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)
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)
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Millions of children to benefit from vaccination
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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.
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Gates donates US$10m to fight 'needless' tetanus deaths
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Gates donates US$10m to fight 'needless' tetanus deaths
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07 May 2010
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