Japanese PM arrives in India amidst state honours, colourful welcome

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, private universities in Karnataka offering professional courses will no longer conduct separate entrance exams. This decision follows a directive from the state’s Higher Education Department, prompting private universities to form an association and agree to this significant change.

In a recent meeting with Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, representatives from 17 private universities confirmed their decision to discontinue individual entrance tests. Of the 27 private universities in the state, 17 offer professional courses, and they have collectively agreed to accept scores from existing national or state-level entrance exams.

“Some universities will consider JEE scores, others will rely on KCET, and a few are inclined towards COMEDK,” Dr. Sudhakar stated, leaving the choice of examination to the universities themselves. However, the department has also suggested that the universities consider a unified entrance test for admissions.

Looking ahead, Dr. Sudhakar hinted that the government may introduce a common entrance test for general degree courses at private universities as well. "As government colleges and universities currently don’t require entrance exams for general degree courses, we haven’t made any decisions on this yet," he explained.

The meeting also addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private universities. To regulate this, the universities were instructed to establish fee fixation committees, headed by retired judges, as required by law. These committees will be responsible for determining tuition fees. Additionally, the government will continue to regulate fees for 40% of seats in professional courses that are filled through KCET.

In an effort to bring greater uniformity among private institutions, the government is considering enacting a common law for all private universities, which would replace the individual acts currently governing each university. This would place all private universities under a single regulatory framework.

This move is expected to streamline the admissions process and create a more standardized system for both professional and general degree programs across Karnataka's private universities.

At least 20 people have been killed as more communication devices detonated in Lebanon a day after simultaneous explosions of pagers across the country left at least a dozen dead and thousands injured.

Explosions were reported in multiple locations in Lebanon, including at the site of a funeral for a child killed in a pager explosion the previous day.

Media reports said that several blasts occurred simultaneously in Beirut similar to what happened on Tuesday. Several explosions were also reported in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured in the new wave of explosions. 

An informed source said that the detonated devices came from the same batch of cargo as the detonated pagers, all imported from the same company.

The Lebanese Army Command called on the people not to gather in the scenes of security incidents to allow the arrival of medical teams.

Civil defense teams are extinguishing the fires that broke out as a result of the explosions, while ambulance teams continue to transport the injured.

The new act of aggression came as top Hezbollah official Sayyed Hashem Saffieddine was delivering a speech affirming that the Israeli acts of terrorism will have their own punishment, stating that the resistance is steadfast and capable of inflicting more defeats on the enemy.

The Hezbollah official said a speech by the movement’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, planned for Thursday, will clarify matters and that the movement will face a new pattern and a new confrontation with the enemy.

Thousands of pagers widely used by resistance factions and also public service workers exploded on Tuesday, leaving at least a dozen dead and around 3,000 people injured.

The Lebanese government has blamed Israel. Hezbollah has promised the Israeli regime will receive ‘just punishment’ for the attacks.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said the pagers used in the Israeli deadly terrorist attack on Tuesday had been made by a Hungarian firm, to which the company had authorized its brand on the devices.

The company made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday, identifying the firm as BAC Consulting KFT based in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

The UN Security Council is due to meet on Friday to discuss the latest blasts that hit Lebanon, council president Slovenia said on Wednesday after Lebanon requested an emergency meeting.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that civilian objects should not be weaponized.

"I think it's very important that there is an effective control of civilian objects, not to weaponize civilian objects -- that should be a rule that... governments should, be able to implement," Guterres said at a briefing at UN headquarters.

"As important as the event in itself, is the indication that this event confirms that there is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon -- and everything must be done to avoid the escalation," he said.

"What has happened is particularly serious, not only because of the number of victims that it caused, but because of the indications that exist that this was triggered, I would say, in advance of a normal way to trigger these things, because there was a risk of this being discovered."

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described the detonation of pagers and wireless devices in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday as a blatant violation of international law.

The organization said the attack did not only target Hezbollah members but also indiscriminately exploded devices used by civilians.

The timing of the attack indicates that Israel did not take necessary precautions, as it occurred when device users were at home with their families, leading to numerous severe civilian injuries, including children, it said.

Israel's actions constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks and the targeting of civilians and their property, and mandates that warring parties distinguish between civilians and combatants at all times, the rights monitor said.

The organization called for an urgent and independent international investigation into these attacks and pressure on Israel to immediately stop its crimes and prevent further escalation in the region.