IIT Bombay has introduced guidelines requiring permission for political lectures and talks after a PhD student complained about a guest lecture on the Palestine situation. Faculty at the institute have supported the professor who organised the lecture but have criticised the threats made against her. Students and faculty have expressed concern that the new guidelines limit freedom of speech and academic freedom. The institute has appointed a fact-finding committee to investigate and propose action.
South Africa’s Competition Commission will investigate whether digital platforms like Meta and Google were unfairly competing with news publishers by using their content to generate ad revenue. The inquiry comes at a critical moment for the media industry as news consumption rapidly shifts online and traditional sources of funding decline. The investigation will examine market features, bargaining power imbalances, and the need to promote diversity in news and public interest journalism.
