South Korea's top 100 companies contributed more than 1,600 trillion won ($1.16 trillion) to the national economy in 2024, with Samsung Electronics topping the list for the second consecutive year, a market tracker said on Wednesday.

Their combined economic contribution reached 1,615.2 trillion won, up 3.9 percent from 1,554.9 trillion won the previous year, according to CEO Score. Samsung Electronics' contribution rose 7 percent on-year to 157.5 trillion won.

The 100 companies are among the nation's 500 largest firms by revenue, excluding public enterprises and financial institutions, such as banks, insurers and securities firms, reports news agency.

Total sales by the 100 firms rose 6.6 percent on-year to 2,122.4 trillion won, contributing to the overall increase in their economic contribution to Asia's fourth-largest economy.

After a 61-day seasonal fishing ban, over 200 mechanised boats set out to sea from the Thoothukudi fishing harbour in Tamil Nadu and returned with a substantial fish haul, bringing cheer to both fishermen and traders.

The boats, which departed around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, docked back by 9 p.m., carrying tonnes of fish, including sala, uli, paarai, seela, kanava, anthili, and ailai.

The harbour witnessed a high influx of fish for the second consecutive day, leading to brisk trading activity and strong demand from buyers across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The prices reflected the demand: a basket of sala fetched Rs 2,000, vilai sold for Rs 4,500 - Rs 6,000, anthili for Rs 4,500, paarai for Rs 6,000, and uli for Rs 7,500 - Rs 10,000.

The domestic benchmark indices opened lower on Wednesday amid rising geopolitical tensions, but turned green in the early trade as buying was seen in the auto, IT and PSU bank sectors.

At around 9.32 am, Sensex was trading 160.49 points or 0.20 per cent up at 81,743.79 while the Nifty added 57.40 point or 0.23 per cent at 24,910.80.

Nifty Bank was up 33 points or 0.06 per cent at 55,747.15 The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 58,358.95 after dropping 20.35 points or 0.03 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 18,412.80 after declining 7.55 points or 0.04 per cent.

According to analysts, the market's hopes for de-escalation in in the Middle East war faded, as US President Donald Trump called for ‘Unconditional Surrender’ from Iran. Latest posts by Trump and the US defence movements in West Asia signal aggravation of the conflict, said market experts.

However, there is no panic in global equity markets and it appears that the markets’ assessment is that this conflict will end soon without impacting the global economy," added Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.

In a significant move to crack down on economic offenders, a coordination meeting between officials of the CBI, the Banking Securities Fraud Investigation Zone, the Finance Ministry's Department of Financial Services, and Chief Vigilance Officers of Public Sector Banks was held here on Tuesday, an official statement said.

During the day-long meeting, all pending matters pertaining to the ongoing Investigation and prosecution of the bank fraud cases being handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were discussed, and several issues were sorted out.

This meeting served as a follow-up to an earlier high-level meeting held on January 30 in Mumbai, whose agenda was to enhance the interdepartmental cooperation and expedite investigations pertaining to bank fraud cases.

During this crucial meeting, detailed presentations were made by the CBI and the public sector banks on relevant operational issues, while any aspects were discussed and resolved.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of pending cases and identified steps to remove bureaucratic hurdles.

J&K administration on Tuesday declared all Amarnath Yatra routes as ‘no fly zones’ between July 1 and August 10 as a security measure to provide foolproof security to the upcoming Yatra.

An order issued by the Home Department said that the Lt Governor (L-G) has given strict security directives regarding aerial activity during the upcoming Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2025, declaring all Yatra routes as “No Flying Zones” between July 1 and August 10, 2025.

Even before reaching the theatres, Vishnu Manchu’s "Kannappa" has been receiving a lot of praise. The latest to join the list of admirers is Akshay Kumar, who applauded Vishnu Manchu for his impressive dedication to the mythological drama.

Akshay revealed how Vishnu Manchu perfectly multitasked on the set. The 'Airlift' actor shared, “I’ve seen Vishnu in action—not just as the lead, but as someone completely immersed in the soul of the film. He was acting, coordinating things on set, and even jumping in to help with the background and props when needed. At times, he felt like an art director too. He’s that hands-on."

Citing an example of the actor's love for detail, Akshay added, "There was a particular sequence—barely six or seven minutes on screen—but he spent nearly two hours explaining it to me in detail. I understood it early on, but he kept going because that’s how passionate he is. You rarely see an actor put themselves into a role with this much energy and heart. He’s truly lived and breathed Kannappa."

Additional elements have been identified that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Iran's Natanz, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

The finding was based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected following Friday's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities by Israel,

"No change to report at (Iran's nuclear facilities) Esfahan and Fordow," the IAEA added.

The Karnataka government has announced that it is all set to host a grand event to mark International Yoga Day on June 21 this year.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced that International Yoga Day will be celebrated on June 21 at the Vidhana Soudha steps with the theme "Yoga for One Earth, One Health."

Rao further stated that, “This year, about five lakh people will be taught yoga across the state. The government plans to organise 10,000 yoga programmes state-wide, with a large-scale event specifically planned in Mysuru.”

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Governor, and other dignitaries are expected to participate in the event, with an anticipated attendance of five thousand people.

Heavy pre-monsoon showers lashed many districts of Rajasthan on Tuesday, giving a sigh of relief to the state, which was reeling under a severe heat wave.

The highest rainfall was recorded in Sikar, which was 74 mm; Ajmer received the second highest rainfall in the state, measuring 46 mm; Kota received the third highest rainfall, measuring 23 mm. Many other districts also received heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, minimum and maximum temperatures in almost all districts registered a dip of three degrees to seven degrees Celsius, giving relief to people who were facing the effects of sweltering heat.

Haryana has made strides in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, emerging as the seventh largest state in startups, recognised with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

With over 8,800 DPIIT-recognised startups, the state reflects a vibrant and growing startup ecosystem. A particularly encouraging aspect of this growth is the strong presence of women entrepreneurs; more than 45 per cent of the startups are led by women. This was revealed at a review meeting of the State Startup Ecosystem and Incubator Schemes held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi on Tuesday.