Abu Dhabi: Reality star and former Bigg Boss contestant Rakhi Sawant opened an acting academy in Al Karama, Dubai on Friday.
The acting academy named “Rakhi Sawant Training Institute”, will offer diploma courses in singing, dancing, and acting.
The institute will train aspiring actors from Gulf who wish to enter the Indian film industry. As per media reports, the pass-outs from her academy will get a chance to act in movies, reality shows, and web series.
Watch the videos below
Earlier, Rakhi announced the opening of the academy on Instagram.
In the video, Rakhi says, “Humari academy start ho rahi hu in Al Karama, Rakhi Sawant Academy. I want everybody to join as soon as possible. 1 taarik ko opening hai. Chalo main dekhti hu Dubai se kaun kaun aa raha hai acamedy mein milne mujhse. Main intezaar kar rahi hu. Dubai, I love you.”
This comes after her marriage to businessman Adil Durrani, who made headlines last month.
The businessman was booked in a rape case in Mysuru and was in the custody of the Karnataka Police. Adil Durrani has been accused of raping and defrauding an Iranian student while he was in judicial custody in Mumbai in connection with a domestic violence case brought by Sawant.
It was reported that Durrani was acquainted with the student who had been studying for a doctorate in pharmacy for the last five years. According to the police, he raped her after promising marriage.
The Iranian student filed a complaint at VV Puram police station in Mysuru.
Moreover, Sawant also accused Durrani of blackmailing her that he would share pictures of their private moments on social media.
Ex-BioWare veteran David Gaider wants EA to remake Dragon Age: Origins.
Gaider expressed an interest in a new version of the RPG series’ initial entry on Twitter, as word spread that EA was considering further Dead Space remakes.
“If we’re on a kick re-mastering games from the aughts, what about Dragon Age Origins?” Gaider wrote. “Its graphics were behind the curve even at the time of release… can you imagine it with brand new PS5-era bells and whistles? 🥳”
BioWare is currently working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Dragon Age Origins was originally released back in 2009 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. You can still play it today on Xbox via backwards compatibility, but it’s fair to say the game looks dated.
“I suspect EA would only do it if they thought it would sell like *gold-plated* hotcakes,” Gaider continued. “They’ve… never really got DA, or understood why it sold better than Mass Effect, was my impression.”
If we’re on a kick re-mastering games from the aughts, what about Dragon Age Origins? Its graphics were behind the curve even at the time of release… can you imagine it with brand new PS5-era bells and whistles? 🥳
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.
As for how it might look, Gaider suggested a version which simply brought the game up to the visual standard of 2014’s Dragon Age Inquisition.
“Even Inquisition-level graphics would be great!” he wrote, explaining that all female models in the game used the male animation rig. “Look, all I want is for Morrigan to not have the shoulders of a linebacker and for the sex scenes to not look like someone bashing marionettes together and shouting ‘now kiss!’”
As to the broodmother? “Just think: extra-realistic slimy nipple textures,” Gaider concluded.
Gaider departed BioWare back in 2016 after 17 years at the studio, during which time he held a lead role in creating Dragon Age and its world.
Our Bertie caught up with Gaider last year for a video podcast. In it, the pair discuss Dragon Age (of course), musical RPGs, and the brilliant character of Dorian.
Would EA remake Dragon Age: Origins? Mass Effect got its well-made trilogy remaster, after all, though Dragon Age titles were always more loosely linked.
The series is set to return sometime soon in the long-awaited Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, which I suspect will be pitched as an entry point into BioWare’s fantasy world on its own terms, while also chronicling the ongoing story of the series’ new big bad .
[ad_2]
#Dragon #Age #boss #Origins #remake
( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )
Mumbai: As Bigg Boss 16 got ended, the speculations regarding Lock Upp 2 have already started doing rounds and fans are quite excited to know all the updates about the captive reality show hosted by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. While there is no official announcement from the makers yet, rumours of the possible contestants are churning out on internet.
Speculations were rife that several top Bigg Boss 16 contestants including Nimrit Kaur Ahluwali, Archana Gautam, Shiv Thakare and Sumbul Touqeer Khan have been approached to take part Lock Upp’s upcoming season. However, in latest their recent respective interviews both Sumbul and Nimrit have made it clear that they are not doing the show. As they have just come out of the Bigg Boss house, they reportedly want to focus on their careers and take up new opportunities that come their way.
Sumbul, Nimrit not in Lock Upp 2
Speaking to Filmibeat, Sumbul said, “I have just come out after being locked in a house for 4 months, why would I want to do that again that’s the first thing but there has been no talk like that yet, but my thing is I want to look at open skies for a little while now.”
Sumbul Touqeer Khan gets eliminated from Bigg Boss 16 (Twitter)
In latest interview with Telly Chakkar, Nimrit too made it clear that she is not participating in Lock Upp 2. When asked about the rumours of her being approached, she said, “I don’t know yaar, you guys are the ones who are telling me that I have been approached and it’s you yourselves who are telling me that I have said no. I have no idea or news about it, very honestly.”
Bigg Boss 16, Nimrit Kaur Ahulwalia (IANS)
Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, who rose to fame for her role in the popular TV show Choti Sarrdaarni, is known for her strong and independent personality. Sumbul Touqeer Khan, on the other hand, is a rising star in the industry and has made a name for herself with her performance in hit show Imlie. Both were popular contestants on Bigg Boss 16 and their performances on the show were widely appreciated, and they gained a massive fan following during their stint in the house.
And now, it remains to be seen who will ultimately participate in Lock Upp 2, which is set to feature controversial celebrities from different walks of life. The show is backed by Ekta Kapoor and is likely to begin mid-March.
Lock Upp 2 host Kangana Ranaut and Bigg Boss 16 contestant Archana Gautam (Instagram)
Mumbai: Ekta Kapoor’s captive reality show Lock Upp, which made its debut in 2022, is set to return with the second season soon. The first season, which was won by comedian Munawar Faruqui, was quite a hit among reality show audience. And now, fans are eagerly awaiting the new season.
While makers are yet to announce Lock Upp 2 officially, few names of celebrities who might take part in the upcoming season have been popping up on internet.
Lock Upp 2 Contestants List
According to latest buzz, makers have approached three popular contestants of Bigg Boss 16 — Shiv Thakare, Archana Gautam and Soundarya Sharma. Reports have it that the talks between these three stars and makers are on and if everything goes as planned then we really can’t wait to see the trio in another big reality show.
Bigg Boss 16 contestant Archana Gautam (Instagram)Bigg Boss 16 contestant Shiv Thakare (Twitter)Bigg Boss 16 contestant Soundarya Sharma (Instagram)
It is also being said that Archana Gautam has given the green signal and she has high chances of entering Lock Upp 2. However, let’s wait for an official word.
Premiere Date
Hosted by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and backed by Ekta Kapoor, the show stream on MX Player and Alt Balaji. Karan Kundrra was the jailor in season 1. Lock Upp 2 is likely to begin mid-March.
Lock Upp is hosted by actress Kangana Ranaut
Speaking more about Lock Upp, the captive reality show will see Kangana overlooking the affairs of the 16 ‘controversial’ contestants who will be locked up inside the jail for 72 days. All the contestants have no option but to reveal their dark secrets to the entire world to avoid elimination and survive in the show.
All the inmates must navigate their way through a series of challenges and obstacles, all while facing the scrutiny of their fellow prisoners and the watchful eye of the show’s host.
Jes Staley, the former boss of Barclays, has been accused of holding discussions with the late billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein about photographs of young women in sexually suggestive poses.
Staley, 66, is accused in a US lawsuit of exchanging more than 1,200 emails with Epstein, including messages about “women who they referred to by the names of Disney princesses that Epstein [allegedly] procured for Staley”. It is also claimed that Epstein “emailed Staley photos of young women in seductive poses”.
The allegations, which Staley denies, are included in fresh court documents filed in the US Virgin Islands’ (USVI) lawsuit against Staley’s former employer the US investment bank JPMorgan Chase. Staley is not a party to the lawsuit.
The USVI lawsuit accusesJPMorgan of helping Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of women and girls. As part of that claim, it alleges that Staley continued to communicate with Epstein even after the financier had been charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to house arrest in 2008.
The lawsuit claims that: “In July 2010, Staley sent an email to Epstein, saying: ‘Maybe they’re tracking u? That was fun. Say hi to Snow White.’ Epstein responded: ‘[W]hat character would you like next?’ When Staley said ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Epstein replied: ‘well one side is available’.”
The USVI lawsuit also claimed that Staley appeared to have visited Epstein at his home in Palm Beach, Florida. “On 8 January 2009 – around the time of Staley’s scheduled visit to Palm Beach – Epstein wired $2,000 from his JPMorgan account to a woman with an eastern European surname,” the lawsuit alleges.
In August 2009, Staley is said to have told Epstein that he was coming to the UK. “Epstein inquired whether Staley would need anything while in London, and Staley replied, ‘Yep’. On 31 August 2009, Epstein wired $3,000 from his JPMorgan account to the same eastern European woman Epstein paid in January 2009.”
In another message, Staley told Epstein: “I owe you much”.
It is also claimed that Staley appeared to have visited Epstein’s private island of Little St James in the USVI. Much of Epstein’s abuse is claimed to have taken place on the island and it is why the USVI government has filed the lawsuit against JPMorgan, which it accuses of having “direct and actual knowledge of Epstein’s sex-trafficking venture”.
JPMorgan declined to comment. The bank has previously called on the court to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming it did not participate in or benefit from sex trafficking by its former client.
“Jane Doe 1 is a survivor of Epstein’s sexual abuse, and she is entitled to justice” but has filed meritless claims against the “wrong party”, the bank said in December.
The court filing claimsthat Epstein used accounts at JPMorgan to pay more than 20 of his victims.
“At least 20 individuals paid through JPMorgan accounts were victims of trafficking and sexual assault in Little St James, New York, and/or other Epstein properties,” the lawsuit alleges.
“These women were trafficked and abused during different intervals between at least 2003 and July 2019, when Epstein was arrested and jailed, and these women received payments, typically multiple payments, between 2003 and 2013 in excess of $1m collectively.
“Epstein also withdrew more than $775,000 in cash over that time frame from JPMorgan accounts, especially significant as Epstein was known to pay for ‘massages’, or sexual encounters, in cash.”
The USVI lawsuit also claims that JPMorgan staff regularly raised concerns about Epstein, but the bank failed to act. In 2010 employees at the bank’s risk management division discussed new allegations against Epstein.
skip past newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
“See below new allegations of an investigation related to child trafficking – are you still comfortable with this client who is now a registered sex offender,” one employee said to others in an internal email.
The lawsuit claims that: “In JPMorgan’s January 2011 review of Epstein’s accounts, the bank concluded there were ‘no material updates’ but noted: A few news stories during 2010 connects Jeffrey Epstein to human trafficking. The coverage team … all met to discuss the situation and agreed to enhance monitoring and document a discussion with the client.
“Jes Staley discussed the topic with Jeffrey Epstein, who replied there was no truth to the allegations, no evidence and was not expecting any problems.”
Staley’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, but has previously said: “We wish to make it expressly clear that our client had no involvement in any of the alleged crimes committed by Mr Epstein.”
Last month Staley was accused in a separate US lawsuit of “personally observ[ing] the sexual abuse of young women” by Epstein.
Staley, who resigned as chief executive of Barclays in November 2021 after a preliminary investigation by the UK regulators into his relationship with Epstein, is named in a lawsuit filed by one of Epstein’s victims.
The woman, known only as Jane Doe 1, is suing JPMorgan, where Staley was chief executive of its exclusive private bank until 2013 and had Epstein as a client.
In the complaint filed at Manhattan federal court she alleges that Staley knew of Epstein’s trafficking of young women and witnessed his abuse of them.
Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 where he was being held without bail after his arrest on sex-trafficking charges. He was facing trial in Manhattan on federal crimes, having worked out a plea deal in Florida years earlier on charges of sex offences.
[ad_2]
#ExBarclays #boss #accused #holding #discussions #Jeffrey #Epstein #photos #young #women
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
The head of the Rockefeller Foundation, Rajiv Shah, has emerged as the favourite to succeed David Malpass as head of the World Bank amid calls for the White House to lose its stranglehold on choosing who should run the global development body.
Shah, a doctor, health expert and former head of the US Agency for International Development, is one of the names hotly tipped to be the Joe Biden’s administration choice as a replacement for Malpass following his announcement that he would be leaving his post by June.
But the likelihood that Washington will use a “gentleman’s agreement” under which the US picks the World Bank president while Europe chooses the managing director of its sister organisation – the International Monetary Fund – brought immediate calls for the process to be opened up.
“With the dismal Malpass gone, the US are already manoeuvring to appoint the new head of the Bank”, said Oxfam’s head of inequality policy, Max Lawson. “This neo-colonial 80-year-old stitch up has to end if the World Bank is to retain any credibility with the rest of the world.
“Joe Biden should back a fully transparent open recruitment process to show the world that his administration is different.”
The UK government accepts that the next World Bank president will have a US passport, which means the list of possible choices could include the current head of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was born in Nigeria but has American citizenship and previously worked at the bank for 25 years.
Kevin Watkins, the former head of the charity Save the Children, said: “It will be a US treasury appointment, which is outrageous. There should be a global search for the best candidate.”
Justine Greening, the former UK international development secretary, said there was a strong case for a tradition that stretches back to the founding of the World Bank and the IMF in 1944 to be broken.
“Because the World Bank is a development organisation it makes sense to have it run by someone for one of those countries”, Greening said. “We should be looking forward to how we want to do development in the 21st century not looking in the rear view mirror to how we did development in the 20th century.”
Liam Byrne, chair of the parliamentary network on the World Bank and IMF, said it was a moment when “the World Bank needs the best leadership it can get from anywhere in the world”, but it was also vital for the new president to be closely aligned with Yellen and Biden. “Congressional support for the bank is supremely important and the choice needs to be someone able to negotiate with Congress.
Malpass was Donald Trump’s choice to succeed Jim Yong Kim – a Barack Obama appointee – after his surprise decision to leave the World Bank in 2019. Janet Yellen, Biden’s treasury secretary, has made no secret of her unhappiness with Malpass and sources said he had decided to go before being formally denied a second five-year term.
In addition to Shah, a number of other American candidates are being floated for the World Bank job. These include Samantha Power, the current head of Usaid and previously US ambassador to the UN; Gayle Smith, who coordinated the US’s global response to Covid-19 and now runs the One Campaign, the development lobby group set up by Bono and Bob Geldof; and Wally Adeyemo, Yellen’s deputy at the US treasury, and who was responsible for coordinating the international effort to impose sanctions on the Kremlin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Should the US agree to break with tradition, possible choices include Raghuram Rajan, the former governor of India’s central bank and once chief economist at the IMF; and José Antonio Ocampo, the finance minister of Colombia.
[ad_2]
#Rockefeller #Foundation #boss #favourite #succeed #David #Malpass #World #Bank
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Mumbai: It’s been 16 years since Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Om Shanti Om’ released and the film is remembered to date. One of the most special parts of the film was its song ‘Deewangi Deewangi’.
Sung by Shaan, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghosal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rahul Saxena, the catchy track featured the who’s who of Bollywood.
From Dharmendra, Salman Khan, Tabu, Sanjay Dutt to Vidya Balan, Rekha, Rani Mukeji, Karisma Kapoor, several Bollywood stars marked their special appearance in the blockbuster track. And now the particular song has got “Bigg Boss” tweak. If you can’t believe it then right away check ‘Om Shanti Om’ director Farah Khan’s Instagram.
On Thursday, Farah took to Instagram and shared a video from her party which she hosted especially for ‘Bigg Boss 16’ contestants.
In the clip, ‘BB 16’ contestants MC Stan, Abdu Rozik, Shiv Thakare, Shalin Bhanot, and Priyanka Chahar Choudhary are seen grooving to ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ track.
We can also spot Sania Mirza, Huma Qureshi, Patalekhaa and Arbaaz Khan in the clip.
“When the stars of my favourite show come home..along with sm of my closest friends.. its Deewangi deewangi #besttimes #biggboss16 @aslisajidkhan all for u thank uuuu,” Farah captioned the clip.
‘Bigg Boss 16’ saw MC stan lifting the trophy. . Along with the winner’s trophy, he received a car and prize money totalling Rs 31.80 lakh.
This season’s top five finalists were Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Shalin Bhanot, MC Stan, Shiv Thakare, and Archana Gautam.
The Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted that his mercenary group is facing difficulties in Ukraine and will soon decrease in size, amid growing evidence that his political influence in the Kremlin is waning.
“The number of Wagner units will decrease, and we will also not be able to carry out the scope of tasks that we would like to,” Prigozhin told a group of pro-war bloggers and state journalists gathered at an army barracks in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday.
“You have all heard that the recruitment of prisoners to our ranks has stopped,” he added.
His comments followed a recent announcement that the mercenary group will no longer recruit prisoners to fight in the war, ending a months-long campaign in which Wagner signed up about 40,000 convicts from Russian prisons. The businessman has offered no explanation, but observers say the move is part of growing backlash against him from the Russian security services.
Prigozhin, a catering magnate who last year admitted to founding the Wagner group after years of obfuscation, has assumed an increasingly prominent role in the war, with his troops engaged in some of Russia’s most gruelling battles in eastern Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, seen at the funeral of a Wagner group fighter in St Petersburg on 24 December 2022. Photograph: Aleksey Smagin/Kommersant/Sipa USA/Alamy
Last month, Wagner, which is now largely made up of convicts, captured the Ukrainian town of Soledar, Moscow’s first territorial gain in the war since the summer.
The mercenary group has also been at the forefront in the months-long fight to seize neighbouring Bakhmut, a battle that Prigozhin on Wednesday said was “not going as quickly as we would like”.
In a thinly veiled criticism of the Russian ministry of defence, he said “horrendous military bureaucracy” had prevented Wagner from taking Bakhmut by the new year.
“Other units are not showing the activity that they should be [showing]. If there were three to five groups like Wagner, we would already be dipping our feet in the Dnipro river,” he said.
Since the start of the war, Prigozhin has repeatedly clashed with army leadership, including the chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, and the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. His willingness to take on the defence establishment has catapulted him to become a leading figure among pro-war ultranationalists who have similarly criticised the army leadership.
However, there are growing signs the Kremlin has moved to curb what it considers the excessive political clout of the magnate. Last month, Russia appointed Gerasimov as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine, replacing Sergey Surovikin, who is believed to be a close ally of Prigozhin.
Several prominent human rights groups have reported that the ministry of defence has now taken over Wagner’s role of recruiting inmates – effectively depriving the group of its main source of manpower.
“Prigozhin has no shortage of enemies,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R.Politik. “The businessman’s attacks on officials, parliamentary deputies and political parties have not won him any favour within the elite, which considers Prigozhin’s autonomy, ambition and rhetoric nothing short of a threat to the state.”
skip past newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
According to Stanovaya, Prigozhin’s Wagner group has been a convenient asset for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, but the businessman was now risking his position by overplaying his ambitions.
“Wagner should operate exclusively in the state’s interests and avoid the limelight. It should not undertake its own initiatives, and it certainly should not have a political agenda,” Stanovaya said. “Until recently, that’s how Prigozhin operated. But now, he hasn’t just become a public figure, he is visibly transforming into a full-fledged politician with his own views.”
Earlier this week, Prigozhin caused further controversy after a Telegram channel linked to him shared a gruesome video appearing to show the sledgehammer execution of a former Russian mercenary who fled the Wagner group while fighting in Ukraine.
Prigozhin later said that Dmitry Yakushchenko was actually pardoned and on Wednesday, the two men appeared together. “This is to answer your question, whether he was actually killed with a sledgehammer,” Prigozhin said.
In November, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel published a similar video that showed the sledgehammer killing of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a convicted murderer recruited by Wagner who surrendered to Ukrainian forces but was later allegedly handed over to Russia. Nuzhin’s relatives later confirmed his death.
[ad_2]
#Wagner #mercenary #group #decrease #prisoner #recruitment #ends #boss
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Sumbul Touqeer Khan, MC Stan and Tina Datta (Instagram)
Mumbai: Controversial reality show Bigg Boss 16 may have come to an end, but the fever among fans is still on and you can still smell the hype around it. Fans are still waiting everyday for new stories about the reality show and its contestants. So, we thought of giving you a quick information on who got the highest paycheque from BB 16 among all the contestants who entered the Salman Khan-hosted show.
Some of the highest paid celebrity contestants of the show were — Sumbul Touqeer Khan, MC Stan, Tina Datta, Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia and MC Stan. Sumbul received Rs 12L per week, while Tina charged Rs 8-9L from the makers. Nimrit took home a whopping amount of Rs 8L per week, Stan, on the other hand charged Rs 7L.
Bigg Boss 16 contestants (Twitter)
Highest Paid Contestant Of Bigg Boss 16
Sumbul Touqeer Khan received the highest paycheque from BB 16. She made an exit from the reality show in 18th week, so if calculate, her total earnings stand at around Rs 2.1cr which is the highest pay compared to other contestants.
MC Stan, winner of Bigg Boss 16, earned Rs 1.33cr for 19 weeks. If we add his prize money which is Rs 31L, then the number goes up to Rs 1.64cr. Stan is followed by Tina Datta who earned Rs Rs 1.3 to 1.5cr.
Winner, Runner-up
MC Stan defeated all other contestants to win Bigg Boss 16. Shiv Thakare walked home with runner-up title, while Priyanka Chahar Choudhary’s journey ended on 3rd position followed by Archana Gautam and Shalin Bhanot.
Mumbai: As the latest season of Bigg Boss finally got concluded, fans are curious to know the total earnings of the winner, MC Stan. The rapper emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss 16, beating out other popular contestants Shiv Thakare and Priyanka Chahar Choudhary.
Stan won a shining trophy, one i10 car and Rs 31L as prize money. In this write-up, let’s have a look at how much he earned in total from the reality show.
MC Stan’s Bigg Boss 16 Remuneration
According to reports, MC Stan charged Rs 7L per week to stay inside Bigg Boss 16 house. He was one of the highest paid celebrity contestants on the Salman Khan-hosted show. The show came to an end after 19 weeks. So, his total remuneration for 19 weeks stand at around Rs 1.33cr. If we add his prize money, then the number goes up to Rs 1.64cr.
Fans are eagerly waiting to see what projects the rapper will take up next, and his success in the entertainment industry is sure to be something to watch out for.
