Dr K Vikram Rao, veteran journalist and national president of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), died in Lucknow at the age of 87. Rao had a journalism career spanning 45 years, most of which he spent at the Times of India. He also worked with Economic Times, Filmfare and served as the South Asia correspondent for Voice of America. A New Delhi native, he declined a post in the Indian Police Service to join TOI as a reporter, later working across cities including Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Shillong. He was imprisoned during the Emergency in 1976 for opposing press censorship and remained a strong advocate for journalist welfare throughout his life. Re-elected as IFWJ president in 2010, he travelled to over 30 countries and held key roles in the Press Council of India and PIB. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted, “Saddened by the demise of Dr. K. Vikram Rao... He was a prolific writer and an insightful commentator who made a noteworthy contribution to In

The Central Board of Secondary Education announced the results for the Class 12 exams on Tuesday, revealing a success rate of 88.4 per cent, a slight improvement from last year’s 88 per cent.  CBSE’s Class 10 results too showed a marginal improvement of 0.06 per cent in the pass rate which was recorded at 93.66 per cent. Hot off the Press A total 24,867 students achieved an aggregate score of over 95 per cent and girls outperformed boys once again, securing a pass percentage of 91.6 per cent compared to 85.7 per cent for boys, reported Meghna Dulia for The Times of India. Vijayawada was followed by Thiruvananthapuram with a pass rate of 99.3 per cent, Chennai with 97.4 per cent, Bengaluru 96 per cent and Delhi West 95.4 per cent. In the Delhi region alone, 3.1 lakh students appeared for the exam, of which 2.9 lakh cleared it. In keeping with its recent policy to curb unhealthy competition, CBSE did not declare a merit list. However, merit certificates will be issued to the

The arrival of new gaming journalists Rio Robayo and Matt Murphy at Qualbert.com with the aim to have “a closer look” at the Australian game development scene is the right move, believes founder and Editor-In-Chief Dr Ben Schuster.  Qualbert began as a Facebook page before becoming a fully fledged site in 2020. Schuster says it has snowballed since then. Qualbert is the name of Schuster’s online identity. The publication focuses on the Australian games industry with a close eye on indie games via its news, features, interviews and reviews.  Schuster told Influencing, “We want to spread the message of many Australian indie games to a broader audience, particularly games that might not be as widely known. “We also want to highlight many games that fly under the radar and maybe deserve attention. So we’ll look at doing more interviews, reviews, insight articles into the local game development, and getting involved in as many local events as possible.” Robayo and Mu

In an era where every influencer with a ring light calls themselves a journalist, Jarshad NK still believes in the fundamentals—storytelling, substance, and covering news that matters. With over two decades in journalism, he’s held the line in some of India’s most prestigious newsrooms—Reuters, The Hindu Business Line, Economic Times, Forbes—and taught an entire generation of cub reporters as Dean at ACJ. Today, he leads the editorial charge as editor-in-chief of YourStory Media, one of India’s foremost voices in startup journalism. And yet, Jarshad isn’t clinging to the past. He’s dissecting the future—to get a pie of the AI and tech action. Mentorship, Machines & the Messy Middle “I joined journalism at a time when mistakes weren’t instantly amplified,” Jarshad says, reflecting on a career that predates X (formerly Twitter) outrage cycles. “Back then, your editor had time for a conversation. Today, most young journalists are thrown into a 24/7 digit

Primex Media Services has once again secured the PR mandate for CLEAR Premium Water, marking their third consecutive collaboration. CLEAR Premium Water, a leading name in the packaged drinking water segment, continues to trust the Surat-based agency for its expertise in media relations, press outreach, and content development, according to an official release. Nitesh Desai, Founder & CEO of Primex, said, “This renewed mandate reflects our commitment to elevating CLEAR’s brand presence through impactful communication.” CLEAR’s CEO, Nayan Shah, added, “Primex truly understands our brand and has been key in shaping our public image.”

Integral Ad Science (IAS) has teamed up with Nextdoor to enhance ad safety and suitability on the platform. IAS will power Nextdoor’s first-party brand safety tool, offering AI-driven, pre-bid optimisation to ensure ads appear in brand-safe environments.   This partnership gives advertisers more control, transparency, and protection across Nextdoor’s Newsfeed, reaching one-third of U.S. households.  “At Nextdoor, trust and community go hand in hand, so when it comes to advertising, this isn’t optional, it’s essential,” said Michael Kiernan, Chief Revenue Officer at Nextdoor. “Partnering with Integral Ad Science brings a new layer of trusted, third-party transparency to our platform, giving advertisers the confidence to show up in the right place, at the right time, in front of the right neighbors.”  Full integration of IAS’s Total Media Quality for Nextdoor, including viewability and traffic measurement, is expected in H2 2025. 

In a landmark address on Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a transformative shift in India's counter-terrorism strategy. He declared that Operation Sindoor marks a "new normal," a decisive doctrine aimed at dismantling terror networks and their state sponsors.  Hot off the Press According to Times of India's Akhilesh Kumar Singh, The Hindu's Nistula Hebbar, Hindustan Times' Dhrubo Jyoti and Indian Express' Shubhajit Roy, Modi emphasised in a televised speech that India would no longer tolerate nuclear blackmail or distinguish between terrorists and the governments that harbour them. He stated unequivocally that any future dialogue with Pakistan would be confined to discussions on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). "Trade and terror talks can't go together, blood and water can't flow together," he reportedly said. The Prime Minister lauded the Indian Armed Forces for their precision strikes, which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and P