1. Centre amends eligibility criteria for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): The government issued notifications stating any serving or retired Lieutenant general, Air marshal, or Vice-admiral from the tri-services (Army, Airforce, and Navy) under the age of 62 would be eligible for India’s top military post. The rule also allows second-highest serving rank officers to supersede their seniors to become the CDS.
2. UK PM survives trust vote: Boris Johnson on Monday won the confidence vote with 211 lawmakers supporting him and 148 against him. However, he would soon face the privileges committee probe on whether he misled the House over parties in Downing Street during the pandemic lockdowns.
3. European Union’s new rule to bring uniform mobile chargers: From fall 2024, EU consumers will only need one universal USB Type-C charger for all their portable electronic devices, including mobile phones, e-readers, digital cameras, videogame consoles, and earbuds. Laptops would soon figure in the list as manufacturers get extra time to comply.
4. A small clinical trial unexpectedly vanishes cancer in all participating patients: A small study sponsored by Drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline was conducted on 18 rectal cancer patients. Dr. Luis Diaz Jr wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine that remission in every patient is something she believes is happening for the first time in the history of cancer.
5. TN comes first in State Food Safety Index 2021-22: The state has bagged the first rank among large states like Gujarat and Maharashtra on the food safety index. The award was received by state food safety commissioner P. Senthil Kumar from Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
6. Al-Qaida threatens to carry out suicide bombings in India: Following the remarks by BJP spokespersons on Prophet Muhammad and widespread backlash from the Arab nations, terrorist group Al-Qaida said its Mujahideens are ready to carry out suicide bombings in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Will the Arab countries condemn Al-Qaida?
7. China is building its exclusive naval facility in Cambodia: A US Media report has claimed that China is building a new facility at Cambodia’s Ream base, located strategically on the Gulf of Thailand, for its naval fleet. However, Cambodian Deputy PM Prak Sokhonn has called the report “Groundless accusations.”
8. Kerala CM and family involved, claims Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case: Swapna alleged on Tuesday that during Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s trip to Dubai in 2016, a tranche of currency was smuggled into the UAE. And, large ‘Biriyani vessels’ with metal objects were sent many times from the UAE consul general’s residence to the CM’s official residence.
9. Japanese Scientists set a new data transmission record: Researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan have achieved a new milestone in internet speed. They successfully tested a data transfer speed of 1.02 Petabit (equivalent to 10,00,000 Gigabytes)/second in a multi-core fiber.
10. A Nasscom-BCG report reveals that only 5% of employees want a full-time office: The report released at the ‘Future of Work 2022’ summit in Chennai has indicated that about 70% of IT employees prefer a combination of Work From Home (WFH) and on-site engagement. Nearly 25% of them have favored remote working, and only 5% of staff want a full-time full-week office.