1. India slams comments from Pakistan and OIC: Wide-spread condemnation has been pouring in from across the Arab world over remarks made by BJP spokespersons. However, India retaliated to Pakistan’s criticisms by saying the country is a serial violator of minority rights. And slammed OIC’s remarks as “unwarranted and narrow-minded.”
2. 2006 Varanasi blast accused gets death: Waliullah, the lone accused to face trial in the 2006 Varanasi blasts case that killed 28 people and injured more than 100, has been awarded the death sentence by a Ghaziabad court. Several eye-witnesses testified in front of the court that they saw Waliullah carry and drop bags to the spot on the blast day.
3. PM Modi launches special series of coins for circulation: On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched coins of Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 carrying Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) design. These special-series coins will be visually-impaired-friendly and are not commemorative ones. So they will soon be in circulation.
4. Nalini Sriharan, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeks release: Nalini had moved the Madras High Court to give a directive to the state government to release her without waiting for the Governor’s nod. The HC court, which heard the arguments from advocate M Radhakrishnan representing Nalini and recording the submissions made by the state advocate-general R Shanmugasundaram, reserved its order.
5. Health ministry’s proposed changes to Drugs rule, 1945: The gazette notification from the health ministry has recommended the sale of some 16 medicines like Paracetamol, Diclofenac, and anti-allergy capsules over the counter. The move would make several commonly used drugs accessible without a prescription from a doctor.
6. Defense Ministry has approved Rs.76,000 cr for military modernization projects: One of the main expenditures would be the construction of eight corvettes at an estimated cost of Rs.36,000 crores. They will be indigenously built based on a new-inhouse design from the Indian Navy. The other significant defense investment would be the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Sukhoi-30 MKI aero-engines.
7. Indian Railways doubles ticket booking limit: In what could come as a good relief for frequent train travelers, Indian Railways has decided to double the number of bookings customers can make through the IRCTC website and App. As per the revised rule, any customer with a user ID not linked to Aadhaar can book 12 tickets in a month, against the earlier limit of 6 tickets.
8. Metros in India see a surge in rentals: After a long lul due to pandemic lockdowns, virtual classes, and work from home, Indian metros are back to life. With people returning to offices and educational institutions, rentals of residential properties have gone up by 6-10% in major cities.
9. UK’s Monkeypox cases rise above 300: The total number of Monkeypox cases in the UK crossed 300 after health officials confirmed another 77 infections on Monday. The number indicates the first-ever significant outbreak of the disease outside Africa.
10. World’s biggest 4-day work week trial: 70 UK companies have started a four-week work trial from Monday. The study involving 3300 workers will run for six months with no loss of pay. Some of the leading universities are joining hands to study the pilot project.