Mid-Day Top News at this hour: Mumbai to Pune minus ghats by year-end; This top city municipal officer is an ‘ultra’ hero and more

One of the two tunnels that comprises the Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link

Welcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today.

Markets climb in early trade mirroring firm global trends, foreign fund inflows

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty climbed in initial trade on Wednesday following a rally in global markets amid US-China trade talks optimism and foreign fund inflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose 118.11 points to 82,509.83 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 33.3 points to 25,137.55.

Mumbai to Pune minus ghats by year-end!

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project, which will help motorists bypass the Lonavla-Khandala ghat section, is expected to be completed by this December. Tunnelling work for the project has been completed, and work on a 170-metre-high cable-stayed bridge - among the tallest in the country - is progressing at a rapid pace. The two tunnels that comprise the link are 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length and 23 metres in width, making them among the widest in the world. Read more.

Marathon 2025: This top city municipal officer is an ‘ultra' hero

Even as Vishvas Mote, deputy commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Zone 3, typed out an acknowledgement to a congratulatory message on his phone, yet another popped up on the screen. All those ‘super se bhi upar' messages flooding his phone were because Mote finished the Comrades Marathon 2025 in South Africa on Sunday, June 8, running 89 km in a time of 11 hrs 53 minutes and 50 seconds or 11:53:50, like they say in running lingo. Read more.

Raje tames Eagles with high five!

In a league that's meant to spot talent for the future, two seasoned campaigners in their 30s dictated terms on Tuesday to shine in their team's semi-final victory. Read more.

Vicky Kaushal in talks to join YRF's spy universe as lead of espionage thriller

With Alpha, Alia Bhatt is the latest entrant in the YRF Spy Universe, joining Salman Khan's Tiger, Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan, and Hrithik Roshan's Kabir Dhaliwal. Even as we wait to see what the banner's first female-led espionage thriller has in store for us, another new recruit may soon join the ever-expanding universe. Sources tell mid-day that Vicky Kaushal is in talks to headline Yash Raj Films' next spy thriller. Read more.