1. RBI said that the real GDP is likely to decline by 9.5% in 2021.

Keeping the repo rate and reverse repo rate unchanged, the RBI governor Shaktikanta Das announced that the mood of the nation has now shifted from fear to hope. Even though the real GDP is likely to decline by 9.5% in 2021, he said that speedy rebound is anticipated.

2. Thousands of Indonesian students and workers have been protesting against a new labour reforms bill in Indonesia.

The protesters are demanding that the government revokes the new law that will apparently favour businesses and will hurt workers and the environment. On October 7, the Indonesian police detained over 400 protesters.

3. Kolkata recorded the least number of sexual assault cases on women in 2019, according to the latest report by NCRB.

4. A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped and brutally beaten up by 4 men in Gurgaon, resulting in severe head injuries.

The incident took place in Gurgaon’s DLF Phase 2 in the early hours of Sunday, 4th October and all the 4 accused, aged between 20 and 25, were arrested.

5. Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala has been closed till 15th October after at least 10 priests, including the chief priest and the joint chief priest, tested positive for coronavirus.

6. The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the UN agency World Food Programme.

The agency has been chosen for its efforts to combat hunger and improve conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas.

7. According to the WHO, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted mental health services in 93% of countries, globally.

The survey suggests that even as the demand for mental health services was on the rise, over 60% countries reported disruptions to mental health services for vulnerable people, including children and adolescents, older adults, and women requiring antenatal or postnatal services.

8. A 13-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped in Dadri, near Delhi and 3 suspects have been arrested.

9. The Indian Medical Association questions Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on the AYUSH protocols prescribed by his ministry for COVID care.

The organisation issued a press release with several questions, one among them was, how many of his ministerial colleagues have so far made the “informed choice” of getting treated under the AYUSH and yoga protocols prescribed by him.

10. The National Centre for Disease Control has warned that Delhi could report around 15,000 COVID-19 cases daily, this winter.

11. A temple priest in Rajasthan died after allegedly being set on fire over a land dispute.

According to reports, 5 people who wanted to encroach on temple land in Rajasthan’s Karauli district, were stopped by the priest when the incident happened.

12. Former CBI chief Ashwani Kumar died by suicide, this Wednesday.

The retired police officer, who once also headed the Himachal Pradesh police and the Central Bureau of Investigation, left behind a note for his family in which he wrote that he is ending his life due to disease and disability, of his own free will.

13. UGC declared 24 universities in India as ‘fake’, out of which a majority are from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

14. Ranchi-based human rights activist Father Stan Swamy was arrested by the NIA in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence case.

Swamy, had earlier denied any involvement in the case.

15. As per new rules by IRCTC, train tickets will be available until 5 minutes before the departure.

The Indian Railways has decided to restore the pre-COVID system of preparing the second reservation chart half an hour before the departure time. 

16. A journalist and three others on way to Hathras were arrested by the UP police, earlier this week under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sedition.

The four people arrested include Atiq-ur- Rehman from Muzaffar Nagar, Siddiq from Malappuram (Kerala), Masood from Bahraich and Alam from Rampur. Siddiq is a journalist. They were arrested on Monday night after a laptop and some objectionable literature relating to ‘Justice for Hathras Victim’ was allegedly recovered from their possession while they were on their way to Hathras.

17. 4 men have been sentenced to life in the 2019 Alwar gangrape case.

A special court awarded life sentence to 4 men for gang-raping a 19-year-old Dalit woman in front of her husband in April last year in Alwar’s Thanagazi. The fifth person was given a jail term of five years for circulating a video of the crime.

18. 4 men were sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹ 55,000 each for raping a woman in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

19. An FIR was registered 2 months after a minor girl killed herself after being gangraped because her father tried to commit suicide.

Her father apparently survived, and it spurred police into taking action.

Now you know what you’ve missed hearing about.