State-owned lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) reported a 14% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its global business to Rs 30.78 lakh crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2026, compared with Rs 27 lakh crore in the year-ago period. Global deposits rose 12% in Q4FY26 to Rs 16.48 lakh crore, up from Rs 14.72 lakh crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

These figures are provisional and part of the PSU bank’s quarterly business update. The final numbers will be announced along with its earnings.

Domestic deposits rose 13% YoY to Rs 14 lakh crore in the quarter under review, compared with Rs 12.42 lakh crore in Q4FY25.

Global advances grew over 16% to Rs 14.30 lakh crore during the January-March quarter, up from Rs 12.30 lakh crore in the year-ago period.

Domestic advances grew 15% YoY to Rs 11.69 lakh crore, compared with Rs 10.21 lakh crore in the year-ago period. Within this, domestic retail advances surged 18% to Rs 3 lakh crore from Rs 2.56 lakh crore in Q4FY25.

The state-owned bank announced its Q4 updates late Thursday. Its shares settled 0.80% lower at Rs 250 on the NSE in the previous session.
In the third quarter of FY26 ended December 2025, BoB reported credit growth of 15% to Rs 13.44 lakh crore, compared with Rs 11.73 lakh crore at the end of the same quarter last fiscal.The lender also posted a 10% increase in total deposits to Rs 15.47 lakh crore, up from Rs 14.03 lakh crore in the year-ago period.

As a result, the bank’s total business (credit and deposits) rose 12.22% to Rs 28.91 lakh crore as of December 31, 2025, compared with Rs 25.76 lakh crore a year earlier.

Also read: PNB Q4 updates: Global business rises 11% YoY to Rs 29.72 lakh crore; advances jump 13%

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Operator

Good afternoon, good morning, everybody, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the EuroEyes 2025 Annual Results Presentation. It’s our pleasure to introduce to you the management joining us today. They are Dr. Jorg Slot Jorgensen, Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer; and Mr. Marcus Huascar Bracklo, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer; [Operator Instructions] May I now pass the time to Dr. Jorgensen to start the presentation, please.

Jörn Jörgensen
Founder, CEO & Executive Chairman

Yes. Hello, everybody. Good morning here from Hamburg in Germany. I’m going today to present you 2025 annual results. I’m sitting in Hamburg and our CFO, Mr. Bracklo is sitting in Frankfurt, and we will let you through the different parts of the annual result. Please, the next thing — the next slide, please.

Okay. This year, we did 2 major transition and one of them was in Switzerland and the other one in Holland. I wish to start with that today that you have a little feeling about what was going on, on this front before I come to the results. As you know, we have — we were listed in 2019. So we had proceeds from the listing. And this year, we have been looking for that a long time. We until now did two, one in London, one in Manheim. So we have been very selective there.

But this year, we found 2 at the sphere. The one was in Switzerland. And Switzerland is a very important market for our high-end products here in Europe. And also with the competition landscape is very favorable. And we managed to get a company with

The New York Times Connections puzzle for Friday, April 3, 2026 — Connections No. 1,027 — challenged players with clever word groupings that tested vocabulary nuance, drink knowledge and compound phrases, as thousands of daily solvers across the globe logged in to test their pattern-recognition skills on the popular word game.

The 16 words presented were: MEAN, PETTY, SMALL, SNIDE, JONES, LONG, LUST, THIRST, COLLINS, HURRICANE, ROCKS, ZOMBIE, CRUISE, DAMAGE, GROUND, MISSION.

According to official solutions and multiple puzzle companion sites, the four categories broke down as follows, ordered from easiest (yellow) to hardest (purple) as ranked by the game itself.

Yellow category (easiest): Catty — MEAN, PETTY, SMALL, SNIDE. These adjectives all describe subtly malicious or spiteful behavior, often associated with gossip or passive-aggressive remarks. Solvers who spotted the “catty” theme early gained quick momentum, as the words share a clear semantic overlap in everyday English usage for describing petty criticism.

Green category: Hanker (For) — JONES, LONG, LUST, THIRST. This grouping captures verbs meaning to crave or desire something intensely. “Jones” as in “jonesing for,” “long for,” “lust after” and “thirst for” all convey strong yearning. The category required recognizing less common slang like “jones” alongside more straightforward synonyms, making it a satisfying middle-difficulty solve for many.

Blue category: Cocktail Glasses — COLLINS, HURRICANE, ROCKS, ZOMBIE. These refer to specific types of glasses or serving styles used in mixology. A Tom Collins glass, Hurricane glass (famous for the New Orleans drink), rocks glass (for spirits on the rocks) and Zombie glass (for the potent tiki cocktail) form a neat set of barware terms. Drink enthusiasts and trivia fans often nailed this group quickly, while others needed to think beyond literal glass shapes to bar terminology.

Purple category (hardest): _____ Control — CRUISE, DAMAGE, GROUND, MISSION. These complete common compound phrases or titles: cruise control, damage control, ground control and mission control. The purple category, traditionally the trickiest, rewarded solvers who considered idiomatic expressions and technical terms from aviation, space exploration and emergency response. Many players reported this as the final group they cracked after eliminating other possibilities.

The puzzle’s design showcased the signature Connections style: overlapping red herrings and clever misdirection. Words like “small” could tempt players toward size-related themes, while “rocks” and “hurricane” might initially suggest weather or geology before the cocktail angle emerged. “Mission” and “ground” could evoke space themes, but pairing them correctly with “cruise” and “damage” required the precise “control” connector.

How Players Performed and Community Reaction

Early data from the New York Times Games team and community forums indicated the April 3 puzzle rated as moderately challenging for most solvers. Many achieved perfect or near-perfect scores by starting with the obvious “catty” synonyms or the cocktail glasses. Others struggled longest with the purple “_____ control” category, mistaking it for space-related terms or military phrases.

On social media platforms and Reddit’s r/NYTConnections, players shared their grid sequences, with common paths including yellow-blue-green-purple or mixed orders depending on personal strengths. Some celebrated streak extensions, while others lamented a rare miss on the tricky purple group. “The cocktail glasses were my savior today — I’m not usually a drinker but those jumped out,” one solver posted.

The Connections Companion on the New York Times site featured hints and post-puzzle discussion, encouraging players to reflect on their solving process. Editor notes often highlight how everyday language and cultural references collide in the game, as seen with the mix of slang, bar terms and technical phrases in today’s edition.

Broader Popularity of NYT Connections

Since its launch, Connections has become one of the New York Times’ most popular daily games alongside Wordle and the Mini Crossword. Released each morning at midnight Eastern Time (with the previous day’s puzzle archived), it attracts a dedicated global audience that appreciates its balance of accessibility and brain-teasing difficulty.

The game presents 16 words in a 4×4 grid. Players must sort them into four groups of four, each sharing a common theme. Correct groups earn colored tiles — yellow for the simplest, then green, blue and purple for the most obscure. Streaks, statistics and shareable emoji grids add social and competitive elements that keep players returning daily.

For April 3, 2026, puzzle No. 1,027 continued the tradition of blending linguistic nuance with pop culture and practical knowledge. Previous days featured themes ranging from rock bands and beer brands to movie titles and city nicknames, demonstrating the game’s broad appeal.

Tips for Mastering Connections

Experienced players recommend starting with the most obvious category to build confidence and eliminate words. Looking for synonyms, shared prefixes/suffixes, double meanings or cultural references often unlocks groups. Avoiding tunnel vision on one theme helps spot cross-category misdirections.

For beginners, the official hints provided in the companion article or third-party sites like TheGamer and DazePuzzle offer gentle nudges without spoiling the full solution. Practicing consistently improves pattern recognition and vocabulary agility over time.

The April 3 puzzle particularly rewarded knowledge of cocktail culture and idiomatic English, while testing emotional intelligence through the “catty” descriptors. Its mix made it representative of why Connections resonates: it feels both familiar and freshly challenging each day.

Looking Ahead in the NYT Games Universe

As Connections continues its steady growth, the New York Times Games team occasionally experiments with theme variations or difficulty curves while preserving the core mechanic that has hooked millions. Friday’s edition aligned with typical end-of-week engagement, providing a satisfying mental workout for commuters, coffee-break solvers and evening wind-down players alike.

For those who missed the April 3, 2026 puzzle or want to revisit it, archived versions remain available through the New York Times Games app and website. Future puzzles promise more inventive groupings that blend language, trivia and lateral thinking.

Whether you solved today’s Connections in record time or needed multiple attempts, the game’s enduring charm lies in its ability to unite strangers in shared frustration and triumph over 16 carefully chosen words. On April 3, the winning connections — from snide remarks to mission control — offered another reminder of the playful complexity hidden in ordinary language.

Solvers who nailed all four categories on the first try earned bragging rights, while others gained new appreciation for the subtle links between craving verbs, barware and control phrases. As the weekend approaches, many will return Saturday for the next challenge, eager to extend their streaks and sharpen their minds one puzzle at a time.

Thailand is positioning itself as a premier regional leader in artificial intelligence through a strategic partnership with Microsoft, which has committed to a $1 billion investment over the next two years.

This collaboration focuses on expanding digital infrastructure and enhancing human capital to boost the nation’s digital competitiveness and public service efficiency. Ultimately, the initiative aims to transform Thailand into an “AI-first nation” and a central technological hub for Southeast Asia.

Key Points

• Microsoft will invest $1 billion over two years to develop cloud and AI infrastructure and enhance digital skills within the Thai workforce.
• The investment aims to leverage Thailand’s strategic geographic location to establish it as a digital hub for the Southeast Asian region.
• A major pillar of the agreement is human capital development, focusing on upskilling teachers, public officials, and new talent in the technology sector.
• Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Microsoft President Brad Smith emphasized that the partnership will improve the efficiency of public services and drive local innovation.
• The collaboration includes initiatives to improve AI literacy and provide training programs for NGOs and government workers.
• The commitment is expected to strengthen Thailand’s digital economy and ensure long-term growth through close cooperation between the government and the private sector.

Bridging the digital skills divide

Microsoft’s $1 billion investment plan addresses the digital skills gap among Thai public officials and educators through a dedicated focus on Human Capital Development .

The plan specifically outlines the following initiatives and goals:

• Targeted Training Programs: A significant portion of the $1 billion initiative is allocated to upskilling the workforce. Microsoft is already implementing training programs specifically designed for teachers and government officials (alongside NGOs) to increase their access to AI skills.
• Enhancing AI Literacy: The investment aims to improve national AI literacy. By training educators and public officials, the initiative seeks to ensure that those responsible for public service and education are equipped to handle an “AI-first” development strategy.
• Modernization of Public Services: One of the primary goals of upskilling public officials is to improve the efficiency of public services. This is part of a broader government commitment to strengthen Thailand’s digital competitiveness through cooperation with Microsoft.
• Nurturing Future Talent: Beyond current officials and teachers, the human capital pillar focuses on nurturing the next generation of digital professionals. This involves creating a pipeline of talent for data centers and technology sectors, which is supported by the training provided to current educators.

The investment bridges the gap by incorporating public officials and educators into a comprehensive framework of regional hub initiatives, equipping them with the essential skills to advance Thailand’s ambition of becoming a leading digital hub in the region.

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Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic left Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter with an apparent left hamstring strain, the latest injury setback for the Slovenian superstar and a significant blow to a Lakers team fighting for Western Conference positioning as the 2025-26 NBA regular season winds down.

Doncic, who has been the focal point of the Lakers’ offense since his arrival in Los Angeles, limped off the court after grabbing at his left hamstring during a defensive sequence. He was visibly in discomfort and headed directly to the locker room, with the team later ruling him out for the remainder of the contest. The Thunder ultimately won the high-stakes matchup, further tightening the playoff race in a loaded Western Conference.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed postgame that the team would evaluate Doncic further, with imaging likely scheduled in the coming days. “He felt it on that end and we didn’t want to push it,” Redick said. “We’ll get a better sense tomorrow, but hamstring issues need to be taken seriously.”

The incident revives concerns about Doncic’s durability after he missed several games earlier in the season with a similar left hamstring strain. That previous injury sidelined him for multiple contests in February, forcing the Lakers to lean heavily on LeBron James, Austin Reaves and supporting cast members during his absence. Dončić returned and posted strong performances, including a 42-point outing in one of his first games back, but the recurring nature of lower-body issues has become a talking point around the franchise.

Impact on Lakers’ Playoff Push

The Lakers entered the game in Oklahoma City sitting in solid playoff position but well aware that every game matters in a conference where the top seeds are separated by few wins. Without Doncic, the offense lacked its primary creator and scorer. James shouldered more responsibility, but the Thunder’s athleticism and depth proved too much on their home court.

Doncic has been averaging career-like numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, contributing elite scoring, playmaking and rebounding. His partnership with the 41-year-old James has been one of the league’s most compelling storylines, blending veteran leadership with generational talent. However, health questions have shadowed the duo at times this season.

Team officials have emphasized caution with soft-tissue injuries like hamstring strains, which can linger and worsen if rushed. Recovery timelines vary widely — some players return in a week or two with proper management, while others miss several weeks. The Lakers’ medical staff will likely take a conservative approach given the importance of the postseason.

Doncic’s Injury History and Resilience

This is not the first time Doncic has dealt with hamstring or lower-leg soreness since joining the Lakers. Earlier in the campaign, he missed time with the same left hamstring issue, prompting the team to implement stricter load management. Dončić has spoken openly about the physical demands of the NBA schedule and the adjustments required after his trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite the setbacks, the 27-year-old has shown remarkable resilience. He has consistently returned stronger and more efficient, using rest periods to refine his game and maintain conditioning. Fans and analysts alike have praised his work ethic and basketball IQ, qualities that have helped the Lakers remain competitive even when dealing with injuries across the roster.

The timing of this latest exit is particularly frustrating for Los Angeles. With key games remaining against strong opponents, the team needs all its stars healthy to secure favorable playoff seeding and avoid a grueling first-round matchup. The Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, represent one of the toughest tests in the league.

Broader Context for the Lakers

The Lakers have navigated a season filled with injury challenges, yet they have remained in the playoff picture thanks to James’ longevity and contributions from role players. Reaves has emerged as a reliable secondary option, while younger pieces have stepped up when called upon. Still, the absence of Doncic shifts the offensive burden significantly and exposes vulnerabilities in spacing and creation.

League-wide, hamstring strains remain one of the more common soft-tissue injuries, often linked to fatigue, explosive movements and incomplete recovery from previous ailments. Modern NBA training staffs use advanced monitoring tools, including wearable technology and force plates, to detect early warning signs, but the unpredictable nature of these injuries continues to frustrate teams and players.

For the Thunder, the win over the shorthanded Lakers reinforced their status as Western Conference frontrunners. Oklahoma City’s depth and defensive versatility allowed them to capitalize on Los Angeles’ missing star power.

What’s Next for Doncic and the Lakers

The Lakers will provide daily updates on Doncic’s status as they prepare for upcoming games. Fans hope for a short absence, but realistic expectations point toward at least a few games missed while the hamstring heals. The team’s medical team will focus on reducing inflammation, strengthening surrounding muscles and gradually reintroducing basketball activities.

Doncic himself has remained positive in past injury situations, often emphasizing the importance of listening to his body and returning at full strength rather than risking a more serious setback. His leadership off the court has also been noted, as he continues to support teammates even when sidelined.

As the regular season enters its final stretch, every healthy minute counts for contenders like the Lakers. A prolonged absence for Doncic could alter their seeding and playoff path, making the coming days critical for the franchise.

League observers will watch closely for the official diagnosis and expected timeline. In the meantime, the Lakers must find ways to generate offense and maintain defensive intensity without their primary ball-handler. James, Reaves and the supporting cast will be asked to do more, testing the depth that has been both a strength and a vulnerability this season.

The NBA postseason remains the ultimate goal, and health will likely determine how far any team — including the Lakers — can advance. For now, all eyes remain on Luka Doncic’s left hamstring and how quickly he can return to the court that has defined his superstar career.