was a 19-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood.

The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. Friday, and an officer wasn't involved in the shooting, Kirkwood said.

Protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, have spread across the U.S. as the incident triggered renewed anger over other recent similar cases involving African-Americans.

A local Louisville reporter and cameraman were shot with pepper balls by police while doing a live broadcast on May 29.

Seven people were shot, with two taken to the hospital, during a protest in Louisville on May 28 over the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot in her apartment in March.

Pentagon puts military police on alert to go to Minneapolis: Report

The Pentagon is ordering the U.S. Army to put several active-duty military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis as protests over the death of George Floyd have spread nationwide in the country, AP reported.

It's incredibly rare for the Pentagon to order something of this sort, the AP noted.

The Minneapolis Department of Public Safety said on its official Twitter account that 350 troopers are near the city's 5th precinct to clear the area and enforce a weekend curfew.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called for residents to obey the curfew, amid protests over the death of George Floyd.

Law enforcement officers have arrested several people who ignored multiple dispersal orders.

As many as 500 National Guard troops are being called in to help protect people and property in Atlanta, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced late Friday.

Kemp said he is also issuing a state of emergency for Fulton County amid protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody.

Obama on George Floyd's death: 'This shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America'

Former President Barack Obama on Friday said that the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while he was in police custody, "shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America."

"It can't be 'normal.' If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better," Obama said in a statement as protests have erupted across the country.

Click here for more.

At 9:30 p.m. local time, hundreds of protesters were still outside the White House in Washington, D.C.

Police give orders to disperse large crowd in Atlanta

Peaceful demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd turned violent on Friday evening in Atlanta as people clashed with police, buildings were vandalized and cop cars were set on fire.

Police are giving orders to disperse a large group of protesters outside the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Protests have erupted in at least 30 U.S. cities over the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis black man who died after being pinned by the neck under a white police officer's knee.

Thousands of protesters stormed the security perimeter of Barclays Center in New York as protests spread across the United States over the killing.

Police made scores of arrests at Friday's massive demonstration in Brooklyn, loading cuffed protesters onto city buses lined up on Atlantic Avenue and shutting down a major thoroughfare.

A diverse group of protesters cheered to hip hop music and tried to argue about police brutality with police officers in riot gear, who occasionally lunged into crowds to pluck people out for arrest after bottles and other projectiles were thrown.

The demonstrators at a "We can't breathe" vigil and rally in lower Manhattan were pressing for legislation outlawing the police "chokehold" used by a city police officer in the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who was also black.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, handcuffed him and knelt on his neck for several minutes as he gasped for air.

Chauvin was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The Secret Service could be seen taking at least one person into custody outside the White House on Friday, local media said.

White House locked down

The White House has been locked down as protesters over George Floyd's death hit the U.S. capital Friday night, said local media, after a group of protesters gathered in front of the White House overnight.

The protest began about 10 p.m. Friday night and the scene mostly quieted down by 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

The crowd thinned out, and Secret Service Officers were able to expand their perimeter and barriers around Lafayette Park across from the White House. This was the second time that protesters gathered outside of the White House during the evening and early morning hours.

The lockdown was lifted just before 8:30 p.m. as protesters marched to different parts of the city, before returning to the White House later in the evening and into the early morning.

In a Saturday morning tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump said the protests in front of the White House on Friday had "little to do with the memory of George Floyd," while providing no evidence to back up that claim, adding that demonstrators, "were just there to cause trouble."

Trump alleged, without evidence, that protesters were "professionally managed." There is no indication that they were.

"Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???," he wrote, without explaining what he meant by that.

He thanked the Secret Service for their handling of protests in Lafayette Park Friday night. 

Los Angeles

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles Friday night, clashing with police, during a third day of demonstrations over the killing of Floyd.

Protesters marched in the streets, shouting slogans such as "I can't breathe" to express their anger over the killing of the unarmed Minnesota black man by police.

The march has mostly been peaceful amid heavy police presence. A police officer was attacked in the street, and squad cars' windows were smashed by protesters, KTLA news channel, a local news outlet, reported.

Several people were detained for allegedly throwing objects at officers and damaging police cars, according to another local news outlet, City News Service.

A group of about 100 protesters reportedly blocked a major north-south freeway in downtown Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Police Department urged people in a Tweet to avoid the Downtown Los Angeles area, including side streets and freeways, due to ongoing protests.

Demonstrations and riots have spread to cities across the United States after a video went viral of Floyd being suffocated to death by a white police officer in the mid-western state of Minnesota.

Atlanta

In an impassioned speech, Bernice King, the youngest daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., implored people to go home after more than 1,000 protesters marched to the state capitol from the Centennial Olympic Park, blocking traffic and an interstate highway along the way.

"The only way we get what we really want is through non-violence," Bernice King said in her father's hometown.

"Let's do this the non-violent way to deal with the evil of our time."

The Atlanta demonstration turned chaotic and, at times, violent. Fires were burning in downtown Atlanta near the CNN Center, the network's headquarters.

At least one police car was among several vehicles burnt. Windows were smashed at the CNN building, along with storefronts. Police pushed back the crowd, but they hurled bottles at officers.

Minneapolis

Hundreds of protesters defied an 8 p.m. curfew to gather in the streets around a police station burnt the previous night.

"We are out here because we, as a generation, realize things have to change," said one marcher, Paul Selman, a 25-year-old black man, who had just graduated with a master's degree in English from Minnesota State. "We need peace."

Peter McMahon, 26, a resident of the area around the police station and owner of two nearby properties, said, "This is my generation, and these are the people I went to high school with," adding, "This is not a surprise. I have lost good friends over this Black Lives Matter shit."

More than 2,500 officers are currently working at the protest sites, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington told a press conference.

Harrington said that this is one of the largest civil police forces Minnesota has ever seen.

About 50 people have already been arrested as the protests continue on early Saturday morning in Minneapolis.

There could be more than 1,700 National Guard soldiers deployed in Minnesota by Sunday to help keep the peace amid the protests over the killing of George Floyd, Major General Jon Jensen of the Minnesota National Guard said.

Detroit

Hundreds in the automotive capital joined a "March Against Police Brutality" late in the afternoon outside the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. Many chanted, "No justice, no peace." Some carried signs that read, "End police brutality" and "I won't stop yelling until everyone can breathe."

A 19-year-old man protesting in the city was shot dead on Friday night by a suspect who pulled up to demonstrators in a sport utility vehicle and fired gunshots into the crowd, then fled, the Detroit Free Press and other local media reported.

Denver

Denver saw the second day of protests after hundreds marched peacefully through its downtown demanding justice for Floyd.

Houston

Hundreds gathered on Friday in a protest organized by the group Black Lives Matter at City Hall. The crowd spilled onto Interstate 45's entrance ramp near downtown chanting, "I can't breathe," and "No justice, no peace."

Louisville

After a night of violence in which at least seven people were shot, police in the Kentucky city braced for more protests over the killing of Floyd and several others, such as Breonna Taylor, shot by police in her Louisville home in March.

(With input from Reuters)

Protesters are in the streets demanding justice for George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday. His death sparked anger and protests across the United States. 

Peaceful rallies gave way to clashes in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday (May 28) night, with police seen using pepper spray to break up crowds venting their rage. 

A video shows that protesters were throwing objects and kicking police cars in Minneapolis. Masked police officers walking toward protests with riot guns, loud bangs heard.

Police and demonstrators violently clashed in New York City on May 28. Footage uploaded to social media shows a crowd of police swarming protestors, pinning some to the ground. 

A Black Lives Matter march in Los Angeles stopped traffic on a major highway and video showed demonstrators climbing onto a police vehicle which drove away, hurling at least two demonstrators to the ground.

Story with information from Reuters, AFP and Storyful.

Derek Chauvin, the fired white Minneapolis police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, has been arrested and charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

In the now-viral video recorded by a bystander, Chauvin is seen kneeling on Floyd's neck as Floyd is handcuffed behind his back. Floyd becomes motionless as Chauvin remains on his neck. The criminal complaint against Chauvin states, "The defendant had his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr. Floyd was non-responsive." 

A newly surfaced video of the arrest shows that at one point Floyd appeared to be pinned down by three officer, not only one. In the original video, three other officers ignored pleas from other bystanders to get off Floyd. According to Freeman, an ongoing investigation into other officers is underway and he anticipated charges against three officers involved in the incident. If convicted, Derek Chauvin could face up to 25 years in prison for the first charge and up to 10 years on the second charge.

Since the release of the video, a wave of violent protests has spread in Minneapolis and across the U.S. A handcuffed Floyd can be seen pleading with the former officer saying he couldn't breathe. Floyd died in police custody. Fires and looting broke out in Minneapolis over the last two nights, including a fire that destroyed a city police station.

The Minneapolis mayor imposed a 8pm-6am curfew on Friday and Saturday saying, "During the hours of curfew, all persons must not travel on any public street or in any public place."

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Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who used his knee to pin an unarmed black man on the ground for several minutes has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter.

Chauvin was arrested earlier on Friday and taken int custody by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to John Harrington, the city's Public Safety Commissioner.

The former police officer was filmed pining George Floyd on the ground using his knee until he went silent. Other officers also used their weights on other parts of his body to keep him still.

Floyd's death has received wide condemnation across the U.S. and the rest of the world, with ever-growing calls for police accountability.

The agonizing death of the 46-year-old man has since gone viral on social media, sparking protests across Minneapolis as thousands took to the streets to demand justice.

The protests have escalated into violence, with various businesses looted and sections of a police precinct set on fire.

Source(s): NBC

The Minnesota National Guard has activated over 500 soldiers on Thursday night to St. Paul, Minneapolis amid the violent clashes that happened after the police killing of an unarmed African American, 46-year-old restaurant worker George Floyd.

As of Friday morning, some buildings were still on fire in Minneapolis and protesters could be seen on the streets in the city. 

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he expects "there will be charges" against the four officers involved in Floyd's death, according to a report from CNN.

Local media reported that so far there have been no official charges against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. 

(Cover: A member of the Minnesota State Police tosses a can of teargas down a street, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minneapolis, United States. /AP) 

Read more:

Black CNN reporter arrested by Minnesota police on live television

U.S. braces for more protests over police killing of black man

Protesters outside the torched police precinct building were frustrated with the U.S. police and authorities after African American George Floyd died in the hands of police. Derek Chauvin, the officer at the center of the incident, and three other officers involved were fired Tuesday from the Minneapolis Police Department. However, local and federal officials have yet to announce any charges against the four officers.

Protests spread across the United States

Protests have taken place in other parts of the United States. CNN reported that protesters took to the streets in "Denver, Colorado; New York City; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; and Columbus, Ohio."

As of early Friday morning, some buildings were still on fire in Minneapolis and protesters could be seen on the streets of the city. 

Local media reported that so far there have been no official charges against the officers involved in the death of George Floyd. 

(Cover: Police officers keep watch in a haze of tear gas during a protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., May 28, 2020. /AFP) 

Twitter flags Trump tweet on Minneapolis as 'glorifying violence' 

Twitter on Friday flagged a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on the unrest in Minneapolis as "glorifying violence," saying the tweet violated its rules but would not be removed. "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," the notice read. 

The U.S. president had tweeted the military was being sent into the embattled midwestern city as authorities there struggle to contain unrest over the death of an unarmed African American at the hands of police.

Click here for more. 

(With input from agencies)

(Video via CNN)

CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested by The Minnesota State Patrol on live television early Friday morning while covering the Minneapolis protests.

The police have since released Jimenez and his crew. Minnesota governor Tim Walz apologized to CNN describing the arrests as "unacceptable," and said he wants the media to cover the protests in Minnesota.

Jimenez was taken into custody without any reason given shortly after 6 a.m. EST. Jimenez's crew, including a producer and a camera operator were also put in handcuffs, CNN reported. 

Jimenez had just shown a protester being arrested when half a dozen white police officers surrounded him.

Jimenez said after being released that it gave him a little comfort knowing people saw what was happening. "I was living what was happening, and the country was seeing what was happening unfold in real-time before their eyes," he said on CNN.

Another CNN journalist, Josh Campbell, was also on the ground not far from where Jimenez and his crew were arrested. Campbell told CNN anchor John Berman that he was "treated much differently."

"I'm sitting here talking to the National Guard, talking to the police. They're asking politely to move here and there. A couple of times, I've moved closer than they would like. They asked politely to move back. They didn't pull out the handcuffs. Lot different here than what Omar experienced," said Campbell.

Thursday marked the third night of protests in Minnesota over the death of a black man, George Floyd, seen in a video gasping for air while a white police officer knelt on his neck.

Minneapolis is on its third night of unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, with protesters taking over the police department's third Precinct building. The break-in happened at about 10 p.m., with helicopter footage showing a large fire burning near the main entrance.

Police released a statement, saying: "in the interest of the safety of our personnel, the Minneapolis Police Department evacuated the third Precinct of its staff. Protesters forcibly entered the building and have ignited several fires."

Minneapolis police on Tuesday used teargas to disperse crowds protesting the death of George Floyd, an African American who died after a policeman knelt on his neck during an arrest. 

Four police officers in the U.S. state of Minnesota were fired Tuesday after a black man died while in police custody and an online video showed the man being pinned down by his neck.

In the video, recorded by a bystander, a police officer pressed his knee into a black man's neck during an arrest in Minneapolis on Monday evening, as the man repeatedly said "I can't breathe" and "please, I can't breathe."

After a few minutes, the man, lying face down in the street with his hands cuffed behind his back, became silent and motionless. The officer continued to pin the man to the pavement with his knee as bystanders begged the officer to stop, the video showed.

The video did not show what happened before the officer pinned the man to the ground. A Minneapolis Police Department statement said the man "appeared to be suffering medical distress" and the officers called for an ambulance. The man died shortly after being taken to hospital.

The victim was identified as George Floyd in his 40s. It's reported that police initially found him sitting on top of a blue car and "appeared to be under influence" when officers responded to a call about a man suspected of forgery at a grocery store. 

The police said Floyd matched the description of the forgery and he resisted arrest.

The FBI was joining the investigation over Floyd's death, Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement.

"Being black in America should not be a death sentence," Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The four responding officers involved in the case have been terminated, the mayor tweeted.

The video almost immediately evoked the country's memory about the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in New York police custody in 2014, after an officer held him in a chokehold.

Garner's repeated plea of "I can't breathe" at the time has since then become a rallying cry at demonstrations against police misconduct around the country.

This black man died after begging a white police officer in the city of Minneaoplis to get off his neck. Darnella Frazier said she began filming the incident as George Floyd was pleading with police who pinned him on the street on Monday night. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after this video surfaced. The officers were reportedly detaining Floyd for suspected check fraud.

The police department said that Floyd "...physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress."

After Floyd appears to lose consciousness, a woman who identifies herself as a firefighter demands to check his pulse, but officers appear to refuse her request. Police said an ambulance was called and the man died shortly after.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference Tuesday condemning the actions of the police.

"Being Black in America should not be a death sentence," Frey said. "When you hear someone calling for help, you're supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense... All I keep coming back to is this: this man should not have died."

The FBI is investigating the killing, according to reports.

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