Image: A man takes down an election billboard bearing a portrait of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday. AP   Tuesday, 5 May 2026 #1  ·  Pure Politics  ·  In-depth feature BJP Nails Mission Purvodaya — Most Consequential Leap Since 2024, Even Bigger Than the 2017 Victory in Uttar Pradesh By Subir Roy, Arvind Mohan   ·   The Economic Times  ·  Page 2 The Economic Times provides an in-depth analysis of the BJP's sweeping performance across the 2026 Assembly elections, particularly its historic win in West Bengal, a state considered a Hindu-heartland fortress for TMC. The report contextualises the result as the most consequential electoral shift for BJP since 2024, explaining how the NDA's expanding footprint now covers chief ministers in states governed by NDA, and draws connections to ideological consolidation across east and northeast India. It also examines how within-NDA results

A week after two journalists were allegedly assaulted in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh for questioning state Health Minister Irfan Ansari over the recent air ambulance accident, no FIR has been registered, triggering anger among journalists and press bodies in the state. The delay has raised fresh concerns over the safety of journalists and the police response to attacks on media professionals. Journalist Sushant Soni said that despite submitting a formal written complaint on April 28, no action has been taken so far. “Despite a formal written complaint given to police officials on April 28, 2026, no action has been taken.” Questioning the police inaction, Soni added: “What is the intention of the police? Are they waiting for something untoward to happen before registering an FIR and taking action?” The second journalist involved in the incident, Ashish Sav, said the assault and the lack of response afterwards had deeply affected him. “Journalists are assaulted in front o

PayDay News founder Warwick Ponder says Australia’s fast-changing payments sector was missing a dedicated media outlet – and early audience growth suggests he may have been right. PayDay News was founded in January 2025 and launched two months later to fill what Ponder described as “a massive hole in the market”. He explained that while it was a slow start when launching, the publication had seen a 560 per cent increase in subscribers in the last nine months.  “There are many thousands of people coming to the website every week to have a look at the stories. We are growing our subscriber base at a rapid rate weekly, and we hope that momentum continues as people start to see value in the publication,” Ponder told Influencing.  Senior Business Correspondent Michael Sainsbury added that LinkedIn had also been a key social media outlet, with the publication’s page racking up 5000 followers. The publication has begun to look at expanding its social media presence to Fa

Skanderup up sticks Vihan Mathur in Mediaweek reported Publicis Groupe ANZ has appointed Marie Skanderup as Client Partner for Publicis Production ANZ. Skanderup joins from Ogilvy, where she was most recently APAC Transformation Director across the agency’s social business units and Program Director for a major FMCG brand across Singapore and APAC. Her appointment strengthens Publicis Production’s leadership as clients seek more agile, technology-enabled production models connecting data, automation, creativity and content at scale. Managing director Neil Duncan said Skanderup brings the experience needed to implement bespoke production models for clients.   Iconic opportunity Andrea Hart has posted on LinkedIn that ICON Agency is hiring a PR Senior Account Manager for its Melbourne team. The hybrid, full-time role will suit someone with five-plus years’ consultancy or in-house experience across corporate PR, reputation, issues management, crisis communi

Kerry Stokes appears to be regaining control over Southern Cross/Seven West Media covering the departure of Southern Cross chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise left no uncertainty - this was Kerry Stokes flexing his muscles and taking back control of the media conglomerate. Stokes merged Network Server owner Seven West into Southern Cross earlier this year in return for $180 million in tax credits. Sam Buckingham Jones at The Financial Review wrote that at the time Stokes “suggested he was happy to walk away from the business, where he had wielded outsize influence for three decades”. However, maybe Stokes was just biding his time. Colin Kruger at The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that “it was hard for seasoned observers to believe Stokes was really walking away from media, and they appear to have been correct” Mackay-Cruise, who had been chairman of Southern Cross before the merger, is now gone with his place assumed by Teresa Dyson, who Kruger described as a “Seven

Budget brinkmanship: Chalmers flags negative gearing shake-up and modest tax offset With the May 12 budget looming, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is signalling major changes to property tax concessions, including winding back negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, while floating a $200–$300 earned income tax offset for workers. The government is also looking at carving out exemptions for new homes and tightening trust rules, setting up a high-stakes fight over housing affordability, revenue repair and “broken promise” politics. Covered by: The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, The Advertiser. Royal Commission hears “scared to be Jewish” testimony and alleged Nazi abuse Evidence to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion alleges antisemitic slurs, Nazi salutes and escalating threats affecting students and families, with schools describing heightened security fears. Th

First-year students from the Department of Strategic Communication at Indian Institute of Mass Communication visited the Parliament of India on April 28, 2026, as part of an academic exposure initiative.  During the visit, students were introduced to the architectural significance of the Parliament complex, while also gaining a closer understanding of India’s legislative processes and the cultural symbolism embedded within the institution.