News Flash (6th October 2020): Top 10 Stories Of The Day

Guidelines for reopening of schools after Oct 15 released by Ministry of Education

Fresh guidelines have been released by the Ministry of Education to reopen the schools and coaching centres after October 15. The guidelines include making flexible attendance and sick leave policies. It also mentions allowing students to choose for online education instead of attending school. Only after the written consent of the parents, the students must attend school.

Lawyer who defended convicts of Nirbhaya to defend the 4 accused in Hathras case

The lawyer, AP Singh who defended the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, is now to defend the four accused in the Hathras gangrape case. AP Singh was hired to defend the accused by the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha (ABKM). It is ABKM who is going to pay the lawyers fees and has said that it has collected enough money for the same. 

NCP, India 1st political party to form LGBT cell

The National Congress Party of India has become the first political party of the country to establish an LGBT cell. Jayant Patil who is the Maharashtra NCP chief and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule is the main hands behind setting up the cell that is going to operate from Mumbai. The Lok Sabha MP said, “We must eliminate the prejudice that we have towards the queer community and be more inclusive towards alternative gender identities and gender expression.”

Compulsory for theatres to show COVID-19 awareness video before a show & during interval

As per the newly released guidelines by the government, cinema halls are going to be reopened with 50% capacity from October 15. In the wake of this move, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has directed all the theatres to compulsorily show a minute-long film to spread awareness about COVID-19 before a show as well as before and after intermission. 

COVID-19 positive Trump returns to White House, removes mask to pose for pics

After getting COVID-19 treatment for a few days at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the US President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Trump was seen removing his mask to pose for pictures and told citizens “to get out there” and not fear COVID-19. “I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” he tweeted.

In the 5th consecutive month, India’s service sector shows positive growth

As per a private survey, the service sector of India witnessed a positive growth with an improvement in its activity for 5th consecutive month in September. The IHS Markit India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) grew to 49.8 in September from August’s 41.8 but remained below the 50-mark threshold separating growth from contraction. However, the employment growth witnessed a decline for the seventh month straight.

40 lakh acres of California land destroyed this year due to wildfires

40 lakh acres of land in US’ California has burned this year due to wildfires which amount to twice the previous record of 16.7 lakh acres in 2018. These wildfires have claimed the lives of at least 31 people in 2020 and ruined over 8,454 homes and other structures. 

Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build missile-tracking satellites for the government

Space exploration firm SpaceX owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk succeeded in winning a contract of $149 million to build missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon, the US Space Development Agency announced. This millions worth deal involves developing four satellites fitted with a wide-angle infrared missile-tracking sensor. This is the firm’s first government contract ever, which it is most likely to be fruitful by 2022. 

On its 10th birthday, Instagram releases Stories Map, custom icons for its Instafam

To mark its 10th birthday, Instagram released several exciting features which include a private Stories Map, custom icons, and some anti-bullying features. These stories map enables users to view stories across the last three years. It is also letting users to now select a custom icon for the app on their home screen. Under its anti-bullying features, Instagram has enabled hiding potentially offensive comments and expanded nudge warnings.

Virat Kohli becomes first Indian batsman to score 9,000 runs in T20 cricket

Indian cricketer and captain, Virat Kohli has become the first Indian batsman to score 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. The cricketer achieved this feat after scoring his 10th run against Delhi Capitals. Otherwise, Virat is the 7 batsman to have scored 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. Rohit Sharma is the second-highest scorer (8,818 runs) among Indians in T20 cricket.