Facebook partners researchers to find its impact on US polls

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Facebook partners researchers to find its impact on US polls

The social networking giant has announced a new research partnership to better understand the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes and behaviors during the US 2020 election.

The research initiative will examine the impact of how people interact with Facebook and its products, including content shared in News Feed and across Instagram, and the role of features like content ranking systems.

The partnership is between Facebook researchers and independent external academics.

Externally, the project is led by Professors Talia Stroud and Joshua A Tucker, two independent academics who serve as chairs of ‘Social Science One’ committees.

Professors Tucker and Stroud have selected 15 additional researchers to collaborate on this effort, based on their expertise.

“The US elections in 2016 exposed the risk of social media being abused to interfere in elections, and misinformation and political polarisation clearly play out on social media platforms too,” Nick Clegg, VP of Global Affairs and Communications at Facebook, said in a blog post on Monday.

“To continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research”.

The external researchers won’t be paid by Facebook and they won’t answer to Facebook either.

“Neither the questions they’ve asked nor the conclusions they draw will be restricted by Facebook,” Clegg said.

The researchers have committed to publishing their findings in academic journals in open access format.

Facebook expects initial papers to be available in mid-2021 at the earliest.

Facebook and the researchers will also document study plans and hypotheses in advance through a pre-registration process and release those initial commitments upon publication of the studies.

“We are asking for the explicit, informed consent from those who opt to be part of the research that analyses individual level data,” said Chaya Nayak, Head of Facebook’s Open Research and Transparency Team.

“We will also analyze aggregated user data on Facebook and Instagram to help us understand patterns,” Nayak added.

Facebook said that now, three times as many people are working on safety and security issues, more than 35,000 in total.

Facebook this month launched a new Voter Information Center as part of the biggest ever voter information campaign in the US, with the goal of registering four million voters.

Manushi Chhillar: Health, nutrition top the chart of things I’m passionate about

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Manushi Chhillar: Health, nutrition top the chart of things I’m passionate about

Former beauty queen and Bollywood debutante Manushi Chhillar is starting a social media campaign on nutrition. She wants to tell people about the positives of eating right.

“I have been told repeatedly that we are what we eat and we have to be very cognizant about what we intake,” said Manushi on National Nutrition Week, which commenced on Tuesday.

She added: “Proper nutrition has manifold health benefits and through my social media, I intend to tell as many people as possible about the positives one can unlock by eating right.”

Manushi credits her doctor’s parents for inculcating the knowledge about how proper nutrition can be a game-changer.

“My parents are doctors and they have always told me that our eating habits define our total health. With this learning, I have been able to lead a very balanced life because awareness about nutrition is key for anyone to understand whether they are planning their meals correctly,” she said.

Manushi added that malnutrition can really damage the inside. “I will use my social media to drive home as much awareness as possible through National Nutrition Week.”

Manushi shared that she is a big fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

“There are a few things that I’m deeply passionate about, and health and nutrition are definitely on top of that chart. I will show people how I eat and balance my diet so that I keep cravings at bay, and also ensure I give proper breaks to my body between meals. It’s a fun social media awareness campaign and I hope to connect with as many likeminded people as possible and jam with them,” she said.

No Messi as Barcelona return to training

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No Messi as Barcelona return to training

FC Barcelona has begun their training under new coach Ronald Koeman but as expected, star striker Lionel Messi was missing.

The Argentinian did not return along with the rest of his teammates for the start of pre-season training on Monday after he refused to take a PCR test for COVID-19 on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Messi’s decision is another step in his plan to leave the club where he has spent the last 20 years, with the striker and his advisors taking the stance that his contract with Barcelona allows him to leave the Camp Nou on a free transfer this summer.

This opinion is not shared by Barcelona or the Spanish Football League (LaLiga).

In a statement on Sunday, LaLiga supported Barcelona, saying that anyone who wants to buy Messi will have to pay his 700-million-euro release clause.

LaLiga is not a disinterested party in this affair, given that the Argentinian is its biggest star and the league has already lost Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years.

The possible departure of the biggest name will see LaLiga lose ground to the Premier League (especially if Messi moves to Manchester City) and make it harder to demand high fees for TV rights.

Koeman held his first training session with just 13 first-team professionals and six players from the Barcelona B-team, with others such as Sergio Busquets and Ansu Fati reporting for international duty in Madrid.

Ivan Rakitic was another absentee as the 32-year-old Croatian is in Sevilla for a medical ahead of a return to the club that he left to join Barca in 2014.

Rakitic, who was recently told by Koeman that he was not part of his plans for the coming season, is expected to sign a three-year contract with the newly-crowned Europa League champions.

Google to display ‘licensable’ badge over images

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Google to display ‘licensable’ badge over images

In a bid to better help Search users find images that can be used for their personal or professional work or not, Google has made it easier to find licensable images on its platform.

For results where the publisher or image creator provided licensing information, Google will now display a “licensable” badge over the image.

“When you select a badged image to view, we will show a link to the license details of the image, and if provided by the publisher, you’ll also find a link to where you can purchase or license the image,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

After collaborating closely with image creators, stock image providers, and digital content associations, the company has launched new features on Google Images.

The Google Images users can now filter results to only return those images that include licensing information.

“You can now select either image that has Creative Commons licenses, or those that have commercial or other licenses, in the Usage Rights dropdown menu on Google Images,” the company said.

For any of the license types, the users can learn how to acquire a license for the image by clicking on the license details link provided.

In addition to licensing information, people can also see information related to image credit, copyright, and creator when they select an image to view on Google Images.

Google Photos has over 1 billion users.

US Open: Top-seed Pliskova eases past Kalinina in opening round

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US Open: Top-seed Pliskova eases past Kalinina in opening round

Top seed Karolina Pliskova has reached the second round of the US Open with a clinical win over Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.

Competing as the top seed at a Grand Slam for the second time in her career, Pliskova on Monday shook off some early rust in a tricky first set before registering a confident 6-4, 6-0 victory over Kalinina in a match that lasted a little over an hour.

“I think this match, especially the first set was in a couple of periods,” Pliskova said after the match as per the WTA website. “I think I started not really great with the first game, but then I was able to play quite aggressively, and I was making a lot of points.”

Pliskova had stumbled last week in her first tournament of the season’s resumption at the Western & Southern Open, where she was defeated in her opening match by Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova.

But she returned to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday with renewed confidence and fired 26 winners and seven aces during the course of her victory.

Pliskova will now take on No. 32 seed Caroline Garcia, after the Frenchwoman defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-3, 6-2 in her opening contest.

Ibrahimovic extends contract with AC Milan until 2021

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Ibrahimovic extends contract with AC Milan until 2021

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has ended speculation around his future by signing a one-year contract extension with Serie A side AC Milan.

“AC Milan is delighted to announce that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has renewed his contract with the club until June 30, 2021,” the club said in a statement on Monday.

According to the Serie A side, the 38-year-old has re-joined his teammates and coach Stefano Pioli at Milanello Sports Center, where he took part in his first training session of the season.

The Swedish champion began his journey with the club in 2010 when he made 85 appearances and scored 56 goals during a stint which also yielded one Scudetto and one Supercoppa.

Ibrahimovic returned to Milan in January this year and contributed significantly to AC Milan’s return to Europe, netting 11 goals in 20 matches, reaching the 100 appearances milestone with the Rossoneri.

FB to stop Australian publishers from sharing news on its platform

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FB to stop Australian publishers from sharing news on its platform

Facebook has threatened to block Australian publishers from sharing news on its platform as well as Instagram as the country wants the social network to pay media companies for using their content.

Facebook said that the new regulation would force it to pay news organizations for content that the publishers voluntarily place on its platforms “and at a price that ignores the financial value it brings publishers”.

“We are left with a choice of either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits,” Will Easton, Managing Director, Facebook Australia & New Zealand, said in a blog post on Monday.

“Unfortunately, no business can operate that way”.

Facebook said that Australia is drafting a regulation that misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organizations the government is trying to protect.

The government has ordered the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to develop a mandatory code of conduct for Facebook and Google that will force the tech giants to pay media companies for using their content.

“When crafting this new legislation, the commission overseeing the process ignored important facts, most critically the relationship between the news media and social media and which one benefits most from the other,” Easton said.

Facebook in June rejected the call from the Australian government to pay media companies for using their content.

“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram. This is not our first choice – it is our last,” The Facebook executive stressed.

The ACCC presumes that Facebook benefits most in its relationship with publishers, when in fact the reverse is true.

Facebook said that news represents a fraction of what people see in their News Feed and is not a significant source of revenue for it.

Over the first five months of 2020, the company said it sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebook’s News Feedback to Australian news websites at no charge – additional traffic worth an estimated $200 million AUD to Australian publishers.

“We already invest millions of dollars in Australian news businesses and, during discussions over this legislation, we offered to invest millions more,” Easton said.

Facebook said its products and services in Australia that allow family and friends to connect will not be impacted by its decision.

Monuments other than Taj to reopen from Tuesday in Agra

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Monuments other than Taj to reopen from Tuesday in Agra

The officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the district administration said all necessary preparations and precautions were in place to welcome visitors to the historical monuments in Agra, other than the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort.

The monuments that will be reopened after 163 days are Akbar’s tomb Sikandra, Etmauddaula, Mehtaab Bagh, Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted capital of Mughal emperor Akbar, Mariam’s tomb, Ram Bagh, Chini ka Roza.

Basant Kumar, Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI said all visitors would be thoroughly screened, sanitized before being permitted to enter monuments. Tickets would need to be purchased online, as ticket windows will not be opened at the monuments. All visitors will have to wear masks. Only 2,000 visitors would be allowed daily.

District Magistrate P. N. Singh said on the basis of the experience gained, plans would be made to reopen the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort after September 15, but tourists would have to follow the corona protocol.

The hospitality industry in Agra has suffered a major dent due to Covid-19. Industry leaders on Tuesday while welcoming the decision to reopen some smaller monuments demanded the early reopening of the Taj and the Fort, as also air connectivity to Agra. Some new flights are expected to start in October to connect Agra with Bangalore and Mumbai.

The monuments in Agra are closed from March 17. Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel had, however, directed the reopening of monuments all over India from July 6. Since conditions in Agra were not considered safe due to increasing corona cases, the Agra district authorities postponed the decision to September 1.

Meanwhile, the surge in Covid-19 numbers continued. Agra reported 64 fresh cases. The total number now stands at 2,901, with 107 deaths and 426 active cases. The number of recoveries is 2,368. On Monday, a record of 2,371 samples was collected.

The state government has now announced that the proposed Sero Survey in 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted from September 4 to 6. From each district, 1,080 blood samples will be collected randomly. These will be sent to Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University (KGMU) for testing.

In the past 24 hours, Firozabad reported the highest number of 64 cases, Mathura 19, Mainpuri 30, Etah and Kasganj 21 each.

Re-looking issue of inner line permit for Assam, Centre to SC

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Re-looking issue of inner line permit for Assam, Centre to SC

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it is having a comprehensive re-look at the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order 2019, where Assam has been excluded from the ‘Inner Line’ system.

The response from the Centre’s top law officer, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal came during the hearing of a plea challenging the 2019 order.

A bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, and Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian gave four weeks to the Centre on the request of the AG, who sought some more time on the matter in view of the re-look. The top court had earlier issued a notice on the matter.

In June, the apex court had declined to stay the operation of a Presidential order, which the petitioners claimed, deprived Assam the powers to notify its districts as Inner Line areas and limit the applicability of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Inner Line system provides protection to local residents when it comes to land, jobs, and other facilities, and Assam, after declaring this, could have restricted a class of citizens from entering these areas, argued the petitioners – the All Tai Ahom Students Union and its Assistant Secretary Gojen Gogoi.

They had sought that the top court stays the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued by the President to amend the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, as the BEFR gave power to the state to declare most of its districts as Inner Line areas.

An Inner Line Permit is a must if outsiders, including people of other states, wish to visit a state which has Inner Line rules in place.

“It was a well-known fact to the Central government that the state of Assam is facing tremendous problem due to huge influx of illegal immigrants and under such a situation, bringing Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order 2019 so as to deprive the state of Assam of the applicability of Section 6B (4) of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 is in sheer violation of Articles 14, 21, 29, 325, 326 and 355 of the Constitution,” said the petition.

‘Kabir Singh’ singer Akhil Sachdeva on advantage of singing for OTT shows

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‘Kabir Singh’ singer Akhil Sachdeva on advantage of singing for OTT shows

Singer Akhil Sachdeva says he is currently excited about recording songs for the digital medium.

Akhil recently came up with the song “Galliyaan” for the web show “Bekaabee”.

” I think among the new musicians and the composers that we have, I was the first one to begin giving big melodies to the OTT platform.
While making music you do not really bother about what platform it is going to be on. Music is made from your soul and that is how I write, compose, and sing. I don’t worry about the platform but it is a different platform. So it must be having a different audience, and it is always going to be there, whenever the show is streamed. So, I think with all this going on, OTTs are the safest platform,” Akhil explained the advantage of scoring tunes for the digital platform while speaking to IANS.

However, he badly misses performing on the stage in front of a live audience.

“I’m a stage guy. I started my stage career 11 years ago when I formed a band called Nasha. This band of mine is India’s first Sufi rock band. I’ve been performing before I made my debut in Bollywood, so I’m missing it (performing live). During a lockdown, I did it for a private show but I’m really missing it. It’s really a very uncertain time now, but I would love to start as soon as it is possible,” he added.

Akhil is best known for his songs “Humsafar” (in “Badrinath Ki Dulhania”) and “Tera ban jaunga” (“Kabir Singh”).

Abhishek Bachchan gets a haircut, says it’s time to get back to work

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Abhishek Bachchan gets a haircut, says it’s time to get back to work

Actor Abhishek Bachchan on Monday stepped out for a haircut and captured the moments for followers on social media.

Abhishek posted a ‘before and after’ collage of two pictures on Instagram, to reveal his makeover. He also hinted that the crop was necessary for a role.

“Before and after! Time to get back to work,” Abhishek captioned the image.

His post caught actor Anupam Kher’s attention. Kher, who is bald, quipped: “I wish I could also post a pic of before and after.”

After recovering from Covid-19, Abhishek also marked his presence at filmmaker JP Dutta’s daughter Nidhi Dutta’s engagement ceremony recently. He spotted carrying a mask in his hand.

On the work front, Abhishek will be seen in “The Big Bull” and “Ludo”.

TN corona count: Cured patients exceed new infections

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TN corona count: Cured patients exceed new infections

As many as 6,008 Covid-19 patients were cured and discharged from various hospitals in Tamil Nadu taking the total tally of cured patients to 368,141 on Monday, said the state Health Department.

A total of 5,956 persons tested positive for coronavirus over the past 24-hours taking the total tally to 428,041.

The state recorded the death of 91 Covid-19 patients taking the total tally till date to 7,322.

The total number of active Covid-19 cases factoring cured persons and the dead stands at 52,578 persons.

The state capital Chennai continued to head the Covid-19 infection table with 1,150 persons testing positive for the virus and the total tally stands at 135,597.

The number of infected children in the state in the age group 0-12 went up to 19,748.

535 test Covid-positive, J&K tally stands at 37,698

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535 test Covid-positive, J&K tally stands at 37,698

Five hundred and thirty-five persons tested positive in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) on Monday as the number of people infected with Covid-19 jumped to 37,698 in the Union Territory.

A statement by the Information and Public Relations department said on Monday that 535 persons had tested positive, of which 245 were from Jammu and 290 from Kashmir.

The number of COVID-infected people has reached 37,698 in J&K.

Nine patients died in different hospitals on Monday while 505 were discharged after recovery.

Seven hundred and three people have been killed by the dreaded virus in J&K till now.

As many as 29,015 patients have recovered while the number of active cases was now 7,980 in J&K, of which 2,192 were from Jammu and 5,788 from Kashmir.

Odisha Agriculture Minister tests positive for Covid-19

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Odisha Agriculture Minister tests positive for Covid-19

Odisha Agriculture and Higher Education Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo have tested positive for Covid-19.

Confirming this through his Twitter handle, the Minister on Monday informed that he was under home isolation and his condition was stable.

“I have tested COVID positive. Now I am in home isolation and stable. Those who have come in contact with me in the last few days are requested to get themselves tested if required,” tweeted Sahoo.

Sahoo is the second Minister in the state to have contracted Covid-19.

Earlier, Rural Development Minister Susanta Singh had tested Covid-19 positive.

Over a dozen lawmakers have tested positive for coronavirus in Odisha.

The Covid-19 positive tally has increased to 1,03,536 with the detection of 2,602 more positive cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Health Department on Monday.

Facebook, Instagram make ‘recommendation guidelines’ public

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Facebook, Instagram make ‘recommendation guidelines’ public

In a bid to provide relevant and unharmful recommendations to its users, Facebook on Monday said it has made its internal guidelines public for both its main app and Instagram to help people better understand the kinds of content it recommends.

Facebook suggests Pages, Groups, Events, and more based on content people expressed interest in and actions they take on its apps like Instagram, and personalize these recommendations.

“We’re making recommendation guidelines public in the Help Center to help people better understand the kinds of content we recommend, and provide context on why some types of content aren’t included in recommendations, and therefore may not be distributed as widely,” Guy Rosen, VP Integrity at Facebook said in a statement.

The guidelines list five categories of content that “may not be eligible for recommendations.”

This includes borderline content that doesn’t violate policies but that Facebook considers objectionable, spammy content, posts “associated with low-quality publishing” and posts that have been debunked by fact-checkers.

“In developing these guidelines, we consulted 50 leading experts specializing in recommender systems, expression, safety, and digital rights,” Rosen said.

The move can help the social network address criticism it is facing due to its algorithmically generated recommendations.

Google launches Kids Space on select Android tablets

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Google launches Kids Space on select Android tablets

Google on Monday launched a new kids mode on select Android tablets that features apps, books, and videos for your children to explore, learn, and have fun as they stay home.

Google Kids Space will be available globally on certain Lenovo tablets first, including the new Lenovo Smart Tab M10 HD Gen 2, and will arrive on more Android tablets soon.

“Kids Space is designed with your kid at the center of the experience and made for them to become explorers of the things they love,” Google said in a statement.

For Kids Space, Google worked with top publishers to make popular children’s books free of charge, and have over 400 free books available in the US alone.

In the Watch and Make tabs, kids can view creative and fun videos from YouTube Kids that are engaging and encourage off-screen activities.

“And if you’re looking to customize, even more, parents can download additional content from Google Play,” the company said.

Google earlier launched a new kids tab in Google Play that helps parents easily find and pick “teacher-approved” apps for their kids.

“Parental controls require the Family Link app on a supported Android, Chromebook, or iOS device,” Google said.

Kids Space requires a Google Account for your child. Google Assistant is not yet available in Kids Space.

Chess Olympiad gold may make govt look at players positively: Anand

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Chess Olympiad gold may make govt look at players positively: Anand

Former world chess champion V. Anand on Monday said India winning the gold in the FIDE Online Olympiad will have a positive impact on the way the central government looks at the game and the players.

He also categorically said the Indian team was ready even for a replay of the second match against Russia in the FIDE Online Olympiad.

The Indian team had an interaction with the media online.

Speaking to reporters, Anand said the last few years saw a change in the attitude of the Ministry of Sports towards the chess players as they didn’t get any awards (Arjuna or Dronacharya) for doing well in international competitions.

He said the absence of awards may be due to various issues and also the All India Chess Federation (AICF) had some difficulties.

Anand said the situation could be changed or reset not by writing long letters to the editor but by having good results like this – winning the Online Olympiad medal.

Referring to the Olympiad gold medal win Anand said this may have a positive impact and the government will look at chess positively.

On Sunday, the Indian team was congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others.

According to K. Humpy, the Olympiad victory will prompt may youngsters to take to chess.

India and Russia were declared as joint Olympiad gold winners on Sunday by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich after two Indians – Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh – were disconnected from the www.chess.com server due to internet outage.

“We did nothing wrong. We were ready for anything. We were ready to play two games or even six games. FIDE looked at the big picture,” Anand said.

According to FIDE, the match would have gone for tie-break based on the board positions of Nihal versus Andrey Esipenko and Deshmukh versus Polina Shuvalovaat the time of internet outage, but that did not happen due to internet disconnection.

As for the mixed team format – two men and women players, one junior girl and boy – Anand said he was happy with it so that India can show its strength.

He said the whole team chipped in for the victory. The crucial match was against China and the tie-break game against Poland.

Anand said the Olympiad gold will be a special gold in his cabinet.

Samsung Galaxy M51 with 7,000mAh battery unveiled

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Samsung Galaxy M51 with 7,000mAh battery unveiled

Samsung has debuted its mid-premium Galaxy M51 with an industry-first 7000mAh battery in Germany ahead of its expected launch in India in the second week of September.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G Octa-Core processor, the phone comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage expandable to 512GB via microSD card.

The phone is available for pre-order at 360 euros. The massive battery is the highlight of the phone which also brings 25 watt super fast charging capability.

It has a 6.7-inch Infinity-O display with Super AMOLED Plus technology.

The quad-camera setup at the back features a 64MP main camera, 12MP ultra wide-angle camera with a 123-degree field of view, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 5MP depth sensor.

The phone features a 32MP selfie camera.

Samsung captured a 35 percent share in the European smartphone market in Q2 of this year, ahead of Apple’s 17 percent and Huawei’s 16 percent, according to a Counterpoint Research report.

‘For the Record’ wins top META honour

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‘For the Record’ wins top META honour

The 15th edition of Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) and Festival 2020 concluded a three-week-long celebration of theatre, bringing together leading theatre personalities including the META jury, nominees, and awardees, connecting online in a virtual award ceremony.

Unanimously recognized by the jury as a stellar example of modern experimental theatre, Delhi-based Black Box Okhla’s ‘For the Record’, directed by Nikhil Mehta, won the Best Play and also bagged the highest number of awards at this year’s META with wins across six categories including Best Actor in a Lead Role (Female) for Kriti Pant, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) for Dhwani Vij in this complex play about culture and identity. The play also bagged Best Ensemble and Best Original Script for Nikhil Mehta, Dhwani Vij, Kriti Pant, Krittika Bhattacharjee, Kshitij Mervin, Neel Sengupta, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Prashant Prakash. The Best Director award was jointly won by Nikhil Mehta (For the Record) and Sahidul Haque (The Old Man).

‘The Old Man’ (Assamese and Gibberish) from Orchid Theatre and ‘Ghoom Nei’ (Bengali) from Thakurpukur Ichheymoto bagged four awards each.

A theatrical adaptation of Hemingway’s classic, ‘The Old Man’, directed by Sahidul Haque, won Best Actor in a Lead Role (Male) for Niranjan Nath’s performance as ‘The Old Man’ in the play. Best Choreography was bagged by Sahidul Haque and Best Light Design jointly won by Tapan Kr. Baruah (The Old Man) and Soumen Chakraborty (Ghoom Nei).

A working-class manifesto with quintessential Bengali satire, Ghoom Nei (Bengali), directed by Saurav Palodhi, won Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) for Koushik Kar, Best Innovative Sound Design by Debdeep Mukherjee, Best Costume Design by Turna Das and Apratim Sarkar and Best Light Design.

And finally, the winner from the South, Malayalam production Bhaskara Pattelarum Thommiyude Jeevithavum from Backstage won for Best Stage Design by Suveeran.

This year, over 385 productions were received and viewed by the selection committee and 10 productions from different states of India were nominated across 13 award categories. Plays in multiple languages such as Hindi, English, Hindustani, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Assamese (blended with gibberish), and a non-verbal play were part of META.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “My congratulations to all the winners and to Barry John, who we honored with the META Lifetime Achievement Award a few days ago. I am proud that in spite of, or perhaps because of, all our current difficulties, tonight’s glittering Awards ceremony transcends the boundaries of an auditorium and becomes accessible to an audience of thousands, right in their homes. My thanks to everyone who made this happen — the participating theatre groups, the jury members, and the organizers, Teamwork Arts.”

Pranab left indelible mark on India’s development trajectory: PM

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Pranab left indelible mark on India’s development trajectory: PM

Condoling the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is grieved at the demise of Mukherjee, adding that he left an “indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation”.

Calling Mukherjee a scholar par excellence, the Prime Minister said he was admired across the political spectrum.

“India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

“During his political career that spanned decades, Shri Pranab Mukherjee made long-lasting contributions in key economic and strategic ministries. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, always well-prepared, extremely articulate as well as witty,” Modi said.

Mukherjee, who was admitted at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, breathed his last on Monday evening, family members confirmed.

Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee in a tweet said, “With a heavy heart, this is to inform you that my father Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite of the best efforts of doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, ‘duas’ and ‘prarthanas’ from people throughout India! I thank all of you.”

The former President was hospitalized for the past 21 days and was critical following a brain surgery.

The veteran Congress leader was admitted to the hospital at 12.07 p.m. on August 10 in a critical condition.

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