Highlights: Iran will not surrender, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei tells Trump

Highlights: Catch all the news developments from around the world here

10:22 PM

With rise in Class 12 science passouts, Edu min plans to increase seats, teachers at college level

With the number of students passing their higher secondary or Class 12 exams in the science stream, the Union Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Learning (DoSEL) is looking to ask its higher education counterpart to plan an appropriate increase in seats and teachers for science based programmes. 

 

According to latest data shared by the ministry, 6.1 million students passed their Class 12 exams in the science stream in 2024, a 16 per cent increase from 5.24 million students in 2022.

10:02 PM

Chandigarh, Punjab among top school education performers, Meghalaya lags

Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi have emerged as the best performers in school education across indicators such as learning outcomes, equity and infrastructure in the Union Education Ministry’s Performance Grade Index - District (PGI-D) report for the year 2023-24 released on Wednesday. The PGI grades states and union territories (UTs) into ten distinct performance levels. While no state or UT could make it to the top four levels, Chadiagarh was the only unit to be placed in the Prachesta-1 or fifth best level,  for which a state should score between 701 to 760 out of total 1,000 points.

8:55 PM

Bihar's Sudha Diary exports 'makhana' to the US

In yet another feather in the cap of Bihar’s now-famous ‘makhana,’(fox nuts) the state’s dairy brand Sudha has exported a consignment of makhana to the United States. The exports have been facilitated by the state agriculture department. IN the last one decade, area under makhana cultivation in Bihar has doubled while its yield has risen from 16 quintals per hectare to 28 quintals. Makhana was mainly cultivated in 10 districts of Bihar namely Darbhanga, Madhubani, Katihar, Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj, Supaul, Madhepura, Saharsa, and Khagaria. But, due to its rising demand, cultivation has now expanded to 16 districts. Bihar contributes to nearly 85 per cent of the total makhana produced in India.

8:46 PM

Atmanirbharta in shipping key goal of maritime policy: Sonowal

India is actively moving towards establishing atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in shipping and has pushed for multiple joint ventures between Indian and major global private sector shipyards, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. In an interview with Business Standard, the minister said the government is looking at Europe for new innovations in shipping and ship manufacturing and looking at major shipyards in Asia to set up yards in India.

7:50 PM

Urban Company revenue jumps 38% ahead of IPO

Urban Company reported a 38 per cent rise in operating revenue to Rs 1,144.5 crore for the financial year 2024-25 (FY25), as it gears up for a public offering.

 

The Gurugram-based home services platform turned profitable during the year, posting a net profit of Rs 240 crore, compared with a Rs 93 crore loss in the previous financial year, according to its annual report released on Wednesday.

7:24 PM

Bombay High Court upholds Rs 538 cr Kochi Tuskers arbitral award against BCCI

The Bombay High Court has upheld an arbitral award directing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pay ₹385.50 crore to Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) and ₹153.34 crore to Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) in connection with the Kochi IPL (Indian Premier League) franchise. Kochi Tuskers participated in the 2011 season of the Indian Premier League(IPL). However, the BCCI terminated the team's contract the following year after allegations of breach of the franchise agreement. 

6:48 PM

WhatsApp Status advertisements to help brands reach more audiences in tier II, III towns

WhatsApp Status advertisements are expected to boost brands' and advertisers' reach towards audiences, especially in tier II and III markets, with some industry experts anticipating an overall increase in advertising budget allocation for Meta platforms. This comes after Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, added a feature for the first time that allows businesses to run advertisements directly on WhatsApp. In contrast, Instagram and Facebook had features for advertisements long ago. 

6:37 PM

BikeWo, Flipkart logistics arm partner on EV Push for last-mile delivery

BikeWo Green Tech Ltd., a green mobility startup, has entered a strategic partnership with Instakart Services Pvt. Ltd., the logistics arm of Flipkart Group, to support last-mile delivery operations using electric vehicles.

 

The collaboration has launched operations across seven states, deploying over 1,300 tech-enabled green vehicles through Flipkart’s delivery hubs. The move aims to enhance delivery speed and reliability while advancing sustainable logistics.

6:15 PM

Urban Company swings to profit ahead of planned IPO as revenue jumps 38%

Urban Company reported a 38 per cent rise in operating revenue to Rs 1,144.5 crore for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, as it gears up for a public offering. The Gurugram-based home services platform turned profitable during the year, posting a net profit of Rs 240 crore, compared with a Rs 93 crore loss in the previous fiscal, according to its annual report released Wednesday. 

5:47 PM

Rush fuelled by digitisation, govt ease, growing AI adoption

Health-tech IPOs (initial public offers) are on the rise in India's healthcare sector — in fact, five out of the 12 healthcare public issues in the last one-and-half years have been floated by health-tech companies.

5:31 PM

Centre to tighten seeds, pesticides laws, find solutions to stray animals’ problem: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the government will look for solutions to address the problem of stray animals and also tighten the legislations related to seeds and pesticides to ensure quality inputs to farmers.

 

Addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the fortnight long mass-contact programme called the ‘Vikshit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’, Chouhan said rampant availability of substandard seeds and pesticides was one of the main concerns raised by farmers along with limited availability of climate resistance seeds, growing menace of stray animals and falling yield of soybeans during the campaign.

5:16 PM

Looking for acquisition opportunities while prioritising organic growth: TCPL

Tata group FMCCG arm TCPL will continue scouting for acquisition opportunities in the market to amplify its play, while prioritising organic growth, the company said on Wednesday. Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) acquired Capital Foods and Organic India a year ago for a combined enterprise value of Rs 7,000 crore.

4:48 PM

Jio Payments Bank becomes wholly owned subsidiary of Jio Financial Services

Jio Financial Services acquired 79.1 million shares of Jio Payments Bank from State Bank of India.

4:38 PM

Advanced Technology & Materials says it acquired export licenses for some rare earth magnets

Advanced Technology & Materials Co was established by China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group (Cisri).

4:23 PM

Iranians will not yield to coercion from anyone: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

"Our armed forces are ready to defend the homeland, supported by officials and all segments of the nation," Iran's supreme leader said in an address today.

4:13 PM

Iran will not surrender, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tells Trump

Slamming the "threatening and ridiculous statements" made by Donald Trump, Ayatollah Khamenei warned "any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage".

4:08 PM

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praises 'steadfast, courageous, and timely behaviour of the Iranian nation'

The country's supreme leader "praised the steadfast, courageous, and timely behaviour of the Iranian nation", Mehr News Agency reported.

4:05 PM

Israel will be punished for 'huge mistake', says Iran's supreme leader

 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has just said Israel has made a "huge mistake", promising they will be "punished".

3:58 PM

Israeli foreign minister says Iran strikes are last resort in letter to UN

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar shared a letter on X addressed to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General António Guterres, stating Israel had no alternative after decades of Iran’s covert hostility and threats of annihilation from its leaders.

3:28 PM

Iran's supreme leader to give speech shortly

A televised message by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to be broadcast shortly.

2:43 PM

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows ‘no mercy’ for Israeli leaders

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Wednesday that his country would show no mercy towards Israel's rulers. "We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy," Khamenei posted on X.

2:34 PM

American intervention would cause all-out war, says Iran

Any American intervention in West Asia would be "a recipe for all-out war in the region", a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry stated. Esmail Baghaei made the comments in an interview with Al Jazeera.

2:14 PM

Supervisory Data Quality Index of banks improves in March, says RBI

The Supervisory Data Quality Index of commercial banks has improved to 89.3 in March 2025 compared to 88.6 in the year-ago period, the Reserve Bank said on Wednesday. The index will help the regulator to assess the financial health of commercial banks, including small finance banks.

1:52 PM

Volcanic eruption in Indonesia forces evacuations, flight cancellations

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted with giant ash and smoke plumes again Wednesday after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancellations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5,000 metres into the sky Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon.

1:20 PM

Bomb blast derails six carriages of Jaffar Express in Pakistan

Six carriages of the Jaffar Express train were derailed after being hit by a bomb planted near the railway track in Pakistan on Wednesday. The mishap happened in the Jacobabad District of the Sindh province, which borders the volatile province of Balochistan. No casualties have been reported in the incident, authorities said.

1:12 PM

Centre to introduce FASTag-based annual pass from Aug 15: Nitin Gadkari

The central government will introduce FASTag-based annual pass priced at Rs 3,000 from Aug 15, for hassle-free highways travel, says Nitin Gadkari.

1:03 PM

ED raids in Delhi classroom construction 'scam'

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided multiple premises in the national capital as part of a money laundering probe into the classrooms construction 'scam' that is alleged to have taken place during the previous AAP government, official sources said. The federal probe agency undertook the searches after registering a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) taking cognisance of a Delhi Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) FIR.

12:40 PM

IMD forecasts more rainfall in Jharkhand

Rainfall lashed Jharkhand on Wednesday, with the IMD forecasting more showers till June 21. Kuru in Lohardaga district received the highest 144 mm rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am, an official said.

12:01 PM

Israel-Iran conflict updates: Trump meets security chiefs after Starmer calls for de-escalation

US President Donald Trump met his top military advisers to discuss the Israel-Iran conflict, just hours after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the US President wanted to ease tensions. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room, shortly after Trump posted a series of aggressive messages online.

11:54 AM

Ahmedabad plane crash update: 159 bodies handed over to relatives, says official