India’s infrastructure has seen rapid progress in the last decade, as capital expenditure surged from Rs 2 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 11.21 lakh crore in 2025-26 — a significant six times increase towards the 'Viksit Bharat' goal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.

Allocation for capital expenditure is at its highest-ever at Rs 11.21 lakh crore during FY2026.

“India’s Infrastructure has seen rapid progress in the last decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” FM Sitharaman said in a post on X.

“A leap of more than 860 per cent in budget allocation for road transport to Rs 3+ lakh crore. Four times surge in Metro Rail Network from just 248 KM in 2014 to 1011 KM in 2025,” the minister further informed.

Finance Minister further stated that From Atal Tunnel to Chenab Bridge, India’s engineering feats are transforming its landscape.

With the 61-day annual fishing ban in Tamil Nadu, which began on April 15, set to end on June 14, fishermen across the state are raising concerns over falling seafood prices and demanding government intervention to protect their livelihoods.

In Rameswaram, fishers have urged the state government to constitute a price-setting committee to ensure fair pricing, especially for shrimp.

“Fishermen toil all day at sea, but it’s unfortunate that they are unable to fetch a satisfactory price for their catch,” said X. Nallathambi, president of the National Traditional Fishermen Federation.

Traditionally, high-quality shrimp caught off Rameswaram and Mandapam are sold for up to Rs 700 per kilogram during peak season. However, in the immediate days following the lifting of the fishing ban, exporters are reportedly fixing prices as low as Rs 300 per kilogram, causing heavy financial losses for small-scale fishers.

Actor Abhishek Banerjee, whose latest release is “Stolen”, said he likes to completely believe in the character he’s playing, and unless he feels it in his gut, he can’t do justice to the performance.

He said: “Honestly, when I first read the script for Stolen, I loved the story and the character, but I felt there were certain creative aspects that needed deeper exploration—especially with the character’s emotional arc. I’m the kind of actor who likes to completely believe in the character I’m playing, and unless I feel it in my gut, I can’t do justice to the performance."

The actor also revealed that being an executive producer for the film Stolen he initially had creative differences with Stolen’s producer, Gaurav Dhingra, which almost led him to step away from the project.

Opener Georgia Plimmer and wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze among the 15-member New Zealand A's squad for their white-ball tour of England, starting late June.

The squad features 11 players have played for New Zealand and will embark on a six-match tour to England later this month. The tour, comprising three List A one-dayers followed by three T20s, is the return leg of a bilateral A series reintroduced to NZC’s women’s pathway last year.

"The squad will depart on Saturday with their first One Day match in Derby on June 23. Assistant coach Brendon Donkers will name the team’s captains once the squad have assembled in England," New Zealand Cricket said.

Plimmer and wicketkeeper-batter Gaze headline a strong batting unit featuring Jess Watkin; recent international debutants Bella James and Polly Inglis, Emma McLeod, and Izzy Sharp.

The Nifty 50 and Sensex opened almost flat on Wednesday, as buying was seen in sectors like oil and gas and metal, while FMCG and PSU Bank were trading in the red.

Sensex was up 59 points at around 82,451 while Nifty was up 18.55 points at 25,122 in the early trade.

On the National Stock Exchange, 11 sectoral indices advanced, two declined, and two remained flat out of 15 (around 9.25 am). The NSE Nifty Media rose the most.

JSW Steel, Cipla, NTPC and Tech Mahindra were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers were Grasim Industries, Shriram Finance, Asian Paints, L&T, Titan Company. BSE Midcap and smallcap index up 0.3 percent each.

According to analysts, market is likely to continue in the consolidation range with a slight upward bias.

A limited curfew will come into effect from Tuesday in several areas of downtown Los Angeles, California, following several nights of unrest triggered by the Trump administration's immigration raids.

The announcement was made by Mayor Karen Bass, who said the city had witnessed escalating violence, arson, and looting in the wake of federal enforcement actions.

The curfew will be enforced from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and may continue for several days. However, Mayor Bass clarified that residents and people working in the area will be exempt.

She said the decision was made in light of mounting tensions and the need to prevent further disorder.

Masked looters targeted several businesses, including an Apple Store, where they smashed windows and made away with electronic products. They also defaced the building with graffiti.

The Centre has sanctioned a Rs 4224.23 crore package for 316 road projects in Jammu and Kashmir under PMGSY-IV, which is the biggest ever package for the union territory so far since the national flagship rural road development programme was started.

Under the PMGSY-IV programme, a rural habitation as small as 250 human beings will get road connectivity through a total length of 1781.33 km.

The majority of 316 road projects under PMGSY-IV in J&K will benefit the Jammu division, as this division is still poorly connected as compared to the Kashmir division.

While expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said that the approved 1781 km road length will provide a major boost to rural road connectivity and usher in a new era of prosperity in the far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Covid-19 infections in South Korea are forecast to steadily rise later this month ahead of the summer vacation season, health authorities said Tuesday, urging older adults and vulnerable groups to receive vaccinations.

South Korea had seen a steady increase in Covid-19 cases in summer, and this year is expected to be similar to previous years, according to the Korea Disease Control

Last year, the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients swelled to 1,444 in the third week of August, from 1,362 in the second week and 864 in the first week.

The number of Covid-19 patients had remained steady at around 100 for the past four weeks, but other nations, such as Thailand and Taiwan, have been suffering a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, which have been exacerbated by variants.

The World Bank on Tuesday kept India's economic growth projection at 6.3 per cent for FY 2025-26, as the country remains the fastest growing economy globally.

"In the next two fiscal years, starting in FY2026/27, growth is expected to recover to 6.6 per cent a year, on average, partly supported by robust services activity contributing to a pickup in exports," said the World Bank in its ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report.

In India, growth moderated in FY2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), partly reflecting a deceleration in industrial output growth.

In a significant political development, the Congress party has suffered a major setback ahead of the Ludhiana West by-poll as senior leader Sunil Kapoor has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This move is expected to provide AAP with a considerable advantage in the upcoming By-polls.  

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally  inducted him into the party during a Jansabha on Tuesday evening. The event was attended by prominent AAP leaders, including MP Dr. Rajkumar Chabbewal, Punjab party president Aman Arora, and Ludhiana West by-election candidate Sanjeev Arora.