Papua New Guinea to ban Facebook to tackle 'fake news'
Sydney, May 29 :The Papua New Guinea government is planning to shut down Facebook for a month to understand users' behaviour and safeguard them from fake news.
According to a report in The Post Courier on Monday, Communication Minister Sam Basil said the shutdown would enable the department and Papua New Guinea National Research Institute conduct research on how the social networking site is being used by users.
"The time will allow information to be collected to identify users that hide behind fake accounts, users that upload pornographic images, users that post false and misleading information on Facebook to be filtered and removed," Basil was quoted as saying.
The effort is seen as to plug loopholes after the British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica improperly shared personal data of of 87 million Facebook users.
The data was gathered via a quiz app "thisisyourdigitallife" developed by Aleksandr Kogan, then a psychology researcher with University of Cambridge, and his company Global Science Research (GSR) which pulled out Facebook users' data in 2014-2015.
According to Basil, the move will allow genuine people with real identities to use the social network responsibly. Facebook was yet to comment on this development. The government is also aiming to enforce the Cyber Crime Act.
"We cannot allow the abuse of Facebook to continue in the country. I will now work closely with the police for them to be properly trained and informed to fully enforce the Cyber Crime Act," said Basil.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week apologised for the Cambridge Analytica data breach in front of the European Parliament (EU) leaders.
Zuckerberg stressed that the social networking giant is trying to plug loopholes across its services, including curbing fake news and political interference on its platform in the wake of upcoming elections globally, including in India.
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Kathak legend Kumudini Lakhia passes away
Ahmedabad, Apr 12 (PTI): Eminent Kathak exponent and choreographer Kumudini Lakhia passed away at her residence in Ahmedabad on Saturday at the age of 95 due to an age-related ailment.
Lakhia was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, on the Republic Day this year in recognition of her lifelong dedication to Kathak.
"Kumudiniben passed away at her home in Ahmedabad at around 11 am. She was 95 and suffering from some age-related ailment for the last three months," said Parul Thakore, administrator of Kadamb Centre for Dance and Music that Lakhia founded here in 1964.
Born on May 17, 1930, in Ahmedabad, Lakhia went on to become a celebrated Indian Kathak dancer and choreographer. At Kadamb Centre, she developed technique, vocabulary and repertoire of Kathak dance.
She also worked as a choreographer in Hindi film "Umrao Jaan" (1981), among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to her and said her passion towards Kathak and Indian classical dances were reflected in her remarkable work over the years.
"Deeply saddened by the passing of Kumudini Lakhia ji, who made a mark as an outstanding cultural icon. Her passion towards Kathak and Indian classical dances was reflected in her remarkable work over the years," Modi said in on social media platform X.
"A true pioneer, she also nurtured generations of dancers. Her contributions will continue to be cherished. Condolences to her family, students and admirers. Om Shanti," he added.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also expressed grief over her demise, and described her "pride of Gujarat and India in the field of classical art".
"She trained many disciples in classical dance and exhibited the glory of Kathak dance in the country and the world. May God grant peace to her soul and give strength to her relatives and countless disciples and admirers to bear this grief. Om Shanti," he posted on X.
Lakhia won numerous prestigious awards such as Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Kalidas Samman, and Gaurav Puraskar from the Gujarat government in recognition of her contribution to the world of Indian dance.
She started doing choreography in 1973 with a small group of students and her endeavour was to transform the presentation of Kathak dance with innovative ways for contemporary expression.
She also presented lectures on 'creativity and performance in dance' at universities in India, USA, and Europe. She learned from various gurus and was also trained under Shambhu Maharaj at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra on a scholarship from the Indian government.
