Month: December 2024

Birthdays call for celebrations with loved ones, and Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan went all out to make their son Taimur’s special day memorable. On Friday, the dotting parents sporty-themed birthday bash for their firstborn, Taimur.

Several videos surfaced online in which Kareena and Saif can be seen engaging in fun games with Taimur and his friends, adding a lively touch to the festivities.

A while ago, a slew of B-towners including Taimur’s “bua” Soha Ali Khan with husband Kunal Kemma was spotted arriving at Kareena and Saif’s house. They looked extremely excited to celebrate the birthday of Taimur, who is fondly called “Tim” by his loved ones.

Soha also took to Instagram and penned an adorable birthday wish for Taimur on behalf of her daughter Inaaya. She also dropped a video, showcasing the adorable bond shared between the cousins.

“From jumping on the bed to racing freestyle we have come a long way – here’s to a lifetime of family, food and prezzies !! Happy Birthday Tim bhai,” she captioned the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDyuJbMCJpu/?hl=en

Filmmaker Karan Johar’s kids were also spotted at the bash.

Meanwhile, several clips of Taimur from his school’s annual day function have been doing the rounds on the internet. In one of the clips, Kareena can be seen beaming with joy and recording Taimur’s performance on her phone.

In September, during a press interaction, the ‘Jab We Met’ actor got candid about her personal and professional lives, revealing a cute anecdote involving her kids.

When asked if her son Taimur Ali Khan knows about the film festival named after her, the actress gave an interesting response.

She said, “Right now they (Taimur and Jeh) are too young to know these things. He has an idea because of the paparazzi chasing him. I think that is why he only knows. But he keeps saying, ‘Why are they chasing? Am I famous?’ I said, ‘No you are not famous, I am famous. You are nobody, you haven’t done anything.’ He’s like, ‘Maybe one day I will do it.’ But right now in his mind, it is not films. It is only football. I hope he will watch some of my films, I’m sure someday the minute I can take him away from football.”

Kareena tied the knot with Saif Ali Khan in 2016. The two have worked together in LOC Kargil (2003) and Omkara (2006), but it was on the sets of the 2008 film Tashan that they fell in love with each other. In addition, on October 16, 2012, they solemnized their relationship.

In 2016, the two became parents to son Taimur and in February 2021, they welcomed Jeh. Saif was married to Amrita Singh before Kareena and they have two children together, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. (ANI)

Several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour during a ruckus in Parliament on Friday, accusing the Leader of Opposition of “arrogance,” “violating parliamentary rules,” and a “shameful attitude” towards fellow MPs.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur condemned Gandhi’s actions, saying, “The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus… this is not forgivable. Can a leader of the opposition go with this thinking? When he (Rahul Gandhi) was taken to the injured, forget about asking about their well-being, forget about apologizing, arrogance was visible on his face… His (Rahul Gandhi’s) statement was that pushing and shoving keeps happening. This makes it clear that his thinking is that you can do anything to anyone, and nothing is going to happen to us.”

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed Gandhi for ignoring repeated warnings from security forces.

She said, “The public representative is the biggest sentinel of democracy, but Rahul Gandhi and all the members of the INDIA alliance have forgotten this. Just by showing the Constitution, you do not become the protector of the Constitution. Yesterday, the security forces repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to take an alternate route. He (Rahul Gandhi) knew that a peaceful protest was going on, yet he deliberately and maliciously pushed and passed through the midst of all our MPs who were peacefully protesting there… Two of our colleagues have been seriously and deeply injured… Along with this, he should also apologise for the shameful attitude he adopted with our Nagaland MP Phangnon Konyak.”

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi expressed concern over the injuries sustained by two senior MPs. She said, “Something which happened in Parliament yesterday should not have happened. We strongly condemn it. There are two issues which I would like to highlight: two very senior MPs have been hospitalized and are still under doctors’ observation. This is extremely unfortunate. We are all supposed to hold the decorum and dignity of Parliament.”

“The woman MP from Nagaland felt uncomfortable in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, and it is her statement in Rajya Sabha. This is extremely unfortunate. We condemn this,” the BJP MP added.

Further BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused Congress MPs of “hooliganism” and alleged that Gandhi pushed BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. He said, “Rahul Gandhi should be ashamed. His party (Congress) insulted Babasaheb for the last 60 years… Today, democracy has been attacked, and the Adivasi daughter was insulted. Apology should be sought, and if he has morality, he should resign.”

The BJP has demanded an apology from Gandhi, raising concerns over the incident’s impact on parliamentary decorum.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die shortly after proceedings began on Friday, a day after the massive scuffle in Parliament. Rajya Sabha was also adjourned until noon.

Before Lok Sabha adjourned, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved a motion to refer two bills concerning “One Nation, One Election” to a Joint Committee of the two Houses. The motion, which included the names of 27 Lok Sabha members, was approved amid the uproar. The committee will also have 12 Rajya Sabha members and will submit its report by the last week of the next session.

Speaker Om Birla underlined the collective responsibility of maintaining Parliament’s dignity and said protests at Parliament’s “dwars” were inappropriate. He warned of appropriate action in case of violations. (ANI)

On the last day of the Winter Session, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his dismay over repeated disruption in the Parliamentary proceedings saying that the Parliament failed to fulfil its responsibilities and let the people of the country down.

Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Tharoor said, “I am a very disappointed MP. Most of our MPs are disappointed. I think that there are a lot of major issues to be discussed in our country, including unemployment, price rise, Manipur, Sambhal violence broke out just as Parliament was starting. Sadly, most of this time has been wasted in disruption. For many of us, the only constructive work was done in the Parliamentary committees. But the main Parliament did not fulfil its duty to the nation. I think we have let the people of India down. Very unfortunate.”

He also expressed hope that the BJP-led central government would reach out to the opposition and find a solution so that the Parliament can function without disruption.

“To my mind, Parliament is a forum for debate, discussion, and disagreements certainly but not for disruption. There was an agreement reached between the Government and the Opposition in the first week that the Opposition could protest outside but inside work would continue. It went on for 2-3 days. But thereafter, we ended up once again with a complete breakdown. I think that was very unfortunate. I really hope that the Govt reaches out to the Opposition and finds a solution. So that in an objective way, we can all get on with the work of the House,” he said.

“Budget session is coming now and we should not see a repetition of this in February-March,” he stated.

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned on Friday amid protests over Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar. The Winter Session 2024 of Parliament began on November 25, and concluded on December 20. (ANI)

A major accident and fire occurred in Jaipur’s Bhankrota area early today on the main Ajmer Road. Four people have died, and nearly 40 vehicles, including trucks and trolleys, were burnt.

The fire started due to multiple vehicle collisions near a petrol pump. Authorities are working to put out the fire.

Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), while speaking to ANI, said, “A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area.

“The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire,” SP Amit Kumar added.

He further explained, “This accident probably involved a gas tanker, which may have intensified the fire. Many nearby vehicles have also caught fire. Police, civil defence, and the fire brigade are working tirelessly to control the situation. There are some casualties; we are trying to ascertain the details.”

Jaipur District Collector Jitendra Soni said, “Four people have died so far in the accident, and nearly 40 vehicles have caught fire. Many people have also been injured.”

Soni added, A major accident and fire occurred in Jaipur’s Bhankrota area. The incident took place early today on the main Ajmer Road, where nearly 40 vehicles were set ablaze. Several trucks and trolleys were reduced to ashes. The accident occurred near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area, and the fire broke out after multiple vehicles collided one after another. Efforts are currently being made to extinguish the fire.

Moti Singh, a petrol pump employee, shared, “This accident happened around 5 o’clock in the morning when I was calculating accounts. We had a switch on and off, and suddenly, we saw all the trucks were burning. There was a Naira pump in front of us, and it also caught fire. We controlled the fire here using a cylinder.

“At that moment, as far as we could see, the fire was spreading. Many vehicles that arrived had already caught fire, but we managed to contain it at our site,” he added.

In a post on X, Ashok Gehlot, the former chief minister of Rajasthan, expressed his concern, stating, “The incident of fire in a petrol pump and chemical tanker on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway is very worrying. There are reports of many people getting injured in this accident. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of all the injured.” (ANI)

People in Delhi woke up to a layer of dense fog on Friday as cold wave gripped the city.

As per IMD, the minimum temperature in Delhi dipped to7 degrees Celsius on Friday as fog engulfed the city.

People in several places including Yamuna Bazar area and New Delhi Railway Station took refuge in night shelter homes.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city also remained in the ‘severe’ category on Friday.

The AQI measured in the national capital was 434 at 8. AM as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Air Quality Index in several areas in Delhi was hovering between the ‘severe’ and ‘severe-plus’ categories. RK Puram recorded an AQI of 453 and 452 at Rohini, 436 at Shadipur, and 451 at Vivek Vihar.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is severe.

Meanwhile, several parts of North India also witnessed cold wave as the temperature dips.

Additionally, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are to prevail in most of North India.

“Today’s Weather Warning: Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions at a few places over Himachal Pradesh. Cold wave conditions at a few places over Punjab, at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Rajasthan. Dense fog at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Ground frost at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh. ” IMD said.

Earlier on Thursday, a cold wave in the national capital led to low visibility. With the minimum temperature dropping to 7.4 degrees Celsius, the visibility in Delhi was recorded as 250 m at 8 am. (ANI)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has not been defeated in Syria after rebel groups ousted his ally and longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, earlier this month, Al Jazeera reported.

On Thursday, Putin said he had not yet met the former Syrian ruler who fled to the Russian capital, but that he “will definitely talk to him” and planned to meet him in Moscow, as per Al Jazeera.

He mentioned he would ask Assad about the fate of missing US reporter Austin Tice, whose release was described by the White House as a “top priority”, Al Jazeera reported.

Speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference, Putin also denied claims of Russia’s loss with the fall of the former regime. Russia intervened in Syria in 2015 and turned the tide of the civil war there in Assad’s favour.

“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying. “I assure you it is not … we have achieved our goals.”

He said Russia intervened in Syria to “prevent a terrorist enclave from being created there” and that “it is not for nothing that today many European countries and the United States want to establish relations with them [Syria’s new rulers]”.

“We maintain relations with all the groups that control the situation there, with all the countries in the region,” Putin continued, adding that the “overwhelming majority of them tell us that they would be interested in our military bases remaining in Syria”.

Russia offered to maintain bases there “for humanitarian purposes”, he said. He also admitted to having evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad government.

Notably, Syria’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, has focused on repatriating Syrian refugees living abroad as one of his key goals. Al-Bashir aims to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad” as part of efforts to restore stability in the country. (ANI)

The annual day function of Dhirubhai Ambani School turned out to be a star-studded affair as it saw the presence of renowned celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan among others.

B-towners gathered together under the same roof to cheer for their kids who study at Dhirubhai Ambani School. Several visuals from the function surfaced online in which we can see film personalities beaming with pride on seeing their children perform live on the stage.

Several videos from pap accounts and fan pages have been circulating which show dotting parents Aishwarya-Abhishek, Shah Rukh, and Kareena recording their children Aaradhya, AbRam, and Taimur’s performances on their phones respectively.

One of the viral videos shows Shah Rukh dancing with the school kids, adding chaar chand to the annual day. (Videos and pics credits: SRK Universe and SRK VIBE Instagram handles)

Gauri Khan and Suhana Khan were also seen next to Shah Rukh Khan.

Shahid Kapoor-Mira Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh-Genelia, too, marked their presence at the annual day function. A while ago, Mira took to Instagram and shared a selfie from the car and captioned it, “For my babies.”

Karan Johar also attended the annual day event with fashion designer Manish Malhotra. (ANI)

Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said that Pakistan’s missile systems could potentially harm the US.

Speaking on the US President Joe Biden administration’s efforts to reduce nuclear dangers and adapt US nuclear weapons and non-proliferation policy to an uncertain world, Finer said that it raises questions on Pakistan’s intentions.

“Recently, Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology. From long range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors. If these trend lines continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States, raising real questions about Pakistan’s intentions,” he said.

Finer said that with these reports, Pakistan seems to be a threat to US security.

“The list of countries that possess both nuclear weapons and the missile capability to directly reach the US homeland is very small. They tend to be adversarial towards the United States- Russia, North Korea and China so candidly it’s hard for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” he said.

Finer said that it posed a question as to why Pakistan would do this, because the US was an ally of Pakistan.

“Leaders across our administration myself included have raised these concerns repeatedly with senior Pakistani officials we have been a longtime partner with Pakistan on development on counterterrorism and other security issues including quite sensitive issues. We’ve provided support to Islamabad during difficult times and we continue to desire a cooperative relationship in these areas of shared interest. That makes us question even more why Pakistan would be motivated to develop capability that could be used against us,” he said.

Finer further said that Pakistan failed to take seriously the sanctions posed by the US and from other countries in the region and continued building on its capabilities.

“Unfortunately, it is our sense that Pakistan has failed to take these concerns and frankly, the concerns of others in the international community seriously and continues to advance these capabilities. As a result, the Biden Administration has implemented a series of steps to contend with further development of long-range missile systems. Over the last year, we’ve issued three rounds of sanctions against non-Pakistani entities that have provided support to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program and yesterday we issued sanctions directly against Pakistan’s state-owned National development complex, which the United States assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles. The first time we have sanctioned a Pakistani state-owned Enterprise tied to missile development,” he said.

Finer added that the US will continue its pressure Pakistan to mitigate its missile program.

“Simply put, we’re going to keep the pressure on Pakistan regarding its long-range missile program even as we also continue to seek diplomatic resolutions to address our concerns and we encourage every other nation to do the same finally,” he said.

Finer further said that it was in everyone’s interests to ensure that Weapons of Mass Destruction are limited in the world.

“It is in all of our interests to ensure that our nation prioritizes arms control and reduces WMD risks across the world in practice…even as we continue to modernize our nuclear forces,” he said.

The US sanctioned four entities that were contributing to Pakistan’s Ballistic Missile Program on Wednesday (local time). (ANI)

A French court on Thursday (local time) declared the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot and 50 other co-defendants guilty in a mass-rape case that hogged the headlines across the world, Al Jazeera reported.

A panel of five judges at the criminal court in Avignon judged 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot guilty on Thursday of orchestrating the drugging and the raping of his wife for almost a decade, offering her up to his 50 co-conspirators, as per Al Jazeera.

Dominique Pelicot, who pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial, was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in jail, with prosecutors seeking terms of between four and 18 years for the other defendants. Almost all of the 50 co-defendants – aged between 27 and 74 – were accused of raping Gisele Pelicot. Some of the men acknowledged wrongdoing, while others said they believed she had consented to sex, as per Al Jazeera.

During the trial, Dominique Pelicot admitted that for years, drugged his ex-wife of 50 years so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while he filmed the assaults. He denied misleading the other defendants, saying they knew exactly what they were doing. “I am a rapist like the others in this room,” he said during testimony, as per Al Jazeera.

In all, the court found 47 of the defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

Lead judge of the court, Roger Arata said Dominique Pelicot would not be eligible for parole until he has served two thirds of his sentence.

“I respect the court and the decision of its verdict,” Gisele Pelicot told reporters, adding that she was now thinking of the “unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows”. She added she believed in a future where “everyone, woman and man, can live in harmony,” Al Jazeera quoted her as saying.

Gisele Pelicot said she “never regretted” opening the trial to the public. She waived her right to anonymity during the hearings. “I’ve decided not to be ashamed, I’ve done nothing wrong,” she testified in October. “They are the ones who must be ashamed,” she said. (ANI)

Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, in connection with a scuffle in Parliament.

BJP had filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi under various sections including 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention).

The Delhi Police removed section 109 (attempt to murder) of BNS and all other sections are the same as given in the complaint.

The Delhi Police had also received complaint from Congress which is being “investigated”.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Anurag Thakur along with fellow MPs Bansuri Swaraj and Hemang Joshi, filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police Station for “assault and incitement.”

“Today, a highly unfortunate incident occurred in Parliament, perpetrated by the Congress Party and its leader, Rahul Gandhi. Congress and Rahul Gandhi have a habit of violating the law. Rahul Gandhi’s arrogance leads him to believe he is above the law,” Anurag Thakur said while talking to the reporters.

“We have filed a complaint against him for assault and provocation. The complaint details the incident that took place today outside the Parliament’s Makar Gate, where NDA MPs were protesting peacefully, and Rahul Gandhi pushed and injured them. As a result, two BJP MPs had to be hospitalized. Our complaint includes charges under Sections 109, 115, 117, 125, 131, and 351. Despite the incident, Rahul Gandhi’s arrogance remained intact as he left without meeting the injured MPs. He considers himself above the law,” the BJP MP added.

In his complaint to police, Himang Joshi said NDA members were protesting against blatant “misinformation being propagated by opposition parties”

The complaint said Rahul Gandhi and others violated the instructions of the security personnel to take dedicated path to ensure safety concerns of the protesting MPs.

It said the Congress leader instigated other INDIA Alliance members “to proceed with force and aggression toward the NDA MPs, putting the safety of the demonstrators in jeopardy”.

“His behaviour constitutes criminal assault, incitement to his fellow companions of committing violence on the peaceful protestors, and endangerment to the lives of public representatives with common intention along with other members belonging to opposition bloc,” the complaint said.

A delegation of Congress MPs, including women MPs, also approached Parliament Street Police Station, accusing BJP leaders of misbehaving with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge during a scuffle in the Parliament premises.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused the BJP of resorting to theatrics to divert attention from remarks made about Dr BR Ambedkar. “It is in BJP’s character to level false allegations. They (BJP) have orchestrated this ‘natak’ and ‘nautanki’ to counter what they have said about Babasaheb Ambedkar… All this happened due to the confrontationist way of BJP MPs. Mallikarjun Kharge was pushed and misbehaved,” Singh told reporters.

Both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs had staged a protest in Parliament premises and a face off took place.

BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi alleged that he was injured after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pushed another MP, who then fell on him. Sarangi claimed that he was standing near the stairs when another member of Parliament (MP) fell on him, leading to an injury on his head.

He was rushed for treatment in an ambulance. “I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed a fellow MP. That MP fell on me, causing me to fall as well,” Sarangi told reporters. (ANI)