Tuesday, 20 January 2026 | Gilmour Space may have only been able - so far - to get its rocket off the ground for 14 short seconds before it crashed back down to earth but it seems that short flight has done the trick - the company has now become a unicorn, thanks to an extra $217 million to fund future launches.    As Tess Bennett so ably put it at The Fin this morning, “The Australian rocket start-up that has ambitions to rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has become the country’s newest unicorn after raising millions of dollars and securing a valuation of more than $1 billion.” It’s taken off indeed, and the valuation and now available funds allow the Aussie company to truly reach for the stars.  If the company can succeed in getting its rockets reliably into orbit, it will compete with the likes of SpaceX and RocketLab by delivering satellites into space for business, defence and government customers, and it will also give Australia a much d

Isabella Higgins has been named as the new presenter of ABC audio current affairs flagship AM, with listeners hearing the news this morning.   The senior journalist and proud Torres Strait Islander woman joined the ABC in 2014 and has worked as a metropolitan and regional news reporter, as National Indigenous Affairs Correspondent, Europe Correspondent and National Social Affairs Reporter. She was also a senior reporter on the Voice referendum.  Each morning AM sets the day’s agenda with the latest stories and developments and interviews with political leaders and other newsmakers.   Higgins takes over at the program from Sabra Lane, who announced in December she was leaving the role after nine years.  Higgins said: "It's an absolute privilege to take on this role at AM, a program with such a stron

News Corp has today announced the appointment of Hannah Moore as Editor of NewsWire, News’ breaking news service.  Moore, who joined NewsWire in 2020 and has been the Deputy Editor since 2024, quickly advanced from being a reporter and chief of staff to her new role. She also completed a successful stint as Acting Editor at NewsWire and spent a year at news.com.au as News Editor. “The NewsWire prides itself on delivering fast, factual journalism, and over the past 18 months has enjoyed a strong period of growth in terms of clients and traffic performance,” Editor-in-Chief of Free News and Lifestyle Mastheads, Mick Carroll, said, adding, “Hannah will continue to steer the NewsWire onto greater success.” The NewsWire was established in 2020 to provide the company’s internal mastheads and external clients with coverage of some of the nation’s biggest news events, including breaking news, politics, courts, and spo

Welcome to Tuesday and there's something fishy going on at the Sydney Morning Herald. C'mon, that's no worse a pun than the paper's front page headline this morning. But let's cut the SMH some slack - yesterday, eventually (over a year behind schedule) the new Sydney Fish Market opened its doors and the response was terrific as punters flooded in and crustaceans probably trembled in trepidation. The story gets two full pages inside the Herald with more pictures (by Wolter Peeters, Kate Gerraghty and Dominic Lorrimer) and plenty of words from Megan Gorrey, David Barwell, Cindy Yin, Bianca Hrovat, and the appropriately-surnamed Aidan Elwig Pollack.  Now, on to other news and the continuing saga of the on-again-off-again hate speech laws continues to get plenty of coverage, most notably at The Australian this morning where most of the front page is devoted to the rolling story and the main piece by Elizabeth Pike, Richard Ferguson

The BJP Punjab has written to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, raising concerns over media freedom and law and order in the state. In a January 17, 2026 letter, BJP state president Sunil Jakhar said the situation has worsened and people feel unsafe.  The BJP alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is suppressing media freedom to stop reporting on rising crime. It claimed journalists and media houses, including the Punjab Kesari Group, are being targeted through police cases and raids to intimidate editors.  According to the Rozana Spokesman, the letter noted Punjab Kesari’s role during terrorism and said suppressing the media is undemocratic. The BJP urged the Governor to direct the chief minister to stop the alleged repression and restore law and order.  A BJP delegation also met the Governor and submitted a memorandum seeking the summoning of the DGP and Home Minister. BJP leade

Born during the turbulent years of the Indo-Naga conflict, the formation of the Kohima Press Club in 2001 marked a turning point in Nagaland’s media history. In its early days, journalists worked from small borrowed spaces, filing stories through telephone and fax while facing constant pressure and warning calls.   Recalling those times, KPC Advisor and former President Kopelo Krome spoke of working under threats, even as the first drafting committee of the KPC constitution laid the foundation for an independent press body.  Over the next 25 years, KPC grew into a key institution for journalism in the state. In 2019, Alice Yhoshü created history by becoming the first woman president, a position she continues to hold. Under her leadership, the club introduced landmark initiatives such as the KPC Impact Journalism Award and the state’s only media fellowship programme for local journalists, as per the reports

Picture Credit: The Hindu  Sarath Babu George, Principal Correspondent with The Hindu at its Thiruvananthapuram bureau, has been honoured with the Best Reporter in Print Media (English) award for his coverage of the 63rd Kerala State School Arts Festival held in the capital district during 2024–25. The award was presented by Revenue Minister K. Rajan at the valedictory function of the 64th School Arts Festival on Sunday, in the presence of Education Minister V. Sivankutty and General Education Secretary K. Vasuki. The honour includes a cash prize of Rs 20,000, along with a citation and a certificate.