1 China launches 12 AI-satellites to create world’s first supercomputer in orbit
In May 2025, China launched the first batch of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered satellites on a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to build the world’s first supercomputer in orbit . The satellites are part of a ‘ three-body computing constellation ‘, a network designed to match and potentially surpass the capabilities of the world’s most powerful supercomputers in orbit. The batch consists of 12 satellites and all are equipped with AI-powered computing systems and high-speed laser communication links, enabling them to process data directly in space. The space supercomputer has been developed by Chinese start-up ADA Space in collaboration with Zhejiang Lab and Neijiang High-Tech Zone . Upon successful completion of the constellation in space, the system aims to achieve a total computing capacity of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS), which is equivalent to 1 quintillion operations per second . A new methane-powered rocket, Zhuque-2E Y2, developed by Beijing (China)-based Landspace Technology Corporation Limited has successfully launched 6 satellites into orbit. This is the 5th launch of the Zhuque-2 series methane-fueled rocket. These satellites were launched from a dedicated pad at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
2 Britain signs agreement to hand over sovereignty of the disputed and strategically important Chagos Islands to Mauritius
Britain has signed an agreement to hand over sovereignty of the disputed and strategically important Chagos Islands to Mauritius . The British government said that this move ensures the future of the US and UK military base important for British security. Under the agreement, Britain will pay Mauritius $ 136 million per year to lease back the base for 99 years . Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Indian Ocean archipelago, has a strategically important naval and bomber base. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that this deal is in Britain’s national interest. He said that this base operated by the US military is important for British anti-terrorism and intelligence and it is the foundation of the country’s security and domestic security. The Chagos Islands are located 9,332 kilometers south-east of Britain in the Indian Ocean. Chagos Archipelago – a group of seven islands with a population of more than four thousand, separated from Mauritius in 1965. Mauritius was a British colony at that time.
3 Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav launched ‘One Nation, One Mission’ campaign against plastic pollution
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Tuesday announced a ‘ nationwide mass movement against plastic pollution ‘. The campaign has been launched in preparation for World Environment Day . It aims to inspire citizens across the country to adopt eco-friendly alternatives. The Union Minister informed on the social media platform ‘X’ that the campaign has been named ‘ One Nation, One Mission: End Plastic Pollution ‘, which will promote public participation under ‘ Mission Life (LiFE) ‘ launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . He wrote, “Let us all move from awareness to action and end plastic pollution by adopting a sustainable lifestyle.” Earlier, on May 21 , Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the ‘ National Workshop on Aravalli Range Conservation ‘ organized in Udaipur, Rajasthan . The workshop was organized on the eve of International Biodiversity Day. The aim of the workshop was to finalize a detailed action plan for the revival of Aravalli, India’s oldest mountain range.
4 Haryana launches AI-powered Water Resources Atlas 2025 to tackle groundwater depletion
In May 2025, the Haryana Water Resources (Conservation, Regulation and Management) Authority (HWRA) launched the Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025 , an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered geospatial platform developed in collaboration with the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) based in Hisar (Haryana) . The initiative aims to monitor, manage and conserve Haryana’s rapidly depleting water reserves through real-time, layered insights .
5 “CemHack for Green Infra” hackathon launched to promote innovation in cement and construction sector
Shri Sanjeev , Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry launched the first-of-its-kind national level hackathon titled “ CemHack for Green Infra ” on 20th May 2025 at Cement and Building Materials Council (NCB), Ballabhgarh. Organised by NCB Incubation Centre (NCB-IC), the hackathon aims to provide a platform to support entrepreneurship and commercialisation of grassroots innovations in cement, construction and allied sectors . Dr Kapil Kukreja, GM & In-charge, NCB-IC shared details of the two-track competition – one for startups, professionals and individuals; the other for students and academia – which focuses on solving real-world problems in the cement sector. Participation is free. The themes of the hackathon include green cement, green processes, green concrete, carbon capture and storage, logistics and supply chain and achieving net zero targets. Cash prizes up to Rs 1 lakh and incubation or mentoring opportunities at NCB-IC are being offered.
6 India Post Payments Bank partnered with Aditya Birla Capital Limited to ease access to loan products across India
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a Government of India undertaking, and Aditya Birla Capital Limited (‘ABCL’), India’s leading diversified financial services company, have announced their strategic partnership to broaden the reach and accessibility of credit products across India . The partnership integrates Aditya Birla Capital’s diverse credit products with IPPB’s extensive network and digital infrastructure, with an aim to provide seamless credit access to IPPB customers across the country. Through this collaboration, IPPB will facilitate its existing customer base with referral service for Aditya Birla Capital’s wide range of credit solutions, including personal loans, business loans and loan against property. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been set up under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, with 100% equity owned by the Government of India. IPPB was launched on September 1, 2018 . The Bank has been established with the aim to create the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man in India.
7 Himachal Pradesh Government declared ‘Tsarap Chu CR’ as India’s largest conservation reserve
In May 2025 , the Himachal Pradesh (HP) government has formally designated the Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve (CR) located in Spiti Valley (HP) as India’s largest conservation reserve under Section 36A (1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Tsarapu is the 5th CR of HP after Shilli CR, Naina Devi CR, Darlaghat CR and Potter Hills CR . Tsarapu CR is spread over 1,585 square kilometres (sq km) and is bounded by the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh in the north, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary (HP) extending up to Malang Nala and Lungar Lungpa in the east, Kbjima Nala in the south and Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary (HP) in the west .
8 ARIES-DST signs MoU with IRDE-DRDO to promote ground-based SSA
In May 2025, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital (Uttarakhand), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to collaborate on strengthening India’s capabilities in ground-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA). The primary objective of this MoU is to leverage ARIES’ advanced observational facilities and scientific expertise in space exploration and astronomy to support IRDE in designing electro-optical surveillance systems for defence platforms . The MoU was signed by Dr Manish Kumar Naja, Director, ARIES and Dr Ajay Kumar, Director, IRDE in Dehradun.
9 India and Maldives sign 13 MoUs for projects under Indian grant assistance
In May 2025, the Government of India (GoI) has signed 13 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs ) with the Government of Maldives with a Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) 100 million grant (about Rs 55.3 crore) to enhance ferry services in the island nation, expand maritime connectivity and uplift community livelihoods. The MoUs were signed by Foreign Minister Abdullah Khaleel on behalf of the Maldivian government and G Balasubramanian, High Commissioner of India to Male, Maldives, on behalf of the Maldivian government. Mohamed Amin, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, signed on behalf of the implementing agency.
10 TCS partners with Mongolia’s Khan Bank for digital banking modernisation
In May 2025, Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) announced a strategic partnership with Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)-based Khan Bank , a leading commercial bank in Mongolia , to modernize its core digital banking platform . The collaboration will leverage TCS’ flagship TCS BaNCS (Banking and Core Systems) Global Banking Platform (GBP) to support Khan Bank’s comprehensive digital transformation by streamlining operations, boosting digital capabilities, and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven innovations.
11 IndianOil UTT and JioStar sign 3-year broadcast deal to promote table tennis in India
In May 2025, IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) , a franchise-based league organised under the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), entered into a 3-year agreement with Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based JioStar Private Limited , a leading sports broadcaster, to increase the reach and visibility of table tennis in India . Under this agreement, JioStar will serve as the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of IndianOil UTT till 2027. The collaboration aims to increase the visibility, reach and engagement of table tennis across India through live multilingual coverage on television and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. The matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 (for the opening day), Star Sports Khel and Star Sports Tamil. IndianOil UTT 2025 is being organised under the aegis of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and is promoted by Neeraj Bajaj and Vita Dani. Season 6 will see 48 top-tier players competing across eight franchises.
12 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025: 94 Indians featured; Gukesh D, Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter included
In May 2025, New Jersey, United States (USA) based Forbes , a business magazine released its 10th Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list which includes 94 honourees from India , the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Chess Grandmaster (GM) Gukesh Domraju (18) ; actress, Ananya Panday (26) and actor, Ishaan Khatter (29) . The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list celebrates the region’s 300 most promising young leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators under the age of 30. The 10 categories featured in the 2025 list are Healthcare & Science, Retail & E-Commerce; Arts (Arts & Style, Food & Drink) and Media, Marketing & Advertising. After India, Australia (32), China (30), Japan (25) and South Korea (23) made their entries. Other prominent names on the list include actress Ananya Panday, global K-pop sensation Stray Kids, actor-singer Cha Eun-woo, actress Go Min-si, Australian-Korean actress Yerin Ha, Filipino pop group BNI, Indian chess Grandmaster D Gukesh and renowned Paralympian Sheetal Devi.
13 IDBI Bank sells its entire 21.14% stake in PIPDIC to Puducherry government for Rs 18.83 crore
In May 2025, IDBI Bank Limited, a Mumbai (Maharashtra) based private sector bank in India completed the sale of its entire 21.14% stake in Puducherry Industrial Promotion Development and Investment Corporation Limited (PIPDIC) to the Government of Puducherry for Rs 18.83 crore , a strategic move in its ongoing portfolio rationalization plan. IDBI Bank sold 8,54,000 equity shares of face value Rs 100 each in PIPDIC, representing its entire 21.14% equity stake. The buyer, the Government of Puducherry, already held a 78.86% stake, thus becoming the sole owner of PIPDIC following this acquisition. The transaction was completed on 13 May 2025, transferring full ownership of PIPDIC to the Government of Puducherry, which previously held a 78.86% stake.
14 Shooter Kanak won gold medal in ISSF Junior World Cup
Shooter Kanak has won the ISSF Junior World Cup gold . This is India’s first gold in this competition. In Sool, Germany , Kanak won gold in the final of the women’s 10 meter air pistol event . She achieved this feat by defeating two-time Olympian and current European champion Anna Dulce of Moldova. Chen Yen-Ching of Chinese Taipei won the bronze medal. Another Indian shooter Prachi finished fifth. In the 50 meter rifle prone event of the competition, Adrian Karmakar has already won silver .
15 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025 title
In May 2025, Red Bull ‘s Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 (F1) Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (GP) 2025 held at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy . This was his second consecutive win of the F1 2025 season after winning the Japanese GP title in April 2025 and his fourth consecutive win at Imola and the 59th win of his F1 career. With this win, the Red Bull team has also completed its 400th F1 race.