The Australian and international news stories you need to know today, Monday June 15.

Protests in America reignited after the death of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. 

The protests in America all started with the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police, but now they've been reignited by the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta.

The 27-year-old black man was shot dead by an officer on Friday night at a Wendy's drive-through, after police moved to handcuff him for suspected driving under the influence. He'd been asleep in his car when they arrived on the scene.

After calmly complying with an interrogation for 30 minutes, video from the scene shows Brooks trying to take an officer's taser during the attempted arrest and then firing the taser at the officers as he ran away.

One officer then fatally shot Brooks three times with his service weapon. That officer has since been fired and the local police chief has resigned as protesters call for justice. 

The District Attorney says the officers involved will know if they will be charged with murder this week, as official police video footage is released from the scene.

BREAKING: Atlanta police officer involved in fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks fired as protests grow; surveillance video shows at least six different angles of how the incident unfolded. #MTP @ReporterBlayne: "It was 43 minutes into that video that things escalated." pic.twitter.com/RJxRAiwXVO

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 14, 2020

On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she did not believe Brooks' death was a justified use of deadly force.

"While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a distinction between what you can do and what you should do," Bottoms said.

The Wendy's where the shooting took place was set on fire on Saturday night, and in another part of the city, a major interstate was shut down, after protesters marched onto a connector and were met by lined up police vehicles.

Brooks leaves behind three daughters aged one, two and eight, and a 13-year-old stepson.

More Australian restrictions loosening. 

NSW will lift the 50 person limit on venues from the first of next month, in what the state government is calling 'Christmas in July'. 

Instead, pubs and clubs will have to abide by the one person per four square metre rule. The state's premier has also flagged the reopening of nightclubs in August.

Nine new cases were reported in the state yesterday - eight of which were in hotel quarantine. The ninth was a teacher at Laguna Street Public School in Sydney's south, which has been shut down.

NSW Premier @GladysB will announce today that nightclubs, bars and music festivals will be given the green light to resume in August, provided there isn’t a significant rise in community transmission of coronavirus. #auspol #7NEWS https://t.co/jzyOX0QKsS

— 7NEWS Canberra (@7NewsCanberra) June 13, 2020

As of midnight on June 21, cafes, restaurants and pubs in Victoria can increase their capacity from 20 to 50. From July 20, pubs, casinos and clubs will reopen. 

Nine new cases were announced on Sunday - three were in hotel quarantine, and five were close family contacts of a GP who recently tested positive.

Both Victoria and NSW were the only states in the country to return any new cases.

This morning, a school in Melbourne's south-east has been closed after two students tested positive to coronavirus.

A Sydney school has been closed and all its students have been directed to self-isolate after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, while Victoria has recorded nine new cases, including a Melbourne doctor. https://t.co/bUEjsVYcFq

— SBS News (@SBSNews) June 14, 2020

Queensland has earmarked July 10 as the date they'll reopen borders, if case numbers remain low. South Australia says they will open July 20, and Tasmania has said the 'end of July'. Western Australia has not yet named even an approximate date.

Aussie actor sentenced to death in China.

An Australian actor turned financial investor has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling.

Karm Gilespie, 56, was sentenced to death in the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Saturday and has just 10 days to appeal the verdict.

He was arrested in 2013 with more than 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in his check-in luggage while attempting to board an international flight from Baiyun Airport, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

An Australian man imprisoned for drug smuggling in China has been sentenced to death. Karm Gilespie's friends are begging the Australian Government to intervene but our officials have been denied access to him for months. #9News pic.twitter.com/voGAa7Gk6n

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 14, 2020

A friend of Gilespie claims he was duped into carrying the drugs by investors, who had asked him to carry presents back to Australia on their behalf.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program the development was "very distressing for Mr Gilespie and his loved ones".

He said Australia condemns the use of the death penalty and will continue to provide consular assistance.

Asked whether the sentence was linked to the ongoing political row between China and Australia, the minister said: "We shouldn't necessarily view it as such". 

"This is a reminder to all Australians... that Australian laws don't apply overseas."

Donald Trump rejects claims he's experiencing health problems on his 74th birthday. 

President Trump celebrated his 74th birthday on Sunday — receiving well wishes from his children, the Republican Party, the White House, members of his administration and Twitter users.

But Trump spent his birthday weekend shouting down claims he was 'struggling to walk down a ramp' after giving a speech. 

“The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,” the 74-year-old tweeted.

“The last thing I was going to do is ‘fall’ for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!”

The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is “fall” for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2020

But many were quick to point out that the president also struggled to lift a glass of water to his mouth, and speculation has spread that Trump may not be in as good a health as he claims.

The president announced over the weekend he was postponing his first post-coronavirus lockdown election rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The June 19 date marks the day America commemorates the end of US slavery, and Tulsa itself saw one of the worst massacres of black people in US history in 1921.

Around the world.

- China has reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in two months, with 57 new cases announced on Saturday.

The current COVID-19 figures.

- More than 100 protesters have been arrested in London, with many of them far-right activists trying to "protect" monuments and statues targeted recently by anti-racism protesters for links to slavery and British colonialism.

- With AAP

Feature image: Facebook/Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty.