A Canberra chief of staff already wades through the Fin's brief, Capital Brief, The Squiz, Crikey's Worm, POLITICO's Canberra Playbook and the gallery's live blogs. Since 7 September, there’s been another newsletter in the inbox. Guardian Australia has just launched Politics, really, a daily newsletter overseen by political editor Tom McIlroy. McIlroy’s confident he and his colleagues are bringing something fresh to the table, but he’s more than aware of the competition. "I acknowledge that it is a crowded market, and the way I know that is that I subscribe to a lot of newsletters myself," he tells Influencing. The backstory Politics, really goes out every weekday at 5pm, built around a single story and the context a reader needs to make sense of it. McIlroy, who joined Guardian Australia as chief political correspondent in May 2025 and became political editor in September that year, describes the origin as less a gap in the market tha

Wishing all our readers a very happy Vinayakar Chaturthi! May the festival bring joy, peace and new beginnings to you and your families. As today is a national holiday, we will not be sending out our regular Today’s Ten and Lead Story. Enjoy the holiday, take a well-earned break, and we’ll be back tomorrow with a fresh and unique set of stories for you to read and enjoy. Happy Vinayakar Chaturthi!

Karl Stefanovic’s podcast remains in doubt, with reports that he is in dispute with business partner Keshnee Kemp and may be looking at a move to talkback radio. According to The Australian’s Diary column this morning, Tapt Media has been “whispering sweet nothings” into the ear of Stefanovic. “The question is whether the company’s chief executive, and Stefanovic’s one-time executive producer at Today, Tom Malone, will be able to find enough cash down the back of the couch to seal a deal with him,” Diary reported. The column noted that given that Tapt managed to find $2 million a year to keep Ben Fordham at 2GB, Stefanovic could get close to his old Channel Nine contract. Meanwhile, the Karl Stefanovic Show remains on hiatus, with News Corp entertainment journalist Annette Sharp claiming last Friday that Stefanovic was unhappy he had ceded an equal share of his podcast company to Kemp. Both Stefanovic and Kemp have equal 45 per cen

Voters sour on Albanese as debt fears bite New polling suggests voters are increasingly anxious about federal and state debt and are losing trust in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor’s economic management, with more people calling for spending restraint. It’s a warning sign for Labor heading into the next electoral cycle, sharpening the political contest around cost-of-living, budgets and credibility. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age. Fuel excise cut back on the table as Middle East war threatens petrol prices The Prime Minister is reportedly considering reviving fuel excise relief as conflict in the Middle East escalates and is expected to push up petrol prices. The move would be politically potent—offering immediate hip-pocket relief—but would also intensify the debate about budget repair at a time when voters are already jittery about debt. Covered by: The Australian. Productivity fight erupts: big business targets Labor’s economic agenda Australia�

The newly appointed Inspector-in-Charge of Phoolbehad Police Station in Uttar Pradesh, Triloki Nath Maurya, recently held an interactive meeting with local journalists. During the interaction, Maurya learnt about various issues pertaining to the area and emphasised the need to maintain peace and law and order. He added that efforts would be made to effectively curb crime and resolve public grievances in a timely manner. He also appealed to the public to report any criminal activity in the area immediately through the media. “Better coordination between the police and the journalist community helps effectively highlight and resolve regional problems,” Maurya said, according to Dainik Bhaskar. He assured the journalists of all possible support.    

A female journalist in Uttar Pradesh's Madhogarh tehsil was allegedly assaulted and subjected to indecent behaviour, days after two female reporters were assaulted in Delhi, raising fresh concerns over the safety of journalists. The incident has triggered anger among journalists in Madhogarh, who on Thursday submitted a memorandum to Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manoj Prakash, demanding an impartial investigation and action against those responsible. The journalists said the alleged assault and harassment of the female journalist was unacceptable and urged the administration to ensure justice for her. They also demanded strict measures to prevent such incidents against journalists in the future, Dainik Bhaskar reported.

The Kerala High Court’s recent decision to quash a criminal defamation complaint against a Malayalam media publication and its editorial staff has been followed by similar rulings from the Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand High Courts, reinforcing that journalists cannot be held criminally liable merely for publishing factual reports or statements attributed to officials. The Himachal Pradesh High Court has now quashed a defamation complaint against the editor of Divya Himachal, holding that publication of a report based on true and undisputed facts, particularly when the complainant’s clarification was sought and published, could not amount to defamation. Justice Sandeep Sharma observed, “Since news item, which is being claimed to be defamatory, was based upon true facts, coupled with the fact that clarification was sought from the complainant and thereafter such clarification was also published in the same newspaper, act of publishing news item by the petitioner cannot be said