In a move reminiscent of Cold War-era preparedness, India is set to conduct nationwide civil defence drills on May 7, 2025, marking the first such exercise since 1971. This directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) comes in the wake of the devastating Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives.  Hot off the Press Bharti Jain for The Times of India reported that, this directive encompasses 244 districts across the country, aiming to bolster preparedness against potential hostile attacks. The drills will simulate wartime scenarios, including the activation of air raid sirens, enforced blackouts and evacuation procedures for civilians and students. The Economic Times elaborated that these exercises aim to assess the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalise communication links with the Indian Air Force and evaluate the functionality of control rooms. The drills will also involve training civilians, including students, in basic civil defence

Stuart Kavanagh’s path to journalism wasn't exactly what you’d call a typical one.  Like many young Australians, he started his working life on the factory floor of South Australia's automotive industry, working for Holden, having left school early to pursue what seemed like a secure future.  But when the car manufacturing industry began to decline and factories started closing their doors, Kavanagh saw an opportunity to chase a childhood dream. "I'd always wanted to be a journalist since I was a little fella," says Kavanagh, now a respected and award-winning reporter with The Herald Sun's Mildura News.  Taking what he describes as "the plunge," he returned to university as a mature student, earned his degree, and transformed his career. Today, Kavanagh brings a unique perspective to regional journalism, combining his natural gift for conversation – what his uncle called "the gift of the gab" – with a genuine passion for community storytelling.  His work experience

  Seven West Media has today announced it has entered into a binding agreement with Southern Cross Media Group Limited to acquire the television licences and assets operating in Tasmania, Darwin, Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill, Mt Isa and Remote, Central and Eastern Australia.   These licences currently broadcast the Seven Network television signal in each market under the current Affiliation Agreement with SXL.   The acquisition largely completes SWM’s national broadcast network and opens new markets to Seven where the offering of digital television – both live and VOD – on 7plus complements the Seven broadcast signal.   SWM Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Howard, said: “The acquisition of these television licenses is another positive step in SWM’s strategic transformation program.      “Seven is Australia’s largest commercial free-to-air broadcaster and we are excited by the opportunity to further leverage our leading news, sport and en

  With the Albanese government re-elected, it hasn’t taken long for media bosses to call for action on the long discussed News Media Bargaining Code.  In a timely article by the Australian Financial Review’s media and marketing reporter, Sam Buckingham-Jones, he reports three of Australia’s biggest media companies have called on the newly elected Albanese government to commit to a firm timeline to fix the News Media Bargaining Code, more than after a year Meta announced it would not renew deals paying news publishers an estimated $70 million a year. Buckingham-Jones reveals News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller has joined Nine Entertainment chief executive Matt Stanton and Seven West Media chief executive Jeff Howard in pushing for what they described as tangible action on the law, which forces big tech platforms to negotiate with news outlets to pay for news. “More than a year has passed since our political leaders affirmed their determination that dea

The News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) has released an advisory prohibiting the participation of Pakistani panellists in news debates on Indian channels, in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam that left 26 Hindu tourists dead.   The advisory has been circulated to editors across NBDA member organisations. It outlines the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's concerns over the appearance of Pakistani commentators on Indian channels, spreading ‘anti-national propaganda’.   “In view of the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has drawn our attention to channels inviting anti-India commentators from Pakistan in their programmes who propagate false propaganda against India,” the advisory stated.   “Editors of NBDA are advised to refrain from inviting panellists, speakers and commentators from Pakistan in their programme(s), who are know

The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 concluded in Mumbai with Rs 1,328 crore worth of deals, including Rs 971 crore from B2B meetings, marking a significant boost for India’s creative economy. The Maharashtra government signed MoUs worth Rs 8,000 crore with institutions such as Prime Focus, Godrej, the University of York, and the University of Western Australia to strengthen its media and entertainment ecosystem. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit hosted more than 100 international speakers across 140 sessions. Major announcements included Indo-UK and Indo-Russian co-productions, a Korean content partnership between Prime Video and CJ ENM, and the launch of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology with support from Meta, Google, and Adobe. The WAVEX Accelerator engaged over 1,000 startups, with Rs 50 crore in investment talks. Interest from global investors extended to creators from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. The event also saw 7

India has cut off water flow to Pakistan from the Baglihar dam on the Chenab river and is also preparing to taper down runoffs from the Kishanganga project on the Jhelum, following through on its decisions not to allow a “single drop” from going to the neighbouring country from the Indus rivers. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh met PM Modi amid tension and cross-firing along the LoC. Hot Off the Press After a week of discussions and hydrological testing, India began de-silting operations in the Baglihar dam and lowered sluice gates, reducing downstream flow to Pakistan by up to 90 per cent, while similar operations have been planned for the Kishanganga dam, reported Ravi Krishnan and Zia Haq for Hindustan Times. India’s actions came within hours of Pakistan’s testing its surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Saturday, including banning of the docking of ships bearing the Pakistani flag in all ports of the country. The Kishanganga dam