1 Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani in the list of top 15 richest people in the world
Two Indians, Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, have been included in the list of top 15 extremely rich people in the world in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index . Gautam Adani has made it to the list of extremely rich individuals in 2023 after losing his position due to shortselling in his company’s stock following the publication of the Hinderberg report. Adani’s wealth declined due to short selling in 2023 and he was out of the list of top 15 super rich. For the first time, each of the world’s top 15 super-rich has a net worth of $100 billion or more . Mukesh Ambai is at 12th place in this list with assets of $110 billion . Mukesh Ambani is the Chairman cum Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) . RIL is in the business of petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecommunications, retail and financial services. Gautam Adani is ranked 14th in the list with a net worth of $100 billion . Adani Group is into businesses including ports, airports, power generation and transmission, green energy, edible oils, cement and real estate.
2 Conference on Administration of Criminal Justice held in Guwahati
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice in collaboration with the Government of Assam has organized a two-day conference ‘ India’s Progressive Path in the Administration of Criminal Justice System ‘ on 18-19 May 2024 at Guwahati, Assam . The conference was organized to create awareness about the recent changes made by the government in repealing the British era criminal law and enactment of new law related to the criminal justice system in the country.
3 IFC extends $500 million loan to HDFC Bank to finance micro-credit to women
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has provided a $500 million loan to HDFC Bank to provide loans to women microfinance borrowers . This information was provided by HDFC Bank on May 17, 2024. India’s largest private sector bank will use the loan amount to provide loans to women self-help groups (SHGs) and joint liability groups (JLGs) that are engaged in a sustainable livelihood initiative. Microfinance in India is dominated by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and small finance banks. NBFCs provide loans to SHGs or JLGs at higher rates. Banks have access to cheap funds in the form of CASA (Current Account and Savings Account) deposits, hence they can provide cheap loans to women SHGs or JLGs.
4 12th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group on Defense held in Ulaanbaatar
To promote defense cooperation and strengthen defense ties, the 12th Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting of Defense Ministers of India and Mongolia was held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar on 16 and 17 May 2024 . JWG of Defense Ministries is conducted every year. The Indian side was led by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and Brigadier General Gankhuyag Davagdorj, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mongolia. Indian Ambassador to Mongolia Atul Malhari Gotsurve was also present during the meeting. Amitabh Prasad and Atul Malhari Gotsurve met Mongolian Deputy Defense Minister, B Byramganai and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. Later, the Indian delegation also visited a training establishment of the Mongolian Defense Force in Ulaanbaatar.
5 Field testing of Artemis-3 mission begins in America
On May 17, the US space agency NASA started simulation testing (imitating a process) for the Artemis-3 mission at Volcano Field in the US state of Arizona . Here astronauts are practicing moonwalk . NASA is going to send astronauts to the moon after 50 years. Under the Artemis-3 mission, two astronauts will land on the moon in September 2026 . NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas played the roles of astronauts selected for the Artemis-2 mission. During this, he wore clothes that looked like a spacesuit and examined the hardware. He also practiced collecting samples from the lunar surface. Two teams were formed for this simulation testing which lasted for a week. These will include astronauts, engineers, field experts, flight controllers and scientists. It will test every aspect of the Moon mission, for which 4 Moonwalks and 6 Advanced Technology Testing have been planned. The Arizona desert has been used as a training ground for lunar missions since the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
6 Sanjeev Jain becomes the new COO of Wipro
On May 17, Wipro appointed Sanjeev Jain as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) . Sanjeev Jain has been appointed in place of former COO Amit Chaudhary, who recently resigned from the company. Wipro has appointed Sanjeev Jain as the new COO of the company in place of Amit Chaudhary, he will work based in Bengaluru. Sanjeev Jain joined the company in 2023 as Global Head of Business Operations of Wipro. Sanjeev Jain will report to the company’s MD and CEO Srinivas Palliya and will remain a member of Wipro’s executive committee. Sanjeev Jain has been leading Wipro’s talent supply chain since joining the firm. Before joining Wipro, Sanjeev Jain worked at Kindril Holdings (IBM spin-off), IBM, Cognizant and GE.
7 Egyptian king’s face recreated after 3400 years
According to The Economic Times on May 17 , scientists have together created the face of Amenhotep III, who was the king of Egypt in the 14th century, using his mummy . This is the first time in the last 3400 years that the face of Amenhotep, the world’s richest man, has been recreated. Amenhotep was very powerful in the 14th century, he was worshiped like a god in Egypt. Under the leadership of Amenhotep, not only Egypt developed, but it also emerged as a superpower at the international level. To create Amenhotep’s face, scientists collected data from the mummy’s head, including Brazilian graphics designers in the recreation team. Amenhotep was the grandfather of the Egyptian king Tutankhamun, who was part of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was named after Amun, god of the sun and wind, whom Amenhotep claimed as his father. Through his diplomatic letters it is estimated that he had immense wealth. Study of Amenhotep’s mummy revealed that his height would have been approximately 156 cm (5 feet 1 inch). Amenhotep died in 1352 BC at the age of about 40-50. This mummy of Amenhotep was discovered in 1881. This mummy is so delicate that even after centuries scientists did not dare to open it completely.
8 X’s domain changed from twitter.com to x.com
On May 17, American businessman Elon Musk changed the domain name of social media platform X to x.com. A message is also now visible at the bottom of the X login page that reads, ‘We’re letting you know that we’re changing our URL, but your privacy and data protection settings will remain the same.’ On July 24, 2023, Musk changed the name and logo of Twitter to X. Then x.com was redirected to twitter.com. Now along with changing the main domain to x.com, twitter.com has been redirected to it. Elon Musk bought Twitter (now X) for $44 billion on October 27, 2022. As of today, this amount is around Rs 3.6 lakh crore. Since then, many major changes have been made in the platform.
9 Indian table tennis team announced for Paris Olympics
Late in the evening of 16 May, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) announced a six-member team for the Paris Olympics . Commonwealth Games champions Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will lead the Indian table tennis team. The men’s team consists of Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar . G Sathiyan got a place in the men’s team as a reserve player. The women’s team consists of Manika Batra, Shreeja Akula and Archana Kamath . Ayhika Mukherjee will be the reserve player for the women’s team . Indian players will participate in singles and team events in Paris. Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai are in men’s singles. Women’s singles features Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula. The Olympic Games 2024 will be organized in the French city of Paris from 26 July 2024 .
10 Nikhat Zareen wins gold in Elorda Cup 2024
On May 18, Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen won the gold medal in Elorda Cup 2024 . Nikhat had participated in the women’s 52 kg boxing event. Nikhat defeated Kazakhstan ‘s Jazira Urakbayeva 5-0. 27-year-old Nikhat had won the silver medal in the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament in Bangkok . In 2011, Nikhat won gold for India in the AIBA Youth and Junior World Championships. In the Elorda Cup 2024, four boxers from India won bronze medals in the competition. These include Yaifaba Singh Soibham, Abhishek Yadav, Vishal and Gaurav Chauhan.
11 Brazil will host FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
The 74th Congress meeting of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was held in Thailand on 17 May . In this, the name of Brazil was announced as the host country of the 10th FIFA Women’s Football World Cup to be held in 2027 . Along with this, this will be the first Women’s Football World Cup to be held in South America . Brazil won the hosting bid over the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany . In April 2024, America and Mexico had pulled themselves out of the race to host the Women’s World Cup. Brazil previously hosted the Men’s Football World Cup in 1950 and 2014. Nine editions of the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup have been played since 1991. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup 2023.
12 International Women in Maritime Day
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MOPSW) celebrated the International Day of Women Seafarers in New Delhi to honor the significant contribution of women seafarers . This year’s theme, ” Secure Horizons: Women in Shaping the Future of Maritime Security ” underlines the importance of women’s safety and security in the maritime sector. IMO International Day of Seafaring Women is observed every year on 18 May .