A look at the headlines right now:

  1. India’s economic growth slipped to 5% in April-June – slowest in over six years: This is the fourth straight quarter of slower growth.
  2. Ten public lenders to be merged into four entities, says Nirmala Sitharaman: The Union finance minister said the banks would be provided adequate capital in order to give ‘a boost to the economy’.  
  3. In Chinmayanand harassment case, SC asks city police to escort law student’s parents to Delhi: The 23-year-old woman, who went missing last week after accusing the BJP leader of harassment, was found in Rajasthan earlier in the day.  
  4. World risks India-Pakistan war if it fails to intervene in Kashmir, says Imran Khan in NYT op-ed: The Pakistan prime minister said the two nuclear-armed states were inching towards a direct military confrontation.  
  5. Supreme Court collegium recommends appointment of four High Court chief justices to top court: Four vacancies were created this month after one judge retired and the Parliament approved raising the top court’s sanctioned strength by three.
  6. West Bengal Assembly passes bill against mob lynching, Congress and CPI(M) back legislation: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the government introduced the bill as the Centre had failed to enact any anti-lynching law.
  7. Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Andy Chan arrested: Wong and Chow were charged with ‘organising unauthorised assembly’, and face a maximum of five years in prison. They were produced in court on Friday afternoon.
  8. P Chidambaram to remain in CBI custody in INX Media case till Monday: The former finance minister was arrested by the agency late on August 21.  
  9. Those excluded from final NRC will get enough opportunity to prove citizenship, says Assam CM: Sarbananda Sonowal asked people not to panic, and said the state government will take all possible steps to help genuine Indians.
  10. Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar gets ED summons for today, says ‘sudden scheduling malafide’: Shivakumar said he received the notice late on Thursday and has been asked to be in Delhi at 1 pm on Friday.