New dates have been confirmed for the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo.

The annual events, run by the World Association of Newspapers, were originally scheduled for March but were cancelled after a low take up of delegate places.

The congress will now be held from 30 November to 3 December in Hyderabad, India.

For more information visit the wanindia2009.com.

The Newspaper Society has written to the Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne to warn of the danger posed to local press by council publications competing for advertising.

It also warns of the dangers of removing mandatory requirements for local authorities to publish statutory notices in newspapers as was recommended in the Killian Pretty Review of Planning Applications.

The letter says the proposals, which are currently being examined by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett, could lead to a more secretive, less-open government.

The full Newspaper Society letter can be read here.

The National Union of Journalists is calling on reps from across the UK to join them at a lobbying session in parliament.

Chapels and branches are being urged to send reps to talk to MPs at 2pm on 25 March as part of its campaign against media cutbacks.

For more information and to register interest e-mail campaigns@nuj.org.uk.

Plymouth daily The Herald has set up its own social networking site.

thisisplymouth.co.uk/iHerald allows users to create their own profile, make friends, chat and upload video, images and audio.

This latest addition increases The Herald's online presence which include a dedicated YouTube section and updates on microblogging site Twitter.

Herald web editor Neil Shaw said: "The response has been great, with 200 members joining in our first month. The recent snow storm saw users uploading pictures of themselves playing in the snow, or incredible wintery scenes. They became an army of photographers and reporters sending in images we couldn't get to."

The Midland News Association is offering advertising clients a new online by-the-hour service.

For from £2 an hour, companies can now target their ads at specific times of the day on both its expressandstar.com and shropshirestar.com websites.

The MNA says it is the first in the UK to employ this type of targeted advertising service which it runs in conjunction with Scandinavian company Adicate.