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
TT

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.



Nintendo Showcases ‘Super Mario’, Game Boy History in New Museum

Characters Mario and Luigi are seen at the grand opening of the Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, US, February 15, 2023. (Reuters)
Characters Mario and Luigi are seen at the grand opening of the Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, US, February 15, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

Nintendo Showcases ‘Super Mario’, Game Boy History in New Museum

Characters Mario and Luigi are seen at the grand opening of the Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, US, February 15, 2023. (Reuters)
Characters Mario and Luigi are seen at the grand opening of the Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, US, February 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Japanese firm Nintendo will next week open a museum showcasing its history, where fans of "Super Mario", "The Legend of Zelda" and the Game Boy and Switch can gain insight into one of the world's most renowned game makers.

Located in Uji near the company's Kyoto headquarters, the museum underscores the many evolutions of Nintendo, which was founded in 1889 as a maker of "hanafuda" playing cards and is now a global gaming giant.

Shigeru Miyamoto, executive fellow at Nintendo and creator of "Super Mario", said the museum was intended to deepen understanding of the company.

"If making products while protecting concepts such as family, fun and ease of understanding is rooted in our employees then the new Nintendo will continue to grow," he told reporters.

The museum, which opens to the public Oct. 2, is located on the site of a plant that used to make playing cards and was a center for product repairs. Tickets on its website are sold out for the following two months.

In addition to displaying iconic devices such as the Wii console and the handheld Game Boy, visitors will be able to see lesser known products such as the "Mamaberica" baby stroller and the "Copilas" printer.

The museum also offers a range of interactive experiences, with visitors able to partner to play the video game "Super Mario Bros." featuring mustachioed plumber Mario on a single, oversized Family Computer controller.

While a push into mobile gaming has tapered off, other efforts by Nintendo to expand beyond its core gaming business have gained traction with the company opening stores and employing its roster of characters in theme parks and film.

The Switch console has been a runaway success with an install base exceeding 140 million units, but with sales slowing, investor attention in now focused on the prospects for a successor device, with Nintendo due to reveal details in the current financial year, which ends in March.