Bank of Baroda (BoB) on Wednesday said it has been recognised as ‘Best Bank in India’ at the “Bank of the Year Awards 2025 – Asia-Pacific“ by The Banker magazine, a Financial Times publication.

The magazine noted that BoB has improved customer experience by expanding the use of its phygital branches, which combine in-person and digital services for customers.

“Users can quickly obtain statements, generate income tax payment certificates and update the nominees named who can gain access to a bank account,” the magazine said on its website.

Sophie Kinsella, the author behind the bestselling Shopaholic series, has died at the age of 55 following an aggressive form of brain cancer diagnosed in 2022. The news, shared through a heartfelt statement on her social media accounts left fans devastated. The official statement reads, “She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy."

Born Madeleine Sophie Wickham in London in 1969, the writer first made her mark under her real name with The Tennis Party, which she wrote at just 24 while she was working as a financial journalist. She went on to publish six novels as Madeleine Wickham before adopting the pen name Sophie Kinsella, under which she created one of literature’s most iconic modern heroines: Becky Bloomwood.

German automaking giant, BMW Group, on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, announced that the board of directors have appointed Milan Nedeljkovic as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company amid the automaker's electric vehicle (EV) bets to take on rivals like Tesla and other Chinese companies.

The automaker also announced that Nedeljković will assume his role, effective from 14 May 2026, succeeding Oliver Zipse, who has been serving in the role since 2019. After the upcoming board meeting in 2026, Oliver Zipse will leave the BMW board after completing the extended period beyond his retirement age, marking 35 years in the company.

“Milan Nedeljković will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG effective on 14 May 2026. The company’s Supervisory Board took this decision today,” according to a press release on Tuesday.

Mumbai’s long-stalled pagdi (cess buildings) redevelopment ecosystem is headed for a major overhaul, with the Maharashtra government planning a dedicated regulatory framework aimed at breaking the deadlock between tenants and landlords, accelerating construction, and potentially unlocking more than 13,000 long-stalled projects across some of the city’s most congested pockets.

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday told the legislative assembly that a dedicated set of rules would be introduced to “free Mumbai from the pagdi system”, ensure fair redevelopment, and protect the rights of both protected tenants and landlords. Pagdi or cess buildings—largely pre-1960 structures—have long been trapped in disputes.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella together with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, unveiled MahaCrimeOS AI – the country’s first AI-powered platform to fast-track cybercrime investigations. The platform designed to augment officers with AI tools that help them to resolve cases faster and more efficiently, combining human expertise with responsible innovation, has been developed by CyberEye, a partner independent software vendor (ISV) of Microsoft, with the Maharashtra Government’s Special Purpose Vehicle MARVEL, and Microsoft India Development Center (IDC). It is built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Foundry.

While Nadella showcased a video illustrating how MahaCrime AI OS helped deliver justice to a cybercrime victim in Nagpur, CM Fadnavis, while addressing the media, said, “Our collaboration with Microsoft began with solving complex cybercrime challenges, but its potential is far greater.” MahaCrimeOS AI was launched on Friday, currently, it is live in 23 police stations across Nagpur, and it is proposed to be rolled out to all 1,100 police stations across the state.

The “Architects of AI” were named TIME magazine's person of the year for 2025 on Thursday (December 11, 2025).

The magazine cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence “roared into view" with no turning back.

“For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME 's 2025 Person of the Year,” TIME said in a social media post.

India and Liberia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on pharmacopoeia to promote shared quality standards and regulatory alignment.

The Health Ministry informed that the agreement was signed in the presence of the Ambassador of India to Liberia, Manoj Bihari Verma and Liberia’s Health Minister, Dr Louise M. Kpoto.

The Ministry added that this MoU will support improved access to safe and affordable medicines.

India and Liberia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on pharmacopoeia to promote shared quality standards and regulatory alignment.

The Health Ministry informed that the agreement was signed in the presence of the Ambassador of India to Liberia, Manoj Bihari Verma and Liberia’s Health Minister, Dr Louise M. Kpoto.

The Ministry added that this MoU will support improved access to safe and affordable medicines.

The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Wednesday (December 10, 2025) rolled out a month-long Delhi metro campaign at the Sultanpur metro station, focusing on women's and girls' health and well-being.

The campaign will run through December and January, delivering messages on women's safety, mental health support, digital inclusion, Pre-Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT), and tuberculosis awareness across metro trains and select stations.

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that leveraging the Delhi metro will ensure that these critical messages reach millions of daily commuters, strengthening awareness and empowering women and girls across the capital city.

After the Telangana government accorded administrative sanction of Rs 1,000 crore to upgrade infrastructure at Osmania University, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday announced that the historic institution would be transformed into a world-class, premier centre of higher education.

Addressing students on the university campus, the chief minister urged them not to fall prey to political traps and instead focus on their studies and career building. Students, he said, must also cultivate leadership qualities and grow into leaders capable of steering the state’s future.

Launching a sharp attack on the previous BRS government, he alleged that Osmania University had been deliberately neglected for a decade. While BRS leaders built farmhouses on hundreds of acres, not a single Dalit family received the promised three acres of land under the previous regime, he said.