Artha Group, a diversified early-stage investment firm, has formally mandated Madchatter Brand Solutions as its official PR and strategic communications partner. The mandate was awarded following a rigorous, multi-firm evaluation process. Through this engagement, Madchatter Brand Solutions will manage public relations, media relations, thought leadership, and strategic communications for Artha Group. This includes narrative development for its individual fund verticals, leadership positioning across the organisation, and communications support for select portfolio companies at early and growth stages. “Artha represents a new generation of capital, deeply involved, outcome-oriented, and committed to building enduring businesses,” said Kapil Daryani, COO, Madchatter Brand Solutions. “We are rooted in making sophisticated investment theses legible to stakeholders, placing them at the intersection of Artha’s conviction, portfolio traction, and market leadership. We ensure Artha

Swiss Military has appointed Compass Communications as its strategic communications partner in India, as the global lifestyle brand sharpens its focus on the country’s evolving luggage and travel accessories market. The partnership comes at a time when Swiss Military is streamlining its portfolio to strengthen its positioning in the premium lifestyle segment, particularly in travel gear. Commenting on the development, Anuj Sawhney, Managing Director, Swiss Military, said the brand is focusing on delivering products that combine functionality with premium aesthetics. He noted that shifting travel trends among Indian consumers have prompted the company to deepen its presence in the luggage and travel accessories space. Compass Communications strategic expertise will help amplify the brand’s narrative and reach a wider audience”, he added. Rafi Q Khan, Co-Founder, Compass Communications, said “Swiss Military stands for quality and legacy in a market where travel gear is incre

Friday 20 March 2026 National   The Australian Coal king flies high … after ‘peak ESG’ John Stensholt reports that coal billionaire Matt Latimore is expanding and investing again as enthusiasm for ESG investing wanes. Beware: the birth of a stag-nation The Australian warns that Australia faces a looming “productivity stag-nation” driven by shifting demographics, including higher migration, lower fertility and more people seeking work. Israel’s in a fight for survival, says envoy Ben Packham reports that Israel’s top diplomat in Australia argues the war with Iran is an urgent act of self-defence and frames it as a fight for survival against a terrorist threat. COP it on the chin: Bowen 'must focus on fuel crisis Sarah Ison & Colin Packham that ExxonMobile has criticised the ACCC's fuel investigation as an attempted distraction by the government, Mali-slide with a side of One Nation David Penberthy reports that Newspoll shows Labor cruising toward vi

Adfactors PR was named Agency of the Year at the afaqs! CommuniCon Awards 2026, held on March 18 at Fairfield by Marriott. The event brought together PR leaders, corporate communications heads, and agency professionals. Now in its third edition, CommuniCon has evolved into a forum for conversations around storytelling, technology, trust, and reputation, reflecting the expanding role of communications in business strategy. Adfactors PR dominated the awards, winning 17 metals -- including nine Gold, four Silver -- and four Bronze -- across categories. The awards recognised excellence in 34 categories, spanning campaign and sector awards for reputation building, crisis management, and brand storytelling. L&T Finance, Burson India, and Weber Shandwick India followed with seven metals each, while Madison PR secured four. L&T Finance was named Brand of the Year, underscoring the growing importance of in‑house corporate communications in driving brand credibility.

Choice International Limited, in collaboration with CNBC‑AWAAZ, hosted Nivesh Nirnay – Investment Mein No Confusion on March 15 at the Sir Sayajirao Nagargruha Auditorium, aimed at helping individuals navigate India’s financial markets with clarity and confidence. The programme featured Anuj Singhal, Managing Editor, CNBC‑AWAAZ & CNBC BAJAR, Kamal Poddar, Managing Director, Choice International, and Manish Jain, Deputy CEO, Choice Mutual Fund. Discussions focused on simplifying investment concepts, long‑term wealth creation, disciplined investing, and evolving market trends, Adgully reported. Poddar highlighted India’s rising retail participation and the need for informed decision‑making, while Jain said initiatives like Nivesh Nirnay bridge the gap between expertise and individual investors. Singhal stressed the importance of focusing on long‑term wealth creation over short‑term speculation. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News,

Encyclopedia Britannica and its subsidiary Merriam‑Webster have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in Manhattan federal court, accusing the company of using their reference content without permission to train ChatGPT. Filed on March 13, the complaint alleges that OpenAI copied nearly 100,000 Britannica articles and dictionary entries, producing “near‑verbatim” reproductions that reduce traffic to Britannica platforms and mislead users into assuming endorsement. The suit also cites trademark violations and highlights instances of inaccurate AI‑generated “hallucinations.” An OpenAI spokesperson responded on March 16, saying its models are trained on publicly available data and grounded in fair use. According to StoryBoard18, the case adds to a growing wave of copyright lawsuits against AI developers. Britannica had earlier sued Perplexity AI in September 2025 over similar allegations. The publishers are seeking damages and a court order to halt the alleged

Image of the Day  Preparations are on for the massive annual feast at St. Joseph’s shrine in Kannamaly, near Kochi – picture by Thulasi Kakkat – The Hindu   Border forces intercept drones almost every day In the past five years, about two-three drones were sighted every day and at least one drone incursion was reported each day along India’s international borders, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed a Parliamentary Standing Committee. The Ministry said that during the last five years, 4,323 cases of drone sightings were reported. However, 967 cases of drone incursions occurred, which were intercepted or neutralised, resulting in the seizure of 710 ammunitions, 75 arms and 641 kg of drugs. Though the State-wise data was not provided, drone sightings are a regular phenomenon along the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir borders with Pakistan, writes Vijaita Singh for The Hindu. Child mortality drops sharply in India since 2000 Bindu Shajan Perappadan for