Reflections on the World Communication Awards

by Marc Anné, Chair of Judges at the World Communication AwardsLast Tuesday evening, all the shortlisted nominees as well as the Judges enjoyed the 26th anniversary of the World Communication Awards (WCA). This year, the Oscar grade gala event took place in The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London.On behalf of the Judging Panel, I hereby congratulate all the winners and finalists of this year, as well as a big thank you to all the WCA award entrants for their participation and involvement. The quality and level of this year’s submissions was once again superb. The Judges praised the DNA of the WCA, namely the diversity and quality of the entries and highlighted the integrity and impartiality of our judging process.We are also pleased to see an increasing presence of various African, Latin America and USA players in the WCA.This year, we broke records with 219 entries across 23 award categories, showcasing incredible innovation and excellence.You can find the full list of Award winners here.On behalf of the 100+ WCA Judges, I want to warmly thank all the award entrants for their participation...

Read More........ → January 03, 2025

Sharapova, Bryan brothers elected to Tennis Hall of Fame

NEW YORK - Former world number one Maria Sharapova and the US doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan were announced as 2025 inductees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, is among only 10 women to have achieved a career singles Grand Slam. She was atop the world rankings five times in a WTA career that spanned from 2001-2020.The Bryan brothers teamed to win 16 major doubles titles and became the ATP's most successful duo, with a record 438 weeks atop the ATP doubles rankings.Induction ceremonies will be conducted at the Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on August 21-23 -- just ahead of the start of next year's US Open.Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 and 2014."In retirement, you very seldomly get to reflect on your past, because you move on so quickly with life's responsibilities," Sharapova said."This is an incredible recognition. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful to the Hall of Fame and grateful to the voters."Hall of Fame members, historians, journalists...

Read More........ → November 27, 2024

Ravichandran Ashwin becomes No.1 ranked Test bowler replacing Anderson

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday jumped to the top of the latest ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings, replacing England pacer James Anderson. Ashwin gained two places after taking six wickets in India's emphatic victory over Australia in the second Test in New Delhi. Anderson dropped to second place after England's stunning loss to New Zealand in the Wellington Test. The 36-year-old Ashwin first claimed the top honour among Test bowlers in 2015, and has returned to the top spot on several occasions since then. Ashwin bagged big wickets in India's win in Dehli, removing Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the same over of the first innings before returning to pick up Alex Carey for a duck. The off-spinner was at it again in the second innings, picking up three of the top five while his spin-bowling accomplice Ravindra Jadeja rattled through the rest of the Australia batters from the other end. Ashwin has an opportunity to extend his latest stay in the No.1 spot in India's remaining two Tests on home soil in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Ashwin is the third...

Read More........ → March 07, 2023

Lionel Messi, Alexia Putellas voted best players at FIFA awards again

FEB 28, 2023 NEW DELHI: World Cup winner Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbapp again, this time to take FIFA's best men's player award on Monday. The best women's player was Spain's Alexia Putellas for a second straight year. After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbapp 's France last year in Qatar, Messi won the best player vote against Mbapp and Karim Benzema to secure the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years. The three players made the final shortlist in voting by a global panel of national team captains and coaches, selected journalists in each of FIFA's 211 member countries, plus fans online. The 35-year-old Messi also beat Mbapp who was seeking his first best player award from FIFA to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup's best player. Putellas won her award from Alex Morgan of the United States and Beth Mead, who led England to the European Championship title in 2022. Barcelona playmaker Putellas made the top three again despite being injured days before the Euro and missing the tournament. Mead was the joint top scorer at the...

Read More........ → February 28, 2023

Indian expat in UAE bags Guinness World Record with 8.2 sq mt giant pop-up greeting card

JAN 02, 2021 DUBAI: An Indian expatriate in the UAE has entered the Guinness World Records for the 19th time, after he unveiled a 8.2 square metre giant pop-up greeting card, commemorating the 15th Accession Day of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, according to a media report on Saturday. Ramkumar Sarangapani, a Dubai resident, now holds the most number of world records by an individual in the UAE and India, the Gulf News reported. Sarangapani''s pop up greetings card is 100 times larger than the regular pop-up cards. Inside, it has a collage of Sheikh Mohammed''s paintings created by Dubai-based artist Akbar Saheb, the newspaper said. While the pop-up card dedicated to Sheikh Mohammed has a closed surface area of 8.20 square metres, the previous record, which was set in Hong Kong, was of 6.729 square metres. Sarangapani''s card has dimensions of 4 metres in length and 2.05 metres in width. The card''s outer cover is the winning bid of Expo 2020, the daily reported. Speaking to Gulf News, Sarangapani...

Read More........ → January 03, 2021

Ronaldo named best player of 21st century at Globe Soccer Awards

Cristiano Ronaldo was handed over the best footballer of the 21st century award at the Globe Soccer Awards on Sunday night; Photo: CollectedCristiano Ronaldo has been named the best footballer of the 21st century at the Globe Soccer Awards. Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Ronaldinho were in contention to win the award.The Portuguese star was handed the award for the best footballer of the 21st century from 2001 to 2020 in a glittering ceremony in Dubai on Sunday night.Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, has won five UEFA Champions League titles between 2001 to 2020. He also won the Euro and UEFA Nations League for Portugal and won three English Premier League titles for Manchester United. Besides, he won two La Liga titles for Real Madrid and won two Italian Serie A titles for Juventus. He also scored the highest 134 goals in the history of the UEFA Champions League and won Ballon d’Or five times. With all these, Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected as the best footballer of the 21st century.The Footballer of the Year has been selected at the Globe Soccer Awards since 2011. Ronaldo won the award...

Read More........ → December 29, 2020

Trump awards America's highest military decoration to Modi

US President Donald Trump has presented America's highest military decoration, The Legion of Merit, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his personal leadership that "accelerated India's emergence as a global power" and "elevated the strategic partnership between the US and India".Official sources said, The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, bestowed on Prime Minister Modi on behalf of the President, is a rarely-awarded, prestigious decoration that can only be bestowed by Trump, typically to heads of state or heads of government of other countries.India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, accepted the award on behalf of the Prime Minister from the US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien at the White House.The citation with the award states: "For exceptionally meritorious service as the Prime Minister of the Republic of India from May 2014 to August 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's steadfast leadership and vision have accelerated India's emergence as a global power and elevated the strategic partnership between the US and India to address global challenges. Prime...

Read More........ → December 22, 2020

ICC ODI ranking: Kohli and Rohit occupy top two spots, Bumrah third in bowlers' list

DEC 10, 2020 DUBAI: India skipper Virat Kohli cemented his place at the top of the ICC ODI rankings after scoring two half-centuries in the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma sits at the second spot despite missing the recent ODIs against Australia. In the ranking for bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah sits on the third spot. Players from India and Australia have made significant gains in the latest rankings issued on Thursday. During the first ODI of India's tour of Australia in Sydney, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya missed out on becoming the third batsman to score a century in the match following the likes of Australia captain Aaron Finch and batsman Steven Smith. Playing his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup, Pandya struck 90 in the first game and 92 not out in the third to make his first appearance in the top-50 for batsmen by occupying the 49th place with a career-best 553 points. From the Australian camp, captain Finch's innings of 114 in the first ODI, followed by 60 and 75 helped him up to a career-best tally of 791 points and...

Read More........ → December 20, 2020

Biden-Kamala named Time’s Person of the Year

Newly elected United States President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have been named 2020’s Person of the Year in the influential US magazine Time.According to the US media CNN, Time magazine jointly announced the names of the two as the best personalities of 2020 on Thursday evening local time.Front fighters in the Covid-19 fight include doctors, nurses, delivery boys, store workers, emergency services personnel and others who have worked at risk during the epidemic, as well as immunologist Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, were in the possible discussion for the recognition of the Time magazine this year.The Anti-Apartheid Movement across the United States and President Donald Trump were also shortlisted. Biden and Kamala were also on the list. However, Biden was elected the Person of the Year after defeating incumbent President Donald Trump in the US election. Kamala has also been given this honor along with him. She is the first woman in US history and the first vice president of African descent.The COVID Fighters was ahead as...

Read More........ → December 12, 2020

WFP wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize to the World Food Programme (WFP) for helping the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger.“WFP has awarded the Peace Prize its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, after revealing the names of Nobel Peace Prize on Friday around 3:00 pm at the Nobel Institute in Oslo.According to the statement of The Nobel Prize, World Food Programme contributes daily to advancing the fraternity of nations referred to in Alfred Nobel’s will. As the UN’s largest specialized agency, WFP is a modern version of the peace congresses that intended to promote the Nobel Peace Prize.WFP plays a key role in multilateral cooperation on making food security an instrument of peace and has made a strong contribution towards mobilizing the UN Member States to combat the...

Read More........ → October 11, 2020

AMU students win NASA Space App Challenge award

An unintended but welcome consequence of the lockdown to contain the coronavirus has been improved air quality, according to a presentation of ALTAIR, a team of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students led by first-year MBBS student Ayesha Samdani, which won the the Judges Choice Award in the International NASA Space App Challenge-2020 for presenting a solution in response to NASA's challenge, 'One Health Approach'.Ayesha and her team members, Mohd Zakir Husain (MBBS), Aman Ahmad Khan (MBBS), Faisal Jamil (BTech) and Abdullah Samdani (BA LLB) gave an analysis on air quality of the pre and post lockdown periods in the Indo Gangetic region of northern India. Their study gave details about how an improvement in the air quality benefited the health of the people.For the presentation, the ALTAIR members also coded an Air Quality Index (AQI) calculator to measure AQI of a certain region, which is helpful in giving health and cautionary statements and providing guidance to common people on pollution-related health issues.Congratulating the students on the achievement, Shahid Ali Siddiqui,...

Read More........ → October 06, 2020

Nobel prize cash increased

The prestigious Nobel prizes money will be increased this year from nine to 10 million kronor ($1.1 million), the head of the Nobel Foundation said Thursday. “The decision has been made due to the fact that our costs and capital are in a stable relation in a completely different way than previously,” head of the Nobel Foundation Lars Heikensten told the daily Dagens Industri. This year’s prizes in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be announced during the week of October 5.The prize sum was reduced from 10 to eight million Swedish kronor in 2011, when the foundation launched a programme to improve its finances.Since the beginning of 2012, its investment capital has risen from just under three billion kronor to 4.6 billion, while the return has been close to nine percent per year thanks to a generally good market performance and good results from the foundation’s own asset management, it said.Prize creator Alfred Nobel, an inventor and scholar who made a vast fortune from his invention of dynamite in 1866, decreed in his 1895 will...

Read More........ → October 04, 2020

Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

After US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the Russian state news agency TASS reported Thursday.According to TASS, a group of Russian public figures led by writer Sergey Komkov submitted the nomination, which was sent to Oslo on September 10. It is thought that Kremlin is behind on Putin's nomination. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin’s administration was not behind the nomination.In a statement, he claimed that the Russian administration had nothing to do with the people who nominated President Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize, including Sergey Komkov.Putin has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at a time when he is blamed for the assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny, the country's opposition leader.Putin is being criticized in various countries around the world, including Europe, over the incident. However, the Kremlin has categorically denied poisoning Navalny Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.c...

Read More........ → September 30, 2020

Qatar Rails Doha Metro project wins the CIHT International Award 2020

QNA/Doha: Qatar Rail was recognized internationally on Saturday after the Doha Metro received the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) International Award 2020, which recognises outstanding examples of highways and transportation infrastructure or services from outside the UK and Ireland. The company said the project won after being shortlisted alongside mega projects in USA, Africa, Asia, the Balkans. The established and long running CIHT awards opened their doors to international projects for the first time last year making Qatar Rails Doha Metro the first project in the region to win this prestigious award. A panel of impartial expert judges with a diversity of experience and opinion recognised Doha Metros outstanding achievement by looking for excellence from the start of the project through to implementation and execution. In particular judged valued the State of Qatar clearly articulated vision for an integrated transport network and Qatar Rails well thought out planning and design, effective engagement and communication with stakeholders and successful...

Read More........ → July 18, 2020

Madhya Pradesh: 15-Yr-Old Girl Who Cycles 24 Km Every Day To School, Gets 98.5 Percent In Tenth Board

A 15-year-old girl from a village in Madhya Pradesh secured the eighth position by scoring 98.75 percent in class 10th board examinations. Roshni Bhadauria surmounted all odds to achieve this rare feat. Her willpower and determination towards her studies made her cycle 24 kilometres every day to school. She lives in Ajnol village of Bhind district and encouraged by her marks, and now wants to pursue a career in civil services. "I was given a bicycle by the government which I used well, I used to study around four and a half hours every day. I want to prepare for IAS in the future," One India quoted Roshni. Roshni's father, Purushottam Bhadouriya, is a farmer by occupation who has two sons and was proud of his daughter's achievements. Reportedly, he said that he would now arrange for a vehicle for his daughter to go to school. "Till the 8th, her daughter was in another school where there was a bus facility but after that Roshni was admitted to a government school in Mehgaon, which is 12 km from Ajnol. Due to lack of vehicle facilities, Roshni had to go by bicycle to reach the school,"...

Read More........ → July 07, 2020

Samsung Electronics Awarded 'Community Care Company of the Year' at 2016 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability

Students learning essential skills required in the digital age at one of the Smart Learning Centres in Thailand (Source:PENDING) BY DANIEL YOO (INFO@KOREAITTIMES.COM): SINGAPORE, Nov. 18, 2016 -- Samsung Electronics has been named "Community Care Company of the Year" at the 2016 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards. Samsung has clinched the highest accolade in this award category, in recognition of its excellence in community outreach and sustainability efforts -- a testament to Samsung's continued commitment as a global citizen to inspire and create a positive difference around the world. Students learning essential skills required in the digital age at one of the Smart Learning Centres in Thailand "Samsung is honoured to be recognised for our community care efforts once again and it gives us tremendous pride to be awarded the highest accolade for this category this year. We strongly believe that success goes beyond tangible business achievements, and giving back to the communities that we operate in has always been an integral part of our brand...

Read More........ → December 31, 2016

Indian Express Editor Stuns PM Modi

At the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards held on 2nd of November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored 37 journalists across the country. The announcement of the PM giving away the awards this year did not please two journalists. Senior journalist from TOI Akshaya Mukul won the award for his non-fiction books ‘Gita Press and the making of Hindu India’. He said, “I cannot live with idea of Modi and me in the same frame.” to The Caravan. He was against the power of the government over Freedom of Speech. The second journalist to boycott the event was Anna MM Vetticad. She was awarded in the Commentary and Interpretative Writing category for her report on the stereotypical portrayal of women in TV and films. She has criticized Modi and his government over the times, hence, no surprise there. Apart from this, what caught the audience’s attention was Indian Express’ Editor Raj Kamal Jha’s speech. He, very conveniently said what is wrong in today’s journalism. He said that Ramnath Goenka once had ‘sacked’ a journalist  when he received appreciation from a Chief Minister....

Read More........ → November 07, 2016

Merkel named Time’s Person of the Year

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Time magazine today named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its "Person of the Year 2015", saying her deft leadership has helped preserve and promote an open, borderless Europe in the face of economic turmoil, ongoing refugee and the Ukraine crises. She beat some of the world's best-known politicians and leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump for the annual honour. "At a moment when much of the world is once more engaged in a furious debate about the balance between safety and freedom, the Chancellor is asking a great deal of the German people, and by their example, the rest of us as well. To be welcoming. To be unafraid. To believe that great civilizations build bridges, not walls, and that wars are won both on and off the battlefield," Time said. Time said Merkel was chosen as the person of the year because she is the "de facto leader" of a continent. — PTI. Source: Article...

Read More........ → December 10, 2015

South Korean Science Minister Receives Startup Nations Award for National Policy Leadership Award

Economy, Innovation Centers fueled economic, entrepreneurial growth in South Korea By Chun Go-Eun (info@koreatimes.com), Washington, D.C. – The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), an organization of programs and initiatives that promote entrepreneurial growth, honored Minister. Choi Yanghee, Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning in South Korea, with the 2015 Startup Nations Award for National Policy Leadership. Minister choi was recognized for his national public sector leadership in championing new policies or programs that advance new and young firm formation. He is the driving force behind Creative Economy Initiative, one of Korea’s biggest administrative goals.b“It is the bold, encompassing strategies and initiatives of Minister choi, from which entrepreneurial ecosystems world-wide can learn,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “It is innovative policy ideas and initiatives that strengthen economies and encourage development.” Minister choi supervised the establishment of 17 Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation across...

Read More........ → December 02, 2015

LG Becomes First Asian Company to Receive “Red Dot: Brand of the Year” Title

By: jung yeong-jin (info@koreatimes.com): South Korean tech giant LG Electronics said on November 3 that it has become the first Asian company to be honored with the “Red Dot: Brand of the Year” title. The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most coveted accolades in the design world. As a matter of fact, LG took home the “Red Dot: Design Team of the Year” title in 2006. Having both the “Design Team of the Year” and “Brand of the Year” titles under its belt, LG has reaffirmed its position as the Asian leader in innovative design. Globally, LG became the third company to win both “Brand of the Year” and “Design Team of the Year” titles after Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The Red Dot Design Award -- one of the three most important design awards in the industry along with the iF Design Award and IDEA (International Design Excellence Award) -- annually honors the best of the best designs in three categories: product design, communication design and design concept. Since 2010 the honorary title “Red Dot: Brand of the Year” has been bestowed upon design-innovators in the category of the Red Dot...

Read More........ → November 03, 2015