Journalists from the India Today Group's Guwahati bureau were denied entry to the ongoing Assam Assembly session despite carrying valid media passes, raising fresh concerns over press freedom in the state. Reporter Hrijoy Das Kanungo alleged he was physically assaulted by a member of the Assembly press committee after objecting to the denial of access.  He further claimed his phone was seized and a video of the incident was deleted, while other staffers allegedly threatened and abused him.   A formal complaint has been lodged with the Assam Legislative Assembly authorities and Dispur Police. The Assembly authorities are yet to explain why the journalists were denied entry despite holding valid passes.  

  Two journalists were allegedly assaulted by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA Kapil in Sholinghur, Ranipet district, according to the Chennai Press Club, in an incident that has renewed scrutiny of press safety under the TVK-led state government. Dinamalar reporter Kalyanasundaram, 70, and Dinakaran reporter Aranganathan, 50, said they were attacked while covering an altercation between the MLA and a YouTuber who had posted a review of the film Jananayagan. "We went there after learning that MLA Kapil was assaulting a YouTuber who had posted a review video of the film Jananayagan. The MLA was abusing the YouTuber for recording and publishing the video. When we questioned him and I began filming the incident on my mobile phone, his associates grabbed my hand within seconds, dragged me into a room, and assaulted me twice," Kalyanasundaram alleged. Kalyanasundaram, who had previously undergone hand surgery, alleged the assault aggravated his injury. "They pull

Thursday, 30 July 2026 #1  ·  Times Special  ·  In-depth feature How we became world's worst dope offender By Sabi Hussain   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 9 India recorded 260 adverse analytical findings from 7,113 tests in 2024 — a 3.6% positivity rate, the highest among countries conducting over 5,000 tests annually, for the third consecutive year. The story examines the cascade of high-profile doping cases surrounding the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, including suspensions of Olympian Tulika Maan and junior sprint star Nipam Chauhan, while investigating the systemic causes: underfunded anti-doping institutions (with NADA's budget cut from Rs 24.30 crore to Rs 20.30 crore), the role of foreign coaches, and the government's proposed National Anti-Doping Amendment Act. Multiple voices — from Neeraj Chopra to sports medicine expert Dr PSM Chandran — are woven together to pr

Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop faces a crunch decision — and a looming inquiry Victoria’s new premier Ben Carroll is weighing whether to pause, reshape or press on with the Suburban Rail Loop as major contracts bite and tunnel boring nears, turning the project into an immediate political and fiscal stress test. In parallel, Victorian Labor is bracing for a potential royal commission-style inquisition into major infrastructure spending that could haul senior figures—including Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan—into the witness box, sharpening integrity and governance stakes. Covered by: The Age, Herald Sun, The Australian. KPMG’s audit scandal fallout: global intervention and mass job cuts KPMG Australia is preparing to cut dozens of partners and around 1000 staff as global leadership steps in to stabilise the firm after audit misconduct revelations. The scale of the restructure signals both reputational damage and a tougher compliance posture, with implications for the broa

Senior journalist Surendra Gangan has been elected president of the Mumbai Press Club in its elections, securing 582 votes against Rajiv Khandekar's 260. A total of 862 votes were polled for the post of president, with 20 votes declared invalid. S. Balakrishnan was elected chairperson after defeating Mayuresh Ganapatye by 510 votes to 322. Dhondiba G. Mhaske won the vice-chairperson's post with 537 votes, defeating Ashish S. Raje, who secured 291 votes. For the post of secretary, Anil Kumar Singh emerged victorious with 513 votes against Sourabh P. Sharma's 315 votes. Sudhakar S. Kashyap was elected joint secretary after polling 517 votes, defeating Rucha Kanolkar, who received 324 votes. Om Prakash Tiwari was elected treasurer with 487 votes, while Shashank Parade secured 335 votes. The newly elected 10-member managing committee comprises Vaibhav Parab, Swapnil A. Shinde, Poonam D. Apraj, Manisha M. Rege, Anita D. Shukla, Shahid A. Ansari, Aditya R. Dubey, Madhu A.

Kate Weber is looking for new opportunities to grow as an editor and storyteller, following her departure from nextmedia.  "I'm pretty excited for what comes next and just looking for that space where I can bring my editorial, digital publishing and audience engagement skills to a new team," she told Influencing. Weber said she was especially keen to explore opportunities that would expand her skill set.  “Particularly in spaces where there's that opportunity to create engaging content and grow audiences and ultimately just work with passionate teams that have really amazing stories to tell." Weber formally announced her departure earlier this month, having been on maternity leave since July 2025. She joined the company in January 2021, working as a journalist across iTnews until January 2024, before moving into the editor's chair at Digital Nation. She then became sections editor at the masthead when it was folded into iTnews in October 2024.  Reflecting on her time at

The shift toward junior, digitally skilled hiring has a harder edge at some legacy organisations. More than 100 employees have reportedly been asked to leave a prominent TV channel, with the layoffs concentrated in its internet and digital operations, according to a report by Newslaundry. The publication reported that around 120 employees across editorial, camerawork, graphics, fact-checking, the data intelligence unit and other departments were affected in the restructuring. The pressures facing legacy newsrooms have also surfaced in more contested form. The Union of Media Persons for Change has earlier accused News18 Tamil Nadu of forcing employees to resign under threat of termination, alleging in a letter to management that compelling staff to submit resignation letters through the company's portal under intimidation is illegal and cannot be treated as voluntary. Union General Secretary Haseef Mohamed said the practice appeared aimed at bypassing statutory retrenchment proc