Firstpost Editor's Picks: Pilgrims leave Kashmir, CVC report finds ministries shielding corrupt officials, Hungarian Grand Prix; today's must-read stories

“ Restive Kashmir not in your interest," Omar Abdullah tells Centre as uncertainty prevails; Kashmiris stockpile food as NIT students, pilgrims leave Valley

A sharp spike in boots on the ground, evacuation of tourists, Amarnath pilgrims and non-locals from Kashmir Valley, and unconfirmed murmurs over the BJP-led central government mulling to waterdown the Article 35A which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, have together pushed the fragile peace in the Valley to the edge.

CVC report reveals Union ministries, departments shielding corrupt officers; railway ministry among top offenders

Ministry of Railways tops the chart among the government departments which rejected the advice of the CVC in 2018. At least 19 cases of alleged corruption was flagged by the CVC, however, the Ministry did not pay heed to its recommendations. In one particular case, the Ministry of Railway did not take any action against a Senior DGM at the centre of an alleged corruption case that was related to tendering of parking space at railway stations.

Bankers worry DSP Mutual Funds’ legal action will delay rescue of DHFL; other creditors may be pushed to take legal action

DHFL ran into trouble late last year as cracks in the shadow banking system in India began to emerge after the near collapse of another financial firm, IL&FS, stoking fears of a broader contagion. In July, DHFL said it was “undergoing substantial financial stress” and may not survive as a going concern. Its auditors then raised several red flags around its financials, deepening worries that a crisis in the shadow banking sector was far from over. Formula 1 2019: Max Verstappen clinches pole at Hungarian Grand Prix to become 100th different pole-sitter in F1

Max Verstappen celebrated his long-awaited maiden pole position with record-breaking speed on Saturday when he topped the times for Red Bull in a tense and closely-fought qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In doing so, he became the 100th different pole-sitter in Formula One, doing so at the same Hungaroring track where his father Jos had claimed his first podium for Benetton 25 years earlier in 1994.

Marvel Phase 4: Our informed guesses about who’ll replace Thanos as primary antagonist

With the end of the Infinity Saga last year with Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe not only lost one of its greatest heroes with Iron Man’s demise, but also one of its best villains in the form of Thanos, a villain whose goal, despite his extreme measures, was dangerously close to being rational.