Three more police officers have been charged in connection with the death of George Floyd in the United States as protests continued for a ninth night.
The 46-year-old died when he was restrained by police in Minneapolis last week sparking widespread protests across all 50 states and internationally.
In the UK, thousands of people have taken to the streets for marches and rallies, which been held in cities including Manchester, London, Liverpool and elsewhere.
Video footage of Mr Floyd's death showed a police officer kneeling on his neck for around eight minutes as he called out that he could not breathe before becoming unresponsive.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged with third-degree murder last week, but prosecutors have now filed a tougher charge of second-degree murder against him.
The three other officers at the scene – Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – have now been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
All four of the officers were fired last week as protests broke out in the Minnesota city.
Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said the protests unleashed by the death were “dramatic and necessary” and that Mr Floyd “should be here and he is not”.
“His life had value, and we will seek justice,” he added.
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Mr Floyd’s family, said hearing about the new charges was “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice”.
He said the family had been told by the attorney general that the charge would be upgraded to first-degree murder if warranted.
A full autopsy report on Mr Floyd was released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
It found Floyd died of cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained and his death was a homicide.
It also noted he had previously tested positive for Covid-19 in April, but was apparently asymptomatic at the time of his death.
The illness did not contribute to his death, the report said.
Protests continued for the ninth consecutive day on Wednesday and more than 9,000 people have now been arrested in connection with the unrest across the US.
The vast majority of demonstrations have been peaceful, however there have been instances of violence and looting in some cities.
State officials have said that curfews in major cities have quelled the unrest in recent days.
At least 12 deaths have been reported, according to the Associated Press.
Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St Petersburg, Florida.
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the protests.
In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park for a Black Lives Matter demonstration yesterday.
Star Wars actor John Boyega made a passionate speech at the rally before protesters marched on Westminster, where tensions then escalated.
Videos shared on social media showed protesters and police clashing outside Downing Street.
The Metropolitan Police said 13 people were arrested during the protests, which ran into the early hours of Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex shared her devastation at racial division in the US in a graduation talk to her old high school.
In a video address, Meghan told leavers at the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles: “I realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing, because George Floyd’s life mattered.”
