Entertainment

The Polish writer Olga Tokarchuk and the Austrian novelist Peter Handke have been announced the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Of these, Olga Tokarchuk has been announced for the award for 2018 while Peter Handke has been announced for 2019. The 2018 Nobel Literature Prize has been announced due to the non-announcement of the Nobel of Literature last year.

The Swedish Academy, which gave the prestigious award, did not announce the award last year due to a sexual harassment scandal.

Olga Tokarchuk was also given the Man Booker International Award last year. Olga Tokarchuk has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize. This year's Nobel was awarded to Handke.

The Academy has stated in a statement that Handke, a 76-year-old Austrian novelist and playwright, has been given the Nobel of Literature for linguistic ingenuity characterized by human experiences and an influential work outside the periphery.

At the same time, 57-year-old Polish writer Olga Tokarchuk, one of the commercially most successful writers of her generation, has been given the award for conceptualising a narrative beyond the boundaries of life.

The award for literature was postponed last year due to accusations of sexual harassment against Academy member Katrina Frostenson's husband, Zion Clough Arnaw. In October, he was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted in a rape case.

According to the awarding organization, the ceremony was subject to controversy due to Frostenson's withdrawal and allegations of conflict of interest and leaking names of Nobel laureates. All this happened due to the lack of public confidence in the academy.

All prize winners will be awarded a medal and a diploma in addition to 90 million Swedish kronor (£ 740,000).

An FIR has been lodged in Muzaffarpur in Bihar on about 50 celebrities who wrote open letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concern over the increasing incidents of mob lynching in India.

A case has been registered in this FIR under separate sections relating to sedition, nuisance, hurt religious sentiments and obstructing peace.

The people against whom this FIR has been done include about 50 people including famous historian Ramchandra Guha, film directors Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap and actress Aparna Sen.

According to the news, the FIR has been registered following the order of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Surya Kant Tiwari on a petition filed by local lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha two months ago. Ojha said that his petition was accepted by the CJM on 20 August.

National Award-winning film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan's name is also recorded in this FIR. He has expressed concern over this and said that no one becomes a traitor only because he does not agree with the ruling party.

AICC Press Briefing by Randeep Singh Surjewala, Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam on SMART Cities

Bollywood's renowned actor and writer Kader Khan died on December 31. 81-year-old Kader Khan was walking ill for a long time. Kader Khan was admitted to a Canadian hospital. His son said that the funeral will also be done there also.

Sarafraj, son of Kader Khan, told PTI and Bhasha, "My father left us. After a prolonged illness, he passed away on 31 December at six o'clock (Canadian time). He had gone to coma in the afternoon. He was hospitalized for the last 16-17 weeks."

He said, "His funeral will be done in Canada only. Our entire family is here and we live here, so we are doing this."

Sarfaraz said, "We thank all for prayers. A day before the demise of the actor, news of his demise had come, but his son had rejected those reports."

Kader Khan was suffering from breathing and doctors kept him on regular ventilator and BPAP ventilator. Due to the Super Nuclear Palsy disease, he was having trouble walking and even memory became weak.

Kabul-born Kader Khan started his film career with Rajesh Khanna in 1973 with the film 'Dag'. After that he appeared in more than 300 films.

Prior to becoming an actor, Kader Khan had written dialogues for Randhir Kapoor and Jaya Bachchan's film 'Jawani Diwani'. He wrote dialogues for more than 250 films. As a screenwriter, he worked in several films with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee and Arjun Kapoor have condoled the demise of Kader Khan.

Amitabh Bachchan wrote on Twitter, "Kader Khan died. sad news. My prayers and sensations. The best stage artist, the most compassionate and the most talented of the films." He wrote, "Famous writers of most of my successful films. A great companion and a mathematician."

Amitabh Bachchan and Kader Khan worked together in films such as 'Do Aur Do Panch', 'Mukaddar Ka Sikander', 'Mr Natwarlal', 'Suhag', 'Coolie' and 'Shahanshah'. Actor Manoj Vajpayee has also paid tribute to him. Vajpayee wrote, "God give peace to your soul, Kader Khan Sahab.

Anupam Kher shared a video message on Twitter expressing condolences on his demise. He said, "Kader Khan Sahab was one of the finest actors of our country. The experience of working with them is full of happiness and learning."

Arjun Kapoor also paid tribute to his death. He wrote, "An actor defining a generation and a writer ... your leaving has got an emptiness in the film industry which can not be filled. God give peace to your soul Kader Khan. I express my condolences to his family."

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, director Anees Bazmi, actor and comedian Veer Das and filmmaker Milap Zaveri also condoled the demise of Kader Khan. The Indian National Film Museum (NFAI) also paid homage to the actor.

In India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has given time till January 31 to select the channels of choice for customers under the new tariff rules. TRAI has said that customers can choose their favorite channels till January 31. TRAI had ordered all Multi Service Operators (MSOs) and Local Cable Operators (LCOs) to implement the new tariff system from December 29, but TRAI has now extended this deadline to January 31.

TRAI Secretary SK Gupta told the news agency PTI, "We have a meeting today (Thursday) with Broadcasters, DTH operators and MSOs (multi-system operators). Everyone showed their readiness to apply the new rules. However, they requested that customers be given some time so that they can select channels according to their liking, which will not lead to further trouble.''

In view of this demand, the Distribution Platform Operator (DPO) has been given time till January 31 to ask the list of channels of their choice to the customers and from February 1, the customers will be provided the channels selected by them.

A few days ago TRAI had said that on December 29, there will be no TV blackout and consumers will be given time to be completely shifting to the new scheme.

What is the new rule?
In the new rules applicable to TRAI's DTH and Cable operators, it has been said that it can not impose a TV channel on the consumers, but the consumer will have the freedom to choose the TV channels they want to see. The consumers will pay for the channel of their choice. For this, all broadcasters will have to make their channels available as bouquets, which consumers can choose according to their choice. The maximum value of each channel on the TV screen will be written. No one can take more than just the fixed price from the Cable and DTH operator broadcaster.

Under TRAI's new rules, customers will have to pay a maximum of 130 rupees per month for 100 channels. GST will be different. In such a situation, if you look at more than 100 channels, additional 25 rupees will be provided for the next 25 channels. Apart from this, the fixed prices will be added to the pay channels you choose. That is, if you subscribe to view a lot of pay channels, then you may have to pay more. TRAI has said in reference to Bark's report that according to the pattern of television viewers 80 percent of the consumers either watch 40 or fewer channels or wipe them out. If a consumer carefully chooses a channel for the full requirement of his family, then he must pay less than the current price every month.

TRAI has asked all the cable and DTH operators to make available TV viewers and online payment facility through their website. The list of channels on the website will be available with the price. Apart from this, consumers will also be able to select channels through call center.

After the new rules are implemented, no cable or DTH operators will be able to charge separate channels for the channels. All platforms will have similar prices for channels. If the users of two different service providers are watching the same channel then their payment will be the same.

Subscription video service Netflix is now the most popular US platform for watching entertainment on TV. According to a recent survey by Wall Street firm Cowen & Co, it has now overtaken traditional broadcast, cable television and other online streaming services like Youtube and Amazon.

With its own studio in Hollywood, Netflix is now one of the world's biggest film and TV producers. It boasts collaborations with some of television and cinema's most renowned names, such as a multi-year production deal with former US president and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama.

But are Netflix and co steering audiences away from "traditional" broadcast viewing forever, or is this a long-stay fad, bound to disappear with the next carousel of trends? And does Netflix' reach extend beyond US consumer choices?

Daniel Ives, chief strategy officer and head of Technology Research at New York-based GBH Insights, discusses how companies such as Netflix, Apple, Amazon and Disney are spending big on content and talent to gain audience share in what some are calling "the post-TV era".

"The cord-cutting phenomenon is one that will continue to accelerate," says Ives. "It's really about content. Netflix spent $8bn [≈ net worth of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, 2011] on content this year; that's really created a content arms war and you've sort of seen this across the board with the consolidation across the sector between AT&T, Time Warner, Disney and Comcast ... it all speaks to "content is king" in this cord-cutting world."

Where Bollywood and other international cinema industries are concerned, Ives says Netflix is essentially unstoppable. With plans for expansion into 100 different markets - and a subscription forecast of 100 million in the next two years - the challenge now lies in creating content that will drive audiences to become loyal viewers.  

"Ultimately, the only way you drive international subscriber growth is international content," says Ives. "Whether its the Middle East, Africa or other parts of the world you're trying to penetrate ... it has created a new age for content and Netflix recognises that as they expand internationally, content is the key."

Fans of the fictional spy James Bond are being promised the ultimate Bond experience inside an Austrian mountain.

A new museum dedicated to 007 is about to open.

The museum is designed to look like a Bond villain's lair.

Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela reports.

After Bollywood actor and producer Arbaaz Khan, film director and comedian Sajid Khan may also be questioned in the IPL betting case. An official informed about this on Tuesday.

Official sources say that in the IPL betting case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is keeping an eye on the investigation of Thane police. However, there is no confirmation yet when Sajid will be summoned.

Pradeep Sharma, head of Thane's Anti-Extortion Cell, told reporters in Mumbai that Sajid Khan's name has also been named in this case in connection with the bookie Sonu Jalan. The bookie said that Sajid Khan used to bet on cricket matches seven years ago.

Arbaaz Khan was questioned on Friday. It is believed that apart from Jalan, Arbaaz has also named many Bollywood celebrities who are involved in betting in cricket and they can be summoned soon. The CBI is keeping an eye on the investigation of this case. The agency has already investigated betting matters in the IPL.

An official said on condition of anonymity, "The CBI team contacted us and he can interrogate some people. However, the proposal to hand over the case to the CBI has not come yet. "

Please tell that Sajid Khan, brother of choreographer and director Farah Khan, is also an actor. He also directed the films like "Hey Baby", "Housefull 1", "Housefull 2".

Punjabi singer Navjot Singh has been killed in Punjab's Mohali. His body has been found in the forests of Mohali.

According to the news, they were shot and killed. 4 to 5 bullets were found on his body. It is clear that 4 to 5 bullets have been shot and his death has been caused by bullets.

At present, the police has taken the body into its possession. Police have gathered in the investigation of this whole case.

There is a forest near Mohali, where a body was recovered and when the body was identified, it was discovered that the body belongs to Punjabi singer Navjot Singh. Police are investigating who has the hand in this murder?

Years of conflict between Somalia's government and the armed group al-Shabab have left a generation of young people living behind closed doors.

Religious conservatism has also held many young men and women back from going out together.

But change is in the air.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow reports from the capital, Mogadishu.