June 8 George Floyd protest news

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called recent comments by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "lies," after he accused China of using George Floyd's death as "laughable propaganda."

She added that "US society still suffers from systematic discrimination, this is not outside propaganda, but is a normal state in the US which has been called out by many people."

Hua said "equal rights for minorities remain elusive [in the US]" and "US politicians trying to shift the blame is immoral and unhelpful."

Hua's comments come after Pompeo released a statement on Saturday accusing China of exploiting the "tragic death of George Floyd to justify its authoritarian denial of basic human dignity." Pompeo said China's propaganda efforts "should be seen for the fraud they are."

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the country's interior minister to look into police violence with a view to improving "the ethics of the police," according to a government statement.

After last week's protests, Macron met the prime minister, the interior minister and other officials over the weekend, the Elysée Palace said in a statement early Monday morning. 

There was a 41% increase in internal investigations into police violence between 2018 and 2019, according to a report released on Sunday by the police force's internal watchdog.

On Tuesday last week, more than 20,000 protesters gathered in front of the main Paris court demanding an end to police violence, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US following the death in custody of George Floyd.

The organizers of the protests also demanded justice for Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black French man who died in police custody in Paris four years ago.

Several protests against racism and police violence have taken place all over France in recent days, including three in Paris on Saturday.

All of the demonstrations went ahead in defiance of French authorities, since measures banning gatherings of more than 10 people are in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A picture of George Floyd has appeared in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem on the concrete wall built by Israel that separates it from the West Bank. 

Since it went up almost 20 years ago, a response to the violence of the second intifada, or armed uprising, the wall has become one of the world’s most famous canvases for political graffiti.

The wall's latest addition shows George Floyd wearing a hooded top, colored blue, staring out to meet the viewer’s gaze -- a version of one of the most widely circulated images of him, a photo taken against a brick wall.

What else is on the wall? Other depictions to appear in recent years in Bethlehem include Donald Trump with his hand against the Western Wall in Jerusalem, with the speech bubble, "I'm going to build you a brother," a reference to his campaign promise to erect a wall on the US’s southern border with Mexico.

There is also a large mural of Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian teenager who has become a face of resistance to occupation. Tamimi was given an eight-month prison sentence after she was filmed kicking and slapping an Israeli soldier at the entrance to her family’s house.

The wall is also a popular site for sloganeering. "Make hummus not walls," reads one message.

The third and final memorial service for George Floyd will be held Monday in Houston, the city he grew up in before moving to Minneapolis, where he died at the hands of a police officer.

Ex-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, the officer who is seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, is charged with second-degree murder, which comes with a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Chauvin is also charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, which come with maximum sentences of 25 years and 10 years respectively. It is unclear whether, if convicted of those additional charges, Chauvin’s sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively. That would be at the discretion of the judge.

The other three officers involved in Floyd's death -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

In Houston, thousands are expected to attend Monday's visitation for Floyd. The six-hour viewing Monday will be followed by a funeral service and burial Tuesday in Pearland, a Houston suburb, CNN affiliate KTVT reported. Floyd will be laid to rest next to his mother, the news station reported.

Protesters in the US and across the world took to the streets for the 13th consecutive day after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Sunday marked a string of symbolic and significant victories for the protesters, as the peaceful demonstrations prompted authorities to lift curfews and withdraw National Guard troops. Here are the biggest headlines if you're just joining us:

In the UK city of Bristol, protesters on Sunday pulled down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader while demonstrating in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The demonstrators tied the 5.5-meter (18ft) bronze statue of Edward Colston, with rope before toppling it, to cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Activists were later seen rolling the statue to the nearby harbor and throwing it into the River Avon.

Colston, who was born in Bristol in 1636, was an active member of the governing body of the Royal African Company (RAC) for 11 years, assuming the top role of deputy-governor from 1689–90.

The company, which had a monopoly on the west African slave trade in the late 17th century, was involved in the selling of tens of thousands of west African people in the Caribbean and the Americas. 

Colston, who is described by the Museums of Bristol website as a "revered philanthropist / reviled slave trader," later donated some of his wealth to charitable causes, such as schools and hospitals, a process through which his name became synonymous with certain Bristol landmarks.

The statue of Colston had stood in Bristol's city center since 1895 but had become increasingly controversial, with petitions created to demand its removal.

Elsewhere in the UK: Massive protests, with people numbering in the thousands, also took place in other major UK cities like London and Edinburgh.

At least 12 people were arrested at the protests in London, police said late Sunday.