Bilal Ahmad Bhat, an investigative journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Awami Reporter, has sought protection from the authorities after alleging that he was assaulted while reporting on suspected illegal earth-filling activities in Jammu and Kashmir. Bhat said the incident occurred on August 1, 2026, at Ranger Stop in Saidakadal. According to his complaint, he sustained injuries, received medical treatment and reported the matter to the police. He has also asked the authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence that could assist the investigation. The journalist said he has faced threats and intimidation over his reporting on environmental degradation and alleged illegal construction in ecologically sensitive areas, including Dal Lake, Pahalgam, Gurez Valley, Gulmarg and the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra corridor. Speaking to Influencing India, Bhat said he had spent more than a decade reporting on Kashmir’s fragile ecosystems. “I have been working on environmenta

#1 · Investigative E20 and the lurking threat from chloride, water By Prerna Madan, Pallavi Singhal   ·   Hindustan Times (Delhi Edition)  ·  Page 4 An in-depth investigation into the controversy surrounding India's rollout of E20 ethanol-blended fuel, examining how chloride and moisture contamination in the ethanol supply chain is causing corrosion in fuel-system components (injectors, pumps, EGR valves) and phase separation leading to vehicle stalling. The story maps the science of pitting corrosion and phase separation, traces chloride sources across the supply chain, and details both SIAM's since-withdrawn letter to the petroleum ministry and the industry body's clarifications, alongside government assurances and the precautionary 3 ppm guideline already in place. The reporters go well beyond the SIAM letter controversy to build a layered technical explanation — sourcing a peer-reviewed 2017 stud

The irony of Nine CEO Matt Stanton complaining that the government’s changes to the News Bargaining Incentive legislation is “distorting the market” is almost beyond parody. The entire scheme - which essentially strong arms tech platforms into entering into bargaining agreements - is extreme government interventionism deliberately designed to distort a market that media companies are losing. If the media industry can’t accept this scheme as a gift horse, then the government should just pull it off the table and admit its attempt to “distort the market” couldn’t achieve reasonable consensus. The debate over the past two days has been farcical. Last night a friend commented to me how poorly the government had handled the legislation, and I asked what changes he believed were ill-considered. He admitted he wasn’t sure on the details, just that it had been very poorly received. Of course, it has. News and Nine both feel aggrieved their si

Sidebar Sports will sit where sport meets culture, co-founder Jimmy Smith says after launching the weekly vodcast. "It's sports, it's entertainment, it's the internet, it's the comment section," Smith told Influencing. It’s not about downloads, though, for Smith.  “Success is turning this into something. I know that good things take time, but you can actually make things happen. You just have to be really patient with it. So for me, it's probably about [creating] that sense of community. “If they're sending us a meme or a sports clip or something, they got this feel sidebar; it's starting that vernacular [conversation] and then growing it, making people feel they can be part of it, coming each week, joining the journey." Smith set up the vodcast with former professional rugby union player Conor Dolan after years of conversations about the intersection of sport and pop culture. "A lot of our conversations with mates were going from sport to culture. We could be at a Sydne

IBAC blows up Andrews-era union deal, putting new Premier on notice Victoria’s integrity watchdog has delivered a bruising assessment of secret negotiations between the Andrews government and the firefighters’ union, describing “serious and concerning” conduct even as it stopped short of corruption findings. The fallout is now landing on Premier Ben Carroll, who is trying to draw a line under the Andrews legacy while facing renewed questions about governance, transparency and union influence in Labor heartland Victoria. Covered by: The Age, The Australian, Herald Sun, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Age. Bondi inquest aftermath: Minns accused of “in-principle” mental health fix The NSW government has accepted most recommendations stemming from the Bondi Junction stabbing inquest, but is being criticised for only backing “in principle” a key proposal to expand supported accommodation for people at risk of psychosis. The debate goes to whether reform i

The Times of India received the highest share of the Union government's print advertising expenditure between FY2020-21 and FY2024-25, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The newspaper received Rs 78.22 crore, followed by Dainik Jagran (Rs 59.14 crore) and Hindustan Times (Rs 47.80 crore). Overall, the Centre spent Rs 910.4 crore on print advertisements during the five-year period.