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

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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.