The central government has once again placed its bet on bureaucrats over professional economists in running the Reserve Bank of India by naming revenue secretary Sanjay Malhotra, 56, as the 26th Reserve Bank of India governor to replace Shaktikanta Das, whose six-year stint on Mumbai’s Mint Road ends Tuesday. The appointment was a surprise for Malhotra himself and he was said to be coming to grips with the development as he left North Block on Monday evening. IAS topper from the 1990 batch, Malhotra — who has been poring over Budget proposals and preparing for the crucial GST Council meeting later this month — will leave IAS more than three years before his age of retirement to take up one of the most powerful jobs in the country, wrote Sidhartha for The Times of India. In opting for Malhotra, the Modi govt has signalled its preference for a civil servant to run the Reserve Bank after Das, also from IAS, ensured smooth coordination with the Centre, ending years of tussling be

Emeline Gazilas has been promoted to executive producer at Mamamia, where she will continue her work on the popular Mamamia Out Loud podcast alongside group executive producer Ruth Devine.  Announcing her new role on LinkedIn, Gazilas expressed enthusiasm for this next step in her media career. A seasoned professional, Gazilas joined Mamamia as a senior producer in June 2023 after nearly a decade at Network Ten, where she held roles ranging from producer to assistant to executive production.  Her early career highlights include producing the web series Stuntbear and contributing as a videographer and editor for the Sydney Latin American Film Festival. She also volunteered with the Bank of Sydney Lebanese Film Festival. Gazilas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media from UNSW and brings a diverse range of experience to her expanded role at Mamamia.  

Mark Levy, a seasoned broadcaster with 18 years at 2GB, will take over the 2GB Mornings slot from Ray Hadley, who is retiring. Radio Info announced that the transition will begin on December 16, marking Levy's long-standing journey with the station. Levy, a six-time Australian Commercial Radio Award (ACRA) winner, is celebrated for his versatility, having frequently filled in for Hadley and Ben Fordham on Breakfast. He will also continue his roles with Wide World of Sports and The Continuous Call Team during the NRL season. 2GB content manager Luke Davis praised Levy as a "gifted and versatile broadcaster" who will bring fresh energy to the 9:00 am–12:00 pm slot.  Levy expressed gratitude and excitement about stepping into the role, describing it as an honour to follow his mentor Ray Hadley. “I look forward to engaging with Sydney’s listeners, especially during an important election year,” Levy said. Levy’s new role cements his reputation as one of the station's leadin

Terry Durack, one of Australia’s most renowned food critics, has resigned as chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and the SMH Good Food Guide.  In his latest column, Durack explained that increasing financial pressures on the restaurant industry have made it challenging for critics to be entirely candid, especially when "so many people are working harder for less." Durack, who has been with SMH since 1994 and edited eight editions of the Good Food Guide, said he is ready to step away from the relentless demands of deadlines. Looking forward, he plans to enjoy dining anonymously and rediscover the pure joy of food without the weight of critique. Reflecting on his journey, Durack shared how his passion for food began in his youth when hunger and loneliness forged his deep connection to dining.  "It’s a relationship that has shaped my life," he said, recounting how the art of reviewing was driven by a mix of joy in discovery and respect for culinary craft. Du

As the Christmas break quickly approaches, here are the Christmas shutdown plans for some of Australia's biggest tech publications. Drop your or your title's holiday availability in the comments, and we'll update this story with all new information. Influencing will be running a light Epitome from Monday, 16th 2024 and then pausing the column from Friday, 20th through to Monday 6th. We'll return with our light version of the column and resume normal service on Monday 13th. The Fin Tech Editor Paul Smith said, "We don't really shut down, to be honest. There are a few days when there is a "bumper" print issue on the shelves of newsagents rather than a daily paper, but the AFR newsroom never fully sleeps!" Tech Day  Tech Day's last day for this year will be on Friday, December 20, and a "skeleton crew" will cover the break from the 20th to Monday, January 13.  ARN  ARN's last newsletter for the year will be on Friday, December 20. ARN's Lilia Guan will cover any news from

WhistleOut’s Managing Editor and Group Reviews Editor, Alex Choros, says it’s wonderful to have his work recognised. Last week, the journalist won the Best Investigative Writer category in the 2024 Consensus IT Writers Awards.  “It’s such a privilege to be shortlisted or a finalist in any industry award.” Choros said, So it’s wonderful to have my work recognised.” It’s the second award Choros has won in his journalism career, having previously won Best Consumer Technology Coverage at the 2023 Australian IT Journalism Awards. Choros was also a finalist in the most controversial writer category at last year’s Consensus IT Writers Awards and has twice been highly commended for Best Reviewer at the Lizzies.  However, for this award, Choros’ winning investigation concerned Telstra-owned digital data provider Belong Mobile.  “I submitted a story I wrote at the end of last year about a Belong data gifting grey market where third parties are selling Belong data

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 | Following up on yesterday’s exclusive where Henry Belot and Josh Taylor noted that Sportsbet had been effectively able to advertise gambling to children on Snapchat, the two Guardian journos filed a second exclusive as politicians demand Sportsbet pull promotional filters from Snapchat.   It’s a well-timed faux pas for Snapchat—having recently dodged the worst of the criticism aimed at contemporaries like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok—and one that simultaneously highlights the difficult task of actually moderating social media platforms effectively when you have the competing interests of children, adults, disgusting industries that only profit from human misery, and the platform itself to consider.  Now, as a result of Belot and Taylor’s reportage, pollies such as Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and independent MP Kate Chaney got to take free shots both at Snapchat and Sportsbet, one for failing to protect online youths and the other fo