News18 Daybreak | Assam on Alert as Final NRC to be Published Today and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For

Today's Big StoriesAssam on alert as final National Register of Citizens to be published at 10 am today

Amid tightened security and a ban on assembly of more than four people in some public places considered sensitive, the stage is set for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Assam today. The list will be released online at 10 am, taking a further step in identifying whether a person residing in Assam is actually an Indian or a foreigner. The publication of the final NRC list, which is a sensitive matter, is likely to stir up a huge gamut of reactions involving a large number of stakeholders. So far in two drafts of the list 41 lakh people have failed the test of citizenship of which 36 have claimed for inclusion.Follow the live updates here.GDP growth for Q1 hits 24-quarter low at 5% as manufacturing takes a beating

The Central Statistical Office (CSO) in its official release on Friday said that India's quarterly GDP has come down to 5 per cent as compared to 5.8 per cent in the last quarter of the financial year. The figure stood at 7.8 per cent in the same quarter of the previous financial year. The manufacturing sector and private consumption are being blamed for the slump. Ahead of the official release of GDP numbers, most research firms had predicted muted growth in the previous quarter and had revised downward their forecast for FY20.In Other NewsMega-merger: In a contentious move, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a series of mergers involving 10 state-owned banks to strengthen a sector struggling under a mountain of debt. The biggest merger is that of Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank.Chinmayanand case: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the missing law student, who had gone missing after levelling harassment allegations against BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, to not meet anyone else apart from her parents until her next interaction with the court on September 2.Pro-democracy activists arrested: Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists including a lawmaker were arrested on Friday in a protest crackdown — a move described by rights groups as a well-worn tactic deployed by China to suffocate dissent ahead of key political events.Biggest iPhone hack: Security research Ian Beer of Google's Project Zero revealed on Friday what likely is the biggest iPhone hacking manoeuvre is history. What is startling is that the hacking completely destroyed the myth around the security potential of iPhones and Apple's iOS.On Our SpecialsDearer than life: The decade-long National Register of Citizen exercise has been rough and contentious for many of Assam’s residents. Long queues, paper trails, frenzied travels became commonplace as several scrambled to make the list. In the past 50-plus years, the 3.9 crore applicants to the NRC managed to preserve and produce 6.6 crore documents – all submitted to the NRC as proof of citizenship. Aditya Sharma writes about how people clung onto 6.6 crore documents for decades to prove their citizenship.Mourning the merger: Once famous for producing nuns, nurses and nuts, the beautiful coastal district of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka is also a hub of nationalised banks. It has the unique distinction of producing four major public-sector lenders: Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank and Syndicate Bank. Following the Finance Ministry’s mega-merger move, thousands from here took to social media to express their sadness and anguish. DP Satish writes on why four big nationalised banks of Karnataka are mourning the merger move.​On Reel