Author: GlobalNewsAdmin

File picture used for representation only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu While the financial inclusion programme of the Union government has meant that around 96% of the population has access to a bank account, the latest data and analysis on the sector show that a vast part of India’s poor and low-income households are increasingly resorting to informal and more expensive sources of borrowing. In addition, separate data show that the incidence of loan defaults is increasing among microfinance loans. Microfinance loans are a proxy for non-institutional credit as the borrower profiles are largely similar. “What is happening, particularly in the…

There are few things in cinema as unmistakable as John Williams’ Superman theme. Since hitting the silver screen in 1978, the character had already flown through four decades of comic book pages, animated reels, and radio waves. But somehow, with just a brass fanfare and three commanding notes, the legendary composer gave the character a voice.Not a literal voice, of course, but a sound. A sonic identity so perfectly fitted it may as well have been stitched into the suit. A melody that told you who’s coming before you see the cape. That impossibly proud leitmotif made gravity feel a…

For the past few years, JBL has been trying to make the charging case of wireless earphones smarter than they are expected to be. This attempt to gradually unyoke earbuds from the smartphone is for some reason still limited to this company. The new JBL Tour Pro 3 builds on the experience of products like the JBL Live Beam 3 (I used earphones with a smart charging case and I sort of see the point now ) and now comes with a smart charging case that gives a display withcontrols of its own. Released in time for the new Superman…

The Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout from this week’s decision to withhold records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, which rankled influential far-right media personalities and supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.The move, which included the acknowledgment that one particular sought-after document never actually existed, sparked a contentious conversation between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House this week. The spat threatened to shatter relations between them and centered in part on a news story that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department.The cascade of…

The Indian government recently revised the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawal rules, making it easier for salaried individuals who wish to buy a house to access funds. The newly introduced Para 68-BD of the EPF Scheme, 1952, now allows members to withdraw up to 90 per cent of their lying EPF corpus for housing needs, which includes down payment, construction or EMIs. The withdrawal can be initiated after completion of three years from the date of account opening, significantly reducing from the previous five-year requirement. Story continues below this ad Earlier, the EPF withdrawal for housing needs was calculated depending…

Superman box office collection day 2: James Gunn’s attempt to reboot DC with David Corenswet’s Superman is proving to be a smart move. According to Deadline, Superman made $56.5 million in North America and another $40 million from international markets across 78 countries. In India, the film’s entry has caused a serious dent in the box office performance of domestic releases like the star-studded Kannappa and Rajkummar Rao’s gangster drama Maalik. Superman’s global box office collection on day 2 According to estimates, Superman is expected to cross $210 million globally by the end of Sunday, riding high on hype and…

With the Bihar Assembly elections due in a few months, the criticism of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government’s handling of law and order has intensified. Besides the Opposition Mahagathbandhan leaders, some leaders of even the ruling coalition are now expressing concerns over the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state following several recent murder incidents.On Saturday, referring to such killings, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan, a key NDA ally, slammed the Nitish government. “Bihari ab aur kitni hatyaon ki bhet chadhenge? Samajh se pare hai ki Bihar Police ki zimmedari kya hai? (How…

West Indian Shamar Joseph celebrates a wicket on day 1 of the third Test against Australia in Kingston on July 12, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP The West Indies produced another dominant day with the ball against a fragile Australia batting lineup and then survived a tense final hour on Saturday (July 12,, 2025) to take the honours after the first day of the day-night third test.Shamar Joseph took four wickets, with Justin Greaves and Jayden Seales taking three apiece, as the West Indies pace attack took full advantage of the seam and pitch conditions once the lights were turned…

Agreement allows the archipelago that endured unrest last year to be its own state but remain within French fold.France has announced a “historic” deal with New Caledonia in which the South Pacific overseas territory, which was rocked by a wave of unrest last year over controversial electoral reforms, will be declared a new state. The 13-page accord, reached on Saturday after negotiations in Paris between the French government and groups on both sides of the territory’s independence debate, proposes the creation of a “State of New Caledonia”, with its own nationality, but stops short of the independence sought by many…

The UN warns that funding cuts will have catastrophic consequences for the fight against the disease.The United Nations AIDS agency is warning that severe international funding cuts could lead to an additional 4 million deaths related to the disease by 2029. The United States was the single biggest donor to the global response to HIV/AIDS before the administration of President Donald Trump abruptly halted foreign development assistance in January. UNAIDS says the withdrawal of assistance will have catastrophic consequences for the fight against the pandemic. So, what can countries do to reduce the impact of the funding cuts? And why…