Wednesday, 8 July 2026 #1  ·  Times Nation  ·  Breaking news Indonesia 1st foreign customer of Astra missile By Surendra Singh   ·   The Times of India  ·  Page 18 Indonesia has become the first foreign buyer of India's indigenously developed beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile Astra, developed by DRDO, in a deal finalised between state-run Bharat Dynamics Ltd and Indonesian defence company Republikorp. Unlike the jointly developed BrahMos, the Astra is entirely India's own creation and saw operational use during Operation Sindoor. The missile, capable of Mach 4.5 and a range of 80–160 km, will be integrated onto Indonesia's Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 and Su-27 fighter jets. The story provides precise technical specifications and situates the Astra deal within the broader strategic significance of India's indigenous defence export ecosystem, explicitly distinguishing it from the Indo-Russ

Wednesday, 08 July, 2026 | If you’re a PR flack, crisis management has become an increasingly important part of the job. With the media under pressure to fight for attention and eyeballs, it’s fair to say that the old saying of “if it bleeds, it leads” has never been truer.  Every company has its own crisis conditions. Let’s say for example, you have a CEO who has been getting caught up in all manner of sordid dramas in his personal life, and you’re trying to keep a lid on it. More on Richard White, later. Then there is the kind of crisis where there’s just no lid that can be kept on. When things go pear shaped, everything just spills out in the public and you’ve just got to cop everything that comes your way. Such is the life of a telco PR, which the good folk at Telstra, are re-living this morning following a major outage, which just for good measure also brought down Victorian and NSW public transport systems. Yep, there&rsquo

Living standards slide sharpens political pressure Australia has recorded the steepest fall in living standards in the OECD since 2019, with high inflation, weak real wages and shrinking disposable incomes combining to squeeze households. The coverage frames the downturn as a growing political risk for the federal government as voters feel the cost-of-living hit in everyday essentials. Covered by: Australian Financial Review, The Australian. China missile test jolts Pacific security — Australia pushes pacts China’s submarine-launched, nuclear-capable missile test and the deployment of surveillance ships across the Pacific has heightened alarm in the region, with Australia and Pacific leaders condemning Beijing’s opacity. The story’s significance is the acceleration of new security arrangements—alongside a sharper public line from the Prime Minister—amid intensifying strategic competition in Australia’s near neighbourhood. Covered by: The Age, The West Australian, Austr

The Tripura Working Journalists Association organised a blood donation camp at the Agartala Press Club, inaugurated by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Saha described blood donation as one of the noblest acts, noting that a single donation can save up to three lives. He urged young people to actively participate in blood donation drives and called on social organizations to conduct more such camps. He also highlighted advancements in blood collection procedures and the expansion of blood bank facilities to subdivision-level hospitals. Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury also attended the event and emphasized the importance of blood donation while reaffirming the government's commitment to journalists' welfare. A total of 21 people donated blood during the camp.   Image credit: Tripura Star News 

Veteran journalist Amalendu Kundu, known for his extensive coverage of Sikkim and the Eastern Himalayan region, passed away on July 5 at his residence in Howrah, West Bengal. He was in his eighties and had been battling age-related ailments. Kundu's journalism career spanned over five decades. He began covering Sikkim as a bureau chief in 1977 and went on to become one of India's leading journalists reporting on the state's politics, society, and strategic significance. In recognition of his contribution to journalism, the Government of Sikkim conferred on him the Kashiraj Pradhan Lifetime Journalism Award during the state's 43rd State Day celebrations in 2018.   Image credit: India Blooms

The Patna High Court has once again reminded the media that press freedom comes with responsibility, cautioning against "media trials" while hearing the Rishu Shree case. The court reiterated that while Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech, it is subject to reasonable restrictions, including protecting an individual's reputation and the right to a fair trial under Article 21. The observation comes as the intense coverage of the Ketan Agarwal case has reignited debate over where reporting an investigation ends and public conviction begins. Sanjay Trehan, a digital media advisor, believes news organisations are increasingly blurring the line between public interest and spectacle. "The media has to draw a very fine line between what is genuinely in the public interest and what amounts to an invasion of privacy. That's something journalists need to understand and be mindful of. What worries me is that we're seeing a growing tendency to turn news int

Tuesday, 7 July 2026 #1  ·  Times Nation  ·  Investigative 'Captured On CCTV, 70 Instances Of Theft By 6 Accused Over A Month' — Ram temple ex-trustee Mishra failed to secure donations: SIT By Pathikrit Chakraborty   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 14 A nine-page preliminary SIT report, a copy of which TOI obtained, details nearly 70 CCTV-captured instances of alleged pilferage of donation money at Ayodhya's Ram temple between April 27 and June 5, 2026, involving six suspects. The report holds senior trust functionary Anil Mishra responsible for failing to enforce security protocols and SOPs jointly issued with SBI, while also flagging lapses by the counting room in-charge and an allegedly unauthorised key custodian who recommended a relative for access to the sensitive counting operation. The SIT, which submitted its report to the additional chief secretary (home) on June 23, has pri