The world’s tallest statue, Statue of Unity, in Gujarat, constructed by Larsen & Toubro, has entered the globally-acclaimed 2019 World Architecture News (WAN) Awards.

India was elected to the Executive Board of the first UN-Habitat Assembly at the Plenary Session of the Assembly, which began in Nairobi, Kenya on May 27, 2019.

 Indians are increasingly using their debit cards to pay merchants directly. As per data from the Reserve Bank of India, debit card swipes on Point of Sales (PoS) terminals jumped more than 27% in March 2019 compared to corresponding period last year. In contrast, ATM withdrawals grew at a slower pace of 15%.

An author from Oman, Jokha Alharthi has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for “Celestial Bodies”, the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world. Jokha Alharthi, the first Arabic-language writer to take the prize, will split the 50,000 pounds or 64,000 US dollar purse with her UK-based translator, Marilyn Booth.

The Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has launched the permanent residency system “Golden Card” for experts investors, entrepreneurs, specialized talents and researchers to be a part of the UAE’s success story.

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases.

YSR Congress Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy will be sworn in as the new chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on May 30, 2019 at Vijayawada. The YSR Congress trumped over Naidu’s TDP by winning 151 out of the total 175 seats. The TDP has been reduced to just 23 seats in these assembly elections.

India has been ranked 117th out of 181 countries in the 2019 KidsRight Index, which ranks countries on the basis of how much they are involved and equipped to improve child rights. Iceland made the top position with an overall score of 0.967, followed by Portugal, and Switzerland. The annual global index is an initiative of Kids Right Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They release annual reports every year by pooling data from UNICEF, UNDP and UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by considering individual country reports. The index consists of five categories – Right to Life, Right to Health, Right to Education, Right to Protection, and Enabling Environment for Child Rights.

Uber has partnered with Australian tourist group Tourism Queensland to offer the world’s first rideshare submarine, scUber.

 Ankur Patwardhan, a scientist from Pune, runner up in an international competition ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’ in Germany.

Khumalo is on a quest to conquer the highest peaks on each continent. Khumalo has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Aconcagua (Argentina) and Mount Elbrus (Russia).

An American politician, Nancy Pelosi has been honored with the 2019 John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. She has been recognized for her efforts to pass former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law and for helping Democrats reclaim control of the U.S. House during last year’s elections. Pelosi is serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since January 2019. First elected to Congress in 1987, she is the only woman to have served as Speaker and is the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history.

PCT Humanity, a charity run by an Indian in the UAE, has set the new Guinness Book of World Records for its hunger relief efforts during the holy month of Ramzan in Abu Dhabi. Joginder Singh Salaria, founder of Pehal charitable Trust (PCT), said the efforts were in continuation to the vegetarian iftar held daily at the premises of his company Pehal International, Dubai Industrial Park. The charity set the new Guinness World Records for “Longest Line of Hunger Relief Package” in Abu Dhabi. Besides the record, the main aim of charity is to feed people pure vegetarian food to stay healthy and fit and also save animals.

 The navies of United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia commenced their first ever combined naval drills named “Pacific Vanguard”, near the U.S. island of Guam in the Western Pacific region on May 23, 2019.

The Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR) began on May 20, 2019 at Andaman and Nicobar Command. For this purpose, Myanmar Navy Ship UMS King TabinShweHtee (773) and UMS Inlay (OPV-54) arrived at Port Blair.

Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda passed away on May 20, 2019. He was 70.  One of the best-known figures in motor racing, Lauda took the title for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977 and McLaren in 1984. He is also remembered for his remarkable recovery and return to racing after being badly burned in a crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix.

Anil Kapoor was felicitated by Council of European Chambers of Commerce in India and a European Union delegation in Mumbai. He was awarded because of his continuous support in promoting the cause of children’s rights.

Deepak Parekh is the Chairman of HDFC Ltd.