26/01/2004

Queen dubs Microsoft founder 'Sir Bill'

The US billionaire Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation, has been awarded an honorary Knighthood today.

According to the citation, Mr Gates' honorary KBE has been awarded in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to enterprise, employment, education and the voluntary sector in the United Kingdom".

He has also made significant contributions to poverty reduction in parts of the Commonwealth and elsewhere in the developing world, it added. The award will be presented to Mr Gates at a later date.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "I am delighted that Bill Gates has been awarded this honour; he is one of the most important global business leaders of this age. Microsoft technology has transformed business practices and his company has had a profound impact on the British economy, employing 2,000 people and contributing to the development of the IT sector."

In 2000, the Gates Foundation announced the single biggest international educational scholarship programme ever established in the United Kingdom. With an estimated worth of US$210 million, it allows 230 students to study at Cambridge University.

Also, The Gates Foundation, established in the name of Mr Gates and his wife Melinda, has spent nearly US$7 billion since its inception in 1994, around half of which has been spent on global health issues.

The honour KBE is that of a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Honorary awards are conferred by the Queen, on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, on those foreign nationals who have made an "important contribution to British interests".

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

13 June 2011
World's Poorest Children To Be Immunised By 2015
Major public and private donors achieved a milestone in global health today by committing funding to immunise more than 250 million of the world’s poorest children against life-threatening diseases by 2015 and prevent more than four million premature deaths. At the summit in London, countries are being asked to give an extra £2.3bn ($3.
09 September 2005
Millions of children to benefit from vaccination
Millions of children around the world are set to benefit from a plan to provide funding for vaccination programmes in developing countries. The funding initiative will provide an initial £2 billion over a ten-year period to fund health programmes to cut deaths from many common childhood illnesses such as polio, measles, and diphtheria.
18 November 2003
Gates donates US$10m to fight 'needless' tetanus deaths
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received a US$10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fight maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), which kills an estimated 230,000 mothers and babies annually in the poorest and most remote areas of the world.
07 May 2010
Pushchair Firm Pays-Out Over Injuries
Pushchair manufactuer, Maclaren, has agreed to compensate 40 UK children who have seriously injured their fingers in the hinges of their prams. The children were aged between one and eight when they were hurt, with some cases dating back to 2003.
01 July 2005
Five injured and one killed in crash at level crossing
The driver of a car was killed when a train hit a car at a level crossing near the village of Rawcliffe Bridge near Goole in Yorkshire. Five train passengers were also injured. The accident occured at an unmanned level crossing just before 6.30pm on Thursday.