Thursday, 14 May 2026 1. Why did NTA's 'Zero Error' policy fail? By Maitri Porecha, Srinidhi Madurai K.   ·   The Hindu (Delhi Edition, 14 May 2026)  ·  Page 8 The Hindu's explainer investigates why the NTA's much-publicised 'Zero Error, Zero Tolerance' pledge collapsed in NEET-UG 2026, tracing the failure from the 2024 debacle through the Radhakrishnan Committee's unimplemented recommendations to the revelation that a guess paper containing 120 of 410 questions circulated for nearly a month before the exam. The piece draws on interviews with NTA officials — including NTA chief Abhishek Singh — to document why the shift to Computer-Based Testing stalled, and establishes an institutional accountability trail showing the agency went over a year without a full-time director after 2024. It contextualises the current crisis within a decade-long pattern of compromise and the speci

Victorian community radio station 3APL Apple 98.5FM has announced on Facebook that it will cease broadcasting on Sunday, July 5, 2026, after nearly 40 years on-air. “While it is sad that the station is wrapping up, we are proud of all that 'The Voice Of The Valley' has accomplished,” a statement read. “We would like to thank all the volunteers, members, announcers, Committee members, technical people, sponsors, guests, Shire Council members and community groups who have been involved with the radio station over the decades. And we would especially like to thank the group of visionaries who founded “Bacchus Marsh Community Access Radio” in the mid-80s”.

Budget tax shake-up puts housing and investors in the firing line The federal budget’s changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and other concessions are being framed as a structural reset that could redirect investment towards new builds, but also risk short-term price volatility and fierce political backlash. Several papers argue the burden will fall unevenly—particularly on younger Australians—setting up a generational fight over who pays and who benefits. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The West Australian, The Age. Taylor’s budget reply: bracket indexation and a new tax-war battleline The Coalition is moving to make tax bracket indexation a centrepiece of its pitch, arguing it would stop “bracket creep” and provide predictable relief, in contrast to Labor’s offset-heavy approach. With both sides tying tax to housing affordability and cost-of-living, the coverage signals the budget reply as the opening salvo of

Cole takes over in Stellar rebrand Hayley Cole has taken sole ownership of Stellar Communications and will shift to a more personal, focused model, rather than the traditional agency structure. “Communications has changed significantly over the past decade," Cole said. "Technology has created efficiencies and changed the pace of the industry, but thoughtful strategy, strong relationships and experienced judgement have become even more valuable as a result. Clients increasingly want direct access to senior people who understand their category deeply and can help guide communications with clarity and long-term perspective.” Under its new identity as Stellar PR (stellarpr.com.au), the agency will focus on hospitality, travel and leisure, and currently boasts a client roster that includes Elysium Noosa Resort, Manly Pacific Hotel, Bathers’ Pavilion, Cafe Sydney, Maestro Hospitality’s Cibaria, a’Mare and Ormeggio venues, The Boathouse Group and The Bathhouse Group “We’ve

On Wednesday, Influencing had the pleasure of attending “Builders Day” at the Amazon Web Services Summit in Sydney.   Held at the International Convention Centre, the event will see over 10,000 attendees across both Day One and Day Two.  Day One kicked off with a keynote speech at the TikTok Entertainment theatre. It was delivered  by outgoing AWS ANZ Managing Director Rianne Van Veldhuizen. She announced that while she’s vacating the MD role, she’s remaining with the company.  Chris Casey, AWS Director for APJ Partnerships, was announced as her successor. In his speech, Casey discussed the impact of AWS’s focus on renewable energy and AI/Cloud training investments. Simon Davies, CBA’s General Manager for Core Banking, discussed his bank’s complete technology overhaul project, which has taken place over the last 18 months.  OneNZ’s Summer Collins addressed her telco’s creation of a ‘Network C

TVNZ Political Editor Maiki Sherman   A homophobic slur uttered by a political reporter at a drinks function has become a proxy war over race, media trust and political pressure in New Zealand. The departure of TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman has plunged the Land of the Long White Cloud into furious debate. Providing a detailed timeline of events, Lyric Waiwiri-Smith provides some straight reporting in The Spinoff. As she notes, Sherman left TVNZ on May 8 after intense scrutiny over a 2025 incident at pre-Budget drinks in Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ office, where she used a homophobic slur towards Stuff journalist Lloyd Burr. Sherman apologised at the time, said the remark followed “deeply personal and inappropriate” comments, and later said her position had become “untenable”. Her resignation also followed a separate five-day suspension from Parliament for breaching press gallery rules.   Waiwiri-Smith also notes that the allegations resurfaced throug