Gautam Adani becomes world’s 2nd-richest person all of a sudden

News Network
September 16, 2022

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Mumbai, Sept 16: Indian industrialist Gautam Adani briefly became the world's second-richest person on the Forbes real-time billionaire tracker on Friday, weeks after becoming the first Asian to break into the top three.

The self-made billionaire's net worth surged $4 billion overnight to $154 billion, according to Forbes, ranking him ahead of LVMH's Bernard Arnault and Amazon's Jeff Bezos.

Tesla founder Elon Musk remained well out in front with a fortune of more than $270 billion.

Arnault -- who at times held the top spot in May 2021 -- and Adani traded the number two position during the day as the share prices of their companies fluctuated.

Adani, 60, made his fortune in ports and commodities trading and now operates India's second-largest conglomerate with interests ranging from coal mining and edible oils to airports and news media.

His ballooning net worth reflects a stratospheric rise in the market capitalisation of his publicly listed companies, as investors back the Adani Group's aggressive expansion of old and new businesses.

Shares in the flagship Adani Enterprises -- of which the billionaire owns 75 per cent -- have soared more than 2,700 per cent since March 2020, and doubled in value in the past six months.

Stock price surges in other group companies including Adani Transmission, Adani Power, Adani Ports and Adani Green Energy catapulted Adani past fellow Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani this year.

Analyst estimates indicated the market capitalisation of Adani's seven listed companies also briefly overtook those of the Tata group on Friday morning, making the Adani Group India's largest conglomerate.

Born in the city of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat to a middle-class family, Adani dropped out of college to work in the diamond industry before starting his export business in 1988.

In 1995, he won a contract to build and operate a commercial shipping port at Mundra in Gujarat, which has since grown to become India's largest port.

At the same time, Adani expanded into thermal power generation and coal mining in India and overseas.

In recent years, the conglomerate has forayed into petrochemicals, cement, data centres and copper refining, in addition to establishing a renewable energy business with ambitious targets.

Recent investments in Indian news media and a bid for 5G airwaves this year have raised speculation that the billionaire's empire could soon impinge on sectors dominated by Ambani's Reliance Industries.

But Adani's rapid expansion into capital-intensive businesses has also raised financial alarms, with Fitch Group's CreditSights last week reiterating that they "remain concerned over the Adani Group's leverage".

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News Network
February 3,2026

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Kasaragod: An 18-year-old girl was stabbed to death at Thuminad in Manjeshwar panchayat on Monday, allegedly by her father following a domestic dispute. 

The victim has been identified as K U Mariyamath Jumaila. Her father, Umar Farooq, has been taken into police custody, Manjeshwar Station House Officer Inspector Ajith Kumar P said.

According to the police, Umar Farooq had been working in a West Asian country and returned home about three months ago. 

Family tensions reportedly escalated after his wife, Thahira (41), decided to seek a divorce and asked him to leave her life. Kasaragod district panchayat member Harshad Vorkady alleged that Umer was addicted to marijuana and frequently caused disturbances at home.

On Monday, Thahira asked Umar to come to her sister’s house in Thuminad to discuss the dispute. Jumaila accompanied her mother. 

Manjeshwar panchayat member Illiyas Thuminad said Umar arrived along with his brother, following which Thahira handed over gold ornaments and property documents to him and asked him to sever ties with her.

However, the police said a property dispute had been ongoing between Umar Farooq and his sister-in-law’s husband. During a heated argument, Umar allegedly attempted to attack the man with a sharp weapon. When Jumaila intervened to stop the assault, she was stabbed in the neck.

The teenager collapsed after bleeding profusely and was rushed to a private hospital in Mangaluru, where doctors declared her dead. Her body was later shifted to Mangalpady Taluk Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Jumaila was a former student of Sirajul Huda English Medium Higher Secondary School, Manjeshwar. 

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News Network
February 4,2026

Mangaluru: Urban local bodies and gram panchayats should make the use of Kannada on signboards mandatory while issuing trade licences to commercial establishments, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Darshan HV said. He also called for regular inspections to ensure compliance.

Presiding over the District Kannada Awareness Committee meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office, Darshan said the city corporation would be directed to ensure that shops operating in malls prominently display their names in Kannada. “All commercial establishments, including shops, companies, offices and hotels, must mandatorily display their names in Kannada on signboards,” he said.

The deputy commissioner added that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would be instructed to include Kannada on signboards along national highways. Banks, he said, would be directed through committee meetings to provide application forms in Kannada.

“Even if English-medium schools and colleges impart education in English, their signboards must display the institution’s name in Kannada. Steps will also be taken to ensure that private buses display place names in Kannada,” Darshan said.

During the meeting, committee members raised concerns over the closure of Kannada-medium schools in rural areas due to a shortage of teachers and stressed the need for immediate corrective measures. They also pointed out that several industries employ workers from other states while overlooking local candidates.

Members further demanded that nationalised banks provide deposit and withdrawal slips in Kannada. It was brought to the deputy commissioner’s notice that the presence of staff without knowledge of Kannada in rural branches of nationalised banks is causing hardship to local customers.

Meanwhile, MP Srinath, president of the District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, urged the district administration to allot land for the construction of a district Kannada Bhavana in Mangaluru.

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News Network
February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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