Image source: MDPI, The Hindu and TOI; Edited by Dinesh Raj M       No Mediator at the Table For months, Donald Trump repeatedly boasted that his White House “saved South Asia from nuclear war” by mediating during Operation Sindoor. But Pakistan’s own deputy PM and foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has now quietly dismantled that story. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dar admitted that when Islamabad pushed Washington for mediation, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told him bluntly: India doesn’t want third parties. As Hindustan Times reported, Dar revealed that during a July 25 meeting in Washington, Rubio said India insisted the ceasefire was strictly bilateral. This version lines up with what India has said all along — that the May 10 ceasefire following Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strikes on terror camps after the Pahalgam attack, was arranged directly between the Directors General of Military Operations of both nations. Firstpost highlight

Vertoz Limited, a global MadTech and CloudTech platform company, has secured the communications mandate for XLRI - Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, expanding its clientele across the education sector.   Vertoz will lead XLRI’s communication strategy across content, PR and digital platforms. The agency aims to build a strong communication framework for XLRI that goes beyond conventional communication, focusing on authentic storytelling, industry dialogues, and narratives that highlight XLRI’s contribution to shaping leadership in India and globally.  Hiren Shah, managing director of Vertoz, said, “This partnership is more than a contract – it is a new relationship built on trust and the power of meaningful communication and impact. As I have said earlier, education is the foundation of tomorrow, and when an institution like XLRI chooses to collaborate with us, it validates our belief that institutions don’t need more media; they need smarter media. We

Elisha Newell, Jack McGinn and Isabel Vieira, with Sean Cowan (front). Photo: Michael O'Brien.   It's a success story by any measure - WA-based Business News, helmed by experienced and newly promoted executive editor Sean Cowan, has reached its 1000th issue and continues to grow with new staff announced this week.  Jack McGinn is promoted to deputy editor from senior journalist and will oversee the flagship magazine. McGinn said: “More than a decade in, journalism has been a wild but rewarding ride. Working in a growing media organisation with talented and dedicated people across all of its departments is a privilege, and not something I take for granted.” Isabel Vieira becomes chief of staff, charged with directing the industry-leading online coverage. And Elisha Newell is the new head of data for editorial, driving innovation in intelligence and product development. Sean Cowan’s move from editor to executive editor, is, says the publisher, “aligning with internation

Few editors find themselves in the position that Ben Mansill faced penning the final editorial of PC Powerplay. Because it was Mansill, who almost thirty years prior wrote the very first editorial of the magazine, which would go on to become Australia's longest-running gaming magazine and arguably the country's most iconic gaming masthead. Last week, the final issue of PC Powerplay hit newsagent's shelves and subscriber's letterboxes for the very last time. The publisher of Australia's longest-running gaming magazine, Future, finally conceded to the commercial realities of gaming media, closing the magazine that first launched back in May, 1996. Mansill was PC PowerPlay’s launch editor. He brute-forced its way into existence, convincing publisher Phil Keir that the booming PC gaming scene in Australia deserved a dedicated magazine. Few editors are there at both the beginning and the end and for Mansill, that symmetry was bittersweet. “It’s really sad, book-ending it �

Potentially exploding Chinese-made cars, which could also be used as surveillance devices, should not be ridden in by government officials - that's the stark warning this morning from a top cyber expert, as reported by The Australian Financial Review's Michael Read. Trouble is, and this is not Mr Read's fault, the grab on the front page of the AFR attributes those quotes to Australia's Lt General Susan Coyle, who heads Defence's cyber and space operations. Inside the paper, though - the publication is running the Financial Review Cyber Summit - there's extended coverage, and those strong comments were apparently made by Alistair MacGibbon, the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX and a former cybersecurity advisor to then-PM Malcolm Turnbull. It certainly seems like a comment MacGibbon would make, and not a top Australian General who would traditionally be more circumspect, as she was.  The Summit has attracted some heavy hitters, including Lt General Coyle, who did say, "I woul

  Image courtesy: NDTV   Journalists covering actor Vijay’s debut rally in Trichy on September 13 found themselves at the centre of chaos, as some supporters heckled a senior reporter during live coverage while others struggled without basic facilities like water, shade, restrooms or press enclosures. The lack of arrangements on the organisers’ part and crowd mismanagement left several members of the media fainting or in distress. Heckling in Full View A senior television journalist, who was reporting live from the rally, was mobbed by overenthusiastic Vijay fans. Viewers saw supporters dancing around him, mocking him with gestures and one even draping the party shawl around his head. The visuals sparked immediate outrage. Influencing India contacted the journalist involved in the incident, but he declined to comment. Journalists Caught in the Chaos Influencing India also spoke to senior cameraman, Karunakaran, associated with a digital news platform in Tamil Nadu, who

Sindhu Hariharan, bureau chief at The Hindu Business Line, has announced the launch of a new podcast, Digital Play Books. The show is designed as a platform where tech leaders and analysts share insights on navigating the fast-changing digital economy. Each episode will feature candid conversations with industry leaders on emerging technologies and the future of business in a digitally driven world. The first episode featured Zoho’s senior leaders, Shailesh Davey, CEO and co-founder of Zoho Corporation and Mani Vembu, CEO of Zoho Corp, discussing how they separate AI’s hype from reality in SaaS, investment avenues to navigate the change, why Zoho’s office looks like a college campus and more. The episode also navigates the global geopolitical climate and opportunities for India. The first episode of Digital Play Books can be watched here. Stay tuned to The Hindu businessline YouTube channel for the upcoming episodes.