Firstpost Editor's Picks: NOTA in Bihar, China-US trade dispute, French Open 2019; today's must-read stories

People’s reasons for choosing NOTA varied from constituency to constituency. If people didn’t want to vote for Modi in Jamui, there were other dynamics in Kishanganj, where Muslims overwhelmingly dominate the electorate. Muslim candidates of the Congress and the JD(U) received well over three lakh votes here, and the Muslim candidate of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen bagged nearly three lakh votes. Yet, NOTA was chosen 19,722 times in Kishanganj. The disruptive potential of NOTA can be gauged from the fact that Prasad won by just 1,075 votes.

Across southern Kashmir, poppy is grown on plots near the roadside as well as on patches of land that lie amid almond and apple orchards. Local residents said that farmers have begun growing it as it fetches more money, and fields do not need to be regularly irrigated. This year, the officials admitted, the drive to destroy the crop in Kashmir was delayed in the wake of clashes between security forces and youth before and during the parliamentary polls.

While the tariffs imposed by the US on China create the largest opportunities in sectors such as machinery, mechanical appliances, and electrical equipment, India’s competitive advantage and exportable surplus in these areas is fairly low. In fact, India runs a trade deficit in these product categories. India’s export strategy should, therefore, focus on capitalising on trade gaps in areas where it has a competitive advantage in exports.

When Alexander Zverev ended the first set with a wild forehand and a loud rant directed at his box, it looked like Grand Slam pressure was getting to him again. The match with Fabio Fognini, where Zverev eventually emerged a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (5) winner, wasn’t one that tested the his talent as much as it did his temperament. The German, however, came through in two hours and 55 minutes of testy, tense, but entertaining encounter to take him to his second successive French Open quarter-final.

Salman Khan remains on top of the Bollywood game and at the peak of his stardom. As the critics and opinion makers try to unravel the mystery of his ever increasing popularity, the actor wears it light and appears baffled himself. In an interview with Firstpost, he talks about Priyanka Chopra exiting Bharat and Katrina Kaif coming in her stead, working on content for television and the web space, critics comments and being hooked to web shows.