Veteran Meghalaya journalist Patricia Mukhim has found herself at the centre of a social media backlash after an old article criticising unsustainable tourism resurfaced following violence during the Khasi Students’ Union’s black-flag bike rally in Shillong on August 19. Mukhim’s article, Maggie Noodles Tourism Killing Meghalaya, has been widely recirculated after an Assam-registered tourist vehicle was attacked during the rally. Some social media users have demanded an apology from her and sought to connect her criticism of tourism with hostility towards visitors from Assam. Speaking to Influencing India, Mukhim rejected that interpretation and condemned the violence, particularly the attack on a vehicle carrying children. “They started beating vehicles and in one of these Assam tourist vehicles, there were kids inside which I think it is very, very cruel to do that because those kids will be traumatized for life. So, that is condemnable. Any kind of violence is condemnab

Tuesday, 25 August 2026 #1  ·  Times Nation  ·  In-depth feature Software in a syringe? Decoding the world's first personalised cancer vax By Times News Network   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 20 Moderna and Merck have announced positive Phase 3 trial results for intismeran autogene, a personalised mRNA cancer treatment used in combination with immunotherapy Keytruda, involving 1,137 high-risk melanoma patients whose tumours had been removed. The treatment, which manufactures a unique mRNA sequence encoding up to 34 cancer-specific neoantigens derived from each patient's tumour, marks the first positive Phase 3 result for both an individualised neoantigen therapy and an mRNA-based cancer therapy. The piece contextualises the science, explains the manufacturing process step by step, includes expert commentary from an Indian oncologist, and addresses implications for India where affordability a

At 99, Lalbiakthanga Pachuau may no longer spend his days in a newsroom as he once did, but journalism remains woven into his daily life. He reads newspapers, watches the news and still tests his grandchildren on current affairs. His grandson Reuben Lalrenrua now helps him edit Zoram Tlangau, the Mizo-language newspaper Pachuau founded more than half a century ago. “He reads the newspapers, he reads the Bible every day and watches the news,” his granddaughter Rose Pachuau said. “He questions us. Do you know the name of our Governor, the ministers and everything?” It is a fitting routine for a man whose life has spanned war, journalism, social activism and some of the most consequential decades in Mizoram's history. Born on March 25, 1927, in Saichal village near Aizawl, Pachuau had only three years of formal schooling. Reading, encouraged by his father, became an early influence. His life then took a very different turn when, at 18, he joined the Briti

CFMEU raids escalate into major corruption probe Police raids on the CFMEU’s Victorian headquarters have intensified scrutiny of alleged corruption tied to major public works, with multiple arrests and investigators seizing items including phones and laptops. Several outlets frame it as a widening “Big Build” integrity crisis, with The Australian reporting the probe has broadened to include allegations such as drug trafficking and fraud—raising the political stakes for governments and regulators overseeing infrastructure spending. Covered by: Herald Sun, The Age, The Australian. GST war brewing as Albanese backs WA deal Anthony Albanese is doubling down on Western Australia’s GST arrangement, setting up a fresh federal–state clash as premiers from other states argue the carve-up is unfair. The West casts it as a firm promise to WA voters, while the Daily Telegraph frames it as an escalating fight with premiers and a political “sweetheart deal” debate ahead of key con

The Australian Financial Review’s Edmund Tadros and Hannah Wootton have been crowned ‘Journalists of the Year’ at the 2026 Kennedy Foundation Awards, held on Friday evening at Royal Randwick in Sydney.  The duo won the award for their reporting on the KPMG Audit Leaks Scandal. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Western Australian journalist, editor and publisher Bret Christian OAM.  The Sydney Morning Herald picked up five awards: Outstanding Cartoon, Outstanding Sport Reporting, Outstanding Three Headlines, Outstanding Feature Writing and Outstanding News Photography.  There were also wins for The Daily Telegraph, News24, Seven Network, ABC and 2GB. The full winners list is below.  2026 Kennedy Journalist of the Year Edmund Tadros and Hannah Wootton - KPMG audit leaks scandal - The Australian Financial Review Indigenous Affairs Reporting Karla Grant, Gary Cox, Gerard Phelan and Bianca Schneller - Living Black - Deaths in

  The journalist community across Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala is mourning the deaths of four senior journalists, with press clubs and associations paying tribute to their contributions. In Assam, senior journalist Niranjan Agarwala, 68, a long‑time member of the Sonitpur Journalists’ Union, passed away at a private nursing home in Tezpur on Sunday. He had been undergoing treatment for diabetes and a liver‑related illness. Agarwala, who worked as town correspondent for The Sentinel’s Hindi edition, was remembered for his long association with Tezpur’s media community. In Chennai, Subash Shankar, 52, a member of the Chennai Press Club, died of a heart attack on August 21. With over 25 years in journalism, Shankar headed technical divisions at channels including Win TV and M. Nadu. The Press Club noted his cordial relations and mentorship of many in television journalism, extending condolences to his family. In Karnataka, the Karnataka Union of Work

  Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay has approached the Supreme Court challenging an FIR registered against him in Ghaziabad in connection with an alleged road-rage incident, calling the case "fake and planted" and citing fears of arrest if he enters Uttar Pradesh. The FIR was registered at Indirapuram police station on August 18 after a complainant alleged that a motorcycle was hit by a Baleno car near Shipra Mall, and that the driver abused and threatened him. The complainant named Upadhyay in connection with the car. In his petition, Upadhyay has linked the police action to his investigative reporting on alleged corruption in Uttar Pradesh, including his coverage of irregularities in donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, according to a report by LiveLaw. Upadhyay, who runs the YouTube channel Top Secret, first reported the Ram Temple donation irregularities in June, based on an insider tip-off and interviews with former employees who had worked on the temple's donation-counting p