Veteran journalist Narayan Bareth passed away in Jaipur on March 7 after suffering a cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment for pneumonia. He was 68. During his career, Bareth worked with the BBC and later served as the Rajasthan Information Commissioner. He was widely respected for his contributions to journalism and public administration. According to The Economic Times, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and several political leaders expressed grief over his death and remembered his work in journalism and public service.

Senior journalist and author S. M. Shah Nawaz passed away on March 5 at the RML Nursing Home. He was associated with the Urdu fortnightly Mustaqbil as its editor for more than four decades. According to Kashmir Convener, Shah Nawaz had a strong interest in short story writing and theatre, and collaborated with personalities such as Ebrahim Alkazi. His stories were published in Dharmyug, Sarika and Kadambini. He also worked with Sushma, Tajir and Rakt Daan.

Influencing is pleased to announce this year’s shortlisted finalists for the Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards. This year's Lizzies are supported by Samsung Australia, Adobe, Apptio, ARM Hub, Aussie Broadband, Australian Computer Society (ACS), Cisco, Kinetic IT, Meta, MYOB, Optus, PEXA and Watterson. With record amount of submissions across 25 different categories, entries have now been whittled down to the shortlisted finalists and nominations, with winners to be announced on Friday, 27th March at Doltone House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont. Thank you to our judges who have spent the past few weeks reviewing each entry, including new award categories for Best Editorial Series Coverage and Media awards to recognise specialist IT titles. The Best Technology Issues Journalist and Top Newsmaker award will not be awarded this year. Tickets are still available for this year’s Lizzies and can be found via on our website, with nominated journalists receiving a free tic

National & Metropolitan front pages for Thursday 12 March 2026 National The Australian Bondi inquiry crisis: PM’s top expert quits, Richard Ferguson; PK Bansal and James Dowling Dennis Richardson has resigned from the anti-Semitism royal commissioner role after controversy around his advice and remarks following the Bondi attack. Canavan split for good of the kids  Gerard Brown & Joe Spagnolo Matt Canavan and his wife announced their separation, with the story framed around doing what’s best for their children. Long arm of terror threatens asylum bid, Ben Packham; Amanda Hodge; Ali Sepulveda  A terrorism-related international legal pursuit is raised as a concern for an asylum seeker’s bid, with a case being pursued across jurisdictions. Tuesday rate rise, fuel excise concerns Matthew Cranston Economists warn the government may consider fuel-excise changes as inflation and a possible interest-rate rise loom. US mission not over until extremists ar

Long before he stepped into a newsroom, Vishal Bolivar was already a student of politics As a child, he followed debates about Tamil Nadu politics, national affairs, and international events with unusual curiosity. By the time he began his professional career, politics had already become a daily habit. But his first job was far from journalism. In 2020, Vishal joined TCS Global as a technical support engineer. Like many young professionals, he spent his days navigating software systems and technical queries. Yet outside work, his interest in politics continued to grow. By 2023, he began experimenting with freelance political anchoring while still working in IT. His routine became intense—starting at 6 a.m. and stretching late into the night as he balanced technology work with political analysis. Then came the 2024 parliamentary elections. Encouragement from mentors pushed him to make a decisive move toward journalism. He realised that political storytelling, especially in

A group of journalists from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, currently on a Press Information Bureau (PIB) media outreach tour, visited Chennai Port, where officials briefed them on the port’s operations and its role in maintaining supply connectivity with the islands. During the visit, officials from the Chennai Port Authority briefed the journalists about the port’s activities. The officials also highlighted the potential of the proposed international container transshipment terminal at Galathea Bay, noting that its strategic location along major global shipping routes could help develop it into a significant maritime trade hub in the Indian Ocean.     Image source: Nicobar Times 

The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) has welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of India to decline a stay on the Bombay High Court judgment that struck down provisions enabling the government’s proposed Fact-Check Unit under the amended IT Rules. The Supreme Court’s decision means the Union government cannot operationalise the proposed Fact-Check Unit for now. The mechanism, introduced under the amended Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, would have allowed a government-designated unit to flag online content related to the “business of the Central Government” as fake, false, or misleading. The provision had been challenged by multiple petitioners, including AIM, who argued that it could give the government excessive authority to determine the accuracy of information about its own functioning. In March 2024, the Bombay High Court struck down the rule, holding that it imposed disproportionate restrict