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Turkeys leading university is accused of politically motivated retribution against a lecturer who supported student protests in what critics say is the latest example of academic freedom being curtailed in the country. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org Feyzi Erin, a lawyer and part-time lecturer, had his course canceled by the university at the end of May. His supporters say this was due to his very public support for students protesting against a government-appointed rector.Erin told The Media Line that Istanbuls Boazii University claimed it canceled his course because he was giving out inflated grades, an accusation that he said was blatantly false.The only reason could be that I (as a lawyer, fulfilling my public duties) responded to my students legal aid needs and assisted them in the unfair accusations and trials they have been through, he wrote in a message.Erin visited students at court after they were detained following protests at the university that broke out in January against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoans appointment of rector Melih Bulu.Bulu is a member of Erdoans Justice and Development Party who had once run as a candidate in a national election.Students and much of the faculty said the process for his appointment was undemocratic and lacked transparency.The arrests of students garnered criticism from the US and the demonstrations drew similarities to the 2013 mass anti-government Gezi Park protests, which were followed by a large crackdown on civil society and the press.More protests were staged this week, with students setting up tents to stay on campus overnight, but local reports say the police forcibly took them off the grounds around midnight.Political science professor Zeynep Gambetti, who teaches part-time at Boazii after retiring in 2019, said Erins removal shows how far the new university administration is wiling to go.This is a turning point in that, until now, they hadnt really touched or meddled with curricula; they hadnt interfered this directly into departmental decision-making procedures, she said.The administration is showing its teeth now.Assistant professor of political science at Istanbuls Sabanc University, Berk Esen, said the government could not go after full-time faculty members in the same way as Erin because expelling them would be more difficult.Still, he said, the termination of Erins course could be a warning to both academic staff and part-time lecturers that they could be targeted.This is an utter attack, a personal vendetta by the Boazii administration, Esen told The Media Line.Basically the rectors office is going after [Erin].Boazii University and the Turkish government did not respond to The Media Lines requests for comment.In a previous email, Turkeys Directorate of Communications told The Media Line that the constitution allows the president to appoint rectors.Thats been the case for four decades, during which many governments with different political views were in charge."Not so," said Gambetti, who said that Boazii appointed its own rectors starting in the early 1990s, although the government stopped the practice when it put the country under emergency rule following the 2016 coup attempt.This is a government project; there is a puppet administration at Boazii, said Gambetti.She said other newly appointed high-level staff of the university had similar ties to the government, such as the dean of the Faculty of Law, Selami Kuran.Kuran has advocated for Erdoans highly contentious, multibillion-dollar project to build a canal in Istanbul.Turkish news website Duvar reported that Kuran was on a committee at Istanbuls Marmara University that disciplined academics who signed a 2016 petition calling on the government to peacefully end a conflict in the southeast involving the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia.Many signatories lost their jobs, and some were tried and convicted for disseminating terrorist propaganda.Following the coup attempt later that year, even more academics across Turkey were removed and some universities closed.However, Boazii, which some refer to as the Harvard of Turkey, has come under particular scrutiny.Following the protests in the winter, Erdoan called the students terrorists who didnt share the countrys values.In a statement to the Turkish state news channel TRT, Turkeys Communications Director Fahrettin Altun in February said the students of the university have in recent years joined terrorist organizations like the PKK.We must shed light on the darkness that turns some of our nations brightest students into terrorists. We also condemn the ongoing attempt to smear Boazii Universitys reputation by falsely portraying the radical views of a small group as the position of an entire community, he said.Gambetti said Boazii was one of the last bastions of academic freedom, and its diversity and liberal atmosphere combined with its high profile had made it a target.The reason why Boazii was so special is exactly the reason why the government wants to put its hands on it, she said.

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Teachers termination at Turkish university raise worry on govt control - The Jerusalem Post

Police officers evict people during a "macrobotellon" (drinking and dancing session) on a street, as the state of emergency decreed by the Spanish Government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) gets lifted in Barcelona. Spain, May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Spanish regions with a low coronavirus infection rate will be allowed to reopen nightlife before herd immunity is achieved, which is expected by mid-August, the health minister said on Wednesday after meeting with regional authorities.

Regions with a 14-day notification rate of infections below 50 cases per 100,000 people will be able to open discos and clubs until 3 a.m., although some restrictions will continue.

It was not clear whether dance floors will be allowed and the party group - a maximum of six people inside - has to remain masked, according to local media.

"A gradual and progressive return to normality is needed. Lessons must be learned", the health minister, Carolina Darias, told journalists.

Health standards are in the hands of the regions in Spain, although according to the minister, this agreement is binding.

Madrid, where bars and restaurants are already open until 1 a.m. despite being one of the top five regions with the highest infection rates, rejects the criteria and wants more flexibility.

Spain's overall infection rate fell to 118.5 cases per 100,000 on Wednesday, nearly halving since the end of April, but only the Balearic islands, Valencia and the North African enclave of Ceuta meet the sub-50 requirement.

In medium-risk regions with a downward infection rate - which is most of the country - venues may also be opened but with a 30% indoor capacity.

Despite the drastic reduction in deaths, the official COVID-19 death toll on Wednesday passed the 80,000 mark.

With most Spanish clubs not welcoming revellers until after midnight and staying open well into the small hours, the proposal got a lukewarm welcome from the sector.

"The only good news is that they let us open, but obviously it is not worth opening until 2 a.m.", Ramon Mas, head of the Spain nightlife association Espana de Noche, told state broadcaster TVE.

Although Mas said he was confident the vaccination pace would allow the sector to recover after 10,000 clubs and discos have been closed for more than 14 months, he said government plans lacked a calendar to delay the closing hour or improve capacity.

Mas said clubs could offer a safer alternative than street parties which have been a common scene in Spanish cities during weekends since the state of emergency ended last month and could help drive a recovery in tourism.

"Tourists will come if they have the chance for a good time and the alternative until 2 a.m. is a very limited option," he told TVE.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Spain permit limited nightlife in regions with COVID-19 under control - Reuters

ABN and TV News Channels have approached the Supreme Court after they were included as accused in MP Raghu Rama Krishnam Rajus sedition case FIR by the APCID. The issue came before the Supreme Court on Monday and the Apex court stayed coercive action against the two channels in this case.

The bench hearing the petition expressed a prima facie view that the FIRs are an attempt to muzzle media freedom and Justice DY Chandrachud that it is the time to define the limits of sedition and also opined criticizing a Government does not amount to sedition.

CID has incorporated both the channels in the FIR on the allegation that they alloted premeditated and organized slots to the MP to intentionally malign the state government. The Supreme Court already granted bail to the Accused No 1, Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju in this case.

The MP has alleged custodial violence by the CID and is demanding a CBI inquiry. The issue is also pending before the Supreme Court.

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Supreme Court Suspects Andhra Pradesh Government of Trying To Control Media - Mirchi9

Everyone on Instagram and Facebook will now have the option to hide their public like counts so they can decide what works for them.

Rising Star Awards 2021 Entry Deadline - Friday, June 11, 2021 - ENTER NOW

It has been done to see if it might depressurise peoples experience on Instagram. Not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense for whats trending or popular, so now the choice is personal.

More ways have been looked upon to give people control over their experience. Thats why they announced new tools to allow people to filter offensive content from their DMs and gave people ways to control what they see and share on Facebooks News Feed like the Feed Filter Bar, Favorites Feed and Choose Who Can Comment.

New options to hide public like counts

From now on, there will be option to hide like counts on all posts in the feed. There will also be option to hide like counts on own posts, so others cant see how many likes on the posts. This way, one can focus on the photos and videos being shared, instead of how many likes posts get.

One can hide like counts on others posts by visiting the new posts section in settings. This control applies to all the posts in the feed.

One can also choose to hide like counts before sharing a post. One can turn this setting on or off, even after it goes live. People want more flexibility, so this option has been given. In the next few weeks one can see both of these controls come to Facebook.

Collaborating with experts and creators

What one person wants from their Instagram experience is different from the next, and peoples needs are changing. They have been working closely with third-party experts to better understand how to empower people, build self-awareness and shape a more positive experience on Instagram.

They are also funding more external research about peoples experiences on Instagram, and how they can improve their policies and products to support their community. They are currently requesting research proposals from global academics and non-profits. If interested find more information here on how to submit.

In India, they also recently collaborated with the Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) to initiate the fifth edition of the Counter Speech Fellowship, a programme that engages creative teens to use the power of visual storytelling to start meaningful conversations on issues that are important to young citizens around the world. This includes the themes of bullying, diversity, mental well-being and gender equality.

Changing the way people view like counts is a big shift. They will continue working on new ways to give people more choice, so they feel good about the time they spend on their apps.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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Instagram and Facebook roll out option to remove likes, to give people more control - Best Media Info

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Everybody's watching this proverbial canary in the coal mine

Author of the article:

By David Rosenberg and Krishen Rangasamy

Inflation watchers are interested in wages because it is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Excessively high inflation has historically been accompanied by accelerating wage growth, over and above the trend in labour productivity.

Its true that between 1992 and 2000, wage growth picked up without a corresponding increase in actual inflation. But that was a period during which the U.S. dollar was surging, keeping import prices (and hence overall inflation) under wraps. So, could we have another wage-driven inflation spiral la late 1970s/early 1980s?

The latest data do not suggest an acceleration in the pace of nominal wage growth (and at a time when measured productivity is picking up at an even faster rate). And here we are talking not about hourly earnings data from U.S. employment reports which, as we have seen over the past year, can be distorted by composition effects as employment of lower paid workers fluctuates. Instead, were referring to the Atlanta Feds Wage Growth Tracker, which tracks reasonably well the private sector wage component of the Employment Cost Index and measures the growth of wages of the same group of workers over 12 months, making the measure less susceptible to compositional changes. According to that measure, wage growth seems to be levelling off at less than four per cent year over year.

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The loss of momentum for wages should come as no surprise considering still-significant amounts of slack in the labour market. While employment rose for the fourth consecutive month in April, there are still nearly 10 million Americans who are out of work. But looking beyond obvious cyclical factors, it is clear that structural forces continue to weigh on wages. Recall that towards the end of 2019, i.e., when the labour market was booming and the broad unemployment rate was near all-time lows, wage growth remained stuck in the three-to-four-per-cent range.

Back in 1999-2000, a similarly tight labour market generated much higher wage growth. Some will blame accelerated globalization, which moved up a gear in 2001 as China joined the World Trade Organization. Others will point to even earlier trends such as the decline in unionization rates the employment share of union members has dropped by half since 1984 which continues to limit workers bargaining power.

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The level of skills/education may also be affecting the extent of wage growth. Research from the Atlanta Fed shows that wage growth after a period of unemployment tends to be positively related with education. The same research concludes that less educated workers face a double whammy in the sense they are more likely to lose their jobs and also experience slower wage growth once they return to employment. This is exactly what the U.S. labour market is facing over the next year or so, considering most of the job losses during the pandemic were experienced by less educated employees.

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Also note that the pandemic has hurt part-timers (whose employment is down 10 per cent since February 2020) more than those with full-time positions (down less than five per cent). As such, the return to the labour market of part-timers (who also tend to earn less than full-time workers) is likely to keep a lid on overall wage growth in coming quarters.

While the outlook for wage growth is not exactly rosy, let us assume for a minute that firms suddenly feel compelled to dish out raises to workers. And here we are thinking of transformative policies by Congress to strengthen worker bargaining power e.g., increasing wage transparency, reducing the use of non-compete contracts, and reducing labour market monopsony.

Not necessarily. Historically, firms tend to pass on higher costs to consumers when wage growth outpaces productivity growth. There is indeed a clear positive correlation between the annual core inflation rate and the wage-productivity differential.

The good news is that cost-push inflation looks to be under control, with productivity growth significantly outpacing wage growth in recent quarters. It may be too early to assert with complete confidence that we are seeing a structural shift upwards in productivity, but latest data is showing a discernible breakout in trend (incredibly, to more than a four-per-cent rate at the moment).

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While we hear constantly of labour shortages in the media and survey data, the silent majority of the corporate sector has learned to produce more with less labour input during the pandemic (with business expenditure on automation rising nearly 20 per cent in the past year at a time when total labour input is down four per cent). It does look like one of the effects of the pandemic has been to push the capital-labour ratio higher and that, my friends, is not the fundamental ingredient for any sustainable inflation cycle.

Join me on Webcast with Dave on June 15, when I will be hosting Lacy Hunt, executive vice-president of Hoisington Investment Management. Learn more on my website.

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David Rosenberg: Is wage inflation getting out of control? - Financial Post