Thursday, 9 July 2026 #1  ·  Times Nation  ·  Breaking news with investigative context FBI charges Punjab SHO in $400,000 extortion plot By Navjeevan Gopal   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 16 The FBI has charged Punjab Police inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, serving as the Tanda SHO in Hoshiarpur, with attempting to extort $400,000 from an Indian-origin family in the US by threatening to implicate them in a murder case. The charge is part of 'Operation Hard Ball', a sweeping US action against 37 individuals linked to transnational Indian gang networks, which also named notorious gangster Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Punjab Police transferred Nagra to police lines and ordered a fact-finding inquiry while the US seeks his extradition. The story connects a serving Indian police officer to a US federal indictment with precision — naming the accused, the scheme's mechanics,

Gloocal Communications Pvt. Ltd. has elevated Nikita A. Kamdar to Vice President – Public Relations & Client Servicing, strengthening its leadership team and integrated communications capabilities. Kamdar, associated with the agency since its inception, brings over 20 years of experience in public relations, corporate communications, brand strategy, and reputation management. She has led more than 300 communication mandates across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, wellness, lifestyle, consumer brands, CSR, education, hospitality, and corporate sectors. Her portfolio spans hospital and product launches, media relations, press conferences, crisis communication, executive profiling, thought leadership, and long‑term strategic programmes. She has managed mandates for organisations including Gleneagles Hospital, Motherhood Hospital, and Wockhardt Hospital. In her new role, Kamdar will lead the PR and client servicing vertical, focusing on strengthening client relationships, mento

Telstra outage exposes fragility of critical services — and triple-zero failures A nationwide Telstra crash, blamed on a botched upgrade and timer/clock-reset “time travel” bug, knocked out mobile and data services and disrupted everything from EFTPOS to transport systems. The most serious fallout was hundreds of failed Triple Zero connections, triggering welfare checks and intensifying scrutiny from government and regulators over telco resilience and accountability. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Advertiser, Herald Sun, Courier Mail, Daily Telegraph, The West Australian, The Mercury, NT News. NSW wins Origin in enemy territory — Cleary’s statement game New South Wales’ win over Queensland at Suncorp Stadium has been framed as both a series-defining upset and a personal vindication for Nathan Cleary, whose performance reignited “Immortal” talk. Papers varied in emphasis,

Legal journalist Ratna Singh criticised the practice of paid VIP darshan at major temples, saying access to places of worship should not depend on a devotee's ability to pay.  In a post on X, Singh argued that while public debate often focuses on alleged misuse of temple donations, the long-standing system of paid VIP darshan has received little scrutiny. She said the practice creates unequal access, with paying devotees receiving quicker and longer darshan while others are rushed through crowded queues.  Her remarks have triggered discussion on social media about the commercialisation of religious institutions and the increasing use of paid services at temples across India.   

The skills expected of a journalism graduate today are very different from those of a decade ago. Newsrooms increasingly expect young journalists to shoot and edit videos, produce podcasts, understand audience analytics, use AI responsibly and publish across multiple platforms. The shift has raised an important question: are journalism schools keeping pace with the industry's changing demands? Journalism educators say classrooms have begun adapting, but agree there is still a significant gap between academic training and newsroom expectations. Professor Koustubh Joshi believes journalism education must evolve alongside the industry. "I believe journalism education must evolve alongside the rapid transformation of the media industry. Over the past decade, digital media has grown significantly, while the traditional print business has steadily declined." According to Joshi, students now need to go beyond traditional reporting. "Today's students must learn to

Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar, has announced an 11-day residential Capacity-Building Programme in National Security Journalism, scheduled from July 27 to August 6, 2026. The programme will bring together 30 journalists from national, state and regional media organisations.  Designed for journalists covering defence, internal security, cyber security, border management, disasters and related beats, the initiative aims to strengthen responsible and accurate reporting on national security.   Participants will learn about India's security architecture, ethical reporting, information security, source protection, OSINT, AI and digital verification tools, while also gaining insights into misinformation and influence operations.  A key feature of the programme is structured field visits to national security institutions, offering participants first-hand exposure to security operations. The initiative also seeks to

The National Union of Journalists (India) [NUJ(I)] has released the list of nominations received for its 2026–2028 elections after the nomination process closed at 5 p.m. on July 7, 2026.  The list shows multiple nominations for several key posts, indicating contests for various positions. Rakesh Thapliyal has been nominated for the post of President, while Rakesh Kumar Sharma is in the fray for Secretary General. R.C. Kannoujia has been nominated for Treasurer. The Vice President's post has attracted nine candidates—Virendra Singh, MDVSR Punnam Raju, M. Yugandhar Reddy, Silveri Srisailam, Someshwar Boral, Prasanta Chakraborty, Rajiv Nayanam, Dr Rajnesh Rana, and Arvind Singh.  According to NUJ(I), all nominations were received by its office on or before the official deadline of 5 p.m. on July 7, 2026, and will now proceed to the next stage of the election process.