India’s economy is set to grow faster at 6.5 per cent in FY2026, up from the previous expectation of 6 per cent, due to GST reforms that will cushion the blow from steep US import tariffs, a report said on Wednesday.

Credit rating agency ICRA also said in the report that proactive strategies from industries, trade rerouting and geographic diversification could help India weather the tariff shock.

The ratings agency, however, maintained that the high tariff burden is likely to weigh on sectoral profitability and demand across several industries.

India ships more than 140 product categories to the US, making the market critical for sectors ranging from auto components to seafood, the report said

A man has died after being stabbed in a targetted attack in eastern Australia on Wednesday morning.

Emergency services were called to reports of an assault on a street near the rural city of Grafton, 490 km northeast of Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW), around 1 am (local time) on Wednesday.

Police officers arrived and found that a 35-year-old man had been stabbed by unknown assailants while walking along the street,News Agency reported.

He was treated by ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene.

NSW Police said in a statement that initial inquiries indicated that the stabbing was a targetted attack.

A CBI Court here has sentenced a former inspector of Central Excise & Customs and a private person to five years in jail in a Rs 32.28 crore fraud case.

The court convicted and sentenced Kalaka Ramdas, the then Inspector, Central Excise & Customs, Srikakulam Range, Srikakulam and a private person, Polaki Janakiram.

The case was registered in 2005, and at the time of filing the charge sheet in 2008, Ramdas was Superintendent, Customs & Central Excise in the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs & Central Excise, Visakhapatnam.

The GST rationalisation, which lower rates across the renewable energy value chain from 12 per cent to 5 per cent, will make rooftop solar systems more affordable for households, bringing down the price of a typical 3 kilowatts (kW) rooftop system by about Rs 9,000–10,500, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said on Wednesday.

The move will make it easier for lakhs of families to adopt solar energy and accelerate large-scale uptake under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The government's move will also bring down the cost of clean energy projects, making electricity more affordable and directly benefiting households, farmers, industries, and developers.

 AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, calling for the immediate supply of 3.36 lakh metric tonnes of pending urea fertilizer to Karnataka.

The demand comes amid an early onset of the monsoon and an accelerated Kharif sowing season in the state.

Surjewala, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, stated, "India is an agrarian country, with farmers forming the backbone of our economy. In Karnataka, the monsoon has arrived early this year, with rainfall about three per cent above normal, prompting the sowing season to begin sooner than expected."

Benchmark Indian bond yields are expected to ease slightly over the next three months, driven by favourable inflation data and stable oil prices, a report said on Wednesday.

The 10-year government bond yield, which stood at 6.59 per cent on August 31, is expected to inch down to the 6.42 per cent-6.52 per cent range by the end of September and to 6.38 per cent-6.48 per cent by November end, said the report from research firm Crisil Intelligence.

State development loan yields are expected to ease from 7.23 per cent to the 7.15 per cent-7.25 per cent range by November, while 10-year corporate bond yields may fall from 7.19 per cent to the 7.08 per cent-7.18 per cent range.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday transferred Rs 5,000 as a direct financial assistance to construction workers across the state, a move being described in political circles as a major step ahead of the upcoming elections.

The financial assistance was given on the occasion of Vishwakarma puja and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday.

Under the Annual Clothing Assistance Scheme of the Bihar government, Rs 802.46 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of 16.4 lakh construction workers.

The Regional Meteorological Centre on Wednesday issued an orange alert for heavy rain in several districts of West Bengal over the next few days.

According to the met department, thunderstorms are likely across South Bengal, including Kolkata, from Wednesday to Friday. Along with this, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms is likely in East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Purulia districts. Accordingly, an orange alert has been issued for these districts.

On Saturday, there is a possibility of scattered thunderstorms in all districts of South Bengal.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is in the process of identifying land on the city’s outskirts to house up to 500 aggressive, rabid, or suspected rabid dogs, in compliance with a Supreme Court directive issued on August 22.

The court had ordered that such animals must be kept in dedicated facilities rather than being released back onto the streets.

It also directed civic bodies to earmark a single designated feeding point in every ward for strays, where food can be provided under regulated conditions.

While the new facility is still being planned, GCC has released updates on its broader stray dog control and rabies-prevention initiatives.

As her husband Nick Jonas turned 33, global head-turner Priyanka Chopra Jonas wished the American popstar and said that she is “so grateful to share life” with him.

Priyanka took to Instagram, where she shared a string of loved up moments she has shared with Nick from 2018 to 2025. The pictures also feature their daughter Malti Marie.

For the caption, Priyanka wrote: “As we celebrate you today my love, I’m reminiscing, each of the wonderful September 16th’s I’ve been so lucky to spend with you over the years so grateful to share life with you. We celebrate you everyday. Here’s 2025-2018 !”

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) acted as the major driver of India’s commercial real estate sector, with leasing projected to grow by 15–20 per cent over the next two years, said a report on Wednesday.

GCCs are projected to lease 60–65 million square feet of Grade A office space by 2027, according to a report by real estate services firm Colliers.

These centres have leased around 100 million square feet in India's top seven cities since 2021, accounting for 36 per cent of total office demand. Leasing activity by global corporates is expected to touch 28 million square feet by 2025, nearly doubling the 2021 figure, the report said.

World No. 1 women's tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the China Open due to a minor injury, tournament organisers said.

The Belarusian, who broke through with her first major title of the year in the final Grand Slam, reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing last year.

"Hi all - I am sad to announce my withdrawal from the China Open this year after sustaining a small injury after the US Open. I am going to focus on being 100% healthy for the rest of the year and I can't wait to see my Chinese fans soon! I look forward to returning to Beijing next year and wish the tournament good luck," Sabalenka said in a statement

Playback singer Shaan is set to treat the audience with a special concert dedicated to the legendary singer Kishore Kumar, has shared his opinion on the longevity of the songs in the current era of Hindi music.

The singer spoke ahead of the show at his office in the Khar area of Mumbai, and said that bad songs are always present in every era, and it’s not like that overall music is bad currently. He said that composers are still making good songs, and singers are giving their voice to those songs.

The Indian rupee opened 23 paise stronger on Wednesday, trading at 87.82 against the US dollar buoyed by renewed trade discussions between India and the United States.

The rupee closed yesterday at 88.09 after appreciating 7 paise intraday. Today's opening marked the rupee's first opening below 88 in two weeks.

Analysts said that the rupee is likely to face resistance around 88.20. Despite support from bilateral trade talks, a decisive break below 87.90 could open the way toward 87.50 or to 87.20, they said.

British MP John McDonnell has called for an end to the human rights abuses in Balochistan by Pakistani forces and reaffirmed his commitment, together with his colleagues, to continue standing with the Baloch people.

He also stressed the importance of upholding the principle of self-determination in the province as a basic tenet of international human rights.

He made these remarks on Tuesday (local time) while speaking at the 7th Global Balochistan Conference in Geneva, organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) party. The event was attended by several political figures, human rights activists, and intellectuals.

 Inter Miami CF returned to winning ways with a dominant 3-1 home win over Seattle Sounders FC.

Stellar performances from captain and Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match, Lionel Messi, and defender Jordi Alba - who scored a goal and dished out an assist each - and a goal from Academy product Ian Fray led Inter Miami to victory on the evening at Chase Stadium.

Inter Miami got off to a quick start with Alba finding the opener early in the 12th minute. Bright recovered possession close to the halfway line to kickstart a counter. Messi subsequently picked up the ball and cleared his path before finding Alba on the left side, where the Spanish defender took a touch before finding the back of the net with a left-footed finish.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday and wished for his healthy life.

In a one-liner message on X, Gandhi said, "Wishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji a happy birthday and good health."

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge also took to social media and wished the Prime Minister.

"Best wishes to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life," he posted on X.

The Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Wednesday, buoyed by hopes of a Fed rate cut tonight and positive cues around the renewed India-US trade negotiations.

As of 9.28 am, the Sensex was up 151 points or 0.18 per cent at 82,532, and the Nifty was up 58 points or 0.23 per cent at 25,297.

The broad cap indices outperformed benchmark indices, as Nifty Midcap 100 inched up by 0.28 per cent, and the Nifty Small cap 100 moved up 0.60 per cent.

Tata Consumer Products (up 2.65 per cent), Tata Motors, Trent, NTPC and ONGC were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers were Bajaj Finance, Cipla, ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra.