London: In a glittering ceremony held at the prestigious House of Lords, British Parliament, the Institute of Directors (IOD) bestowed the esteemed Distinguished Fellowship 2023 Award upon Dr. Ronald Colaco, an eminent NRI celebrated worldwide for his outstanding philanthropic endeavors. The event, part of IOD's Global Convention, was graced by a distinguished gathering of corporate luminaries and dignitaries from across the globe.
The ceremony was attended by notable personalities, including The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of the City of London, UK, Hon. Paul Scully MP, Minister of London and Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Minister of Tech and Digital Economy), Govt. Of UK, Lt. Gen. Surinder Nath, PVSM, AVSM (Retd.), President IOD, India. Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL, VP of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), UK, The Rt. Hon. Lord Swraj Paul of Marylebone, PC, Sadguru Sri Madusudhan Sai, Spiritual & Social Leader, India, Gopichand P Hinduja, Chairman, The Hinduja Group, UK, Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera, PC, Chair of Nomination and Governance Committee, UK, Mohit Ralhan, Global CEO & Managing Partner of TIW Capital, Singapore, Dr. Tayer Kamali, UAE Chairman of Board of Trustees, Abu Dhabi School of Management, and UAE Chairman of IOD, India, Navin B Chawla IAS, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Ashok Kapur, IAS (Rtd.), Director General of Institute of Directors, India, Srinivasan Sathyamoorthy, Former Auditor General of India and Advisor, TIW Capital, India, Desh Deepak Verma, IAS, Former Secretary General, Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India.
This grand occasion was attended by hundreds of eminent personalities, directors, and CEOs from over 20 countries. Dr. Colaco, previously honored by the World Book of Records, London, during the Indo-UK Summit in 2022, received the Certificate of Excellence for his exceptional contributions to Karnataka’s societal upliftment. His pioneering services, spanning over three decades, were recognized in more than 25 fields, leading to this remarkable achievement.
The Distinguished Fellowship 2023 Award was conferred upon Dr. Colaco by The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Hon. Paul Scully MP, and Lt. Gen. Surinder Nath, PVSM, AVSM (Retd.), President IOD, India, on behalf of the Institute of Directors, India. The certificate was signed by Justice M N Venkatachaliah, the Former Chief Justice of India and Chairman of Institute of Directors.
In addition to this prestigious honor, Dr. Colaco was recently recognized as the “ASIAONE Global Indian of the Year 2022,” joining the ranks of luminaries such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, and Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani. Times Now media, in collaboration with ICICI Bank, also bestowed upon him the “Global NRI of the Year 2017 award in Philanthropy,” a testament to his unwavering commitment to social welfare.
Dr. Colaco's accolades, spanning countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, London, Europe, and several Middle Eastern nations, have earned him more than 44 prestigious awards, solidifying his status as a global beacon of philanthropy and social change..jpeg)
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Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
