Synopsis

International

Biden says he's had intel briefings, warns of vote meddling

Washington: Joe Biden said Friday night that he''s begun receiving intelligence briefings as he warned that Russia, China and other adversaries were attempting to undermine the upcoming U.S. election in November.

EU tells US: Stop threatening our companies with sanctions

The European Union is warning the Trump administration to hold off threatening trade sanctions against EU companies involved in the completion of new German-Russian and Turkish-Russian natural gas pipelines and instead discuss differences as allies.

Cases by half in Australia's Victoria state

Australia''s Victoria state saw a marked in new COVID-19 infections - from Friday''s record high of 428 to 217 - a total that Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says was a relief after yesterday''s numbers. The Health Department said Saturday that two more Victorians, a man and a woman both aged in their 80s, had died, taking the state''s death toll to 34 and Australia''s national total to 118.

Jesus statue beheaded at Catholic church in South Florida

Someone beheaded a statue of Jesus Christ in the courtyard of a South Florida church, an act of vandalism now being investigated by the Miami-Dade police and the Department of Homeland Security.

Mexico says its COVID-19 deaths surpass 7,200

Mexico has registered 736 more COVID-19 deaths and 7,257 more confirmed cases of coronavirus infections.

John Lewis, lion of civil rights and Congress, dies at 80

John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanise opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, died. He was 80.

Legal

HC notice to minister on plea over hiding cases for passport

Nagpur: The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to Maharashtra minister Vijay Wadettiwar on a plea filed by a former legislator, alleging that the Congress leader had not disclosed the criminal cases pending against him while applying for passport twice in Nagpur.

Entertainment

Keanu Reeves to make his comic book writing debut

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Keanu Reeves is launching his career as a comic book writer with Boom Studios'' BRZRKR".

Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans to star in Russo Brothers' spy thriller for Netflix

Hollywood stars Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are set to feature in spy thriller The Gray Man with Avengers: Endgame helmers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo attached to direct the film for Netflix. The movie is based on Mark Greaney''s 2009 novel of the same name and revolves around freelance assassin and former CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling).

Chandan Roy Sanyal begins shooting for his next film in Banaras

Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal on Saturday said he has started shooting for his next film titled "Woh Teen Din" in Banaras, with all the necessary precautions. The actor flew to Banaras two days before the commencement of the shoot on July 7.

HBO planning to reboot therapy drama 'In Treatment'

HBO is considering a reboot of its critically-acclaimed drama "In Treatment", which revolved around a psychotherapist and his patients. The HBO drama that also featured late Indian actor Irrfan Khan as one of the patients in its third season, ran from 2008 to 2010.

Disney Plus delays 'Falcon & the Winter Soldier' release

Falcon & the Winter Soldier , Marvel Studios'' first project for streaming platform Disney Plus, has been pushed. The series, featuring actors Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (Winter Soilder) reprising their Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) roles, was scheduled to premiere on Disney Plus in August but was not included in the platform''s list of releases for the month. The series picks up the events of 2019''s Avengers: Endgame , which saw Chris Evans'' Captain America pass his shield to Sam Wilson (Mackie).

Sports

England need to support Archer, says Stokes after pacer's bio-secure protocol breach

Manchester: England all-rounder Ben Stokes says star pacer Jofra Archer needs full support of his teammates following his bio-secure protocol breach which led to his dropping from the ongoing second Test against the West Indies here.

Big finish for Woods gets him to the weekend at Memorial

Five months without competition, and Tiger Woods was grinding over key shots and big putts at the Memorial. None was bigger than a 7-foot par putt on his final hole.

Fans allowed back into English sports events from next week

Spectators will be allowed back into some sports events in England from next week as coronavirus prevention measures are tested ahead of a planned wider reopening of stadiums in October.

Stokes and Sibley tons let England declare at 469-9

Ultra-careful centuries by Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley allowed England to declare against the West Indies on 469-9 and reinforce their command of the second Test two days in on Friday.

GK Snap Shot on 18 July 2020

1.   Day of International Criminal Justice 2020 – July 17

2.   India Ranked 3rd in 2020 Global Manufacturing Risk Index; China Tops: Cushman & Wakefield

3.   Oscar Winner Kate Winslet will Receive 2020 TIFF Tribute Actor Award on 45th Edition of TIFF

4.   Gabon Appointed its First Woman Prime Minister: Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda
5.   2022 Dakar Youth Olympics by four years to 2026 : IOC
6.   CBSE collaborates with IBM to integrate AI in High School Curriculum of 2020-2021

7.   India’s CERT and Israel’s INCD inked MoU to expand cooperation in cyber security

8.   Global Skills Index 2020 Report: India Surges ahead the Peers in Business and Technology Skills

9.   NABARD Sanctioned Rs 795 crore to West Bengal for Reconstructing Infrastructure Damaged by Cyclone Amphan

10. RBI Approves reappointment of Shyam Srinivasan as the MD & CEO of Federal Bank

11. L&T Tech Services to Acquire 100% Stake in Orchestra Tech for about Rs 187 Crore

12. IIT-M Incubated Start-up, Modulus Housing Developed a Portable Hospital Unit, ‘MediCAB’ to Treat COVID-19 Patients