Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were seen at several Diwali parties in B-town this year. On Sunday, they chose to spend the evening at home with their loved ones, including their baby daughter Raha.

A team member took to Instagram and shared several pictures of the couple. Alia and Ranbir were seen wearing pink outfits in the photos. Alia paired her salwar suit with a lavender dupatta and wore a small bindi on her forehead. She looked lovely as she smiled for the cameras. While Ranbir looked handsome in traditional attire as he posed with the staff member for the camera.

They also shared a selfie with Ranbir’s mom Neetu Kapoor where she looked beautiful in a grey suit and pearl earrings.

He also shared a picture with Alia’s sister Shaheen Bhatt where she is seen smiling brightly for the camera, dressed in a dark blue suit.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Alia is filming her next film Jigra. Ranbir will next be seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal with Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol, Triptii Dimri and Anil Kapoor. The film is set to be released on December 1, 2023. 

See Also: Watch: Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor arrive hand in hand at Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Diwali Bash 

Banks in the UK are set to be impacted by a tax fraud scandal, said to be Europe’s biggest. According to UK-based financial website This Is Money, the ‘cum-ex’ tax fraud is worth 10 billion pounds in Germany alone. Nearly 2,000 suspects in London alone, including bankers, brokers and hedge fund managers, are involved in the case, said the financial website. The banks under investigation are Britain’s Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley of the US, France’s BNP and Japan’s Nomura. Several law firms and auditors are also implicated, along with an Indian-origin tycoon, who lost a final bid to block proceedings against him.

At least half a dozen ‘cum-ex’ probes were started in Germany, with one in Cologne being the broadest. The banks say they are cooperating with prosecutors. Investigations were opened in other countries including Belgium and Denmark.

What is the ‘cum-ex’ scam?

According to an old Washington Post report, the scam was essentially a double-tipping strategy that exploited a loophole in the tax code, allowing multiple people to claim ownership of a stock and claim refunds on dividend tax that was only paid once.

The practice was named after the Latin terms cum/ex, meaning with/without, because the stock was sold with – but delivered without – a dividend payment, the outlet further said.

The practice was abolished in Germany in 2012.

When was it discovered?

According to European Parliament, the scandal allegedly started in 2001 and was discovered in Germany in 2012. A massive investigation was launched on the so-called ‘cum-ex files’ by European media outlets and led by German Correctiv group.

Other countries that have been singed by the scam are Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Norway. The cases are likely to continue for years.

How much money is involved?

It has been estimated that the total costs to European taxpayers of the cum-ex schemes deployed between 2001 and 2012 amount to more than 55 billion euros between 2001 and 2012, the European Parliament report said.

Who all have been charged or convicted?

Former MM Warburg CEO Christian Olearius became the first leading banker to be charged (in July 2022). Apart from this, German tax attorney Hanno Berger was sentenced to eight years after being extradited from Switzerland. Paul Mora, a former investment banker from New Zealand was placed on Interpol’s Most-Wanted list in 2021. Executives of London-based asset manager Duet Group along with four investment bankers at now defunct Maple Bank were also sent to jail.

Hedge fund founder Sanjay Shah was also charged along with six others to settle their German money-laundering cases over the proceeds of Cum-Ex tax deals. Last week, Shah lost the final bid to block Denmark’s tax authority from pursuing him and others in London over the alleged tax fraud, after senior judges ruled the case could proceed.

Diwali is here and so are the celebrations and festivities that come with it. While the country lights up with diyas and lanterns, Bollywood stars brighten up our social feeds with their stunning sartorial picks for the many festive occasions they grace with their presence. While the whole week leading up to Diwali has seen some celeb-studded parties thrown by Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and more, last night featured many mini celebrations by some of the who’s who of B-Town from Kareena Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty to Krishan Kumar. The Kapoor-Khan family particularly stood out with Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Sara Ali Khan, and of course, the hostess herself, Kareena Kapoor styled low on bling but high on elegance and authenticity. 

Bollywood’s sweethearts Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor of course were matched in energy and vibes but not in their apparel choices. Alia looked radiant in a shimmering red lehenga with gold sequin borders and zari work. Her blouse of the same hue featured the same gold detailing on the sleeves, a plunging neckline and a surprising twist of beadwork at its hem. She paired the lehenga with a potli of the hue, fabric and design that was identical to her dupatta’s border. Her minimal yet elegant look was matched with minimal makeup, danglers and untied tresses. Ranbir wore a black sherwani over a v-neck kurta of the same colour and he paired it with white pants. 

Red and black worked like a charm for Ralia, as they did for cousin Kareena Kapoor and her hubby Saif Ali Khan. Rather unlikely that the coordinated hues were a coincidence, but let’s do a deep dive into how Saif-Kareena wore it differently. Kareena picked a sheer red saree embellished with multi-coloured applique designs of a floral motif and gold patti borders. The star paired the saree with a red, sleeveless blouse. Like Alia, she went heavy on the ears with diamond and ruby danglers, but light on the makeup and handpieces. Her hair was styled open with a blowout look. Saif picked a traditional kurta-dhoti in black and white with silver sequins lining just the lapel and upper seamline of the kurta. Like his cousin-in-law, Saif’s beard and moustache were lightly trimmed, prepped and photo-ready and yet gave off the minimal effort-maximum impact vibes. He wore beige mojaris with his outfit. 

Next up, Soha Ali Khan. The star-author went the retro route looking like the spitting image of her mother, Sharmila. Also styled in red, Soha picked a red six-yard drape with silver polka dots and a thick border with intricate silver embroidery. Her sleeveless blouse featured little to no designs allowing all the attention to be focused on her richly embroidered saree. Soha’s jewellery picks were a bit heavier than Kareena’s or Alia’s, with jhumkas and a beaded necklace to match, but she left her hands relatively bare. Her hair completed her retro look with her flicks parted in the middle and a high bun with a tail resting on one shoulder. While Soha’s style choice for this occasion was a saree, Soha’s favourite festivewear pick is not a saree at all. Click here to find out more about that. Husband Kuna Khemu’s white kurta was in evident contrast to Soha’s red and silver look but, complemented it perfectly. 

Also Read: Soha Ali Khan Exclusive: “Will Steal This From Kunal’s Closet,” Won’t Leave Home Without These 3 “Fashion” Items And More

Last but not least at all, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan; the siblings who are quite the head-turners in Bollywood. Their look from last night is proof enough why. Sara wore a purple brocade and gold anarkali suit with a red churidar and heavy gold threadwork. The tissue silk dupatta had a heavily embellished gota patti border. Like Kareena and Alia she wore danglers, a bindi and carried a matching potli, but not much else for accessories. Like his father, Ibrahim chose black and white for his outfit. He donned a black bandhgala with a white shirt and matching pyjamas. 

The Kapoor-Khans are well-known for acing their family style for every festive occasion and this Diwali was no different. There’s no doubt that we will be graced with more stylish elegance from them over the course of the festive season, until the end of the year. 

Also Read: The Sibling Bond Between Ibrahim Ali Khan, Jeh And Taimur Is Pure Gold, These Pictures Say All