Author: Supriya Jena

  • MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq-100: A Major Milestone in Bitcoin Investment!

    MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq-100: A Major Milestone in Bitcoin Investment!

    MicroStrategy, a company that buys a lot of Bitcoin, is joining the Nasdaq-100 Index, making it easier for people to invest in its stock. This change will happen before the market opens on December 23. When a company joins this important index, many investment funds buy its shares, which can raise the stock price.

    This year, MicroStrategy’s stock has skyrocketed more than six times, reaching a market value close to $94 billion! The company started buying Bitcoin in 2020 because its software sales were not doing as well. Now, MicroStrategy holds the most Bitcoin of any company, owning about 423,650 Bitcoins worth around $42.43 billion.

    Analysts believe that MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin buying strategy makes its stock more attractive, especially as Bitcoin’s price has recently risen. They predict that the company could be included in the S&P 500 Index by 2025. Plus, with the Nasdaq-100 inclusion, it is expected to gain more attention, not just from Bitcoin investments but also from other funds.

    Bitcoin has been doing well lately, especially with the news about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, which many think will make regulations easier for cryptocurrencies. The price of Bitcoin even crossed $100,000 for the first time earlier this month! MicroStrategy’s team is ready to keep buying Bitcoin, buying more between the $95K and $100K range.

  • Bank Credit Costs on the Rise: Impact on Profits and Growth”

    Bank Credit Costs on the Rise: Impact on Profits and Growth”

    A recent report from CareEdge, a ratings company, says that banks are likely to face higher credit costs in the near future. These costs, which are currently very low at 0.5% of their total loans, are expected to increase. Sanjay Agarwal, the senior director, didn’t say exactly how much they will rise.

    Credit costs are also predicted to go up for non-bank lenders, especially microfinance companies. CareEdge estimates that these companies will see their credit costs rise to 6.5% of their loans in the next financial year, jumping from 2.5% this year.

    Higher credit costs could hurt the profits of these banks and microfinance companies. Analysts are concerned that it will affect their ability to grow.

    For the overall economy, CareEdge expects the GDP growth to be 6.5% for FY25 and improve slightly to 6.7% in FY26. However, several factors like decreased government spending, a longer-than-usual monsoon, and lower demand in cities have slowed down growth in the first half of FY25. Still, they predict that growth will pick up in the second half as people start spending more and the government starts investing again.

    Even though government spending is expected to improve, it might fall short of the initial goal of 11.1 lakh crore by about 1.5 lakh crore. So far this year, the government has spent around 42% of its budget. Last year, it managed to use 95% of its planned budget of 10 lakh crore.

    CareEdge also thinks that the Reserve Bank of India might lower interest rates by 0.5%-0.75% starting in February 2025. This is because food prices are expected to go down after a strong harvest. As a result, they predict that the yield on the 10-year government bonds will drop to 6.50-6.60% by the end of the financial year, down from 6.73%.

  • Urgent Deadline: TikTok Must Sell or Face Ban in the US!”

    Urgent Deadline: TikTok Must Sell or Face Ban in the US!”

    A federal appeals court has decided to keep a deadline for TikTok. By mid-January, TikTok must either be sold or it will be banned in the United States. The court rejected TikTok’s request to pause this rule while the Supreme Court looks at the case. TikTok’s lawyers are planning to take the fight to the Supreme Court, but it’s not clear if the justices will take it on. Some experts think they might because it involves important issues like social media, national security, and the First Amendment.

    TikTok is also hoping for help from President-elect Donald Trump, who said he would save the platform during his campaign. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, asked for a delay after a three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals supported the government and turned down their challenge against the law. This law, signed by President Joe Biden, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer approved by the US government because of national security fears. The government worries that ByteDance could be pressured by Chinese officials to hand over user data or change what people see on TikTok.

    TikTok denies these claims and says the government’s arguments are based on possible future worries rather than real evidence. Last week, TikTok and ByteDance asked for a brief pause in the law so the Supreme Court could review the situation, especially as the new Trump administration prepares to take charge. If the law still exists, they say TikTok will shut down by January 19, just one day before Trump takes office again. This would impact over 170 million users in the United States. The companies also note this in their filings.

    However, the Justice Department is against TikTok’s request to delay, saying that both sides had agreed on a schedule that allows Supreme Court review before the law kicks in. The appeals court made its decision on December 6, following this plan, according to the Justice Department.

  • Dutch Court Rules Against Stopping Arms Sales to Israel Amid Gaza Crisis”

    Dutch Court Rules Against Stopping Arms Sales to Israel Amid Gaza Crisis”

    A Dutch court has decided not to stop the Netherlands from sending weapons to Israel. The court said the government has some freedom in its choices and that the courts should not get involved too quickly. The ruling means that there will be no total ban on selling military and dual-use goods to Israel.

    Ten pro-Palestinian groups asked the court to halt the weapon exports, arguing that the Dutch government, as a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, must act to prevent genocide. They pointed out the many civilians hurt during Israel’s actions in Gaza, claiming that Dutch weapons are being used in the conflict.

    Wout Albers, a lawyer for the NGOs, stated that Israel is committing genocide and apartheid. He also mentioned an earlier order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking Israel to stop acts of genocide in Gaza.

    The NGOs were upset with the court’s decision. Shawan Jabarin, director of Al-Haq, called it a terrible injustice and blamed the Netherlands for ignoring important international laws designed to prevent issues like colonization and genocide.

    This court ruling came just after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in Gaza, killing at least 40 Palestinians and injuring many others.

    Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These warrants accuse them of committing serious crimes during the conflict, including using starvation as a weapon by blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and targeting civilians.

    So far, Gaza’s health ministry reports that the fighting has led to the deaths of at least 44,805 people in Gaza since last October.

  • Shakib Al Hasan Faces Bowling Ban in England for Illegal Action”

    Shakib Al Hasan Faces Bowling Ban in England for Illegal Action”

    Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from bowling in competitions run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) because his bowling action is not legal. Umpires reported him during one game he played for Surrey in September.

    Shakib was brought in to help Surrey in an important match against Somerset on a pitch known for being good for spin bowlers. He bowled well, taking nine wickets in total, but Surrey lost the game by 111 runs. Despite that loss, the team still won the championship.

    The ECB announced: “Shakib Al Hasan has been stopped from bowling in ECB games after an independent review of his bowling action.” This review found that Shakib’s elbow bent too much while he was bowling, going over the allowed limit of 15 degrees.

    His ban will start from December 10, 2024. Shakib has not signed with any English county for the 2025 season, meaning he can’t bowl in ECB competitions unless he passes another review of his bowling action.

    Shakib has played 71 Test matches, 247 one-day internationals, and 129 Twenty20 matches for Bangladesh, taking a total of 712 wickets.

  • Supreme Court Rules Against Special Bail for Ministers in Job Scam Case”

    Supreme Court Rules Against Special Bail for Ministers in Job Scam Case”

    On Friday, the Supreme Court said that just because someone is a minister, it doesn’t mean they get special treatment when asking for bail. The court made this clear while discussing the case of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. He was involved in a money-laundering case linked to a job scam in West Bengal.

    The judges, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted Chatterjee conditional bail, but emphasized that a person’s job title does not affect judicial decisions. They pointed out that fairness should guide the law, meaning decisions should be based on facts and not on someone’s status or influence.

    Chatterjee argued that being a minister at the time should give him some advantages in getting bail, but the court did not agree. They stated that a person’s government position shouldn’t affect the bail decision either positively or negatively.

    The court also noted that keeping someone in jail for a long time without a trial is unfair and takes away their right to freedom. They said that bail decisions should consider several factors, like how serious the crime is, the nature of the allegations, and whether the accused is likely to interfere with the investigation or run away.

    The judges looked at Chatterjee’s case closely, noting that the job scam affected many deserving job seekers. They mentioned that evidence linked him to large amounts of bribe money found at a colleague’s home and business.

    The Supreme Court decided that Chatterjee would be released on bail on February 1, 2025, but only if the trial court charges him and checks on vulnerable witnesses by January 30. However, Chatterjee remains in jail because he faces charges in other cases related to the job scam. Since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 22, 2022, he has been in custody.

  • HDFC Bank Warned by SEBI Over Compliance Issues – Key Takeaways

    HDFC Bank Warned by SEBI Over Compliance Issues – Key Takeaways

    Mumbai: HDFC Bank, India’s biggest private bank, has received a warning from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This warning is about some rules the bank didn’t follow in the capital markets area. HDFC Bank mentioned that SEBI pointed out issues related to merchant banking rules, capital and disclosure requirements, and insider trading regulations. The warning letter, which the bank received on December 11, was dated December 9. After hearing this news, the bank’s stock dropped by 0.3%. The bank, which is very close to its all-time highest stock price, said it did not share too many details about the problems but promised to fix the issues mentioned in the letter.

  • Vinod Kambli: Health Update and Cherished Cricket Memories”

    Vinod Kambli: Health Update and Cherished Cricket Memories”

    Vinod Kambli, the former Indian cricketer, is feeling a bit better after facing serious health problems recently. At 52 years old, Kambli has been struggling with a bad urine infection that made him collapse a month ago. Thankfully, he is on the mend now, thanks to the support of his family. His wife Andrea, son Jesus, and daughter Johanna have all helped him during this tough time.

    Two weeks ago, Kambli attended a memorial event for his coach, Ramakant Achrekar. His appearance there raised concerns among fans and fellow cricketers because they noticed he seemed unwell. However, seeing his old buddy Sachin Tendulkar brought a smile to his face, and he even sang a song that was a favorite of Achrekar.

    In a recent interview, Kambli shared, “I am better now. My wife took me to three hospitals and insisted I get fit. Ajay Jadeja came to see me, which was nice. My son helped lift me up, and my daughter and wife were there for me too.” He described how he felt dizzy one month ago, leading to his collapse. A doctor advised him to get admitted to the hospital for treatment.

    Kambli is known for his remarkable start in cricket, scoring double centuries in his third and fourth Tests. However, his career had its ups and downs, and he made several comebacks. He last played for India in 2000 at just 28 years old. After retiring, he continued playing domestically until 2004, but some of his off-field actions often got more attention.

    In 2009, Kambli stirred controversy on a reality show, hinting that Sachin could have done more to support him during tough times, which caused tension between the two friends. Over time, they reconciled and remain close.

    Reflecting on his career, Kambli cherishes his innings of 224 runs against England at Wankhede Stadium, recalling the strong team he played with, including legends like Anil Kumble.

  • Siddaramaiah Critiques ONOE Bill: A Threat to Democracy and State Rights”

    Siddaramaiah Critiques ONOE Bill: A Threat to Democracy and State Rights”

    On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly criticized the Union Cabinet’s decision to introduce the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) Bill. He called this move an attack on our democracy and the way states in India work together. According to him, this decision is a trick to limit the rights of states at a time when we really need to improve our voting system.

    Siddaramaiah argued that before passing such an important bill, the Modi government should have talked to other political parties and state governments. He believes the ruling BJP is acting in a dictatorship-like manner by pushing this unfair proposal.

    He mentioned that the Kerala government has already said no to the ONOE Bill and has told the central government about its disagreement. If necessary, Siddaramaiah said he would consult with the Congress party leaders and might also pass a similar resolution to show strong opposition against this undemocratic proposal.

    Furthermore, he pointed out that the ONOE system does not provide any solutions for problems that arise when the ruling party loses power in elections. In those cases, the right thing to do is to hold new elections. Allowing a party to stay in power even when they no longer have support from most people would be a betrayal of our democratic values.

    To make this new voting system work, changes to important laws and several parts of the Constitution would be needed. Siddaramaiah also noted that the current Election Commission does not have the tools or resources needed to run elections at the same time across the whole country.

    He concluded that the ONOE proposal is just a distraction from the Modi government’s failures. This is not about making elections better, but rather about gaining more control and harming the democratic spirit of our nation.

  • “Keerthy Suresh Marries Antony Thattil in a Stunning Goa Ceremony

    “Keerthy Suresh Marries Antony Thattil in a Stunning Goa Ceremony

    Keerthy Suresh is now married! The popular Tamil actress tied the knot with Antony Thattil in a lovely and private ceremony in Goa. She shared the first wedding photos on Instagram, where you can see them putting flowers around each other’s necks while their friends and family celebrated. A priest led the wedding rituals, and they took some adorable pictures, including one with their pet dog. Keerthy wrote, “#ForTheLoveOfNyke” along with her post.

    Fans are thrilled for the couple. One fan said, “Very happy for both of you.” Another wrote, “Congrats and wishing you the best in your married life!” Someone else expressed excitement, saying, “Counting down the days until forever begins. Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness!”

    Before the wedding, Keerthy visited Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirupati with her father, who is a producer, and actress Menaka. She shared that this visit was to pray for blessings for two big events: her Bollywood movie debut called Baby John, where she stars alongside Varun Dhawan, and her wedding in December.

    Dressed simply in a blue saree, Keerthy told reporters, “I came here to seek blessings for my Hindi film and my wedding.” She also confirmed that the wedding is happening in Goa.

    Keerthy started her acting career as a child in the early 2000s and became a lead actor in 2013 with the Malayalam movie Geethaanjali. She has acted in many films like Ring Master, Idhu Enna Maayam, and Mahanati, for which she won the Best Actress National Film Award.