Wednesday Briefing: Guilty verdict for George Floyd’s killer brings calls for wider justice

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

by Linda Noakes

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Here's what you need to know.

A guilty verdict for George Floyd’s killer brings relief, India reels as hospitals run out of oxygen and beds, and protesters prepare to defy Putin

Today's biggest stories

Local residents embrace after the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

U.S.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murdering George Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement’s treatment of Black Americans.

A 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses. After Chauvin, Minnesota is set to prosecute three other officers over the murder.

Outside the courthouse, a crowd of several hundred people erupted in cheers when the verdict was announced - a scene that unfolded in cities across the country. "This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America," President Joe Biden said in televised remarks.

As the nation was focused on the guilty verdict, street protests erupted in Columbus, Ohio, after police fatally shot a Black teenage girl they confronted as she lunged at two people with a knife. Body-cam video was released within hours of the incident in the interest of "transparency," said the Columbus police chief.

A patient wearing an oxygen mask waits inside an auto rickshaw to enter a COVID-19 hospital for treatment, in Ahmedabad, India, April 21, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave

WORLD

At least 22 patients have died in a hospital in India after a disruption to their oxygen supply caused by a leaking tank. Amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, we look at the bureaucratic barriers leaving patients begging for beds.

Two of Alexei Navalny's closest allies have been arrested ahead of a planned day of mass protests in support of the jailed Kremlin critic. Navalny, a thorn in President Vladimir Putin's side for the past decade, is gravely ill in prison after a three-week hunger strike.

More than a month after they were subjected to over 40 hours of bail hearings, dozens of democrats are still in jail in Hong Kong with no indication of when their trial might begin. In a Special Report, we look at how activists are retreating as China-style justice comes to their city.

Men dominate climate science. In the latest instalment of the Reuters Hot List, we profile one woman who made it to the top - Corinne Le Quéré.

BUSINESS

Apple announced a range of new computers, a paid podcasting service and devices for finding lost items, signaling the continued expansion of its once-simple product line into more and more corners of customers’ lives.

Meme-based cryptocurrency Dogecoin fell after hitting an all-time high in a wild session that saw supporters of the token once considered a parody use hashtags to fuel a rally until it lost steam.

GameStop chief executive George Sherman can step down this summer with a $179 million windfall that dwarfs CEO salaries at many larger corporations thanks to a sweetheart deal that was turbocharged by this year's furious meme stock rally, compensation experts say.

Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn is drastically scaling back a planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former U.S. President Donald Trump once called “the eighth wonder of the world.”


Quote of the day

"They were going to sell the souls of our major football institutions. I don't know how these clubs will manage to get back on-side"

Graeme Souness

Former Liverpool captain

Soccer Super League shelved as clubs continue to withdraw

Video of the day

French wine tasters fear COVID-19 dulled senses

The French wine tasting industry is calling on the government to move wine tasters to the front of the list for vaccines to protect their livelihoods.

And finally…

Marijuana activists stage 'Joints for Jabs'

Josh Miller walked away from the U.S. capital's convention center on Tuesday with a COVID-19 vaccination and a joint.

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