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Rihanna, Zuckerberg in India for Party Thrown by Asia's Richest Man

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg with his wife Priscilla Chan upon arrival at Jamnagar Airport. Reliance/AFP
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg with his wife Priscilla Chan upon arrival at Jamnagar Airport. Reliance/AFP
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Rihanna, Zuckerberg in India for Party Thrown by Asia's Richest Man

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg with his wife Priscilla Chan upon arrival at Jamnagar Airport. Reliance/AFP
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg with his wife Priscilla Chan upon arrival at Jamnagar Airport. Reliance/AFP

Pop star Rihanna and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg were in India Friday for an extravagant party hosted by Asia's richest man, with celebrations expected to include other globally influential figures.
Global tech bosses, industry titans, Bollywood stars, pop icons and politicians are also due for the three-day gala celebrations hosted by billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani.
This weekend's party is an elaborate pre-wedding ceremony for younger son Anant and fiancee Radhika Merchant, the daughter of wealthy pharmaceutical moguls.
Photos published by Indian media confirmed the arrival of Rihanna, Zuckerberg and the Facebook founder's wife Priscilla Chan in Ambani's hometown of Jamnagar.
"Umbrella" singer Rihanna, who gave birth to her second child in August, is slated to lead Friday's entertainment in her first public performance since last year's Superbowl, local media reported.
Broadcaster India Today reported that the Barbadian-born musician and women's beauty entrepreneur had been offered up to $9 million to appear at the event.
Ambani, 66, is chairman of oil-to-telecoms giant Reliance Industries and the world's 10th-richest person according to the Forbes billionaires list, worth more than $116 billion.
On Wednesday the family launched a three-day feast for villagers at the Reliance Township in Jamnagar, in India's western state of Gujarat.
The Ambanis are building a Hindu temple complex in the city, the Reliance Foundation said on social media.
Anant, 28, who also serves as a director on the boards of several Reliance-owned firms, is expected to marry Merchant, 29, later this year.
Ambani held the most expensive wedding to date in India for his daughter in 2018, which reportedly cost $100 million and saw US pop megastar Beyonce perform.
US illusionist David Blaine is also expected to be part of the entertainment for guests, who include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and several current and former political leaders.
Also among the invitees is Disney chief Bob Iger, following a deal agreed Wednesday between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney to merge their Indian media businesses.
The merger will create an $8.5 billion entertainment giant in the world's most populous nation and fifth-largest economy.
Other guests invited include Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US president Donald, as well as Sweden's ex-prime minister Carl Bildt, former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and the King of Bhutan.
Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and M.S. Dhoni, and industry titan Gautam Adani are also invited in a who's-who of India's super-rich elite.
The main celebrations, running until Sunday, will have different themes, events and dress codes -- including a "jungle fever" day with a visit to an animal rescue center run by Ambani, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.

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Entertainment

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Expands with New Prequel Series ‘Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos’

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (Getty Images)
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (Getty Images)
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‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Expands with New Prequel Series ‘Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos’

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (Getty Images)
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (Getty Images)

The world of successful TV franchise "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is expanding once again, with a new prequel series that will follow the story of a rebellious teenager Avatar — a being who controls the elements.

Franchise co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko announced the animated TV series, titled "Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos," on ‌Friday at ‌New York Comic Con, ‌with attendees ⁠getting a first ⁠look at Kuruk and his pet, Nikik.

Kuruk aims to stay "one step ahead of his angry teacher, rowdy pirates, and chaotic spirits, all while helping the world in his own unique ways," ⁠said a statement from Skydance.

The ‌series is set ‌to stream on Paramount+. No release date has ‌been announced.

The Asian-inspired "Avatar: The Last Airbender" ‌franchise follows a world divided into four elemental nations, where the Avatar alone can control water, fire, earth and air to maintain balance.

The ‌original TV series has spawned two sequels, "The Legend of Korra," and "Avatar: ⁠Seven ⁠Havens."

"Seven Havens" has been renewed for two additional seasons, the statement from Skydance said.

DiMartino and Konietzko were involved in developing a live-action adaptation of the original "Avatar" series for Netflix before parting ways with the streamer in 2020, citing "creative differences."

In 2021, they teamed with Nickelodeon to launch Avatar Studios, focused on expanding the universe of the original series through new films and television projects.

Entertainment

US Actor Keegan Allen Says He Was Victim of Armed Robbery

Keegan Allen attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” held at ArcLight Hollywood on February 12, 2019 in Hollywood. (Getty Images)
Keegan Allen attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” held at ArcLight Hollywood on February 12, 2019 in Hollywood. (Getty Images)
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US Actor Keegan Allen Says He Was Victim of Armed Robbery

Keegan Allen attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” held at ArcLight Hollywood on February 12, 2019 in Hollywood. (Getty Images)
Keegan Allen attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” held at ArcLight Hollywood on February 12, 2019 in Hollywood. (Getty Images)

American actor Keegan Allen said he was violently robbed outside a Los Angeles grocery store, an attack he recounted in a graphic video on social media posted overnight Thursday.

"Robbed at gunpoint and knifepoint by two young men that threatened to KILL me over my watch and would have! God said no tonight. My life for a watch," posted the actor who appeared in the hit television series "Pretty Little Liars."

His post included a video of himself, visibly shaken, describing the episode, blood streaming down his face.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that they responded to an alleged armed robbery, without naming Allen.

"According to the victim, one suspect pointed a silver handgun at him while the second suspect brandished a knife. The suspects demanded the victim's watch and bracelet," read the statement.

Officers said the victim was struck in the face with a handgun, leaving a laceration on his forehead, before fleeing in a vehicle with the watch.

Allen's video post included grainy video from an apparent security camera, footage that showed two people wearing black who appeared to threaten the 37-year-old actor, who removes his watch before one of the hooded people pistol whips him.

Entertainment

'Mad Dream': New Showcase for African Film Opens in London

Nigerian film director and media mogul Mo Abudu poses ahead of the opening the UK's first cinema dedicated exclusively to African and black films. Justin TALLIS / AFP
Nigerian film director and media mogul Mo Abudu poses ahead of the opening the UK's first cinema dedicated exclusively to African and black films. Justin TALLIS / AFP
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'Mad Dream': New Showcase for African Film Opens in London

Nigerian film director and media mogul Mo Abudu poses ahead of the opening the UK's first cinema dedicated exclusively to African and black films. Justin TALLIS / AFP
Nigerian film director and media mogul Mo Abudu poses ahead of the opening the UK's first cinema dedicated exclusively to African and black films. Justin TALLIS / AFP

Nigerian producer and media mogul Mo Abudu has realized a "mad dream" by opening a unique cultural center in London complete with a cinema dedicated to African film and black culture.

Close to the Houses of Parliament and its Big Ben clock, a massive concrete facade conceals the venue, which opens to the public this weekend - the first of its kind in Britain and Europe.

A small sign reads "EbonyLife Place London".

While the name may mean little to many passers-by, film lovers will recognize the reference to EbonyLife, a leading African production company and a major player in Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry.

Mosunmola "Mo" Abudu, 62, heads a media empire that stretches far beyond Nigeria's borders.

In 2025, Forbes ranked her among the world's 100 most influential women.

"It's time to tell our own stories," she told AFP. "I want to showcase the best of who we are, celebrate who we are. Let them see us at our very best."

Abudu, who was born in London, is pursuing that ambition in the British capital through the cultural center, which she describes as both "literally a blank canvas" and "a bit of a mad dream".

"We have to make the journey because the thing is that we have consumed so much of the world. How much of the world has consumed us?" she asked.

She recalled that growing up in England: "I could never go anywhere during my youth and watch a black movie."

So she decided to act.

"I'm not waiting anymore for anyone to take a six-hour trip from London to understand what it is to watch a Nigerian film or to see Nigerian fashion and so on and so forth. It's right here in London."

- 'Open to everyone' -

The two-storey venue includes a bar, a lounge called "Fehinti" -- a Yoruba word meaning to lean back and rest -- a restaurant and a boutique showcasing designers from Africa and its diaspora. Paintings by artists from across the continent line the walls.

Its centerpiece, however, is the new cinema, fitted with red seats, wood paneling and soft lighting. It has been named "Amani", meaning peace and harmony in Swahili.

The project, financed almost entirely by Abudu's media group, mirrors the upscale lifestyle complex she launched in Lagos in 2019.

Abudu, who is widely credited with helping usher in the era of Nollywood blockbusters, said African creatives should stop asking others to make room for them and instead "take responsibility for creating our own spaces".

Describing the center as a "safe space", she said it would be a place where "you can shop our fashion, you can view our art, you can listen to our music, and we can tell our stories".

Access will be through a membership scheme, details of which have yet to be announced. Such systems are common in Britain, particularly among cultural institutions.

There will be no ethnic or nationality restrictions. "Membership is open to everyone," she insisted.

The cinema's program is still being finalized. But here too, the objective is clear.

"We will have films from all parts of Africa. Everything should be on the table. We would show movies that celebrate black actors, black storytelling; that is why we are here," Abudu said.

Will audiences be able to see films by Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene or by Algerian filmmaker Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, the only African director ever to win the Cannes Palme d'Or? Her answer was an emphatic "yes".

The center will also showcase its own productions and films with black actors, including the next in the "Black Panther" series. Opening week will feature Nigerian filmmakers including Nwani Orire and Ifeyinwa Arinze.

And after London?

"I would love to do the same thing in Paris, perhaps through a partnership. I'm always open to collaborating with others," Abudu said.