Plain Vanilla Is Out. AI & Innovation Are In!
From Tier-2 cities to top STEM programs—2025 is rewriting the study abroad story for Indian students. In this video with Mr. Piyush Kumar, Regional Director for South Asia, Canada and Latin America, IDP Education, we decode the three biggest shifts shaping global education today: the rise of non-metro student applicants, a growing preference for STEM and healthcare programs, and the increasing pressure to choose quality over average degrees. How the universities have stopped offering plain vanilla courses and have now come up with tech decorated options. Find out what's driving Indian families to rethink their approach to overseas education and how students are becoming more strategic than ever.
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Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India in touch with China on rare earth supply issue amid export curbs: MEA
India on Thursday said it has been in touch with China on the issue of rare earth magnet supply, as Beijing has imposed restrictions on their exports. This is the first time that the Indian government has officially acknowledged raising the matter with China, at a time when Delhi and Beijing are working towards normalising the relationship after six years of border standoff. Responding to questions, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'On rare earths, yes, we have been in touch with the Chinese side both in Delhi as also in Beijing and we are talking to them as to how we can streamline the supply chain issue on rare earths.' 'We are in touch with the Chinese side on several economic issues and trade issues as and when anything is required to be done,' he said. China, which controls over 90% of global processing capacity for the magnets used for automobiles, clean energy and home appliances, enacted restrictions in April requiring companies to obtain import permits from Beijing. China's export curbs — meant as a response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs — is likely to impact car manufacturers worldwide. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an industry group, has sought the Indian government's intervention. While rare earth magnets are a crucial component in electric vehicle motors, they are also required for parts like power windows and audio speakers used in petrol or diesel-run cars. And though the measures imposed by Beijing are meant to focus on high-performance exports, shipments of low-end magnets are also being held up at ports due to confusion around implementing the restrictions. India's auto sector imported 460 tons of rare earth magnets, mostly from China, in the fiscal year ending March 31 and expects to import 700 tons worth $30 million this year, according to industry estimates. Sources said that the industry bodies and companies had raised the issue with the commerce ministry, and that had been escalated to the Chinese. On April 2, Trump unveiled his policy of reciprocal tariffs, targeting most of America's trading partners. Two days later, China responded by announcing a 34% tariff on all US imports, while also placing export restrictions on rare earths. Following the restrictions in April, China's exports of rare earth magnets fell sharply in May. The framework agreed to by the US and China also involves the easing of rare earth supplies. Critical minerals and rare earth elements, which are used across several key sectors, ranging from electronics to renewables, automobiles and defence, are increasingly playing a vital role in the economy. For instance, lithium, nickel and cobalt are used in lithium-ion batteries. Dysprosium and neodymium, and tellurium, indium, and gallium are used in wind turbines and photovoltaic cells respectively. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
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First Post
32 minutes ago
- First Post
India's Pine Labs eyes up to $6 bn valuation in $1 bn IPO
Pine Labs, which provides payment solutions such as point-of-sale machines for card transactions, is targeting a valuation between $5 billion and $6 billion read more Indian fintech firm Pine Labs is aiming to raise up to $1 billion through an initial public offering that could value the company as high as $6 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company plans to issue new shares worth 26 billion rupees ($304 million), while existing shareholders including Peak XV, PayPal, and Mastercard will sell up to 147.8 million shares, according to draft documents filed with India's market regulator. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pine Labs, which provides payment solutions such as point-of-sale machines for card transactions, is targeting a valuation between $5 billion and $6 billion, the person said on condition of anonymity. The company was last valued at $5 billion during a funding round in 2022. Proceeds from the IPO will be used to invest in Pine Labs' overseas subsidiaries, fund technology development, and reduce debt, the filings said. The IPO comes amid signs of recovery in India's equity markets, which have had a sluggish start to the year. Foreign investors, who had pulled back significantly in recent months, are beginning to return, lured by large block deals that analysts say could signal a rebound in IPO activity. Despite the recent uptick, IPO proceeds in India are down 4.2 per cent so far this year compared with the same period in 2023, and the number of offerings has dropped by nearly 29 per cent, according to LSEG data through mid-June. The Nifty 50 index has gained 8 per cent in 2025, though it remains 3 per cent below its all-time high reached in September. This week, six IPOs opened for bidding, including a $1.5 billion offering from HDB Financial, which would be the largest by a non-bank lender in India. According to its prospectus, Pine Labs reported revenue of 13.41 billion rupees for the fiscal year 2024, up slightly from 12.91 billion rupees the previous year. However, losses widened to 1.87 billion rupees from 562 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Morgan Stanley, Citi, and Jefferies are among the bookrunners for the offering. With inputs from Reuters
India.com
36 minutes ago
- India.com
Days after Operation Sindoor, bad news for Pakistan as China rejects request for hypersonic missiles due to...
China has reportedly refused to supply hypersonic missiles to Pakistan. (File) China Hypersonic Missiles: In another major setback for Pakistan's military ambitions after the drubbing it received at the hands of Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor, China, its 'all-weather ally' and largest weapons' supplier, has reported turned down Islamabad's request for the supply of Chinese-made hypersonic missiles, and transfer of technology for indigenous manufacturing of the same. Why China turned down Pakistan's request for hypersonic missiles? According to media reports, China fears that Pakistan could allow Western experts to examine Chinese-made advanced missile systems, amid the Islamabad's recent bonhomie with the West, especially the United States. Another reason is the concern over the poor performance of Chinese-supplied weaponry by Pakistan in the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Citing sources, defense website Indian Defence Research Wing (Idrw) said that China has informed Pakistan that its has not developed export variants of its hypersonic missiles, nor are the existing ones– such as the DF-17 equipped with hypersonic warheads– cleared for export, which makes the technology off-limits, at least for the time being. Beijing has also rejected Pakistan's transfer of technology request for hypersonic missiles, which would have allowed Pakistan to indigenously manufacture these advanced missiles, reducing the country's dependence on defense imports, the report said. China's hypersonic technology is meant for strategic deterrence Notably, China manufactures dedicated export variants for most of its defense products, including fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles, but has not done so yet for its advanced hypersonic missiles. Currently, China has no downgraded or export variant of its hypersonic missile systems, which aligns with Beijing's broader policy of restricting the proliferation of its most advanced strategic weapons, especially those that could have the capability to alter regional or global power dynamics. China is among the few nations to have developed and mastered hypersonic technology, and sees it as a critical component of its strategic deterrence, particularly against the United States and its allies. Experts believe that China refuses to export these strategic weapons, even to a close ally like Pakistan, as it could invite international scrutiny and escalate tensions with rival powers. Its also been suggested that China's hypersonic capabilities are still in its nascent stages, and needs more development before its ready for mass production and deployment. Pakistan wants hypersonic tech to counter India Meanwhile, Pakistan is rapidly expanding its weapons' arsenal, especially its missile systems to counter India's rapid advancement in missile technology, especially the development of indigenous hypersonic and ballistic missile systems. By acquiring Chinese hypersonic missiles, Pakistan wants to close the technological gap with India, which has developed domestic hypersonic capabilities like the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). According to a recent US intel report, Pakistan's military power and economy are completely dependent on China, which is a major concern for South Asia as Beijing is likely to use any future India-Pakistan conflict as a testing ground for its weapons, such as fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles. Around 80 percent of Pakistan total defense imports come from China, the report said.
