Latest news LIVE: Ex-cop Derek Chauvin convicted of George Floyd's murder

Study warns India about the cost of its polluted air, Americans welcome guilty verdict in the trial of former police officer guilty of murdering a black ban. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

A shot of Covid-19 is likely to be priced at Rs 900-1,000 ($13-14) in the private market in India, sources told Business Standard. This would be the maximum retail price, including trade margins, and vaccine makers would stand to make around Rs 650 per dose after the government decided to open up inoculations for people aged 18 and above from May 1.

Stringent restrictions are likely to be put in place in Maharashtra for 15 days from Wednesday night to check the spread Covid-19 infections in the state. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will announce the restrictions later today.

Derek Chauvin, a former police officer in Minneapolis, was convicted of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man's neck in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the US.

Netflix Inc. credited the pandemic with delivering record growth in 2020. Now it’s blaming the pandemic for the worst first quarter in eight years. The streaming service added far fewer new customers than Wall Street expected in the first three months of 2021, even missing its own forecast by millions of subscribers, Bloomberg reported.

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

1:16 PM

Delhi HC verdict likely tomorrow on WhatsApp, Facebook pleas against CCI order

The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce verdict on Thursday on pleas by social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp challenging competition regulator CCI''s order directing a probe into the latter''s new privacy policy, PTI reported. Justice Navin Chawla had on April 13 reserved judgement on the two separate petitions by Facebook and WhatsApp.

12:11 PM

Fundraising via bonds on private placement basis climbs 14%

Listed firms mopped up Rs 7.72 trillion through issuance of bonds on private placement basis in 2020-21, an increase of 14 per cent from the preceding fiscal, supported by low interest rate and surplus liquidity in the system. This also marks the highest level of fund raising through such a route in a financial year, PTI reported.

11:33 AM

Five prisoners escape from Rajasthan jail

Five prisoners escaped from a jail in Rajasthan's Bikaner Wednesday morning, making it. the second such incident in the state this month. A police officer told PTI that the five escaped after making a hole in the wall of the Nokha jail’s barracks.

10:44 AM

3 ONGC employees abducted in Assam, says company

Three employees of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation have been abducted by suspected ULFA (I) militants along the Assam-Nagaland border. The state-owned company said that its employees were abducted early Wednesday from a rig in Lakwa field of Sivasagar district of Assam, PTI reported.

9:51 AM

Super League collapses after the 6 English clubs withdraw

The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, leaving the Spanish and Italian participants stranded. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham throughout Tuesday evening deserted the proposal to launch a largely-closed midweek competition amid an escalating backlash from their supporters and warnings from the British government that legislation could be introduced to thwart it, the Associated Press reported from London.

 

9:06 AM

Rohit Sharma fined Rs 12 lakh for Mumbai Indians over rate

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma was fined Rs 12 lakh for a slow over rate in the IPL game against Delhi Capitals in Chennai. Leg spinner Amit Mishra (4/24) restricted Mumbai Indians to 137/9, helping his Delhi team to chase the target with five balls to spare on Tuesday.

9:01 AM

8 Indian boxers enter finals of youth world championships

Eight Indian boxers stormed into the finals of the youth world championships in Kielce, Poland, an unprecedented achievement for the country in the marquee age group event. Apart from the eight finalists, three others settled for bronze medals at the tournament, a performance which betters the 10 medals that India won in its best ever show not too long back in the 2018 edition in Hungary, PTI reported.

8:48 AM

Home cooking, booze demand fire up global grocery sales in 2020: Report

The global grocery sector grew a record 10% in 2020, industry data showed on Wednesday, as people stuck at home under COVID-19 restrictions cooked, baked and drank more. Market researcher Kantar said everything from canned meat and beer to sugar and bleaches flew off the shelves, with the United States accounting for the largest chunk of the spending, followed by Western Europe, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia, Reuters reported.

8:05 AM

Air pollution costs Indian businesses $95 billion a year, says study

Air pollution costs Indian businesses $95 billion every year, or 3% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, and cuts annual consumer spending by $22 billion, according to a study released on Thursday. If India fails to clean its toxic air, the booming IT sector could lose more than $2.5 every year, the study warned, according to Reuters.

7:51 AM

Accused surrenders in 2019 Kolkata car crash case

Raghib Parwez, son of a businessman who runs a restaurant chain in Kolkata, on Tuesday surrendered before a court after the Supreme Court junked his plea seeking bail in a 2019 car crash killed two Bangladeshi men. The trial court remanded the accused Raghib Parwez to judicial custody till May 5, reported PTI. On August 17, 2019, a speeding Jaguar jumped a traffic signal and hit a Mercedes, before crashing into three persons standing under a police control booth in Kolkata, killing two men.

7:47 AM

Indian-Americans welcome verdict in Floyd death case

Indian-American lawmakers and groups have welcomed the decision of a federal grand jury in Minneapolis holding Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd. “Justice was served today, but convicting Derek Chauvin won’t fix the system that continues to terrorise and kill Black lives. It won’t bring back George Floyd," Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said, according to news agency PTI.