Daily News Brief for Thursday, June 4th:

*) Additional charged filed against policemen in Floyd case

The Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on the neck of George Floyd until he died will now be charged with second-degree murder.

Three other officers will face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

The police killing of the African American man triggered widespread protests in the US and several other countries, including Greece where firebombs were lobbed at the US Embassy.

Thousands took to the streets in London to demand justice for Floyd.

*) Covid-19 pandemic surges in South America

Brazil hit another grim coronavirus record, 1,300 deaths in 24 hours, which pushed the national death toll to over 32,000.

Mexico also reported its highest toll in one day so far, with close to 1,100 virus deaths.

Peru and Chile recorded more than 4,000 infections each on Wednesday, despite the former implementing strict early measures.

*) Hong Kong lawmakers to vote on China national anthem bill

A Hong Kong legislative debate on a national anthem bill was suspended after anti-China lawmakers protested, one of them dropping a pot of pungent liquid in the chamber.

The bill proposes criminal charges for disrespecting China’s national anthem.

A final vote on the bill is expected later on Thursday as people in Hong Kong mark the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown by China.

*) UN office denounces human rights violations in Philippines

The UN human rights office has called on the Philippine government to end police violence targeting suspected drug offenders.

Tens of thousands of suspects may have been killed by the Philippine police with “near impunity” since mid-2016, according to the UN report.

The report also called on the Philippines to disband private and state-backed paramilitary groups operating in the country.

And finally…

*) Facebook signs licencing deal with century-old Indian music label

Facebook has signed a global licencing deal with one of India’s largest music labels – Saregama.

The partnership will allow users to choose from a large catalogue of Bollywood music for Facebook and Instagram posts.

Shares of Saregama India Limited shot up 20 percent on the deal.