The budget session of Parliament resumes on Monday in the shadow of a spate of controversies ranging from Trump’s comments on tariffs, duplicate voter identity card numbers, three-language policy and delimitation among others.  Among the issues expected to erupt are the renewed violence in Manipur and the Waqf amendment bill. The govt is scheduled to bring a resolution to seek Parliament’s approval for pthe roclamation of President’s rule in Manipur, and the opposition will use the discussion to raise the two years of continuing ethnic strife in the northeastern state. The state’s budget too will come up for discussion, reported The Times of India. There is likely to be a showdown between the Treasury and the Opposition benches over the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, which has been cleared by the Union Cabinet for introduction in Parliament, wrote Asad Rehman for The Indian Express. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that the government is keen on ea

To mark the occasion of International Women’s Day, Influencing India spoke with four women journalists from rural Tamil Nadu who have overcome personal and societal challenges to carve out a space in journalism. Reporting on crime, natural disasters and social injustices, these journalists have faced threats, harassment and systemic barriers while continuing to bring critical stories to light. Elakkiya, district reporter for News7 Tamil in Thiruvarur, recalls facing threats after reporting a jewellery heist in Trichy and a TN food safety department raid at a well-known hotel. “Being a woman reporter is not easy. We face many challenges in the field. Yet, I never thought of quitting journalism because it gives me a kind of pleasure and satisfaction that no other job can,” she says. Covering the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja, she struggled with access to basic necessities. “Recess is the only major problem on the field that any woman journalist will find tough to handle,” she a

Veteran journalist Natarsha Belling joined The Briefing – Afternoon Edition today, bringing her extensive experience to LiSTNR’s daily news podcast, Mediaweek reported.  Balancing this new role with hosting Seven’s National News at Noon, Belling will provide in-depth coverage of major stories, from natural disasters to political events, including the upcoming federal election and developments in the U.S. She expressed excitement about expanding her reporting across multiple platforms and will also collaborate with LiSTNR’s Factual team to produce an investigative series, leveraging her 30 years of journalism experience.  LiSTNR’s head of factual, Clair Weaver, praised Belling’s reputation for trusted, insightful content. New episodes of The Briefing – Afternoon Edition will be available on weekdays at 4 pm on the LiSTNR app.  

Seb Costello has resigned from the Nine Network after 13 years, following an internal review into an incident where he pursued an interview subject into a women’s restroom, Mediaweek reported. In a statement, Costello said he was stepping down to “seek a fresh challenge,” expressing gratitude to Nine and wishing the team well. The controversy unfolded in November when Costello and his camera crew followed finance executive Mo Ahmed into a bathroom at Melbourne’s InterContinental Hotel.  Attempting to interview Ahmed, whose company Oak Capital is facing legal action by ASIC, Costello allegedly filmed over a cubicle door. Ahmed later accused him of assault, prompting Nine to launch an internal review. Costello was stood down during the investigation. His resignation comes months after his father, Peter Costello, stepped down as chairman of Nine following an unrelated incident at Canberra Airport.  Seb Costello has also been involved in past controversies, including a 202

Former Today Show sports presenter Alex Cullen has announced his next career move after parting ways with Nine.  Sharing an update on Instagram, Cullen posted a photo with Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary, writing, "Great to host the @penrithpanthers corporate partners meet and greet tonight. Thanks for having me and always good to see super coach Ivan Cleary." Fans expressed their support, with many saying they missed him on Today and others congratulating him on his new role. Cullen was let go in January following revelations that he had accepted a $50,000 gift from The Block millionaire Adrian Portelli. The controversy stemmed from a Today Show segment where Cullen referred to Portelli as “McLaren Man,” a nod to his collection of luxury cars.  Nine took disciplinary action after it was revealed that Portelli, eager to shift his “Lambo Guy” image, had gifted Cullen a substantial sum. On-air, Karl Stefanovic confirmed Cullen’s departure, calling him a “terrific fe

Freelance journalist Alice Clarke has said that her new TikTok Channel—titled Jam and Alice—with fellow freelance gaming and entertainment reporter Jam Walker is the culmination of four years of wanting to create content together.  Clarke told Influencing, “Jam and I have been trying to do a project together for about four years, but the timing has never worked out. We're pleased that finally, the stars seem to have aligned, and we can get this off the ground and do exactly what we want to do.” The Jam and Alice TikTok channel will see the duo unbox and review particular games, gadgets and appliances.  “We’ll be covering all kinds of things in a nice quick format where we're saying three things we like and one thing we don't, or occasionally the opposite to that form.  “Jam and I feel that format makes it nice and balanced and means that people can get the headlines of what they need to know and then go about their day.” Initially, Jam and Alice’s content

Foreign minister S Jaishankar's comments that if Pakistan returns the “stolen part” of Kashmir to India, the matter would be fully resolved has once again brought the contentious issue to glaring media limelight with Pakistan slamming the remark as "baseless" and J&K CM Omar Abdullah questioning the government's stand on territory occupied by the Chinese. “On Kashmir, actually we have done, I think, a good job solving most of it. Removing Article 370 was step number one, restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir was step number two, and holding elections with a very high turnout was step number three,” said Jaishankar at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank. He also assured that Kashmir will be solved when Pak returns PoK back to India, according to a report in The Times of India. Jaishankar’s remarks, made at an event hosted by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London on Wednesday evening, prompted a pushback o