The Centre on Friday underlined that its newly created Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund to support deep-tech companies has adequate safeguards to deal with situations of conflict of interest. The government was responding to an investigative report released by The Indian Express which revealed that over 62 per cent of the Rs 2,192-crore of soft loans sanctioned in the first round of funding from the fund had gone to companies in which members of the selection panel themselves had investment ties. The government also said that in the second cohort of firms selected, there was just one of 13 in which a selection committee member had a stake. Moreover, it said that while there are no immediate plans to conduct a procedural review, if “strengthening” is required, it would be addressed according to the fund’s governance structure.With that, let’s move on to the top five stories from today’s edition: Big StoryShiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House in New Delhi on Friday afternoon, providing fresh impetus to speculation about a possible revival of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. According to sources in the SAD, the interaction remained centred on issues concerning Punjab: the law-and-order situation and alleged corruption in welfare schemes of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Their meeting comes just days after Badal met with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini – one of the BJP’s most visible campaign faces in Punjab of late.Political buzz: This crucial meeting comes weeks after PM Modi visited Punjab, where he addressed a public rally in Jalandhar and targeted rival political parties, including the SAD. He claimed that the party had become preoccupied with personal and selfish interests rather than public welfare. The parties, long-standing allies in Punjab, had parted ways in September 2020 over the issue of the now-repealed three farm laws. However, this time, Sukhbir Badal responded to the prime minister’s remarks, saying that Modi was referring to SAD Punarsurjit – a breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal – and not the SAD led by him. His interpretation of Modi’s remarks was then seen as an indication that the SAD leadership was keen to keep communication open with the BJP leadership.⚡ Only in ExpressDays after terrorists shot dead two brick kiln workers in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the lanes of a congested neighbourhood in Srinagar’s old city that is home to several migrant workers are quieter and more cautious. Every year, lakhs of migrants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam make their way to Kashmir. An estimated 4 lakh non-Kashmiris work in the Valley – drawn by the promise of work and decent wages to sustain their households back home, pay for their children’s school and weddings. Their labour is visible everywhere: from the brick kilns and urban centres to the construction sector. They are also employed on apple orchards and saffron farms, pave highways, cut hair in salons and sift through mountains of waste to search for recyclable material. My colleagues Bashaarat Masood and Naveed Iqbal try to understand their lives – what brings them to the Valley, and why they can’t afford to turn back. Express ExplainedAt a time when the global press freedom index is already at a 25-year low, Pakistan has imposed further restrictions on foreign media covering the country and its matters. It has unveiled sweeping new rules governing international media that require mandatory registration and accreditation for journalists and others working with international news organisations. Pakistan has also placed new restrictions on where they can report. The move comes days after international outlets covered protests that are underway amid elections in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) – coverage that drew a sharp response from the government. The local media in Pakistan has blanked out the crackdown, which has led to around 40 deaths. What do these new rules say? We explain.Story continues below this ad✍️ Express OpinionIn our Opinion section today, Krishna Kumar delves into the anger of India’s youth, which, to an extent, arises from the absence of productive dialogue with adults around them, despite the latter’s claims of concern for the future generation. Kumar writes that the recent protests across India “demonstrated that youth frustration is not merely a perception: It is real, and neither education nor economic policies have responded to it. Rather, education has contributed to the sharpening of youth discontent and has offered the means to express it. Considering how constrained and fractured the system is, the means education has imparted to the young for expressing their indignation are limited. Any attempt to “fix” education by treating it as a mechanical toy is sure to miss the sharp decline in institutional capacity to make the young feel at home.” Web Series ReviewWondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we’ve got you covered! Operation Safed Sagar, a Netflix series, serves as a perfect watch ahead of Independence Day 2026. This Kargil war series brings you an exceptionally brilliant portrayal of the human-side of India’s armed forces, with their aches and pains, strengths and vulnerabilities, writes Shubhra Gupta. In her review, she writes: “What Operation Safed Sagar does is to go above and beyond, literally: it takes to the skies, showing us the Indian Air Force which pulled off a near-impossible feat, of striking from beyond the clouds through nerdy jugaad. A rousing, moving tribute to our armed forces, Operation Safed Sagar is drama minus melodrama, toplining patriotism not jingoism. It made my eyes well up, and chest swell with pride, a perfect Independence Day watch.”That’s it for today! Have a lovely weekend!Until next time,Ariba Business As Usual by E P Unny