Labor revolt over ATO credit card ban squeezes small business Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing internal Labor dissent and intensifying small business backlash over the ATO’s move to stop accepting credit card payments, with MPs warning of a cash-flow “credit crunch” for operators already under pressure. The story matters because it pits cost-of-living politics against tax administration settings, and risks forcing the government into a public backdown or policy redesign. Covered by: Daily Telegraph, The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Herald Sun. $44bn Firmus IPO in freefall as investors walk away Firmus Technologies’ blockbuster float is wobbling amid evaporating demand, warnings from bankers, and growing scepticism about its valuation and business model—turning the deal into a broader test of market appetite for AI/data-centre narratives. With major partners reportedly falling away and short-sellers circling, the episode is significant for co

Decisive Publishing has launched AI Infra, a new masthead focused on the infrastructure surrounding AI data centres. Owner and publisher Grahame Lynch told Influencing that the title grew out of coverage at sister publication CommsDay, where the team "were increasingly drilling into the issues around data centres, such as power and water, and it was way too divergent from the core mission of CommsDay to serve telcos." The target audience is the ecosystem around hyperscale and AI data centres, including planning bodies, developers and energy companies, he said. Lynch explained that PR’s could pitch the title via email and phone to Lynch. “PRs should just see it as something CommsDay-adjacent”.  AI Infra will follow the same format as CommsDay, with a daily subscription email PDF and a weekly roundup, Lynch confirmed. It formally launched in that format last Monday, after running in the CommsDay newsletter for several weeks. Lynch said Decisive Pu

The newly formed Jammu Sports Journalists Association (JSJA) has assured full cooperation with government‑run sports departments to strengthen sports activities and welfare measures in Jammu and Kashmir. A delegation led by President Sanjeev Sharma met DYSS Director General Anuradha Gupta, discussing issues including the functioning of sports associations, infrastructure development, manpower engagement, and the need for workshops, seminars, and conclaves. The team, comprising Vice President Vikas Abrol, General Secretary Vishal Bharti, Treasurer Monika Jamwal, and members Arun Roshan, Ranjit Thakur, and Arun Chib, also deliberated on the Sports Governance Act and Sports Tribunal Act, stressing regular interaction between governing bodies, associations, journalists, and authorities for transparency. JSJA briefed Gupta on its roadmap, highlighting the role of sports journalism in promoting activities and raising athlete concerns.    

Journalists in Warangal staged a flash protest on Wednesday, demanding an apology from Wardhannapet MLA K.R. Nagaraju over alleged intimidation of the media by his followers. The protest followed an incident in which an effigy of an electronic media organisation was burnt after it aired a report on issues related to the MLA’s constituency. Journalists condemned the act, stressing that objections to news reports should be addressed through legal and democratic means, not intimidation. Koppula Narendar, president of the Warangal East Journalists’ Parapathi Sangham, said similar incidents had occurred four times and warned that journalists would not tolerate attempts to suppress press freedom, Telangana Today reported.  

The Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (R) (KUWJ - R) has urged the state government to further simplify the rules for obtaining free bus passes for rural journalists. Welcoming the provision of free bus passes to rural journalists to facilitate their professional duties, the KUWJ said some of the existing rules are creating difficulties for journalists in applying for and availing themselves of the facility. KUWJ state president Shivanand Tagadur made the appeal in a representation submitted to the Chief Minister. The KUWJ has particularly urged the government to simplify the rules so that taluk- and hobli-level reporters working for district-level and regional newspapers can also avail themselves of the bus pass facility. The organisation has sought a review of the existing bus pass rules and necessary amendments to ensure that eligible journalists working in rural areas are not denied the benefit due to unnecessary procedural requirements. Tagaduru urged the government t

Thursday, 8 October 2026 #1  ·  Times City  ·  Data story Visa hassles: IGI sees max dip in North America travel By Saurabh Sinha   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page Page 11 Data from Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) for April-August 2026 shows North America-bound passengers fell 26.2% (7.5 lakh to 5.5 lakh), driven by stricter US visa norms, airspace disruptions from Pakistan's continued closure, and Air India's reduction of long-haul routes post-Ahmedabad crash. Meanwhile Asia-Pacific traffic rose 11.4% as travel patterns reshape around geopolitical disruptions. DIAL CEO Pradeep Panicker projects overall passenger footfalls of 8.2 crore in FY27, a 4% rise over FY26. The story uses original airport traffic data from DIAL broken down by region, marrying multiple concurrent geopolitical and policy factors — Pakistan airspace closure, US visa tightening, the Ahmedabad crash aftermath &