Hurun India, in its latest rich list for 2025, has named Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO of Arista Networks, as the wealthiest Indian-origin leader in the world. With this, Ullal has surged ahead of global big tech chiefs such as Google’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, taking the top spot among Indian-origin executives in the technology sector.

Ullal, a British-born Indian businesswoman, has been leading Arista Networks for the past 17 years. The Santa Clara-based cloud networking company designs and sells high-performance, software-driven switches and networking solutions catering to large data centres, cloud service providers, and enterprise campus environments.

The Rajasthan government has launched a new digital communication platform, 'e-Swasthya Samvad', to improve governance, transparency and coordination in the medical education department, officials said on Sunday.

The initiative has been introduced under the direction of chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma and medical education minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar as part of efforts to strengthen health services through technology-driven reforms.

Principal secretary, Medical Education, Gayatri Rathore said the platform would function as a dedicated digital interface connecting all stakeholders associated with medical education and health services, enabling faster decision-making and effective implementation of health programmes.

Medical education commissioner Naresh Goyal said 'e-Swasthya Samvad' will be conducted twice a week -- every Tuesday and Thursday -- through video conferencing.

French actor and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot died at 91 on Sunday, December 28, 2025. According to a statement released by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to CNN, "The Brigitte Bardot Foundation pays tribute to the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything and gave up everything for a world more respectful of animals."

"Her legacy lives on through the actions and struggles the Foundation continues with the same passion and the same fidelity to her ideals," it further read.

The foundation has not revealed the cause of her death.

Esther Lalduhawmi Hnamte, a young and exceptionally talented singer from Lunglei, Mizoram, has been awarded the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for her outstanding contributions to music and culture at such a young age. This recognition highlights not just her vocal talent but also her significant role in promoting regional and national pride through music.

Born on June 9, 2016, Esther Hnamte showed an early inclination towards singing, starting at the tender age of three. Her early performances were primarily in local church events and community programs in her hometown. However, it was a viral video of her rendition of AR Rahman’s 'Vande Mataram' in 2020 that earned her nationwide attention. The video was shared by Mizoram’s former Chief Minister Zoramthanga and later by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to a wave of appreciation for the young singer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to immediately expand cooperation in agriculture, health, and technology. Somaliland’s President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, has described the development as a historic moment. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a statement said, the two countries have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies.

Reacting to the development, Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre said, his country categorically and unequivocally rejected what he called a deliberate attack by Israel on its sovereignty. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Minister held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Somalia, Turkiye and Djibouti to discuss issues including Israel’s declaration. The foreign ministers have strongly condemned the decision and rejected Israel’s announcement.

S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India will inaugurate the 27th edition of Shaastra, the annual technical festival at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras).

The student-managed event, to be held from January 2 to 6 next year, is expected to draw over 80,000 visitors and will feature a diverse programme of competitions, exhibitions, workshops, conferences and shows.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said that the event would be held as part of a 15-day period where the institute plans to organise Shaastra, along with an Open house and Saarang, the annual social and cultural festival.

Virat Kohli played his second game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as Delhi took on Gujarat in Round 2 of the tournament. He came into the game on the back of a match-winning century against Andhra Pradesh in the first match. He continued his sparkling form in this game too. Even though he could not score a second consecutive century in this game, Kohli went on to slam 77 runs from 61 balls in an innings studded with 13 fours and 1 six, before being dismissed by Vishal Jayswal. He thus went on to smash a massive world record.

Virat Kohli has now slammed 16,207 runs in List A cricket with his 77-run knock vs Gujarat. He has scored these runs at a stunning average of 57.87. This is now the highest batting average for any batter in the history of List A cricket. He breaks the record of legendary Australian lower middle order batter Michael Bevan, who had scored 15,103 List A runs at an average of 57.86.

President Droupadi Murmu will take a sea sortie in a submarine from Karnataka’s Karwar Harbour in on December 28, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Friday. The visit is part of a four-day tour covering Goa, Karnataka and Jharkhand from December 27 to 30.

The President will begin her three-state tour with a visit to Goa on the evening of December 27 and will undertake a submarine sortie from Karwar Harbour on the next day, although the statement did not specify the duration of the sortie or the type of submarine involved.

On December 29, the President will participate in the centenary celebrations of Ol Chiki in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur. On the same day, she will deliver a speech at the 15th convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has released an Indian standard for incense sticks. The newly notified standard specifies the prohibition of certain insecticide chemicals and synthetic fragrance substances in agarbattis, which may pose risks to human health, indoor air quality, and the environment, an official government statement noted.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, made this announcement on the occasion of National Consumer Day 2025.

The standard lists substances prohibited for use in agarbattis. “This includes certain insecticidal chemicals such as alethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and fipronil, as well as synthetic fragrance intermediates like benzyl cyanide, ethyl acrylate, and diphenylamine. Many of these substances are restricted or banned internationally due to their potential impact on human health, indoor air quality, and ecological safety,” the Ministry’s statement added.

In western India, strata of old rocks are providing a glimpse of what may have been a world of heat, a world of creeping continents, and one of giant reptiles. The fossil evidence discovered in Gujarat has attracted scientific notice due to evidence of a snake of extraordinary size that existed during what is loosely defined as the Eocene era, some 47 million years ago. The era is significant from a geological perspective in that it represented one of Earth’s hottest periods in recent geological history, during which “tropical climates covered large regions of Earth’s surface.” Finding proof of an extraordinary snake from an era in which Earth was extremely hot may appear esoteric; nevertheless, it remains significant in an area of scientific research where proof of past existence increasingly depends on interpreting data from fossils.