The demand for the release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj has intensified, with over 30 civil society and rights organisations globally urging the Indian government to free him as he completes three years in detention on Friday. In a joint statement, the groups called on the Centre to end what they described as the continued repression of human rights defenders and journalists in Jammu and Kashmir. Mehraj was detained by the National Investigation Agency on March 20, 2023, on terror-related charges, which the 33 organisations have termed politically motivated and fabricated. He is the founding editor of Wande Magazine and has worked with TwoCircles.net, besides contributing to international media outlets such as Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera. The signatories include Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, among others. A few weeks ago, Human Rights Foundation and Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development also

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau organised a cyber hygiene workshop for women journalists in Hyderabad under the theme OnlineButUnafraid. Held during International Women’s Month, the session aimed to address rising cyber threats faced by media professionals. B Shivadhar Reddy and Shikha Goel attended the workshop. Cyber expert Sunny NV shared insights on online risks, including cyberstalking and fake profiles. Officials urged journalists to report incidents via helpline 1930 and stressed awareness as key to staying safe online, The Hans India reported.

  The 11th plenary of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) will be held in Vijayawada, Andhra  Pradesh, on March 28-29, 2026. IJU President K. Srinivas Reddy, Secretary General Balwinder  Singh Jammu, and Secretary D. Som Sundar confirmed that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu  Naidu will inaugurate the event, with several Union and state ministers attending as special  guests.    Elected representatives of affiliated unions from 25 states, including state presidents and  general secretaries, will discuss the current challenges faced by journalists, media freedom, and  organizational matters.    Punjab will be represented by State Chairman Balbir Singh Jandu, President Jai Singh  Chhibber, Vice President Rajan Mann, Secretary General Santokh Gill, Bindu Singh, Bhushan  Sood, Davinder Singh Bhangu, Sukhnaib Singh Sidhu and Harjit Singh Kapurthala and otherÂ

Monday 23 March 2026 National   The Australian ‘Are you for Australia?’ Mali’s Hanson strategy David Penberthy reports that Labor's victorious SA Premier Peter Malinauskas urges ALP leaders to adopt a tougher, pro-national-interest stance—especially on immigration and foreign donations—to counter the rise of One Nation and reassure voters. A vote for One Nation a vote for ALP Geoff Chambers and Greg Brown reports that senior Coalition figures argue conservative votes for One Nation ultimately help Labor through preference flows. Worse to come: manufacturers Perry Williams warns that manufacturers expect further price rises as Middle East conflict disrupts supply chains and increases the risk of prolonged inflation. Fast-tracked Swan firm signs China silica export deal Greg Brown reports that a fast-tracked Australian silica mining project linked to Wayne Swan has signed an export deal to ship silica to China despite being promoted as supporting Australia’s

Lavitra Communications has acquired all flagship brands previously associated with Mahuaa Media, including Mahuaa TV, Mahuaa News, Mahuaa Music and Mahuaa Movies. The portfolio changed hands from Mahuaa Media to Alburt Media in 2019 and later to Pachai Media in 2021, before being most recently acquired by Lavitra Communications in February 2026. According to BestMediaInfo, Sajida Hashmi, senior marcom manager at Lavitra Communications, confirmed that Mahuaa Media, earlier owned by P. K. Tiwari and his wife, is no longer associated with the brands. She stated that Lavitra now holds complete ownership and rights to all Mahuaa properties. The company plans a phased relaunch of Mahuaa TV and Mahuaa News, starting with a digital-first strategy to build audience engagement, followed by a potential expansion into satellite broadcasting. The focus will remain on Bhojpuri content, with an emphasis on fresh, contemporary programming.  

Image of the Day  Women in traditional attire take part in the Gudi Padwa procession to mark Marathi News Year at Girgaon in Mumbai on Thursday – Emmanual Yogini- The Hindu Childhood obesity growing concern in India India is among the top three countries globally with the highest number of children affected by excess weight, with about 41 million aged 5-19 living with high body mass index (BMI), including nearly 14 million with obesity, a new global report has found, writes Anuja Jaiswal for The Times of India. The World Obesity Atlas 2026 shows India, along with China and the US, accounts for a large share of the global burden, showing the country now faces both undernutrition and rising obesity among children. This comes amid a sharp global increase in childhood obesity, which has risen from about 4% in 1975 to nearly 20% in recent years. For the first time, more children worldwide are expected to be living with obesity than underweight, marking a major shift in health tre

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   India's proposed overhaul of Section 69A doesn't just tinker with content moderation; it blows up the architecture entirely. If the amendments go through, the power to order social media takedowns will no longer be concentrated in a single ministry. Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, and Information & Broadcasting could each independently issue directives to platforms, bypassing the existing MeitY bottleneck. First reported by The Indian Express and developed further by Storyboard18, this is a shift significant enough that the news industry should be paying far more attention than it currently is. The instinctive response and the dominant one in digital rights circles is alarm. More ministries wielding takedown power means more pressure points, more ideological lenses, more risk of legitimate journalism getting caught in the crossfire. That concern is real and shouldn't be dismissed. But it also shouldn't be the end of