Shradha Sharma, founder of YourStory, shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) on October 21 describing an incident at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, where she was asked by a restaurant manager to “sit properly” while dining in a padmasana (cross-legged) position. In her post, Sharma wrote: “I was told by the manager at Taj that I should not sit in padmasana while eating. I wonder why a simple, comfortable sitting style should be objectionable to any guest.” She also posted a short video from the restaurant, showing her seated in padmasana at the table. The video and post have since gone viral, with over 1,700 reposts and thousands of comments. The incident occurred during a breakfast meeting at the hotel’s restaurant. Sharma stated that she was not disturbing anyone and questioned the need for such a reprimand in a hospitality setting. Online reactions have been mixed. Some users supported Sharma’s right to sit comfortably, citing cultural norms and personal freedom. Oth

Stephanie Panecasio is on the lookout for new opportunities following her departure from CreativeHubs Group last month.  Panecasio took a redundancy from the company and told Influencing she’d most miss the people she worked with at CreativeHubs.  “One of those is one of my best friends, Leah J. Williams, who is possibly the best and fastest writer, certainly, in games in Australia. Being able to work with her every single day was quite a privilege,” Panecasio told Influencing.  Since Games Hub - her previous employer - was integrated into CHG earlier this year, Panecasio had been Content Operations Manager.  Reflecting on video games journalism in Australia, she said that it was a real shame there’d been so many closures in recent years.  “So many people are still trying to do fun, investigative work that is boosting the industry. But the opportunities, though, are few and far between now.  “It's almost a farewell, in a way, for me, because I’ll still be in

Morning, and welcome to Friday and according to The Australian, PM Albanese rocks. More on that in a moment.  There's no common theme across our dailies today but as usual there are plenty of top stories. Let's start with the country's national which once again has no less than five exclusives on its front page. Top of the page in The Australian is one of their favourite targets, Energy Minister Chris Bowen. And having previously launched a new word, 'Chrisinformation', they use it freely again today ('Disinformation, Chrisinformation...now it's missing information') in the headline on a piece by Paul Garvey. That centres around the government's apparent refusal to release "critical advice around the challenges and pitfalls of the government's net zero plans". In a nutshell this one is about Freedom of Information requests being knocked back, and while it's hardly a rip-roaring tale, it is important, so much so The Australian also has an editorial: "It is easy to speculate on th

Following the attack on journalist Narayan Saikia of Pratidin Times (Assam) while on duty, the issue of journalists’ safety has once again come to the fore. Taking cognisance of the incident, Mintu Duwara, Joint General Secretary of Sangrami Sena Assam, has demanded the immediate arrest of the accused who assaulted the journalist while he was covering an event at Fancy Bazar on October 20, The Sentinel reported. Duwara further urged the government to take urgent measures to ensure the safety of journalists across the state.

The Gauhati High Court has dismissed criminal proceedings against CNN-News18 anchor Akanksha Swarup in connection with remarks made during a televised interview regarding alleged human sacrifices at the Maa Kamakhya temple. The comments were made during an interview with a relative of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was murdered earlier this year in Meghalaya by his wife and her partner. Following the broadcast, Guwahati’s Cyber Branch Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Swarup on June 12, invoking provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as reported by Northeast Now. Swarup subsequently challenged the FIR in the Gauhati High Court. On October 15, Justice Shamima Jahan ruled that the anchor did not intend to incite enmity or promote disharmony, and ordered the FIR to be quashed. During the hearing, the court described the remarks as “careless and unnecessary,” and advised public figures to exercise caution and verify facts be

  image courtesy: Saiast The Hyderabad Disaster Response & Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has fenced a 38-acre land parcel located in Survey No. 25/2 of Pet Basheerabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri district, following reports of illegal encroachments. The land was originally allotted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalists Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society (JNJ MAC Housing Society) by the then State government nearly 18 years ago. However, legal disputes over ownership and boundaries stalled individual allotments. According to a report by The Hindu, HYDRAA officials, the agency received complaints from the housing society, the Revenue Department, and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) regarding unauthorized occupation. A joint inspection confirmed the presence of encroachments and unapproved structures. HYDRAA fenced off the open portions of the land, excluding existing dwellings. The agency stated that a verification process will be conducted soon, durin

Image source: Perplexity AI; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   A phone call meant for Diwali greetings has turned into another diplomatic tangle. Once again, US President Donald Trump claimed India had promised to cut its Russian oil imports — a statement New Delhi neither confirmed nor endorsed. While Trump spoke of trade, oil and “no war with Pakistan,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response was far more restrained — one that focused on hope, friendship and the fight against terrorism. What followed was a familiar scene: Washington’s loud diplomacy meeting Delhi’s studied silence. Hot off the Press Chidanand Rajghatta for The Times of India reported that Trump, during a White House Diwali event, said he had spoken to “Prime Minister Modi today” and that Modi assured him India would be “cutting back” on Russian oil purchases. Trump also added, with typical flourish, “Let’s have no war with Pakistan,” though the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quickly den