IS-linked women and children return — police poised to arrest ‘brides’ Authorities are preparing for the arrival of four women and nine children repatriated from Syrian camps, with federal police expected to arrest and potentially charge some of the women on arrival while others face intensive monitoring. The story has ignited a political fight over national security, justice and duty-of-care to children, with some coverage also highlighting claims of coercion and exploitation inside ISIS networks. Covered by: The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The West Australian, The Australian, Courier Mail. Budget battlelines: Chalmers’ deficit trim vs inflation warnings Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to show modestly improved deficit projections, but the politics are sharpened by Reserve Bank warnings that household and business relief could add to inflation and keep rates higher for longer. The Australian flags a revival of Covid-era business tax relief, while

“I’m overwhelmed, I’m grateful, proud and sometimes very teary,” says Suparna Sharma after winning the Pulitzer Prize alongside illustrator Anand RK, in a moment of global recognition for Indian journalism. The duo won in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category for their work on digital surveillance and cyber fraud. The winners, announced on Monday, shared the award with Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg for the project titled “trAPPed”. According to The Pulitzer Prizes website, the project presents a “riveting account” of a neurologist in India who was held under a “digital arrest” through her phone. The work combines visuals and words to highlight the growing global challenges of surveillance and digital scams. For over 30 years, Suparna Sharma has reported on crime, conflict, national disasters and corruption as a freelance journalist and editor. Her 2023 investigation for Al Jazeera into the deaths of two elderly residents in a Delhi facility

Image: Passengers evacuate an IndiGo aircraft following a power bank fire inside the cabin after it landed at Chandigarh international airport on Tuesday.     Wednesday, 6 May 2026 #1  ·  Front Page  ·  Breaking news Congress offers support to TVK but with a condition By N. Sai Charan   ·   The Hindu (Delhi City Edition, May 6, 2026)  ·  Page 1, 12 Following Tamil Nadu's Assembly election results in which TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, the Congress agreed to extend support to TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay on the condition that he not seek backing from the BJP or its alliance partners. The CPI(M), which won two seats, is scheduled to decide on its support at a State committee meeting on Friday. With Vijay needing to vacate one of two constituencies he won, TVK's effective strength would be 107, making the arithmetic of forming a majority government complex. The story goes

The Centre has announced 15,000 scholarships to train young professionals in artificial intelligence (AI) across media, entertainment, gaming, and animation. The initiative by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be implemented with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), along with support from Google and YouTube. The programme focuses on areas such as animation, visual effects, gaming, and digital content creation, where AI tools are increasingly used. The ministry said the curriculum integrates advanced tools and workflows to ensure industry-ready training, Best Media Info reported.   The scholarships will provide access to specialised modules, tools, and mentorship, offering hands-on experience. The initiative aims to bridge skill gaps, improve employability, and support innovation in India’s evolving media landscape.

Note: This Influencing Insider was a subscriber-only edition. To tune into these subscriber-only edition's contact Jemma - jemma@influencing.com The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Technology Editor David Swan has offered his three best pitching tips to PRs. His first and most important piece of advice for PRs is to read his work to gain an understanding of what topics he writes about and how he writes. He also would rather PRs err on the side of sending too much information, rather than too little and try to provide a case study, where feasible.   “If you want to give me more content to work with, I prefer that,” said Swan when appearing on Influencing Insider recently.  Swan’s appearance came shortly after his recent victories at the Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards, which included the Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist.  He said of the win that he was “thrilled and surprised to have won,” adding that to win four Lizzies was “a real honour”. Swan believes

Vox Media, the US media firm that owns New York magazine, digital sites like Vulture and sports network SB Nation, as well as a number of high profiles podcasts from the likes of Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher, could be the latest member of the Murdoch family media empire. This time it is James Murdoch doing the circling, via his investment firm Lupa Systems with media reports overnight claiming he was in advanced talks to buy at least part of Vox Media. The talks are reported to centre on some of Vox Media’s most valuable assets rather than the company as a whole. Those assets include New York Magazine and its associated titles Vulture, The Cut, Intelligencer and Grub Street, along with Vox Media’s podcast network. The talks are not final and there is no certainty a deal will be completed. Axios reported Vox Media has been exploring whether selling parts of the company could deliver better value than trying to sell the entire business. The Wall Street Journal also re

Rates rise again as RBA warns inflation pain isn’t over The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.35% and warned inflation relief is still at least six months away, with the Iran war-driven oil shock pushing up prices and weighing on growth. The decision sharpens pressure on households and sets up a tense pre-budget debate about whether governments can afford more spending without prolonging high rates. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, The West Australian. Bullock to Chalmers: stop the handouts or risk higher inflation RBA governor Michele Bullock explicitly cautioned Treasurer Jim Chalmers and state governments that new handouts and “cash splash” budgets could add to demand and make inflation harder to tame. Several papers frame it as a direct political clash ahead of the federal budget, with the central bank warning fiscal policy could undermine the inflation fight. Covered by: The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Cour