In a meeting aimed at addressing concerns of the media fraternity, Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Thursday held discussions with leaders of the Indian Union of Working Journalists (IUWJ) and the Odisha Union of Working Journalists (OUWJ) at the Secretariat. The delegation raised several key demands, including the implementation of a pension scheme for journalists to ensure financial security, revival and restructuring of the State Accreditation Committee, fair distribution of government advertisements, and a streamlined process for issuing identity cards to journalists. Senior officials present at the meeting included development commissioner and additional chief secretary Deorajan Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (information and public relations) Hemant Sharma, director Anuj Kumar Das Pattnaik, director (technical) Gurbir Singh and other departmental officers. The journalists’ delegation was led by IUWJ National President Pitabas Mishra, Odisha State President B

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) interacted with a visiting media delegation from Meghalaya during a dinner hosted at his official residence in Gangtok on Wednesday, March 11, where discussions ranged from governance and development to environmental initiatives and tourism. During the informal interaction, Tamang spoke about the state government’s priorities, including sustainable development, environmental conservation and social welfare. He highlighted the “Mero Rukh Mero Santati” initiative, under which 108 trees are planted for every newborn child in the state, symbolically linking the birth of a child with environmental responsibility. The Chief Minister also spoke about the need to encourage childbirth in Sikkim amid a declining Total Fertility Rate, noting that the government has introduced incentives to support families and ensure the well-being of mothers and children. Tamang reiterated the government’s zero tolerance policy against

Monday 16 March 2026 National The Australian Wife of media executive Catalano alleges litany of domestic violence David Ross reports that media boss Antony Catalano is facing further accusations of domestic violence ‘Prepare for Covid 2.0 price shock’ Perry Williams writes that major manufacturers warn customers that the Iran war and rising conflict risk could trigger sharp cost increases and supply-chain disruption, likened to “Covid 2.0.” Unmasked: the nation’s shyest billionaire Angus McNeale identifies and profiles a highly private Australian billionaire linked to cryptocurrency, living in suburban Melbourne. ALP’s hidden tax break for trans group Stephen Rice claims the Albanese government is advancing a court-related tax benefit that would advantage trans advocacy group Equality Australia. Hanson: we must hit our policy game Jack Quail writes that Pauline Hanson is signalling a tougher economic-policy push as One Nation navigates internal and ele

Regional and business news channels continued to draw strong viewership on YouTube, according to data released by DataBeings for the week of February 28 to March 6. In the Tamil news category, Puthiyathalaimurai TV topped the chart with 126.5 million views, accounting for 21 percent of the total share. Thanthi TV followed closely with 123.3 million views (21 percent), while News18 Tamil Nadu secured the third position with 108.4 million views (18 percent). While in the Malayalam news category, Asianet News led the segment with 148.2 million views, capturing a 27 percent share. It was followed by 24 News with 115.6 million views (21 percent) and MediaOne TV with 73.1 million views (13 percent). In the Marathi news segment, TV9 Marathi ranked first with 64.8 million views (31 percent), followed by ABP Majha with 51.5 million views (25 percent) and Saam TV with 45.7 million views (22 percent). Among business news channels, CNBC Awaaz led with 31.4 million views (27 percent), followe

The PR Group (PRG) has expanded its partnership with Heidi Health, broadening its communications remit across the Asia-Pacific region. PRG has worked with the company since its early scale-up phase and previously led global communications for Heidi’s US$65 million Series B funding round in 2025, which valued the company at US$465 million.  Under the expanded mandate, PRG will now lead communications across Southeast Asia and North Asia from its Singapore hub, while continuing support in Australia and New Zealand. The scope includes strategic communications, executive profiling, earned media, reputation and issues management, and narrative positioning.  Caroline Shawyer, CEO of PRG, said the expanded regional remit reflects the trust built between the teams and the growing complexity of communications as Heidi scales globally.  Emma MacKenzie, head of communications at Heidi, noted that PRG has been a trusted partner duri

With an aim to provide verified health information at a time when viral reels and social media advice are increasingly shaping lifestyle choices, CNN-News18 is set to start “News18 Health Matters”, a new weekend programme from March 14, 2026. The half-hour programme will be hosted by Hem Kaur Saroya and Himani Chandna. It will air on Saturdays at 8.30 AM and 5.30 PM and Sundays at 10.30 AM, and will also stream on YouTube. According to Adgully, Rahul Shivshankar, editorial affairs director, CNN-News18, said the programme aims to empower viewers with expert-led insights, while Smriti Mehra, CEO, English and business news, Network18, highlighted its role in providing credible health information.

Image of the day  A view of the Balirajgarh Fort in Madhubani district. The ASI has recently given approval for excavation work at the site: Picture by R.V. Moorthy – The Hindu   Netaji’s daughter seeks return of his remains Eight decades after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose disappeared, presumed dead in an air crash in Taihoku (Taipei, Taiwan) in 1945, his daughter, Anita Bose Pfaff, appeared before the Supreme Court Thursday in “support” of a petition seeking the return to India of his mortal remains, believed to have been preserved at the Renko-ji temple in Tokyo, writes Ananthakrishnan G for The Indian Express. The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi declined to entertain the plea filed by Ashis Ray, Netaji’s grandnephew, saying Pfaff should “step forward” and file a petition herself. SC issues notice to Centre on plea challenging DPDP law’s impact on journalists Krishnadas Rajagopal for The Hindu repo