Tag: Christmas

  • Complaint registered against Ranbir Kapoor for hurting religious sentiments

    Complaint registered against Ranbir Kapoor for hurting religious sentiments

    A person from Mumbai has complained to the local police about Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, claiming that he and his family offended religious feelings in a popular video of their Christmas celebration.

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    The complaint alleges that the star violated religious sentiments in a viral video showing the family celebrating Christmas. In the video, the Kapoor family poured liquor on a cake before setting it on fire, with Ranbir uttering “Jai Mata Di.”

    The complaint alleges that the star violated religious sentiments in a viral video showing the family celebrating Christmas. In the video, the Kapoor family poured liquor on a cake before setting it on fire, with Ranbir uttering “Jai Mata Di.”

    According to reports, the complainant claims that using intoxicants and chanting religious slogans from another faith during the celebration was disrespectful. The complainant states that in Hinduism, the fire god is invoked before other deities. As of now, no FIR has been registered in the case. The video, captured during the Kapoor family’s annual Christmas lunch, gained significant attention on the internet.

    Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt introduced their infant daughter Raha to the paparazzi during the same event. The couple posed for photographs with their little one upon arriving for the family gathering.

  • Punjab is under security threat in upcoming elections, IG Punjab warns

    Punjab is under security threat in upcoming elections, IG Punjab warns

    Punjab Inspector General (IGP) Dr. Usman Anwar has said that there is a serious threat to the law and order situation in the upcoming general elections, set to take place on February 8, Samma reported on Wednesday.

    The IGP talked to media after the inauguration of an art exhibition at Alhamhra Art Gallery, where he said that the police maintained the law and order situation during the festivities of Muharram and Christmas.

    “Many terrorist activities were foiled due to the conviction of the police,” he said.

    Usman Anwar stated that the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is working on threats in Punjab, adding that police arrested 60 per cent of people last year who were involved in the May 9 riots.

    The IGP also claimed that the transfers and postings in the police department are being done at the direction of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

  • Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s daughter Raha makes first public appearance

    Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s daughter Raha makes first public appearance

    Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt have introduced their daughter, Raha to the world for the first time. The heartwarming reveal happened at the Kapoor family’s annual Christmas lunch in Juhu, Mumbai. Little Raha, with her blue eyes, made her first appearance in the arms of her dad, Ranbir Kapoor. She even sweetly touched her dad’s face during the photo session.

    Raha was born on November 6, 2022. Until now, Ranbir and Alia hadn’t shared any pictures of her or allowed the paparazzi to take photos. At HTLS 2023, Alia talked about why she and Ranbir Kapoor kept Raha away from the media spotlight.
    “I don’t want it to seem like I am hiding my daughter. I am proud of her. If the cameras were not rolling right now, I would put a giant image of her on the screen. I love her. I am proud of our baby. But we are new parents. We don’t know how we feel about her face splashed out all over the internet, she’s barely a year old.”

    The family of three happily posed together for the cameras, Raha being the star of the show in a cute pink and white dress featuring a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer design, along with festive red velvet shoes. The paparazzi couldn’t contain their excitement as they cheered for the celebrity trio.

    Ranbir Kapoor kept it cool in black pants, a matching tee, and a jacket. Alia Bhatt looked lovely in a black dress adorned with red flowers and a Christmas-themed headband. The photographers showered warm Christmas wishes on baby Raha as Ranbir guided her to greet them.

  • Palestinians feel ‘no joy’ as Israel bombs Gaza on Christmas

    Palestinians feel ‘no joy’ as Israel bombs Gaza on Christmas

    Palestinians said they felt “no joy” this Christmas as Israel bombed Gaza on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives.

    Festivities were effectively scrapped in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, with few worshippers or tourists on the usually packed streets.

    In the besieged Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run ministry of health said early Monday Israeli strikes had killed at least 18 people in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the centre of recent fighting.

    At a hospital in the city, Fadi Sayegh — whose family has previously received permits to travel to Bethlehem for celebrations — said he would not be celebrating Christmas this year.

    “There is no joy. No Christmas tree, no decorations, no family dinner, no celebrations,” he said while undergoing dialysis. “I pray for this war to be over soon.”

    Sister Nabila Salah from the Catholic Holy Church in Gaza — where two Christian women were killed by an Israeli sniper earlier this month according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem — struck a sombre tone.

    “All Christmas celebrations have been cancelled,” she told AFP. “How do we celebrate when we are… hearing the sound of tanks and bombardment instead of the ringing of bells?”

    The war broke out when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and seized 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

    Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas in response and its military campaign, which has included massive aerial bombardment. The campaign has killed 20,424 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

    Pope Francis kicked off global Christmas celebrations on Sunday with a call for peace.

    “Our heart goes to Gaza, to all people in Gaza but a special attention to our Christian community in Gaza who is suffering,” the Catholic leader said.

    Christmas eve strike

    Just ahead of Christmas, the Hamas-run health ministry said at least 70 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on Sunday at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

    Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the “toll is likely to rise” as many families were thought to be in the area at the time of the strike.

    In a separate incident, the ministry said 10 members of one family were killed in an Israeli strike on their house in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.

    AFP was unable to independently verify either toll.

    Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people have endured dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine due to an Israeli siege, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

    Eighty percent of Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and now shielding against the winter cold in makeshift tents.

    The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, called for an end to the suffering.

    “A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “War defies logic and humanity, and prepares a future of more hatred and less peace.”

    World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also renewed calls for a ceasefire, saying: “The decimation of the Gaza health system is a tragedy.”

    ‘No choice’

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the war was exacting a “very heavy price”, as the death toll of soldiers killed in the conflict continued to mount.

    “But we have no choice but to keep fighting,” he said, adding: “This will be a long war.”

    The army said Monday two more soldiers had been killed, taking to 17 the number of troops killed since Friday and 156 since Israel’s ground assault began on October 27.

    Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus indicated that forces were close to gaining control in northern Gaza and that now “we focus our efforts against Hamas in southern Gaza”.

    Two freed detainees and a medic said Sunday that Palestinians held by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip had suffered torture, a charged denied by the military.

    The two men were among hundreds detained by Israeli forces over alleged links with Hamas during Israel’s ground offensive.

    About 20 men released from Israeli custody “have bruises and marks of blows on their bodies”, Marwan al-Hams, hospital director in the southern city of Rafah, told AFP.

  • Israel has ‘killed Christmas spirit’; Bethlehem reveals symbolic Christmas decoration this year

    Israel has ‘killed Christmas spirit’; Bethlehem reveals symbolic Christmas decoration this year

    The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, occupied West Bank, has new ideas for Christmas decorations as the season of festivity nears.

    Abandoning the conventional Christmas ornaments and Christmas tree decoration, the church has instead created debris symbolising the current destruction in Gaza. A pile of concrete pieces around an olive sapling can be seen in the setup, with a baby doll representing a trapped child under debris in the center.

    “While genocide is being committed against our people in Gaza, we cannot celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this year in any way. We don’t feel like celebrating.,” the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem’s pastor Munzir Ishak told Anadolu Agency.

    “Our message to ourselves is this: God is with us in this pain. Christ was born in solidarity with those in pain and suffering. God is with the oppressed,” he said.

    “Secondly, we wanted to tell churches worldwide: ‘Unfortunately, Christmas in Palestine is like this.’ Whether Christian or Muslim, this is the situation we are going through in Palestine. We are exposed to a genocide war targeting all Palestinians. Unfortunately, when we think of the birth of Baby Christ, we think of the babies brutally killed in Gaza,” he added.

    Earlier last month in November, the Christian leadership in Bethlehem announced they will not have Christmas celebrations in the West Bank this year in light of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza which has resulted in killing more than 16,000 people.

    In a letter, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have unanimously agreed to cancel the commemoration of Christmas to conform to the spiritual significance of the holiday while Palestinians are being brutally killed by Israeli forces.

    City officials in Bethlehem also took down Christmas decorations in solidarity with Palestinians.

  • Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, removes Christmas decor ‘in solidarity’ with Gaza

    Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, removes Christmas decor ‘in solidarity’ with Gaza

    The Christian leadership in Bethlehem have announced they will not have Christmas celebrations in the West Bank this year in light of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza which has resulted in killing more than 13,000 people.

    In a letter, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have unanimously agreed to cancel the commemoration of Christmas to conform to the spiritual significance of the holiday while Palestinians are being brutally killed by Israeli forces.

    “Each year during the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmastide, our Christian communities throughout the Holy Land take great delight in their preparations for the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” the patriarchs wrote in a joint letter.

    “In addition to attendance in religious services, these celebrations have normally involved participation in numerous public festivities and the large-scale display of brightly lit and expensive decorations as a means of expressing our joy at the approach and arrival of the Feast of the Nativity.”, it further stated.

    “But these are not normal times. Since the start of the War, there has been an atmosphere of sadness and pain. Thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, have died or suffered serious injuries,” the bishops continued. “Many more grieve over the loss of their homes, their loved ones, or the uncertain fate of those dear to them. Throughout the region, even more have lost their work and are suffering from serious economic challenges. Yet despite our repeated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence, the war continues.”

    City officials in Bethlehem have also been taking down Christmas decorations in solidarity with Palestinians.

    “Bethlehem Municipality crews announced the dismantling of Christmas decorations installed several years ago in the city’s neighbourhoods and removing all festive appearances in mourning for the martyrs and in solidarity with our people in Gaza,” the city posted on Facebook on November 14.

    Why Bethlehem is significant for Christians?

    Bethlehem is located 10 kilometres south of the city of Jerusalem. Since at least the 2nd century AD, people have believed that Jesus was born where now stands the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.

  • US embassy issues warning to American staff based in Pakistan of a possible attack

    The embassy of the United States of America (USA) has warned its Islamabad-based staff of a possible attack on the Marriott Hotel and “prohibited” them from visiting the hotel during the Christmas holidays.

    On Sunday, the embassy issued a security alert stating: “The US government is aware of information that unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays. Effective immediately, the embassy in Islamabad is prohibiting all American staff from visiting the hotel.”

    The US also urged its staff to refrain from non-essential travel in Islamabad during the holiday season.

    Meanwhile, the Islamabad police raised security levels to high alert in the capital. The police said that checking was increased at all entry and exit points, requesting residents to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

    The capital administration has also put a ban on all types of gatherings for two weeks and declared a high alert in the city for 48 hours.

    The American embassy directive followed a suicide bombing in I-8, a residential area of Islamabad on Friday, which killed a police officer and wounded 10 people.

    Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.

    Seven separate blasts ripped through Balochistan on December 25 killing six soldiers and injuring dozens of others.

    Last week, TTP militants seized control of the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and held hostages inside the compound for almost two days.

  • BTS leader RM and member Jin recover from covid-19

    BTS leader RM and member Jin recover from covid-19

    Popular Korean pop group, BTS leader, Kim Namjoon whose stage name is RM, and sub-vocalist Jin recovered from coronavirus and were also discharged from quarantine.

    BighHit management posted the official statement on the fan community platform, Weverse.

    According to the statement, RM and Jin did not experience any particular health symptoms during quarantine duration however Jin has shown mild symptoms of fever in the early days of home treatment. Now, Jin has fully recovered from covid.

    The company said, “BTS members RM and Jin were notified of their full recovery from COVID-19 and we inform you that starting on January 4 at 12PM KST, their quarantine ended.“

    Both members tested positive on Christmas, December 25.

    Yesterday, group member Suga also fully recovered from coronavirus who was diagnosed with covid on December 24 last year.

    All three members contracted covid after coming back from their official vacation in the United States (US).

    BTS fandom, ARMY calls it the Best News Ever!

    Some fans are looking forward to the comeback and also thank their management company to look after their artists’ health.

  • BTS member Suga recovers from covid-19

    BTS member Suga recovers from covid-19

    South Korean k-pop group, BTS member, Suga recovered from coronavirus and is released from quarantine.

    His management company, BigHit released the official statement regarding Suga recovery from covid-19

    “BTS member SUGA has made a full recovery from COVID-19, and his quarantine has concluded as of today (January 3) at noon.

    Suga, who had been receiving treatment from home for the past 10 days from Friday, December 24, is now able to return to his daily activities.

    Suga did not exhibit any particular symptoms during his quarantine and is currently recuperating while resting at home.

    We would like to thank all fans who have shown concern for the artist’s health as well as those in the medical field who are doing their best to overcome COVID-19.”

    Suga also shared his recovery news to the fan community platform, Weverse excitedly.

    He wrote, “Released from quarantine!” with the smile emoji to express his happiness.

    Suga has tested positive on December 24 for coronavirus after wrapping up his official vacation in the United States (US).

    BTS fandom, ARMY also reacted with happiness and encouraging messages on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/megaminimoni_/status/1477838474019368968

    Meanwhile, BTS leader Rap Monster (RM) and member Jin are still in quarantine who were diagnosed with covid-19 on the Christmas holiday.

  • Equal citizens

    Recently, we heard about two bakeries in Karachi that refused to write ‘Merry Christmas’ on cakes. Both Delizia and Aunty Munaver turned away customers who wanted cakes with Christmas greetings. It is deeply disturbing to see such acts of bigotry in a country whose founder and others who fought for its freedom believed in rights for all and equality regardless of caste, creed, and faith. Yet we see how non-Muslims in Pakistan continue to face discrimination on a regular basis.

    Today, when we celebrate Christmas with our Christian brethren and wish them a day full of joy, we hope that our society will change for the better. Today is also the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who taught us the meaning of tolerance and who believed in pluralism and inclusiveness.

    We often repeat and quote Jinnah’s August 11 speech but it is important to reiterate what he said again and again: “We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one state.”

    This is what Pakistan stands for as this is what our founder taught us. It was good to see many people raising their voices against those bakeries that refused to write Merry Christmas on their cakes. It was social media outcry that led to Delizia bakery management on the backfoot and saying that it was an individual act. Whether it was an individual act or not can be ascertained as this isn’t the first time that such an incident took place. This year, we saw the horrible lynching of a Sri Lankan national. The government took strong exception to the incident and promised to take action against all those responsible. But the incident also showed how intolerance has seeped into our society. It is this bigotry and intolerance that has to end. On the birth anniversary of Jinnah, we should pledge to make this Jinnah’s Pakistan and not a Pakistan where extremism prospers. Once again, Merry Christmas to all those celebrating.