China's first Universal Studios theme park opens in Beijing

Universal Studios announced Monday that its first theme park in China will open in the country’s capital in September.

The company set the opening date for 20 September, according to a statement and video posted on the Chinese social media site WeChat.

Under construction since 2016, the theme park has received strong backing from Beijing authorities, including the extension of one of the city’s main subway lines to the site.

Along with rides, shows, restaurants and exhibits, the resort features a pair of hotels. The project will complement Universal’s other two Asian parks in Japan and Singapore.

The Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Kung Fu Panda film franchises feature heavily, along with the Minions from the Despicable Me movies.

Beijing’s historic sites have long drawn tourists. The coronavirus pandemic curtailed a rapidly growing demand for domestic travel and tourism, but new cases of local transmission have been falling, feeding optimism in the tourism sector.

Visitors got a sneak peek at Universal Studios' first theme park in China on Wednesday as the Beijing attraction had a soft opening, drawing queues from dawn.

The park hosts rides inspired by blockbuster film franchises including Harry Potter and Jurassic World and is part of a larger Universal-themed resort that includes two hotels and a shopping street.

Liu Muhan, a 26-year-old university lecturer who dressed up in a witch costume for the occasion, said she was looking forward to the Harry Potter-themed area and felt lucky to get in.

"I've been a hardcore Harry Potter fan for more than 20 years," Liu told AFP. "I've wanted to come here for a long time."

Wednesday's trial run was open only to visitors holding special corporate invitations.

The park promises water shows and close encounters with an animatronic dinosaur, while facial recognition cameras allow visitors to open storage lockers, pay for meals and join express queues for rides without physical tickets.

The city has since opened a dedicated subway station for the park.

The park is expected to see a surge of visitors during the upcoming week-long National Day holidays in October, as pent-up tourism demand from a summer marred by Covid-19 lockdowns spills into autumn.

Visitors on Wednesday were required to declare they were not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms and had to go through temperature cameras to enter.

(With inputs from agencies)

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FIR against Payal Rohatgi for 'defamatory' video on Nehru-Gandhi

A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Bollywood actor Payal Rohatgi in Pune for an alleged defamatory video about the Nehru-Gandhi family. She has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 500, 505(2), and 34. Rohatgi has also been charged under Section 153A, which pertains to spreading communal disharmony.

The 36-year-old was reported to be using objectionable language against Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi.

The complaint has been filed by members of the Pune Congress Committee at the Shivaji Nagar police station in the city.

Pune City Congress spokesperson Ramesh Iyer said that Rohtagi had repeatedly used derogatory language for the Nehru-Gandhi family in a video she shared on social media. He added that he, along with “the office-bearers of the Pune City Congress committee, including Ramesh Bagwe, Mohan Joshi, Datta Bahirat and Sangeeta Tiwari” met with senior police officials from the cybercrime cell to register a formal complaint.

This is not the first time Rohatgi has been booked for defamatory comments by the police.

In 2019, the former Bigg Boss participant was detained by Rajasthan police for a video in which she used derogatory language for the Nehru-Gandhi family, including Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, and others. She was booked under the Information Technology (IT) Act for the objectionable content. The actor was later granted bail by a local court in the state.

Rohatgi had later claimed that her arrest was "politically motivated" and part of a "conspiracy" by the Congress state government.
In June this year, she was arrested from her residential society in Ahmedabad after an FIR was registered against her for allegedly using derogatory language against the society’s residents and the chairman. Residents claimed that she had used indecent language and abused them on various occasions.

Rohatgi was booked under various IPC sections including 294 b for obscenity, 504 for intentional insult, 506 for criminal intimidation, and sections of the IT Amendment Act

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Watch: RCB players share light moments on way from Bengaluru to Dubai

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) reached UAE on Sunday (29th August) to begin their run to the in IPL 2021. RCB are placed third on the points table with five wins and two losses in seven games.

Documenting their journey from Bengaluru to Dubai, the team shared the first episode of 'Bold Diaries', a digital series that captures behind-the-scenes of the team as they gear up for the journey to Dubai.

The excitement can be evident in this group that's heading into the remainder of the competition. The video shows light-hearted moments of the players. They share interesting travel stories from their past journeys while also disclosing what they will be watching on the flight.

Sharing his thoughts on how he travels on planes, Navdeep Saini said, "I like everything about traveling, but if you can get a business class seat instead of an economy class seat, there is nothing like it. In economy, you are confined to sitting in one tight spot. However, in business class, you can relax and sit. That's why I like getting business class so I can be comfortable while watching Netflix."

The team will be quarantined in their hotel for 06 days before training begins. The team’s season re-opener is on 20 September against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

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India vs England: After Lord's loss, hosts 'calmed the emotions down,' says Paul Collingwood

The sight of James Anderson posing with a defensive shot as his stumps are uprooted behind is a moment to remember in Indian cricket. In the background, Jasprit Bumrah is jumping in delight. He had his share of battles with Jimmy in the match the heat had added a lot to the context of that win. For an England supporter, it would not have been a great sight.

It appeared England would go only downhill from there. Many changes occured in the squad for the second Test but only time would tell if they were for good or bad.

However, things changed quickly on the first morning of Headingley Test with India getting bundled out of for 78, with Anderson leading the charge, tricking Indians with skills - outswing, inswing, wobbly seam and what not!

It was assumed that England will be more vocal on the ground after seeing how much heat was produced in the Test before. But instead, Joe Root's side was a calmer unit. They hed learned that in order to beat India, they should avoid having any mini battles with them.

England assistant coach Paul Collingwood concurs.

"I think the Lord's Test match was a very heated Test match. It was a very close Test match all the way. In sports, you don't want to give an inch and when you have two countries for whom cricket means a lot, you do have heated exchanges. So, it was a great game to watch."

The former England captain also felt that after Lord's defeat, the need was to stay calm rather than engage in another one-on-one spat with members of the Indian team.

"Lord's was a difficult defeat. What we did after that is calm the emotions down. Refocus on what we can do," Collingwood told select Indian journalists on Tuesday.

The England think-tank decided to make some chopping and changing. And to good luck, the move worked.

Collingwood said, "Obviously we brought Dawid and Haseeb into the side. It was just really refocussing on the job in hand and settle in in new conditions at Headingley. And make sure that we go about our business nice and calm. I think the performance at Headlingley was incredible considering what had happened at Lord's."

Collingwood feels what really set the tone for England in the match was India crumbling down for just 78 in the first innings but what gave them the confidence was the first-wicket partnership between two new set of openers - Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns.

"Obviously we got off to a great start. We fought well. That start got us ahead of the game very early on. Our first-wicket stand was outstanding in terms of the series. That partnership calmed everyone down. We played wonderfully for the rest of the innings," said Collingwood.

At the Oval, England await another challenge as R Ashwin is expected to finally break into the India XI. Collingwood says his inclusion and non-inclusion has no effect on England. And that India opting for Jadeja was a decision that reflects logic.

"The four seamers, you know, at Lord's did fantastically well. They put us under a lot of pressure. And Jadeja is a world-class performer. So you can understand from India's point of view how to get a second spinner into the side," he said.

Collingwood said that these doubts over selection are nice for the England camp as it shows India are under pressure.

"We are not going to worry too much about what decision India are to make, it is all about what we have to do. If you put a team under enough pressure then, you are going to have these kind of doubts about the selection of the opposite team. We know that Jadeja is a world-class performer as well and given the conditions, he can cause a lot of problem. With his bat, he balances the side a lot better. So, you kind of understand it but we are not going to focus on selection issues of India."

On Ashwin factor, he says many of the England batsmen have faced him on turning Indian tracks and that in England with Duke, they will hopefully be able to handle him.

"Obviously we will have to wait and see what the pitch is like. Whether India plays two spinners or just one and bring Ashwin in. We are honestly really focussed on what we need to do. And the guys have played in past. And played against him on turner wickets in India which is not easy and obviously played here with the Duke's ball. Hopefully, we can combat him in the field if he does play in the next Test."

Watch the 4th test of India tour of England, LIVE from 3:30 pm IST on SONY SIX & SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) channels from 2nd to 6th September 2021.

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US Open 2021: Djokovic, Barty, Andreescu advance; historic day for American men on Day 2

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LaLiga: Dest, Benzema, Sorloth in focus for World Cup qualifiers

As LaLiga players meet up with their national teams to play World Cup qualifiers, here are five with particularly interesting storylines.

Sergiño Dest (FC Barcelona and USA)

The USA famously missed out on a place at the 2018 World Cup, so making it to Qatar in 2022 is a priority for them and the country’s fans hope that young talents like Sergiño Dest can lead them there. The FC Barcelona right-back is in Gregg Berhalter’s squad for the September qualifiers against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras and he’ll be looking to impress for his national team. Dest also meets up with his country aware that strong performances will help him in his club battle with summer signing Emerson for minutes on the right of Barça’s defence.

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and France)

Following a six-year absence from international duty, Karim Benzema returned to the France national team set-up for Euro 2020 and the Real Madrid No 9 scored four goals in four games. Now, fans will be able to see the striker in blue again this September, as he looks to fire France towards the 2022 World Cup. This break, they play qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Finland.

Take Kubo (Real Mallorca and Japan)

Takefusa Kubo nutmegged FOUR players to score this goal for Japan 😳

(via @jfa_samuraiblue)pic.twitter.com/l1tkwScrDd

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 23, 2021

Take Kubo was exceptional at the Olympic Games, leading Japan to three wins from three in the group stage by scoring in every game, before helping them reach the semi-finals. Ultimately, the host nation lost the bronze medal match, even though Kubo added an assist in that defeat to Mexico. Now, the 20-year-old, who is on loan at Real Mallorca from Real Madrid this season, will look to make a similar impact with the senior Japan national team as they face Oman and China in World Cup qualifying.

Brais Méndez (Celta Vigo and Spain)

Brais Méndez has played one match and scored one goal for Spain, netting the only strike of a 1-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018. The Celta Vigo playmaker hasn’t played for his country since, but is back on the squad list for La Roja’s September qualifiers against Sweden, Georgia and Kosovo. Luis Enrique explained that he has been impressed by the 24-year-old’s league performances and that he deserves to be back in contention for national team minutes.

Alexander Sørloth (Real Sociedad and Norway)

The transfer of Alexander Sørloth from RB Leipzig to Real Sociedad stands out as one of the most intriguing of the summer. Big things are expected of the striker and fans of La Real and Spanish football in general will be able to see exactly what Sørloth can do in Norway’s matches against Netherlands, Latvia and Gibraltar, after catching a glimpse of him when he played just over five minutes in his debut against Levante. The striker has 11 goals in 32 caps and will be looking to add to that this September.

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A guide to Venice Film Festival 2021, from screenings to COVID protocols

The Venice International Film Festival is primed to make its triumphant return this September after a restrained outing in 2020 marred by the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Festival director Alberto Barbera said Tuesday he hopes the festival’s 2021 edition will mark the “reopening that was not the case last year.” But unlike the film festival in Cannes, which came back to life this year in France after skipping 2020, Venice still has to comply with stringent Italian anti-COVID restrictions.

A huge barricade once again is sealing off public access to the red carpet and there are limited chances for fans to catch VIP water taxi arrivals on the Lido. More than 10 testing stations have been set up, and festival-goers must show proof of a negative test, vaccination or having recently recovered from COVID-19 to enter screenings. Masks are required indoors.

In other words, the Venice show is going on even as Italy copes with new infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

Here's all you need to know about the 78th edition which is set to run from 1-11 September

Film screenings to look forward to

Director Denis Villeneuve has been to the world’s top film festivals, from Cannes to Toronto, but Venice holds a special spot.

“It’s definitely the most elegant,” Villeneuve said.

It’s no surprise then that Venice was where he wanted to debut his most ambitious film yet, Dune, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic with an all-star cast led by Timothée Chalamet.

Dune is just one of the high-profile premieres coming to 78th Venice International Film Festival, with new films from acclaimed directors like Jane Campion, Ridley Scott, Pedro Almodóvar, Paolo Sorrentino, Paul Schrader and Edgar Wright and a roster of A-list celebrities including Ben Affleck, Kristen Stewart, Penelope Cruz, Kirsten Dunst, Zendaya, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac expected to grace the famed red carpet outside the Palazzo del Cinema.

• Almodóvar will kick off the 2021 Venice Film Festival with the world premiere of his new drama Parallel Mothers. The film will debut in competition and vie for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. Written and directed by Almodóvar, it stars Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Julieta Serrano, and Rossy De Palma. Almodóvar had attended Venice last year to world premiere his short film The Human Voice out of competition.
• Jane Campion was the only woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes until Julia Ducournau duplicated the feat at the last edition with her trippy crime thriller Titane. Campion is returning to Venice with her first feature in over 12 years. The Power of the Dog, a frontrunner for this year’s Academy Awards, is a western starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The film is an adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name.
• Kristen Stewart has transformed as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s Spencer. The film will premiere at Venice before it goes to the Toronto International Film Festival which begins on 15 September. Written by Steven Knight, Spencer revolves around one Christmas vacation of the British royalty that saw her coming out with the decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles.
  
• Also vying for Golden Lion is Schrader’s The Card Counter, starring Isaac as a former military interrogator who now spends his days playing poker at seedy casinos. Maggie Gyllenhaal is premiering her first feature, The Lost Daughter, in competition. The adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s 2008 novel about a divorcee rediscovering herself without her children stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
• Other buzzy films in competition include Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, inspired by the director’s own coming-of-age story, and Ana Lily Amirpour’s Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, with Kate Hudson.
• Dune is debuting out of competition, alongside Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, a stylish psychological horror with Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, a 14th century epic with Affleck, Driver, Matt Damon and Jodie Comer.

India's Once Upon A Time In Calcutta to Premiere on the Lido

Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s third feature, Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, will be part of the 78th Venice Film Festival. The only movie from India, it will play in the section titled, Horizons, the second most important after Competition, reports News18.

Sengupta’s work will compete with 18 others, like Pilgrims, Amira, Atlantide, The Falls, A Plein Temps, 107 Mothers, White Building and True Things.

"Venice is a dream Festival for any filmmaker and we are extremely grateful and excited to be back with a Bengali film about the city, especially on the 100 birth centenary of Satyajit Ray,” Sengupta said in a statement.“Leveraging real characters and actual events, the movie is my effort to chip away the various layers of the previously Communist city to reveal a human condition that is tragic and yet full of hope and joy.

The film highlights the aspirations and struggles of people gasping for breath in an ever-expanding metropolis. For the viewer, I have tried to create a real glimpse into the murky waters of Calcutta, with colourful characters, all trying very hard to find a corner of their own without drowning,” he added describing the movie.

Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement Honours

For the 78th festival, Life Is Beautiful director Roberto Benigni and Halloween (1978) star Jamie Lee Curtis have been announced as the recipients of the Golden Lion.

Jamie Lee Curtis will pick up the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement on 8 September, when the latest instalment of her Halloween slasher franchise, Halloween Kills, will be screened on Venice’s Lido out of competition.

Oscar-winning Italian director-actor Roberto Benigni of Life is Beautiful fame will be honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

"My heart is full of joy and gratitude. It is an immense honour to receive such an important recognition of my work from the Venice International Film Festival," Benigni said in a statement.

Bong Joon-ho presides over the jury panel

Parasite director Bong Joon Ho has been selected as jury president and will preside over seven jurors to hand out the festival’s top awards, including the prestigious Golden Lion. He’ll be the first South Korean to hold the post.

In a statement, the director said he is, “Honoured to be woven into its beautiful cinematic tradition. As president of the jury — and more importantly as a perpetual cinephile — I’m ready to admire and applaud all the great films selected by the festival. I’m filled with genuine hope and excitement.”

Alongside Bong, the jury is comprised of Hungry Hearts (2014) director Saverio Costanzo, Bendetta (2021) actress Virginie Efira, Harriet (2019) star Cynthia Erivo, actress Sarah Gadon, Collective (2019) documentarian Alexander Nanau, and Eternals director Chloé Zhao.

A panel discussion with Afghan filmmakers to discuss Taliban takeover

The Venice International Film Festival has invited Afghan filmmakers Sahraa Karimi and Sahra Mani to talk about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan with "particular attention to the situation of filmmakers and artists" since the hardline religious group seized control of the country.

According to Biennale's official website, the panel will take place on 4 September at the Palazzo del Casino (Lido of Venice), in the Press Conference Room.

The topic of the panel is "the dramatic situation of Afghan filmmakers and artists in general, the need for the creation of humanitarian corridors and the guarantee of the granting of political refugee status, as well as concern for their future and the need to provide for their accommodation once they arrive in Europe".

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August, several Afghans have fled the country, many of whom said they had been threatened by the Taliban.

Karimi, who is the first female president of the Afghan Film Organization, wrote an open letter requesting the film community of the world to be the voice of the people of Afghanistan which went viral ahead of the Taliban takeover.

Her feature Hava, Maryam, Ayesha screened in Venice's Horizons (Orizzonti) sidebar in 2019.

Mani, a documentary maker whose credits include A Thousand Girls Like Me, will also participate. She will also present a project at the CoProduction Market of the Exhibition.

The panel will be moderated by Italian journalist Giuliano Battiston, who since 2007 has dedicated himself to Afghanistan with travel, research and essays.

(With inputs from agencies)

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