United States President Donald Trump is dispatching his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to restart US-Iran ceasefire talks. The move comes just hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was headed to the country amid heightened tensions over the war that has disrupted key energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, rattled global markets, and left thousands dead across the Middle East. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was hopeful that the discussions would involve “a productive conversation and move the ball forward.” Follow live updates of the peace talks here. Big StorySetback: In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven of its ten Rajya Sabha members, constituting two-thirds of the party strength in the Upper House, crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. The move has created ripples in political circles, especially in Punjab where AAP’s rule will be tested in Assembly elections early next year. AAP MP Raghav Chadha, removed as the party deputy leader of Rajya Sabha just three weeks ago, said he, along with six party members of the House, had “merged with the BJP”. Besides Chadha, those who have joined the BJP include: MPs Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Swati Maliwal and Harbhajan Singh.Following the setback, AAP party insiders on Friday said they were aware of a storm brewing over the last “week to ten days” after the party decided to remove Chadha. From AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak calling on party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal for a meeting, to raids on Ashok Mittal’s properties by the Enforcement Directorate, a few days ago, there were some early signs of the transfer. For the AAP, the priority now is to identify more leaders to replace the seven who have left, insiders said.Faultlines in Punjab: The defection is likely to affect AAP not only in Delhi, but also in Punjab. It brings forward the long-standing tensions within the state unit. Now, what the AAP leadership is concerned about is the deep organisational roles that Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak had in Punjab and the influence they wielded in the past years. Nearly 50% of AAP MLAs owe their candidature to either of the two. The split would now test AAP’s ability to retain cohesion in a unit that expanded rapidly and is controlled by the central leadership.⚡ Only in Express“I catch it with my eye. Day and night, this is my job. I know which will ping and which will not.”Story continues below this adTwo men, Paras and Jatin Sareen, two factories — SG and SS — and one city. Meerut has been the hub of making cricket bats for years before Twenty20 cricket existed. The willow with which cricket superstars such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli broke world records, Virender Sehwag scored a triple hundred, VVS Laxman hit an iconic 281 at Eden Gardens, and Yuvraj Singh scored six sixes. And the bats that Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav carried to the ground when India won the World Cups. They are all made in Meerut, shaped by hands that understand a batsman’s needs sometimes before the batsman does. Here’s the full story of the making of cricket bats that power India’s big hitters. Express ExplainedOpenAI’s latest AI model – Claude Mythos – was held back from release by Anthropic after concerns about its risks circulated online. However, now it appears to be leaked. As India is currently in conversation with Anthropic’s senior leadership in the US on the issue, China has developed its own version of Mythos, called Qihoo 360. While Mythos is recognised as a breakthrough in automated cyber defence, Chinese state-owned enterprises and specialised firms such as 360 are aggressively advancing similar capabilities. We explain why Mythos spooked India and other nations.✍️ Express OpinionIn our Opinion section today, Girish Kuber delves into the BJP’s extraordinary ability to update its image in keeping with the times. Revisiting the annals of history, Kuber writes: “Many may wonder how the advice to have many children can go hand-in-hand with the promise to empower women. This is especially when, in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, young couples who wish to get married are made to get the green signal from the district magistrate and/or their parents if their spouse belongs to another faith. In light of this, Nari Shakti Vandan appears to be nothing but a hollow slogan.” Movie ReviewWondering what to watch this weekend? We’ve got you covered! Pop star Michael Jackson’s biopic, Michael, has now hit the theatres, bringing you his journey from the time he first tasted fame as a ten-year-old to his emergence as an artist who filled stadiums and sent fans into frenzy, Shalini Langer writes in her review. Langer shares, “… you won’t come away unimpressed either, for the star that Michael Jackson was only has to take the stage for people across the world to feel the music (Jaafar channels that energy beautifully) – especially in your feet.”That’s it for today! Have a lovely weekend!Until next time,AribaStory continues below this ad Business As Usual by E P Unny