Author: HT News

Cricket IPL Sports

A Former Pakistani Cricketer Said SRK Wanted Him To Play In IPL

HT News

Pakistani cricketer, Yasir Arafat’s revelation that he was offered an opportunity to play for Kolkata Night Riders (KKR) by its co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has surprised many because Pakistan was banned from participating in IPL matches post the 26/11 terror attacks in November 2008.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Yasir Arafat said he was offered a contract to play for KKR
• He made this revelation on YouTube
• His name wasn’t shortlisted for playing in IPL

When Did SRK Contact Yasir Arafat?

Speaking on the YouTube channel Cricket Den, Yasir Arafat said that he was playing County Cricket for Kent in 2008 when he was approached by KKR officials with a message from SRK. The officials met him and conveyed SRK’s message that the star wanted him to play for KKR in IPL 2009. They handed him a card and took his contact details.

Initially, he thought that it was a joke as to why SRK would send somebody to talk to him. But soon he received an email where the KKR official complained about him not contacting them and the talks were closed. But he was again approached by KKR with a 3-year contract and at that time SRK himself called and welcomed him.

Did Yasir Arafat Decline The Offer?

Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the biggest T20 franchise competition in the world since its beginning. And there is hardly any player who hadn’t dreamt of playing in IPL matches. Pakistan was also invited to send their cricketers and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had even shortlisted names of players when the 2008 terror attack happened and India banned Pakistan from IPL.

The Pakistan all-rounder Yasir … Read the rest

News & Politics Technology

Elon Musk Buys Twitter At $44bn But The World Isn’t Happy

HT News

Elon Musk finally sealed the Twitter deal at $44bn to get control of the social network with more than 200 million users and growing. Tesla chief who has a frequent critic of Twitter in the past said that the platform had not lived up to its potential as a platform for “free speech”.

How The Twitter Deal Finalized?

On 4 April, Elon Musk emerged as the single largest shareholder of the social media group. On 14 April, he offered to buy all Twitter shares for $54.20 each in a takeover bid. But the Twitter board opposed the attempt by making it expensive for Elon Musk. But the initial transaction faded after shareholders warmed to Musk’s offer of putting $21bn of his own money and taking rest of the amount as loan from financial institutions including Morgan Stanley. Twitter confirmed the sale and said that it would be closed in 2022.

History Of Twitter

Launched in 2006, Twitter boasts of 217 million daily active users and a market cap of nearly $40bn. But its co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO in November 2021. He made the chief technology officer Parag Agrawal as an acting executive. Elon Musk started tweeting about his interest in buying the company as early as 2017. With 83m followers, he is a prominent user of the app.

How Elon Musk Want To Reshape Twitter?

Elon Musk Buys Twitter At $44bn

Soon after finalizing the deal, Elon Musk announced his objective of buying Twitter. He said that he wanted to improve its functions by adding new features to it. He would make the algorithms open source to build trust, beat the spam bots, and authenticate all humans.

What … Read the rest

Fashion & Lifestyle Media & Entertainment

Fashion Hits And Misses By Bollywood Stars In April

HT News

This week stars did a fashion parade for their fans and allowed the viewers to rate their dresses, looks, attitudes, and styles. And these stars included Rakul Preet Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Tara Sutaria, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kiara Advani, and Karena Kapoor who rocked in a red dress like an absolute pro.

Let’s the stars and rate them according to their dresses

Kareena Kapoor (HIT)

Kareena Kapoor

A red shirt paired with pointed pumps and a tiny bag made her look superbly glamorous and she got the highest rating from the viewers.

Rakul Preet Singh (HIT)

Rakul Preet Singh

The star appeared in a monotone pantsuit paired with a bright pink bralette and golden earrings and became a hit among her fans.

Shahid Kapoor (HIT)

Shahid Kapoor

The viewers liked his experiment with a printed shirt and gave him a thumbs-up for this beautiful dress.

Ranveer Singh (HIT)

Ranveer Singh

Oh! This man has got an amazing sense of creativity. Nobody could have dreamt of him appearing in a printed, multicolored, and striped three-piece pantsuit with pink sneakers but he is a man of courage who can dare to try these kinds of outfits.

Karisma Kapoor (HIT)

Karisma Kapoor

Lolo still looks chic and elegant as always. For the fashion week, she chooses a striped, matching kurta-trouser set with juttis. And she looks comfortable in this dress. Also, she got a thumbs-up from the viewers.

Tara Sutaria (HIT)

Tara Sutaria

The Heropanti 2 actress came in a pinstriped suit paired with simple black pumps and caught the attention of the viewers. She looked superbly sophisticated and sexy in this new outfit.

Aditi Rao Hydari (HIT)

Aditi Rao Hydari

Aditi Rao Hydari displayed an ivory kurta with … Read the rest

Fashion & Lifestyle Today's Special

Google Doodle: What Google Wants To Tell About Naziha Salim?

HT News

Today’s Google Doodle is to Naziha Salim fondly called “the first Iraqi woman who anchored the pillars of Iraqi contemporary art” by the sixth Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Born in 1927 in Istanbul, Naziha Salim belongs to a family of Iraqi artists
• She was awarded a scholarship to study abroad
• Her paintings mainly represent rural Iraqi women
• She authored a book on the history of modern Iraqi art, Iraq: Contemporary Art

A Look At The Life Of Naziha Salim

Born in 1927 into a family of Iraqi artists living in Turkey, Naziha Salim took her first lessons in painting from her father Hajji Mohammed Salim, who himself was a painter. Her mother was a skilled embroider. Her older brothers Rashid, Su’ad Salim, Nizarre, and Jawad were also talented artists. Out of the four, it was Jawad who became Iraq’s most beloved sculptor.

Naziha Salim started painting at an early age and she loved to paint pictures using her creativity. Her family sent her to the Baghdad Fine Arts Institute from where she graduated with distinction. Her hard work got her a scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. And she was the first Iraqi woman to get a scholarship.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• She taught arts at the Fine Arts Institute until her retirement
• She founded Al-Ruwwad, a community of artists that incorporate European art techniques into the Iraqi aesthetic
• She compiled the history of the early development of Iraq’s modern art movement in a book, Iraq: Contemporary Art

Why Is Google Celebrating Naziha Salim?

Naziha Salim’s art work is displayed at the Sharjah Art … Read the rest

Sports

Novak Djokovic Makes A Comeback In The Serbia Open

HT News

Novak Djokovic displayed superb tennis against his in-form countryman, Miomir Kecmanovic on the second day at the Serbia Open. After suffering from a set and a break down on Thursday, the World No. 1 advanced to the semi-finals with 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in his native Belgrade.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Djokovic beat fellow Serbian Kecmanovic in a close contest in the Serbia Open
• Earlier Djokovic beat Laslo Djere in a nearly three-and-half-hour match
• Djokovic is chasing a third title in the Serbia Open and a fourth ATP Tour title

How The Match Progressed?

Djokovic got less than 24 hours to relax after winning the previous game against Laslo Djere. A tired Djokovic lost the opening set to Kecmanovic without giving any fight. He even missed a break chance in each of the first four games to the second. Soon Djokovic gathered his strength and began to improve his performance from the baseline to level the match.

It was a two-hour-and-eighteen-minute game in which Djokovic won the final four games of the deciding set. He just dropped two points in the process but didn’t face any break point in the stanza.

Novak Djokovic

What is The Present Rating Of Djokovic?

It was his 10th winning streak against Serbians. His record against his countrymen stands at 27-4 and 36-6 in his home nation. Also, he is holding a 2-0 ATP Head2Head edge in their series.

The 22-year-old Kecmanovic is now stands at No. 38 in the ATP Rankings. It was his fifth consecutive ATP Tour quarter-final and the loss dropped him to 19-8 on the year. But he has been the most consistent tennis player of the 2022 season.… Read the rest

Media & Entertainment Movies

Oh My Dog Movie Review

HT News

Based On The Emotional Bonding Between A Kid And Blind Pup, The Movie Is Bogged Down By Careless Writing

Oh My Dog has been released and the first reviews are out but there is little excitement among the audiences. The film is predictable right from the beginning and some characters are forced into the story from nowhere just to keep it moving. The only thing that makes the movie watchable is three generations of actors working together.

Story

Fernanado (Vinay Rai) is a rich dog owner who breeds the best canines for winning international dog shows, and luckily, he is just one win away from creating a world record of consistently winning dog shows. Sadly, one of his pups is born blind and he decides to eliminate that pup. But the canine somehow escapes from his clutches.

Here enters little Arjun (Arnav Vijay) in the movie. The kid finds the blind pup and brings the dog home. He raises the blind dog despite family objections and friends making fun of the canine. The compassionate child calls the dog, Simba. Arjun’s father Shankar (Arun Vijay) wants to help his child despite differences with his father Vijaykumar.

Arjun takes Simba to a dog show where the audiences appeal to the organizers to allow a blind pup to participate. Also, a doctor comes from nowhere and performs an expensive surgery on Simba. These things happen so fast that the audiences get little time to imbibe the facts.

Highlights Of The Movie:

• Three generations of actors Vijaykumar, Arun Vijay, and Arnav Vijay are working on a movie
• Arnav Vijay delivered a great performance, especially his bonding with … Read the rest

International Technology

Netflix Blames Russian War On Ukraine And Account Sharing By Subscribers For Its Losses

HT News

Netflix blamed the suspension of its service in Russia and account sharing as reasons behind its losses in the first quarter of this year. The Silicon Valley tech firm is also facing tough competition from titans like Apple and Disney. The leading streaming television service is planning to take measures to strengthen its market share.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Netflix reported a loss of subscribers in the first quarter of this year
• Its net income dropped from $1.7 billion in the last quarter to $1.6 billion this quarter
• Its shares also dropped by 25% to $262 in after-market trades

Why Is Netflix Facing Losses?

Netflix Facing Losses

The prime reason Netflix sees behind the drop in subscribers is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which led to the suspension of its services in Russia and the loss of subscribers.

The second reason it gives for slow subscribers is the slow speed of broadband Internet service and the slow growth of smart television. Also, subscribers sharing their accounts with others is also a reason behind its losses.

What Is The Present State Of Its Subscribers?

Netflix has nearly 222 million households as its subscribers but this number is slightly less than the subscribers it had in the first quarter of last year. But what worries it is that the subscribers are sharing their accounts with 100 million others that aren’t paying for the service.

The streaming services admitted that account sharing as a percentage of their paying membership hadn’t changed much over the years. Also, it was harder to grow membership in many markets.

Last year it tried to increase its membership by allowing the subscribers to pay slightly more to … Read the rest

Football International Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo Mourns The Death Of His Newborn Son

HT News

Portuguese footballer and Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez broke the sad news of the death of their newborn baby on a social media post.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The legendary footballer mourns the death of his newborn twin son
• Cristiano Ronaldo says that the birth of a newborn girl gives them strength
• The Portuguese footballer is a father to 4 our children

What Was The Sad News?

Ronaldo and his long-term partner Rodriguez were expecting twins when the doctors broke the news of the death of their twin son to them. Saddened with the news, they took to social media to update their fans and followers about their grief and ask for privacy at this difficult time.

“It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness”, wrote the Manchester United footballer.

Manchester United Tweeted

Man U stood firmly behind their player at this tough time. They said Cristiano’s pain is their pain. They also sent love and strength to Ronaldo and his family at the tough time.

Real Madrid Responded

Real Madrid wrote on its web page that the president and the board of directors of the club deeply regret the death of one of the children that their beloved Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Rodriguez were expecting. The club joined the grief of the whole family and wanted to show all their love and affection.

Cristiano Ronaldo Mourns The Death Of His Newborn Son

When Did The Couple Meet?

Cristiano Ronaldo met Georgina Rodriguez during … Read the rest

Today's Special

World Heritage Day 2022: What You Need To Know About This Day?

HT News

The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is observed every year on 18 April. The objective of celebrating the monuments of the world is to aware people of the rich heritage the world has. It is an integral part of the culture and traditions of the world.

How Is The World Heritage Day Celebrated?

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which works for the conservation and protection of heritage places around the world, hosts heritage tours to educate people on the heritage sites of the world. It also hosts seminars and discussions on issues related to the preservation of the cultural and heritage sites.

What is The History Of The World Heritage Day?

What is The History Of The World Heritage Day

The proposal of celebrating World Heritage Day to preserve the cultural and heritage sites came from ICOMOS. It sent the proposal on 18 April 1982 to the General Assembly of UNESCO and the assembly approved the proposal in 1983. Since then, 18 April is celebrated as World Heritage Day across the globe.

What Is The Theme Of World Heritage Day 2022?

World Heritage Day 2022

The theme for World Heritage Day 20200 is “Heritage and Climate”. ICOMOS wants to promote conservation research and employ sustainable strategies necessary for the protection and conservation of heritage sites spread across the globe.

What Is The Significance Of World Heritage Day?

ICOMOS educates people about the shared global heritage of the world. It highlights the culture and traditions that connect the societies and communities of the world. Also, it educates people on the significance of preserving the monuments that are the cultural heritage of the world.

People can participate in the World … Read the rest

Top Celebrities

Which Harry Potter Scene does Emma Watson Loves Most?

HT News

Emma Watson takes a trip down the memory lane on her 32nd birthday. Watson has an illustrious career spanning both blockbusters and independent movies. But it was her exceptional performance as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter franchise that made her a household name. But it is just one of the many versatile character portrayals by Emma Watson.

Characters Emma Watson Remembers As Her Best

Emma Watson played Belle in the 2017 musical romantic fantasy movie Beauty and the Beast. Belle was a charming princess who develops emotions for the Beast. Watson still remembers her role in that movie.

Watson played Sam in the 2012 drama movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She portrayed the life of a college girl in the character of Sam.

While the list of movies Emma Watson likes is longer than one can think of but when it comes to choosing the best, she recalls Hermoine Granger. It is a fictional character in Harry Potter series and it is needless to say that this character is a head turner for all Potterheads. Emma Watson also revealed her best scene from the Harry Potter series.

Emma Watson Reveals Her Best Harry Potter Scene

Emma Watson Reveals Her Best Harry Potter Scene

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1. Hermoine and Harry break into a slow dance on Nick Cave’s O Children after Ron storms out on them.

Emma Watson said that first, she thought that the scene would look awkward but she liked the scene most after a decade of the movie. She even recalled the scene on the reunion on hosted to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of the first instalment of Harry … Read the rest