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Business Standard
13 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Global Child Prodigy Awards 2025 Makes History at British Parliament --Top 100 Child Prodigies Honoured at the House of Commons
VMPL London [UK], June 27: For the first time in history, the House of Commons, British Parliament, became the venue for an unprecedented celebration of youthful excellence: the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2025. The event marked a historic milestone as 100 of the world's most remarkable children -- all under the age of 15 -- were honoured for their exceptional achievements across a wide spectrum of disciplines, from science and innovation to arts, music, sports, entrepreneurship, literature, and social impact. These prodigies, selected from thousands of nominations spanning over 130 countries, represent a new generation of changemakers whose work is already shaping a better world. The evening's ceremony brought together leaders, educators, innovators, and philanthropists in a powerful tribute to the brilliance, determination, and vision of these young talents. Speaking at the prestigious Global Child Prodigy Awards held at the British Parliament, Mr. Gareth Bacon, Member of Parliament for Orpington and Chief Guest for the evening, expressed his admiration for the young honourees: "It is a moment of immense pride to welcome these extraordinary children to the heart of British democracy. Their achievements are a powerful reflection of what is possible when young talent is recognised and nurtured. They inspire hope for the future and challenge us all to strive for better." Presented by Charles Group and powered by the Hindustan Group of Institutions, the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2025 underscored the importance of providing platforms for young people to thrive, collaborate, and lead. Both presenting organisations have been instrumental in supporting youth-led innovation, inclusive education, and social responsibility. Mr. Jose Charles Martin, Chairman & MD of Charles Group, shared: "These prodigies inspire us all. It is incredible to witness the creativity, compassion, and innovation of these young minds. Supporting this platform is both a privilege and a responsibility -- because when we invest in children, we invest in humanity's brightest future." The Global Child Prodigy Awards 2025 was supported by Charles Group as Title Sponsor, Hindustan Group of Institutions as Powered by Sponsor, Supertal as Gold Sponsor, and Pasham Photography as Photography Partner. These organisations, along with other valued partners, have been instrumental in enabling this global celebration of young talent. Their ongoing commitment to youth empowerment, innovation, education, and inclusive growth reflects their belief in creating a better future by supporting today's changemakers. A key highlight of the evening was the official launch of the Global Child Prodigy Book 2025, an inspiring publication that documents the journeys, achievements, and dreams of the 100 honourees. This book will be distributed to educational institutions, libraries, and influential networks around the world, designed to ignite the ambitions of countless young readers. Dr. Anand Jacob Verghese, Chairman of Hindustan Group of Institutions, added: "Wishing all the child prodigies all success and GCPA for recognising and organising a wonderful event with very eminent personalities like nobel laureate Prof. George F. Smoot and honorable Member of parliament Gareth Bacon (House of commons) Hindustan Group of Institutions with six decades of legacy, have been at the forefront of education, creating an ecosystem that accelerates global opportunities. We are happy to be part of the GCP awards, recognising the leaders of tomorrow." These prodigies, selected from thousands of nominations spanning over 130 countries, represent a new generation of changemakers whose work is already shaping a better world. Among them were: * Ravi Adelekan (UK) -- a musical changemaker inspiring hope through music and advocacy, Pride of Britain's Child of Courage, and founder of Ravi's Dream for brain tumour awareness. * Zayn Ali Salman (UAE) -- a football prodigy known for elite-level skill and vision from an early age. * Orion Monaco Jean (US) -- a service prodigy inspiring a movement through kindness and compassion, TIME Kid of the Year and founder of Race to Kindness, mobilizing millions globally. * John Christian Caldeira Weibull (Spain)-- an art prodigy and Guinness World Record holder as the youngest artist in the world, painting since five months old. And there were many more remarkable young talents celebrated -- each with an inspiring story of passion, perseverance, and positive impact. The event also featured the launch of The Water Project, an environmental initiative by Miss Threlakshaa, aimed at raising global awareness about water conservation, inspired by her personal connection to nature. This initiative highlighted the sense of responsibility and care these prodigies feel for the planet and future generations. Professor George Smoot, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2006) and Chief Guest of the evening, remarked: "It is truly amazing to see such young minds achieving so much at such an early age. Their curiosity, brilliance, and drive give us all hope for a better, more enlightened future. Tonight, we have seen the future of science, the arts, and society -- and it is in very good hands." The Global Child Prodigy Awards, founded in 2020 by Mr. Prashant Pandey, remain the world's only platform dedicated exclusively to identifying and celebrating extraordinary talent among children under 15. Previous editions of the awards, held in New Delhi and Dubai, attracted Nobel Laureates, changemakers, and global dignitaries, helping to build a worldwide movement that celebrates and supports the next generation of innovators and leaders. Mr. Prashant Pandey, Founder & CEO of the Global Child Prodigy Awards, reflected: "It is simply extraordinary to see this global community of young talents come together in a spirit of unity, excellence, and hope. Every child honoured tonight has shown that age is no barrier to greatness. Our mission is to give these prodigies the support, visibility, and opportunities they deserve, so they can continue to change the world." The awards ceremony concluded with a powerful call to action -- to continue nurturing young talent and creating opportunities for children everywhere to achieve their full potential. As the 100 prodigies gathered for an official group photograph, their collective energy symbolised a future filled with promise and possibility. About Global Child Prodigy Awards Launched in 2020, the Global Child Prodigy Awards (GCPA) is the world's first and only platform dedicated to recognising and honouring extraordinary talents under the age of 15. Each year, 100 prodigies are selected across a range of disciplines and from every corner of the world. The GCPA provides these young changemakers with global visibility, mentorship, and opportunities to connect with leaders, organisations, and institutions that can help them amplify their impact. Past editions have been held in New Delhi and Dubai, with participation from Nobel Laureates, heads of state, and prominent changemakers. For media inquiries: Website: (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
A political blame game over HS2 failures – but who is right?
Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, was determined to blame the Conservatives when she announced that what is left of the High Speed Two rail project will be delayed again. 'I have to be honest,' she told the Commons on Wednesday, 'this is an appalling mess.' She demanded that Gareth Bacon, her mild-mannered Conservative shadow, apologise, saying that his party had promised people 'the Moon on a stick' but had left a 'shambles' for Labour to sort out. She said: 'Years of mismanagement and neglect have turned HS2 into a shadow of that vision put forward 15 years ago, but this government were elected on a mandate to restore trust to our politics, and that is why we will not shirk away from this challenge and why today we turn the page on infrastructure failures.' Was this foreseeable from the start? I remember being in Andrew Adonis 's office when he was secretary of state for transport in 2009. He was his usual hyper-enthusiastic self as he showed me a map on the wall of his plan for a second high-speed railway in Britain. He was so excited about it, and only briefly crestfallen when I said that I thought it was a bad idea. I asked why it would not simply increase the gravitational pull of London, and add to economic bias to the South East. He brushed aside such concerns, declaring that, on the contrary, HS2 would push economic development outwards from the capital and spread the benefits to the whole country – a full decade before Boris Johnson popularised the term 'levelling up'. What I should have said, I now realise, is that it was bound to cost much more than he expected, because he would be trying to put the first new rail route through England since the population had achieved modern levels of density and modern levels of litigiousness. But did it have to be mismanaged so badly? It could have been managed better. If only Adonis had remained in charge of it, I think it would have been managed better, despite being, in my view, fundamentally misconceived. I am in awe of Adonis's achievement. He was transport secretary for just 23 months at the end of a dying government, yet he managed to launch HS2 in that time with such momentum that the coalition government carried on with it. But it never had a messianic delivery leader after the change of government, so it trundled along like a late-running stopper under the default structures of the British constitution. There were seven transport secretaries in the 14 years of Conservative-led government, while the civil service contracted out the management to HS2 Ltd, which was responsible for cost overruns, delays and even fraud. Does anyone emerge with credit? It could be argued that Rishi Sunak did the right thing, rather late in the day, to try to curtail the excess and waste. He looked at the plans in some detail, concluded that the case for the line didn't add up, and took the difficult decision to cut losses and cancel the northern leg. According to the House of Commons Library, the costs for the first phase, from London to Birmingham, had already risen from an estimate in 2012 of £20.5bn (in 2019 prices) to an estimate at the beginning of last year of £56bn (still in 2019 prices). The library commented drily: 'Cost increases have been driven by high inflation, as well as scope changes, worse ground conditions than expected, and optimism bias.' It didn't even mention bat tunnels. Is the project under control now? Of course not, although if the delay to completion of Phase 1 is only from 2033 to 2035 that would not be too bad – 2033 was the target completion date when Adonis launched the project in 2010. But the final part of the route in London, to Euston station, which is important to the success of the line, has not been decided yet, and will depend on private-sector investment in the property above and around the route. One of the possible hopeful signs, however, is that Alexander has relevant experience as deputy mayor of London responsible for transport. She has worked with Mark Wild and Mike Brown, the new chief executive and chair of HS2. 'Mark and Mike were part of the team, with me, that turned Crossrail into the Elizabeth line; we have done it before and we will do it again,' she told MPs.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Tories won't re-privatise railways, leaked audio reveals
The Conservatives will 'probably not' re-privatise the railways, the shadow transport secretary has said. In a recording obtained by The Telegraph, Gareth Bacon told Tory activists that taking passenger trains back into private control was unlikely to be popular with voters by the time of the next general election. South Western Railway entered full state control last weekend after 29 years but engineering works meant passengers needed to board a rail replacement bus for part of its first service. Labour plans to bring all passenger trains into public ownership over the next three years under its flagship Great British Rail (GBR) scheme. Asked about his party's policy on the railways during an event for party members on May 19, Mr Bacon replied: 'If I'm asked today to say what is likely to be our policy of going into the election in four years' time, it very much depends on how GBR is operating at that time. 'I suspect it won't be going as well as what you might like and one of the things I think we'll certainly be looking to do is looking at how we can make that work better. 'Taking a punt today, am I likely to be recommending that we re-privatise the railway in our next manifesto? I would say probably not, because I don't think it would have been bedded in enough at that time for the public to think that that was a good idea. 'But I do remain open-minded to it, and it depends on how GBR is operating closer to the time.' Tories would offer 'radical' alternative On Tuesday, the Tories attacked Labour's nationalisation plan and suggested they would offer a 'radical' and 'accountable' alternative. A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'Nationalisation only serves the unions that bankroll the Labour Party. 'Under new leadership, the Conservative Party is undertaking a radical policy renewal programme, one that will stand up for the needs of passengers and fight for a system that is efficient, accountable, and built to serve Britain.' Mr Bacon last week accused Labour of 'taking us back to the 1970s' as those travelling beyond Surbiton on the first nationalised service had to change onto a rail replacement bus. At the same event, he also said it was unlikely that his party would be able to cut the price of rail travel if it returned to power in the future. Asked how the Tories could work to reduce railway fares for the consumer, he said: 'I don't think that is a likely proposition and the reason for that is that inflation doesn't go backwards. 'And I'm afraid that the costs of rail maintenance will constantly go up.' Train drivers received a 15 per cent pay rise from the Labour Government last year, a deal that meant some are receiving payments of up to £600 to work weekend overtime shifts. It represented an olive branch to the unions and brought an end to rail strikes that had been taking place since 2022 at an estimated cost of £850 million to the taxpayer. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said at the end of last year that the double-digit pay rise for train drivers had made delays and cancellations worse. Mr Bacon's comments come after Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, launched her policy renewal programme in March which aims to rebuild her party's electoral fortunes. The scheme will include a number of policy commissions aimed at drawing up more specific pledges in the coming months and years. Mrs Badenoch's time as leader to date has been overshadowed by the ongoing rise of Reform UK, which has outperformed the Tories in the polls for several months. The success of Reform has prompted internal criticism of Mrs Badenoch from those who believe that she must be more visible and announce a greater number of detailed policies. But the Tory leader has insisted it will take time to rebuild after her party suffered a historic drubbing at last year's general election. In her first major speech, Mrs Badenoch apologised for her party's record on immigration and vowed to take sweeping measures to significantly reduce numbers. She has since declared her opposition to the legally binding 2050 net zero target signed into law by Baroness May, the former Tory prime minister, and backed by all of her predecessors.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Transport Secretary: Public doesn't care who runs railways
Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures show that there were 43.2 million passenger journeys in the last three months of 2024, compared to 54.2 million at the same point in 2017 when SWR's final private operators took on the franchise. This is a 20 per cent drop, although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a slump in passenger numbers that has taken the whole industry years to recover from. At present, private train companies are paid a flat management fee of about 2 per cent of the ticket sales revenue that they earn by the DfT, with the taxpayer subsidising any financial losses. Ms Alexander acknowledged the cost to the taxpayer of running Britain's trains and suggested she wants to reduce it. 'The real issue that I've got is that, at the moment, the operational running of the railways costs the taxpayer about £2 billion a year, and that's before you get to the billions that we invest every year in Network Rail, in the infrastructure, the track, the signalling,' she told reporters in Bournemouth on Thursday. 'And so I would love to be able to tell your readers that I'm going to be able to bring ticket prices down, but I can't do that at the moment,' she continued. 'What I can promise your readers, though, is that I will strain every sinew to make sure that they get decent value for money, because people are having to pay a fair whack for train travel.' Gareth Bacon MP, the Conservative shadow transport secretary, said bringing SWR into state ownership was motivated more by politics than providing better services. 'Satisfy their union paymasters' 'Labour promised their rail renationalisation plans will bear down on ticket prices, end disruption and strikes, and lead to better onboard services,' he said. 'We are concerned that since the Labour came to power their need to satisfy their union paymasters led to a 15 per cent pay rise with – incredibly – no strings attached, which was paid for by already hard-pressed commuters who have been faced with a 4.5 per cent increase in rail fares. 'Labour have talked up the benefits of renationalisation for years and they will now have to deliver on their promises of lower ticket prices, an end to all disruption and strikes and better onboard services. The alternative is that, as usual, British taxpayers have to foot the bill for Labour.' After SWR falls into Government hands on Sunday, the remaining nine privately operated train companies will have their contracts terminated at roughly three-month intervals. By 2027 a new body, Great British Railways (GBR), will be set up to run the trains. Ms Alexander said earlier this week that nationalised operators will have to 'earn the right' to become part of GBR by improving their punctuality, reliability and 'passenger experience' before they will be allowed to rebrand. 'This is not British Rail Mark Two,' she vowed to The Telegraph. 'This is going to be a 21st-century organisation that is commercial, that is lean, that is agile.' The next train company to be nationalised is c2c, which takes place on July 25, followed by Greater Anglia in October.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
First nationalised train will be a rail replacement bus
The first nationalised rail service is set to be a rail replacement bus, it has emerged. South Western Railway is the first train operator to be renationalised as part of the Labour Government's flagship rail reforms. It will be taken into state ownership from 2am on Sunday, with the first service set to depart from Woking for London Waterloo at 5.36am. However, passengers intending to travel beyond Surbiton will have to change onto a rail replacement bus to complete their journey because of engineering works near Raynes Park. Gareth Bacon, the shadow transport secretary, said: 'Only Labour could nationalise a train company and launch it with a rail replacement bus. They are taking us back to the 1970s. 'Since the Labour took over the railways, their need to satisfy their union paymasters led to a 15 per cent pay rise with no strings attached, which was paid for by already hard-pressed commuters who have faced a 4.5 per cent increase in rail fares. 'Labour have talked up renationalisation for years – now they have to deliver. But from day one, their grand plan already looks like it's going off the rails.' To celebrate the nationalisation, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, is expected to board the 6.14am Waterloo to Shepperton service on Sunday. It is set to be diverted around the disruption. 'Sunday marks a watershed moment in the Government's plan to return the railways to the service of passengers and reform our broken railway,' she told Parliament on Thursday. The service Ms Alexander will board will be run using one of the controversial Class 701 Arterio trains, a new model that has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, problems with onboard software and trade unions' demands for guards to be kept on the trains even though they are designed for driver-only operation. It will be SWR's first London departure under Government control. But the first scheduled service after the 2am switchover to state control is the 5.36am departure from Woking. On any other Sunday, this train would go through to London Waterloo, taking about three-quarters of an hour. This weekend, however, a passenger wanting to take it faces a journey more than double the usual length, at two hours and two minutes. Instead of going to London, the service is set to terminate at Surbiton – some 25 minutes up the line from Woking – leaving passengers to scramble for a replacement bus. After an hour winding through the back streets of south-west London, travellers will be deposited at Clapham Junction. From there, they can take an 11-minute train to Waterloo. Ms Alexander, the Cabinet minister, added in her Parliamentary statement on Thursday: 'Public ownership alone is not a silver bullet and will not fix the structural problems hindering the railways currently. That will take time.' Sunday will not be the first time that railway problems have hindered ministerial plans. On Thursday, track damage caused by a Freightliner train near Micheldever, in Hampshire, triggered extensive disruption to services across southern England – including from Bournemouth, where Ms Alexander had been hosting an event to mark SWR's transfer into her direct control. A service carrying Lord Hendy, the rail minister, arrived at Waterloo almost an hour late as a result of the disruption. A spokesman for South Western Railway and Network Rail said: 'Maintenance and upgrades, essential for enhancing services for customers, are planned many months in advance and this bank holiday weekend is no different.'
