Firstpost Editor's Picks: Bandipora rape case, Rahul Gandhi's approach, Wandering Earth review; today's must-read stories

Six days after the incident, the Shia-Sunni divisions have never been so apparent in many areas of Sumbal as they became after the incident of rape.  Shia areas remained shut in Bandipora while the Sunni areas of Parrayporra and Zainpoora were open. Along the metalled road that connected Mallikpora with the main highway of Srinagar-Bandipora, the security personnel were deployed at many stretches while the police vehicles travelled frequently on it

It is clear that Rahul Gandhi wants to fashion them into a political weapon to counter the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Narendra Modi, it is pertinent to look closely at what he is trying to do. Gandhi’s categorical assertion regarding Modi’s self, ironically, violates the Buddhist principle of perceiving the humanity behind the most hurtful or inhuman action of another human. This is what constitutes the idea of loving-kindness. Gandhi famously hugged Modi during a debate in the Lok Sabha last year. Yet he also coined the slogan “Chowkidar chor hai”, undoubtedly an abrasive comment.

Jan Dhan Yojana’s triumph shows financial inclusion gaining pace; scheme a launching pad for success of DBT, other products

The aggregate deposits in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts are currently close to Rs 1 lakh crore, having grown ten-fold from the Rs 10,500 crore in the first phase of the scheme in January 2015. That the growth in Jan Dhan accounts is not only in quantitative terms in the sense of the number of accounts but also in qualitative terms is reflected by the ten-fold increase in Jan Dhan deposits with the number of accounts registering only a three-fold increase during the four year period. This is heartening and gives lie to the detractors’ claim that Jan Dhan accounts, by and large, have remained dormant.

Premier League: How Manchester United can recover lost glory after another systemically-failed season

If United need to move forward, they would need to look beyond the obvious, unimaginative answers. Each one of Liverpool’s board members holds doctorates in economics, business and sports management between them. United’s board has the Glazer, Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton and no qualified sporting director. Having Woodward is the executive equivalent of kicking off a match with a one-goal deficit. The fact that Rio Ferdinand is even in contention for the Director of Football role, should give United fans cold sweats.

The Wandering Earth movie review: Terrific special effects, gigantic vision but nothing holding it all together

The Wandering Earth is a singular vision of disaster movie clichés and sci fi optimism with such a ludicrous amount of naiveté you almost want to treasure it. No doubt about it, this is an idiotic behemoth of a film that is deliberately gigantic in scope and budget just so that we’re cajoled into giving all its stupidity a pass.