Should we, or shouldn’t we On the spectrum of hot topics dividing ordinary Australians —somewhere between Gaza and trans people competing in combat sports at one end, and Pineapple on Pizza at the other end — sits WFH: Yes, or no? Views on the subject seem largely split between employers, who don’t love it, arguing that career development, morale, and productivity all suffer when staff stay home, and others — including tech leaders and unions — who argue the opposite: that working from home is both practical and productive. I mention this in the context of an exclusive in The Age by Olivia Ireland, Jessica Young, Chris Zappone, and David Swan (“Labor sat on work-from-home plan”). Their scoop reveals that Labor considered a policy to protect the right to work from home ahead of the last federal election, only to abandon it “to avoid drawing attention to then-Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s unpopular plan to call the public service back to the office. �

Image source: Fortune India, Financial Times, The Nation and Stock Wits India; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   What began as a predictable Trump tantrum over tariffs has now escalated into a diplomatic crossfire. In his second outburst within a week, US President Donald Trump accused India of “profiteering” off Russian oil while promising to “substantially raise” tariffs on Indian goods, following the 25 per cent levy he had already slapped on July 31. This time, the gloves were off and New Delhi wasn’t having it. Hot off the Press The Times of India’s Sidhartha, Sachin Parashar and Chidanand Rajghatta captured the Indian government’s rare and unfiltered pushback. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed Trump’s accusations as “unjustified and unreasonable,” stating India’s energy imports are a matter of economic necessity, not ideology. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted how the same Western powers, namely the US and EU, which criticise India,

KBI.Media will this evening announce a host of new changes at the company - including US expansion - as part of its New Chapter event, held at Soultrap in Surry Hills, Sydney. The main announcement is that expansion into the United States, with KBI.Media Founder Karissa Breen telling Influencing, “after working with the majority of the largest US tech companies for a number of years, the opportunity to deepen these partnerships is truly compelling.  “While there are still myriad opportunities here for us that will continue to be nourished, the opportunities for the company to build a new beachhead in inarguably the largest tech capital in the world and build new content streams for our audience is just too valuable.” KBI.Media COO, Cameron Perry said the decision to pull the US trigger now was in part because the publication had reached “a tipping point in APAC”.  “While KBI.Media isn't ubiquitous in the region yet, we have the momentum, relationships, and rec

Big Trunk Communications, an integrated digital marketing agency, has been awarded the digital marketing mandate for Soframycin, one of India’s most trusted antiseptic cream brands from the Encube Ethicals portfolio.   The mandate includes strategic digital storytelling and social media marketing for Soframycin’s pan-India presence. BigTrunk Communications will reimagine Soframycin’s story, creating modern, relatable digital experiences that stay true to its heritage.  “As we take Soframycin into its next chapter of growth, embracing digital media is not just a strategy but a necessity. We wanted a partner who could translate our scientific credibility into engaging, relatable content for today’s audience,” said Ajay Rawal, VP Marketing, at Soframycin. “BigTrunk’s deep understanding of healthcare communications and digital behaviour makes them the ideal partner to build meaningful narratives around wound care, trust, and wellbeing.”  “Soframycin is

Today Sam Buckingham Jones in the AFR reports a deep fake clone of a US-accented Anthony Albanese have appeared in a wave of AI generated scam ads targeting gullible Australians on YouTube. After years being bombarded with Mel Gibson trying to sell us Bitcoin, I'm pretty sure we should trust the Australian public to know a scam when it sees one. Yes of course, these things are getting more sophisticated all the time but if this is any indication we’re not in the AI hall of mirrors just yet: “Greetings.” says Yankee doodle deepfake, Albo. “We will not fully get rid of taxes of course but any resident will be able to receive dividends from them” before going to try and chisel viewers out of $400 to invest in a platform called AUFIRST.   (Hmm. The word “fully” does lot of eccentric work in that sentence, but I digress.)  Then comes the bait. If you’re looking to “make “$35.00 an hour” (or looking to make fools of yourself) “that's about $850 per da

Value 360 Communications filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) on July 29, becoming the first Indian PR firm to pursue an IPO, a notable shift from the usual route of mergers or acquisitions by global giants like WPP, Omnicom’s Ketchum and Publicis. The firm now enters a silent period, with the IPO expected within 90 days. In contrast, Bengaluru-based The PRactice recently opted for domestic investment from PR entrepreneurs Rishi Seth and Zach Janes, co-founders of Six Degrees. The IPO will comprise up to 42,55,000 equity shares through a mix of fresh issue and offer for sale, with each share having a face value of Rs 10. The price will be decided via the book-building process. Shares are proposed to be listed on NSE’s EMERGE platform, with the issue fully underwritten and backed by a three-year market-making agreement. The offering falls under regulation 229(2) and 253(1) of Chapter IX of SEBI’s ICDR Regulations, 2018. Financials show stable revenue and strong profit

Image source: India Today, The Guardian and The Indian Express; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   The Opposition which has been floundering since the 2024 loss is finally trying to get its act together ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. In their first show of unity since the Lok Sabha elections last year, leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc will gather for a dinner meeting on August 7. Hosted by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, they plan to chalk out a joint strategy on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and discuss fielding a joint candidate for the Vice-Presidential elections scheduled for September 9. Hot off the Press The Congress has been facing flak from several INDIA bloc leaders for not taking the initiative to keep the alliance together. The top leaders of the coalition had last met for a structured meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s home in New Delhi a day after the Lok Sabha election results. The upcoming meeting is being vi