Image source: CBS, CNBC and India Today; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   The conflict in West Asia took a sharp and dangerous turn on June 23, when Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Ain al-Assad in Iraq, both housing U.S. forces. The strikes were retaliation for earlier American attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and came just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Hot off the Press According to The Times of India, the Iranian missiles—fired as part of Operation True Promise 3—targeted U.S. installations with advance warning sent to both Qatar and Washington, helping limit damage and avoid casualties. Still, the symbolic weight of the attack is immense: it was the first direct Iranian strike on U.S. military infrastructure in Qatar, a key strategic ally. The Economic Times reported that Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Iraq all shut down their airspace in response. Flights were rerou

Rashell Habib, Head of Digital News and Stategy at Network 10. Network 10 today announced that its current affairs and insights program, 10 NEWS+, will now also be available to view and listen ad-free on Spotify, alongside live broadcast and streaming on 10, marking what the network calls a world-first for commercial free-to-air television news. Launching Monday, 30 June at 6pm, 10 NEWS+ builds upon Network 10’s 5pm local news bulletins, offering deeper analysis, extended context, and long-form investigative journalism. This innovative partnership with Spotify aligns directly with evolving audience preferences for accessing trusted news content on multiple platforms, says Network 10. Spotify is recognised as a leading platform for audiences to discover and engage with diverse, high-quality content across music, audiobooks, and video.  Spotify also offers Premium subscribers an integrated, ad-free experience, combining audio and video content. Through this collaboration, viewe

Pickr’s Leigh Stark has been busy developing an AI version of renowned science communicator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki answering climate change queries. Stark on stage with Dr Karl, demo the tool at the Seymour Centre at UNSW last month.  Stark demonstrated the tool for Influencing, developed in conjunction with Dr Karl. The digital Dr Karl works via an audio or written prompt input in the tool, with the output a response from Dr Karl explaining why that is, or why a statement might be right or wrong.  “Dr Karl’s idea came from trying to stop people from going down the spiral of not believing in climate change.” Stark told Influencing, “He thought the initial idea could be done on X, but I, a couple of physicists, and some of his former students, talked him out because people on that platform are there to engage for engaging, not engaging to learn.” “Effectively, it's supposed to be as if you were to talk to Dr Karl. You would get his friendly and enthusiastic respon

In an era where clickbait dominates digital media, ex-Fairfax and Nine executive Chris Janz is championing a different approach at Capital Brief and says the advertising-led model for news is fundamentally broken.  Speaking on the Influencing Insider live interview CEO Janz said he believes the traditional ad-led model, creates a vicious cycle that ultimately undermines journalism's credibility. "The advertising model encourages clickbait, which degrades journalism quality and erodes public trust," Janz explains.  "Eventually, this breaks down the entire sector."  Instead, Capital Brief has embraced a subscription-based model that prioritises quality over quantity. This approach has created what Janz calls a "brilliant cycle" - high-quality journalism attracts loyal subscribers, generating revenue that can be reinvested into even better reporting.  While the company still works with commercial partners, particularly those seeking to reach business leaders and young profes

News Australia has unveiled plans for its flagship advocacy initiative, the National Bush Summit, this year focusing on bridging the urban-rural divide and tackling the problems holding back country areas.  The opening address on August 20 will be made by Australia’s richest citizen, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, and Prime Minister Athony Albanese will also speak, though later when the travelling event moves to Ballarat. As in past year’s this year’s National Bush Summit will be supported by a comprehensive editorial campaign across News’ leading mastheads, including The Australian, Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Advertiser, NT News, The Toowoomba Chronicle, The Weekly Times, and AgJournal. In addition, all live events will be broadcast on Sky News Australia. The event, supported by National Presenting Partner Hancock Prospecting and S Kidman, is a national forum bringing together Australia's most influential decision makers and local leaders to a

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has invited applications for two key posts, Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel), on the Prasar Bharati Board. These are full-time roles for a term of six years or until the age of 62, whichever is earlier.  Both positions carry the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India (Level-15 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix). The Finance Member will oversee financial matters, while the Personnel Member will manage HR and administrative functions.  Candidates must have senior-level management experience, with preference given to MBAs in finance or personnel management.   Applications must be submitted by July 12, 2025, via the proper channel, along with the required clearances. More details are available at mib.gov.in under the "Vacancies" section.

Image source: Jagran Josh, HT, AP News and BBC; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   The United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday morning, bringing itself directly into Israel’s war with Iran and potentially kicking off a more dangerous phase in the conflict. Hot off the Press The attack by US warplanes and submarines followed days of uncertainty about whether President Donald Trump would intervene in the conflict, which began with a surprise attack on Iran by Israel on June 13. Trump said the “strikes were a spectacular military success” and Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities “have been completely and totally obliterated”. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier,” he warned, promising more punishment on a country that insists its nuclear programme is civilian in nature, according to a report by Chidanand Rajghatta for The Times of India. Iranian officials howe