Current Affairs

Boxer Saweety Bora Clinches Gold at Russia Meet; India Bags Seven Medals

KASPIYSK, Russia — India’s Saweety Bora (75 kg) emerged as the sole gold medal winner from India while in the men’s department Brijesh Yadav (81kg) and Virender Kumar (91kg) suffered heartbreaks in their respective finals at the Umakhanov Memorial Tournament here June 12.

Saweety started off well but her opponent, Anna Anfinogenova from Russia, fought tooth and nail to keep the bout evenly contested.

But the Indian sportswoman retained the upper hand to emerge victorious with a split decision and win the gold medal.

However, in the men's division, Brijesh couldn't cope against his Russian opponent Rabadanov's quickness and settled for silver. Rabadanov towered over the Indian with his punches and beat him 5-0.

Virender also suffered the same fate as his compatriot and settled for silver after being defeated by A. Bwambale of Sweden by a similar margin.

Earlier, three Indian women — Pinki Rani (51kg), Shashi Chopra (57kg) and Pavitra (60kg) — and Gaurav Bidhuri had reached the last four-stage but lost their respective bouts to settle for a bronze medal.

The Indian contingent amassed a total of seven medals which included four bronze, two silver and a lone gold by Saweety.



Facebook respond to US Senate questions with 500 pages of answers: Report

In new documents released by Facebook to answer questions raised by two Senate committees probing social media privacy, the social networking giant has admitted that it allows advertisers to target users based on their "interests" and "behaviours".

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the US Congress in April, he faced several questions from lawmakers. But his in-person testimony left them with several lingering questions.

Now, Facebook has followed up with 500 pages of answers to written questions from two Senate committees, The Verge reported on 11 June.

In the documents, Facebook answers questions about the several issues for which it has come under intense scrutiny in recent times — including issues related to Cambridge Analytica data leak scandal, ad targeting and moderation policies.



Samsung Appeals Against $539 Mn Apple Patent Case Verdict

Samsung has filed a motion with the US District Court in San Jose, California, to appeal a verdict that asked the South Korean giant to pay Apple $539 million for copying patented iPhone designs - a legal battle that dates back to 2011. Samsung thinks the verdict is wrong and wants a refund of some damages already paid, CNET reported on Monday. 

It asked a court last week to either dismiss the judgment or retry the case in which the damages were decided, the report said. 

Samsung lost the case in 2012. It was ordered to pay the US tech giant more than $1 billion for infringing on three of Apple's design patents related to mobile devices -- the quick links to phone numbers, the slide-to-unlock feature and the auto-correct function.



Urjit Patel assures parliamentary panel of steps to strengthen banking system

RBI Governor Urjit Patel on Tuesday faced tough questions from a parliamentary panel on bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues even as he assured the members that steps were being taken to strengthen the system, sources said.

Sources present at the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance said the RBI Governor expressed confidence of tiding over the crisis regarding non-performing assets (NPAs).



Trump's North Korean gamble ends with 'special bond' with Kim

Singapore (CNN)Nearly five hours of unprecedented and surreal talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un culminated on Tuesday with fulsome declarations of a new friendship but just vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.

"We both want to do something. We both are going to do something. And we have developed a very special bond. So, people are going to be very impressed. People are going to be very happy," Trump said at the conclusion of the landmark summit during a formal ceremony.


The document he and Kim signed said the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." In exchange, Trump agreed to "provide security guarantees" to North Korea.



Former NIA chief Sharad Kumar appointed as Vigilance Commissioner in CVC

Nearly eight months after Sharad Kumar, former Director General (DG) of National Investigation Agency (NIA) retired, the 1979 batch Haryana cadre IPS officer has been appointed as the Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

62-year-old Kumar retired in September last year after heading the National Investigation Agency, an anti-terror probe organisation, for over four years.

Kumar has been appointed vigilance commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission for a term of four years or till he attains the age of 65.



G7 summit: War of words erupts between US and key allies

A war of words has erupted between the US and its G7 allies, hours after the group had put on an apparent show of unity at the end of a tense summit.

US President Donald Trump has continued his personal attacks against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tweeting that he "acts hurt when called out".

Germany's Angela Merkel said Mr Trump's decision to reject a joint communique was "sobering" and "depressing".

That statement had sought to overcome deep disagreements, notably over trade.



Scotland beat England for first time in international cricket

SCOTLAND beat England for the first time in international cricket after a high-scoring, one-off ODI on Sunday.


The hosts won by six runs with former Durham batsman Calum MacLeod scoring 140 not out from 94 balls at Grange Cricket Club.

After losing the toss and posting a massive 371-5, Scotland held its nerve in the field and with the ball to clinch a thrilling one-day international with just seven balls remaining.



Sebastian Vettel cruises to Canadian Grand Prix victory and retakes championship lead from Lewis Hamilton

Blind optimism might compel us to describe Sunday night’s Canadian Grand Prix as the perfect plot-thickener for this year’s championship, with Sebastian Vettel producing a dominant gun-to-tape victory to edge ahead of arch-rival Lewis Hamilton by a single point.

But Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ perfectionist team principal, offered rather a different view. Maddened by Ferrari’s irresistible pace here in Montreal, the Austrian said: “It is a s--- result for us ‒ I can only put it like that. The only feeling I have is that we have to wake up.”



Rafael Nadal wins French Open final

Paris: Rafael Nadal claimed an 11th French Open title on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 demolition of Dominic Thiem despite a worrying injury scare in the closing stages of the final.

The 32-year-old world number one now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just three behind great rival Roger Federer.

"It's really incredible. I played a great match against a great player," said Nadal,"I had tough moment in the third set with cramps in my hand. I was very scared but that's sport - it was very humid."