Atlanta killing a homicide

The death of Rayshard Brooks, a black man killed by a white police officer in Atlanta on Friday, was a homicide caused by gunshot wounds to the back, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office said, as race protests around the world forced governments to rethink on their policies.

Brooks' death reignited protests in Atlanta after days of worldwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality prompted by the death of George Floyd, an African American, in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

An autopsy conducted on Sunday showed that Brooks, 27, died from blood loss and organ injuries caused by two gunshot wounds, an investigator for the medical examiner said in a statement. The manner of his death was homicide, the statement said.

As demonstrators in Atlanta took to the streets and chanted for the officers in Brooks' case to be criminally charged, at one point late on Saturday blocking traffic on a nearby interstate highway, the Wendy's restaurant went up in flames.

On Sunday, police offered a $10,000 reward and published photos of what appeared to be a masked white woman being sought in connection with the case, reports Reuters.

Protesters in the United States and elsewhere have targeted statues of historic figures associated with slavery or other past human rights abuses.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Sunday that France would not seek to erase elements of its history or take down statues of controversial public figures, despite growing global scrutiny of former colonial powers in the wake of worldwide protests.

In an address to the nation, Macron said France would be "uncompromising" in its fight against racism after days of demonstrations over alleged prejudice among police forces, reports AFP.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday announced a government review into "all aspects of inequality" following a wave of anti-racism protests in Britain, but was accused of using it to delay real action.

The UN's top rights body yesterday agreed to a request from African countries to urgently debate racism and police brutality this week following unrest in the US and beyond over George Floyd's death.