Atlanta police officer charged with Rayshard Brooks murder and Eiffel Tower to reopen after Covid-19 lockdown

*)Atlanta police officer charged with murder for shooting black man

A white police officer has been charged with murder for killing 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, officials announced.

US prosecutors said that the black man posed no threat when he was gunned down.

The killing had sparked new demonstrations against police brutality and came in the wake of similar protests in response to George Floyd’s police killing.

*)Sino-India border tensions

India is holding funerals for some of its 20 soldiers killed in hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese troops along their disputed Himalayan border.

Both sides have agreed to de-escalate the situation but blame each other for the deadliest clash between them since 1967.

The United Nations urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint”.

*)Trump hits back at Bolton over scathing book

US President Donald Trump has dismissed a book written by his former adviser John Bolton.

In the book, Bolton says the president was driven by political calculations when making national security decisions and that Trump had even told Beijing to proceed ahead with Uighur detentions.

Trump later signed a bill for sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the repression of Uighur Muslims.

*)UN elects veteran Turkish diplomat as General Assembly president

The UN General Assembly elected former Turkish Ambassador Volkan Bozkir to be its president ahead of the 75th General Debate in September.

In a secret ballot vote Bozkir, who was unopposed for the post, received 178 ballots in support as 11 nations abstained.

Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration and Armenia had asked for a vote rather than electing him by consensus.

And finally…

*)Eiffel Tower to reopen with new measures

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors on June 25 after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Amid concerns about infection, visitors will not be able to go any higher than the second floor and can only initially go up the monument via staircase.

Managers said they hoped to get operations fully back to normal later in the summer.