Latest news with #Oscars'
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Barratt site manager wins Pride in the Job Quality Award
Nick Jones, who works for Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales, was recognised for his delivery of exceptional standards at the Brunel Quarter development in Chepstow. He received a Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC), an honour considered one of the highest in the homebuilding industry. Nick Jones, site manager at Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales, said: "I'm honoured to have received this award and to be part of a company that puts quality and excellence at the heart of everything we do. "This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that goes into building high-quality homes and I'm grateful to the rest of the team that delivered Brunel Quarter alongside me." The award scheme, often described as the 'Oscars' of the housebuilding sector, judges site managers on technical expertise, health and safety, leadership, and attention to detail. It highlights the importance of site managers in delivering homes that are completed on time, safely, and to the highest quality standards. David Kelland, operations director at Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales, said: "These awards showcase what it takes to be a top site manager and demonstrates our long-term commitment to looking after our customers. "Anyone who buys a home from a site with a Pride in the Job Quality Award winner knows their home has been built to the highest standard. "We are very proud to have won more of these awards than any other homebuilder for 21 years in a row now." Out of around 8,200 eligible sites, only 450 site managers are selected for the award—representing the top five per cent in the UK. Barratt site managers secured 115 Pride in the Job Quality Awards in 2025.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ariana Grande, Kieran Culkin, Jimmy Kimmel among 534 invited to join Oscars academy
The Oscars' voting body is growing again with a glittering list of new recruits that includes pop superstar Ariana Grande, newly minted Oscar-winner Kieran Culkin and late-night veterans — and past Oscar hosts — Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien. On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it had invited 534 new members across its 19 branches. This year's class includes Oscar nominees, below-the-line craftspeople and rising international voices — among them 'Wicked' star Grande; 'Succession' actor Culkin, who won the supporting actor Oscar for 'A Real Pain'; and late-night hosts Kimmel, a four-time Oscar emcee, and O'Brien, who hosted the ceremony for the first time this year. In all, the group features 91 Oscar nominees and 26 winners, including Mikey Madison, who took the lead actress Oscar for the best picture winner 'Anora.' Madison's co-stars Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian were also invited to the actors' branch. The latest invitations reflect the Academy's ongoing push for greater inclusion, even after meeting its post-#OscarsSoWhite diversity benchmarks. Of the 2025 class, 41% identify as women, 45% as members of underrepresented ethnic or racial communities and 55% are from outside the United States. Across the total membership, 35% identify as women, 22% as members of underrepresented groups and 21% are based internationally. After years of rapid expansion — peaking with a record-setting incoming class of 928 in 2018 — the Academy has shifted toward more sustainable growth. Still, this year's tally represents a modest increase over last year's 487 invitees. Other additions to the acting branch — the Academy's largest — include 'The Apprentice' co-stars Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, who drew nominations for their portrayals of Roy Cohn and Donald Trump, respectively, in the controversial biopic, along with supporting actress nominee Monica Barbaro ('A Complete Unknown'), Aubrey Plaza, Jason Momoa, Jodie Comer, Dave Bautista and 'Emilia Pérez' star Adriana Paz. (Notably, 'Emilia Pérez' lead Karla Sofía Gascón, who made history this year as the first openly transgender performer nominated in the lead acting category, did not receive an invitation — a decision that follows backlash over past controversial remarks.) New recruits to the directors branch include this year's nominees Coralie Fargeat ('The Substance') and Brady Corbet ('The Brutalist'), as well as Gints Zilbalodis, who directed the Oscar-winning animated feature 'Flow.' Invitees in the documentary branch include the team behind this year's Oscar-winning 'No Other Land': Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor. 'We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists and professionals to join the Academy,' Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. 'Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.' If all invitations are accepted, the Academy's total membership will rise to 11,120, including 10,143 voting members.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Not just a James Beard winner, he's a flag-bearer of Tamil pride. Meet Chef Vijay Kumar
A crunch of a curry leaf, a strong aroma of smoked chilli, and a dash of gunpowder add to the vibrancy of the walls of Semma restaurant in New York. Here, curries are not just hot, they're deeply a crisp white-buttoned jacket and wide grin, Chef Vijay Kumar plays the perfect South Indian host to his customers. Today, he is not just another talented chef but the recipient of the James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York! It is a coveted title that is considered the 'Oscars' in the world of Chef Kumar, this restaurant is not just where you serve food, but a culture. 'It's a restaurant that serves the story of my life. The story of a South Indian's life. A food culture,' Kumar shares in an exclusive conversation with India Today. Chef Vijay Kumar outside Semma in New York India is known for its diversity, rich heritage-culture, and even richer cuisine. In the West, for too long, Indian food has been relegated to being spicy and all about gravy - typically butter chicken, naan, or biryani. South Indian food? Menus mostly stop with idlis, dosas and sambar. That is the notion Chef Vijay Kumar wants to challenge and Semma, a Michelin-star restaurant, he is unapologetically serving bold Tamilian flavours in their most authentic form Nadu to New YorkChef Vijay Kumar hails from Natham in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul district. Engineering was once a dream, but turns out, fate was armed with spices and gunpowder for him. He completed his culinary schooling in India, worked for a few years, and, in his words, for a 'better opportunity, just like the rest of the immigrants,' he moved to the things are not always pre-planned, but that's the beauty of spontaneity. For Kumar, it was a chance conversation with his friends at Unapologetic Foods, about how there aren't enough South Indian restaurants in New York that led to the birth of Semma. Unapolgetic Food is a US-based restaurant group founded by Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya. Chef Vijay Kumar wins James Beard Award (Photo: Jeff Schear) Semma opened its doors to customers in 2021 and earned the 13th spot on The New York Times' 'Top 100' list. In 2024, it climbed to the first taste of South IndiaWhen Kumar landed in the USA, he was surprised to see how Indian food was defined by butter chicken and naan. The menu was so limited that it didn't do justice to the breadth of Indian cuisines. Kumar was disappointed. But ironically, he himself worked with contemporary admits, 'I was young and just came to the country. I just came to survive back then and couldn't do anything about it because you don't want to jeopardise everything by speaking too loudly.'Cut to a decade later, he now owns a restaurant where he serves South Indian cuisine without reducing its spicy flavours or essence. Nathai Pirattal (Photo: Paul McDonough) Not just the flavours, but the chef takes great pride in his culture too. His menu reflects that. He has retained the original names of his dishes. 'It was a risk, but we did not wish to commercialise it or simply make money out of it. We didn't want to please the Westerners or fit into someone else's shoes. We just want to be who we are. We just wanted to let them know who we are,' he unapologetically bold and a community through foodKumar didn't just build a restaurant serving food from his homeland; he built a space that stirred nostalgia for Indians living in the US. Dindigul Biryani (Photo: Paul McDonough) 'A few days ago, there was a woman sitting alone at the bar. She was eating, and she got so emotional. I got worried if she found it too spicy. When I asked her if I could get something to cool down her palette, she refused and said, 'These are happy tears. I haven't had home food in such a long time. You know, the music, the food, everything literally took me back to my memories back home,'' Kumar to politics: Challenges of a ChefSetting up a culture on foreign soil is not easy. It was definitely not easy a decade ago, compared to now. A chef puts their heart and soul into cooking every dish, and every ingredient is like a holy grail. For Kumar, the challenge began with finding the right curry leaves - and now, Alphonso says, 'It was hard to get curry leaves in the US like 10 years ago. It's impossible to get all the ingredients at all times as easily as it is in India because of all these USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) regulations. However, it has become way easier now.'But he still struggles to find the right kind of Alphonso mangoes. 'I have to make several calls, find the right vendor, because not many people understand how Alphonso is meant to taste."Political turmoil in the USAThe struggle and stress are not just limited to food. Being an immigrant in the USA currently is not without its anxieties. With rising political tensions in the country, a feeling of uncertainty looms large. But Kumar believes in taking life as it comes.'It's a matter of time. It'll go away. Life is all about ups and downs, right? I think we will just go through it. For me, just focus on what you do. You cannot control anything that's happening around you. One thing I want to do is -keep doing what you're doing.' Valiya Chemmeen Moilee (Photo: Paul McDonough) advertisementWhat's cooking next?Semma is a representation of one part of the Tamilian food heritage. Now, he wants to bring the street food of Chennai onto the menu. 'Who doesn't like street food? It's the tastiest! It's just funny that it hasn't taken centre stage yet,' he changes his menu in about three to four months so that as many customers are able to taste the cuisine. Now, he is planning to bring that street style on a asked if he has any plans to return to India, Kumar says he doesn't, at least for now. While he hopes to create something interesting there in the future, it won't be a replica of only thing diners seem to grumble about? 'It's so hard to get a reservation,' Kumar says with a when your food sparks nostalgia, curiosity, and headlines — who really expects an empty table on a Monday?- EndsTrending Reel
Business News Wales
4 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
South Wales Site Manager Wins National Award for Build Quality
A Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales Site Manager has won a top national award recognising the exceptional standards he delivered during the construction of Brunel Quarter in Chepstow. Nick Jones won a Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC) — widely considered the 'Oscars' of the homebuilding industry — making him one of the best Site Managers in the UK. The awards rate site managers against key criteria such as technical expertise, health and safety, consistency, leadership and attention to detail — celebrating the vital role they play in ensuring new homes are delivered on-time, on safe sites, and to the highest quality standards. In total, Barratt site managers have won 115 Pride in the Job Quality Awards in 2025 — marking 21 years in a row that the housebuilder has won more awards that any other developer. The achievement underlines the importance that Barratt / DWH places on building high quality sustainable homes for its customers. David Kelland, Operations Director at Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales, said: 'These awards showcase what it takes to be a top site manager and demonstrates our long-term commitment to looking after our customers. Anyone who buys a home from a site with a Pride in the Job Quality Award winner knows their home has been built to the highest standard. We are very proud to have won more of these awards than any other homebuilder for 21 years in a row now.' Nick Jones, Site Manager at Barratt David Wilson Homes South Wales, said: 'I'm honoured to have received this award and to be part of a company that puts quality and excellence at the heart of everything we do. This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that goes into building high-quality homes and I'm grateful to the rest of the team that delivered Brunel Quarter alongside me.' Every site manager registered with the NHBC, the industry's leading warranty provider for new homes, is automatically entered into the awards — with just 450 winners selected from a field of c8,200 sites, representing the top 5% of UK site managers. The awards closely follow Barratt Redrow being awarded 5 stars by its customers for satisfaction in the annual Home Builders Federation (HBF) new homes survey. To be rated as 5 star means that more than 90% of customers would recommend a home to a friend, with Barratt Redrow being the only major national homebuilder to be rated 5 star for 16 years in a row.
Sky News AU
18-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Qatar Airways named world's best airline for second year in a row
Qatar has been named the world's best airline for the second year in a row in the 'Oscars' of the aviation industry. The Skytrax World Airline Awards are determined by online surveys of more than 22 million passengers. Qantas has jumped up the rankings from 24th to 14th, its best result since 2022. Among the top ten are Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Air France.
