Firstpost Editor's Picks: BJP's pursuit of power, Al-Qaeda’s Indian homecoming, Wimbledon, World Cup finals; today's must-read stories

Karnataka, Goa, West Bengal: In trying to gain power for the sake of power, BJP may be turning into another version of Congress The Congress-JD(S) coalition is waiting to collapse under its own weight. In Goa, the BJP was already in power. And in Bengal, the TMC is on backfoot. However, the BJP seems to be driven by an urgency in expanding its footprint. It ought to remember that when power is the only glue sans ideological commitment, loss of power will inevitably result in disintegration of the party. The BJP need only to look at Congress to understand the perils on its path. **Inside Al-Qaeda’s Indian homecoming: New Delhi must prepare for Ayman al-Zawahiri’s complex and dangerous war** To demonstrate its jihadist credentials—and compete for legitimacy with rivals like the Lashkar—Al-Qaeda will instead focus on strategically less-dangerous targets, like India. For its part, the Pakistani state is likely to welcome such a project. Forced to temper its anti-India operations by international pressure, the ISI will see in Al-Qaeda a means to pursue its tactical ends by proxy. Put simply, the jihadist threat is likely to become infinitely more complex, and dangerous, in the years to come. New Delhi would be wise to begin preparing itself to fight al-Zawahiri’s new war. **Of loss, longing, and grit, what Wimbledon and World Cup finals teach us about life and sport** Two teams fought till there was no fight left to be fought. Two men slugged until the result became immaterial. It was punishing, for them, and for us. It was a lesson, to humanity and humans that the universe has a weird way of pronouncing verdicts, and it may not always go your way, but you still ought to accept it with Kane Williamson’s grace and Roger Federer’s finesse. Sport, in its barest, truest form, exists in a win-loss binary, but at the heart of it lies the intangibles of grit and spirit. New Zealand, England, Djokovic, and Federer lived the essence of sport, irrespective of the results. **DHFL demise imminent just like debt-ridden IL&FS: India’s regulators, raters failed to catch early signs of NBFC mess** Repeated failures of rating agencies and sector regulators to identify the stress in shadow banks tell us there is a need to take a deeper look at the way regulators/raters operate. It goes without saying that the accountability of the regulator is key for any healthy functioning financial system. A DHFL-like episode reiterates the need for tighter scrutiny of India’s shadow banks just like commercial banks were subjected to with an NPA clean-up process in 2015. **_Made in Heaven_, _Chernobyl_, _Russian Doll_, _Delhi Crime_: Best shows of 2019 so far across streaming services** The first half of 2019 has already seen some great follow up seasons of shows like Fleabag, Barry, Veep, Killing Eve, and The Handmaid’s Tale. There were the obvious misses too, none bigger than Game of Thrones and the slightly disappointing new seasons of Black Mirror and Stranger Things. Take a look at the best films, web series, songs and albums so far, in India and internationally, and also at what else is in store for the rest of the year.