Latest news with #TheGrand
Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Global Excellence Summit 2025, co-branded by Aimlay concludes with Grand Success at The Grand, Vasant Kunj, Delhi
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 18: The Global Excellence Summit 2025, co-branded by Aimlay, successfully concluded on July 5, 2025, at The Grand, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, marking a remarkable milestone in recognizing outstanding leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from around the world. The event brought together over 350 distinguished guests, including prominent academicians, corporate leaders, innovators, and industry pioneers, fostering a powerful exchange of ideas, collaborations, and knowledge-sharing. This high-impact summit was a grand celebration of excellence, leadership, and innovation, reinforcing the importance of recognizing individuals who are making a remarkable impact in their respective fields. The Global Excellence Summit 2025 was a prestigious gathering, shining a spotlight on visionaries who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in various domains. This year's summit featured two highly esteemed award categories, celebrating individuals and organizations that have made a lasting impact: * Honorary Doctorate Awards - Recognizing outstanding individuals for their exceptional contributions to research, academia, business, and social impact. * IFEA Awards 2025 - Honoring trailblazers in diverse sectors, including Academic Excellence, Business Innovation, Leadership, Philanthropy, and Community Impact. The prestigious IFEA Awards 2025 honored distinguished individuals for their remarkable contributions to their respective fields. Among the esteemed awardees were: * Mr. Manaz Al Bukhari * Dr. Indu Chandrasekharan * Dr. Nerida Phillipa McDowall * Dr. Muhammad Youshaa Korumtallee * Dr. Jaimon Antony Vallayil * Mrs. Manasi Ashish Godbole * Dr. Bijul Balan Ayinipully * Dr. Preety Suman * Dr. Pradnya Pradip Chavan * Mrs. Sangita Kapse * Dr. Abdool Khwaza Asmed Boolaky * Dr. Anourag Ramloll * Dr. Kamal Kanti Datta * Dr. Manidar Nadeson * Dr. Sanjeev Raina * Dr. Pradip Sakharam Chavan * Dr. Ashna Ramdoyal * Dr. Naresh Batra * Mrs. Monika Vaid * Dr. Abhishek Anand * Mrs. Dusna Reena Rambrichh * Dr. Renu Saxena * Dr. Pramila Vipul Adhia * Dr. Sushil Kumar Pandey * Dr. Syed Iqbal Ahmed * Mrs. Renu Gungaram * Dr. Lakshminarayanan Narahari Gajavaradhan * Dr. Nutan Nayak * Mr. Satish Lotta * Dr. Lambhadaka Patlong * Dr. Sivasankaran Nair Haridas * Dr. Rupa Choudhury * Dr. Asavadi Rajeswara Rao * Dr. Navin Kumar * Dr. Rajendra Manohar Khadilkar * Dr. Prakash D Kadam * Dr. Sudesh Kumar * Dr. Muhammad Arshad Joomun * Dr. Mohit Rana * Dr. Deepa Binoy Sarkar * Dr. Felcie Ponmathy * Dr. Varsha Ashok Atram * Dr. Shilpa Prashanth * Mr. Sudeep Ranjan * Dr. R Faritha Sabeena * Dr. Satyajeet Soorjonowa * Mr. Abhijit Chatterjee * Dr. Nelliakunnel Thomas Devasia * Mr. Mahesh Vasoya These exemplary individuals were selected from the thousands and recognized for their outstanding contributions to making a positive impact in their respective domains. The event was graced by the presence of esteemed Chief Guests, whose contributions and presence elevated the summit. Colonel Dr. Harinder Singh Attari, a decorated Army veteran and distinguished educator, brought decades of leadership experience and a deep commitment to nation-building and academic excellence. Accompanying him was Mrs. Malvinder Kaur Attari, a special guest known for her grace and unwavering support. Also honored at the summit was Mr. Inder Mohan Singh Manchanda, a pioneering cancer researcher with nearly 40 years of relentless dedication to uncovering the root causes of cancer. The atmosphere throughout the event was extravagant, with attendees engaging in intellectual discussions, networking, and celebrating achievements, making it an unforgettable experience. As a co-branding partner, Aimlay played a crucial role in ensuring that the Global Excellence Summit 2025 became a benchmark event in recognizing and celebrating outstanding individuals. With a strong presence in research, education, and business mentorship, Aimlay continues to empower professionals, scholars, and industry leaders, providing platforms to honor excellence and foster knowledge-sharing. By facilitating an event of this magnitude, Aimlay has once again demonstrated its commitment to creating opportunities that bring together exceptional individuals and organizations to inspire, collaborate, and lead in their respective fields. The Global Excellence Summit 2025 was not just an award ceremony but a celebration of vision, leadership, and knowledge. It provided a unique opportunity for attendees to engage with experts, exchange ideas, and build meaningful collaborations, paving the way for future innovations and advancements. The interactive networking sessions allowed attendees from academia, corporate sectors, research institutions, and entrepreneurial ecosystems to connect, discuss new ideas, and explore potential partnerships that could shape the future. As the curtains close on the Global Excellence Summit 2025, the event leaves behind a lasting legacy of inspiration and achievement. With the overwhelming success of the summit, Aimlay remains committed to continuing its journey of recognizing and uplifting individuals who are driving progress in education, research, and leadership. The remarkable success of this summit sets the foundation for even more impactful editions in the future, reinforcing the mission to honor excellence, foster innovation, and shape a brighter tomorrow. Stay tuned for upcoming initiatives celebrating success, leadership, and innovation or visit Aimlay at
Scoop
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Political Attacks Only Harden Candidates' Resolve
The pillar policies of the Independent Together ticket are founded on addressing the priority concerns of ratepayers – the high cost of rates, the burgeoning unnecessary services consuming council funds, and the influence of party politics on council decision making. At 14 town hall meetings across the city, we presented our reasoning behind the pillars as well as our strategy for cutting council spending. Experienced political agitators attended two events, culminating in them attempting to shout down our message and intimidate supporters during our finale at The Grand in Courtenay Place. The political machinations at play have an enormous psychological impact for all of the candidates. The accompanying media coverage and the scrutiny on the team has been intense. As one very experienced media commentator has already stated, he has never seen such prolonged and vicious media attacks used in the lead up to local body elections before. The extent of it has been unnerving on our business and community minded candidates. While the team feels the loss of both Andrea Compton and Dan Milward, we acknowledge the impact this is having on both of their families. Politics is extremely challenging for the inexperienced. Dan Milward says: 'Like many others, I was surprised by the recent allegations and the subsequent media coverage storm. Finally, when my wife was threatened by the agitators at our final roadshow event in Wellington CBD on Tuesday night, I knew it was time to take a different approach.' Threats and bullying tactics by the political establishment won't work on Independent Together candidates anymore. We are stronger and even more focused. We remain committed to delivering on our five key pillars for the betterment of Wellington and getting enough independent people around the council table to deliver for residents. We will put Wellingtonians first, and with Ray Chung for Mayor, can cauterise the financial bleeding.
The Spinoff
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Chaos on Courtenay: Inside Ray Chung's unruly, incomprehensible campaign rally
The controversial mayoral candidate's rally devolved into a mess of yelling, finger-pointing and claims of assault. I'm not sure where to start. I'm not even sure I understand what I just witnessed. On Tuesday night, Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung and his oxymoronically-named party Independent Together hosted a campaign rally – the final event in its Zero Rates Roadshow – at The Grand on Courtenay Place. By the end of the night, it deteriorated into the political equivalent of chimpanzees throwing their faeces at each other. It was an online flame war playing out in real life. It's always a risky proposition for a politician to host a large public campaign event while actively in the throes of a high-profile scandal. Chung has been at the centre of the media spotlight after revelations that he sent emails to three council colleagues spreading salacious and unverified rumours about Wellington mayor Tory Whanau having a drug-fuelled sexcapade with his neighbour's son. I had attended another Independent Together event the previous night in Miramar, and it went mostly according to plan; deep in suburbia, surrounded by close supporters. It was a different situation entirely in the centre city, a dark and mysterious realm full of young lefties and overly opinionated public servants who were driven to madness aeons ago by excessive consumption of oat milk and the hypnotic powers of the bucket fountain. The majority of the crowd were supporters of Independent Together, but about a quarter of the room showed up intending to disrupt, or at least watch the chaos unfold. Better Wellington campaign director Alistair Boyce laid out the plan for the evening: he would explain Independent Together's five 'campaign pillars', then each candidate would give a short speech, then a Ray Chung campaign video, a speech from Chung, and finally, they would open the floor to questions. The speeches mostly went to plan. The candidates stayed on script, almost identical to the previous night, though some seemed rattled by the larger and less agreeable crowd. Then came the time for the Q+A. The yelling began immediately. A man near the front bellowed at Chung, 'Will you apologise? Will you apologise?'. The crowd chanted back at him, 'Out, out, out'. A woman standing behind the yelling man stood up and started clapping in his ear. Judy Rohloff, who founded Wellington Rates Revolt and seemed to have appointed herself as Chung's enforcer, marched towards him and wagged a finger in his face. The poor security guards of The Grand looked completely lost. 'You may want to leave of your own accord,' Boyce said, but the man stayed seated. Before the hullabaloo had quietened down, three more people were on their feet and shouting. A woman in a red shirt and an N95 mask tried to ask something, but I couldn't hear it because she was drowned out by a man screaming: 'Take your mask off! Get out of here! Mask off!' She walked to the front of the room, raising her arms and clapping as the crowd roared abuse at her, then left. She seemed to be protesting a specific cause, but I have no idea what it was. Boyce directed the next question to an older woman who asked a long question about Chung's email controversy. The crowd yelled back and forth, 'Sit down', 'No, let her speak'. She stuck to her guns and eventually concluded with something along the lines of 'how are you going to persuade voters that you are a person they can trust?'. Boyce didn't want Chung to address it: 'Can we talk on the pillars?' Ignoring the pleas of his campaign director, Chung agreed to answer the question: 'That happened a few weeks after I was elected. We'd been to a lot of presentations about how we should have integrity on council, how we should not do anything to embarrass the council and all of these things. So when it happened, I didn't know what to do, so I asked three of my trusted colleagues, people I knew before I was on council for many years. That's why I sent it out, almost three years ago. Yep, you're absolutely right, I shouldn't have done it…' Just as Chung started to admit personal fault, Boyce cut him off. 'Ray's acknowledged that and he's apologised on the video for it, can we move on please? Please sit down.' (The video that Chung's campaign video released addressing the controversial emails notably did not contain an apology.) There were a couple of friendly questions from supporters. One person asked Chung about how he would ensure the council's chief executive wouldn't undermine his policies as mayor. Chung gave a slightly rambling answer, and again Boyce spoke over him to explain Independent Together's policy more succinctly. A woman at the back stood up. 'I have a question for Mr Chung.' 'No, no, wait your turn,' Boyce said as the crowd booed her. He directed the next question to a man holding a clipboard. Fifteen seconds later, the back of the room erupted with a scream: 'You did that on purpose, asshole.' It was the same woman. 'Look at my seat, it's wet,' she declared, holding her folding chair above her head. She pointed accusingly at a man in a suit whom she claimed had poured a drink on her. 'Look at him, he wet my seat!'. The crowd chanted 'out, out, out'. She held the chair aloft again. 'This is assault! This is assault! Look at him, he's the assaulter.' A man behind me called out 'good job, buddy'. Rohloff marched towards the chair-holding woman and scolded, 'shut up, you're a nutjob'. Another voice called out: 'Is this how you want to treat women, Ray Chung?' Security once again tried to intervene but couldn't decide what to do after competing sides of the crowd started bleating their case. A woman standing behind the ordeal asked, 'Are you all actors? Are you all actors?' (If they were, it was a thoroughly entertaining performance.) The moment there was a slight lull in the noise, an older woman stood up and started repeatedly demanding Chung take a stance on Israel: 'Will you declare Wellington an apartheid free-zone? Will you?' The rumble from the crowd grew louder. Rohloff confronted her, demanding she leave, this time with Historic Places Wellington chair Felicity Wong as reinforcement. 'No, I'm waiting for an answer,' she said, standing firm. All semblance of a Q+A session was abandoned. The entire room was talking at once, multiple people were on their feet yelling their questions, statements and abuse. All seven candidates were on their feet, huddling with Boyce, unsure what to do. Another woman stood up in the front row, turned to face the crowd and gave an impassioned speech with lots of arm waving. 'Apologise to the women of Wellington,' she demanded at the top of her lungs. Her furore didn't seem directed at Chung, though, because most of the crowd roared in support. 'If we had any common sense you lot would get in,' she said, directed to the candidates, followed by something about women's toilets. A young woman in a keffiyeh had been trying to ask a question all night and, realising that the meeting was about to implode, took the moment to project above the crowd: 'I have a question for Ray Chung.' The crowd jeered back 'No', 'no', 'go away' but she continued, 'what are three policies that you would enact as mayor to ensure a respectful code of conduct among the council.' There was a momentary stunned silence at the realisation that it was actually a decent question. Boyce didn't want to allow it: 'can we draw the questions to the pillars that we are campaigning on please?' She continued: 'Please answer the question, I feel like that's a really fair question to ask.' Chung looked lost and turned to Boyce for support. Rolhoff grabbed the mic and jumped to his defence. 'Have you never, ever made a mistake?' she asked. The rest of her speech was drowned out by more shouting, but the crowd applauded when she finished. She hugged Chung and Wong, and Boyce regained control of the mic. 'Thank you for attending, please vote Independent Together, please vote Ray Chung for mayor.' Half of the crowd jumped to their feet in applause. The rest continued yelling at each other. I sidled away home while the cacophony of arguments continued. What did I learn? Nothing, really, except that this year's local body elections are going to be really, really, unbelievably stupid.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Grand Theatre launches film series featuring summer classics
The Grand Theatre, the oldest performing arts centre in western Canada, is hosting a summer film series featuring such classics as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Grease, Casablanca and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Grand Theatre is turning going out to the movies back into a special occasion this summer. Starting July 11, the folks who program the oldest performing arts venue in western Canada will be screening a classic every Friday night, beginning with one of the all-time favourite summer blockbusters, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Movie Nights at The Grand The Grand in downtown Calgary is hosting a summer classics movie series (Courtesy The Grand) On July 18, it will be Barbarella, featuring Jane Fonda is a sci-fi film from the 1960s unlike any other. On July 25, they'll screen the legendary Casablanca, the 1942 Oscar-winning classic that made Humphrey Bogart a movie legend. On August 8, they'll feature Grease followed on Aug. 15 by John Hughes' Pretty in Pink. On Aug. 22, it will be the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on Aug. 29 they'll screen Scream and on Sept. 9, the summer series will conclude with Practical Magic. Raiders of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost Ark screens July 11 at the Grand in Calgary. (Courtesy The Grand) Tickets are $15. There's a full bar, snacks, air conditioning and a 15 per cent discount if you use the code SUMMER15 when you book tickets at 'Whether you're reliving a favourite or discovering a classic for the first time, The Grand is the perfect place to enjoy summer nostalgia in style,' said executive director Erynn Lyster, in a media release. 'It's more than just a movie night - it's a cultural experience in Calgary's most iconic theatre.' The Grand in Calgary The Grand was built in 1912 by Senator James Lougheed and his wife Belle next door to the Lougheed Building, because they knew a thriving metropolis of 50,000 people needed a performing arts venue that attracted people like The Marx Brothers, Fred Astaire and Ethel Barrymore. (Courtesy The Grand) Built in 1912 by Senator James Lougheed and his wife Belle, the Grand has hosted everyone from Fred Astaire to Sarah Bernhardt to the Marx Brothers to legendary performance artist Lori Anderson, to Canadian dance legend Crystal Pite to American play Young Jean Lee to Calgary's own award-winning Old Trout Puppet Workshop.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Broadway stars added to The Grand's 2025-26 season
The Grand in Wilmington has announced two additions to its upcoming Broadway season, as well as the start of single ticket sales for its upcoming Broadway season. Broadway and film star Mandy Patinkin will come to The Grand in October with 'In Concert: Jukebox,'' a concert featuring pianist Adam Ben-David. Subscribe to DO Delaware 'JUKEBOX features Mandy's own hand-picked collection of classic musical numbers, expressed as only he can through a unique mastery of word and song,'' according to the press announcement. 'An unparalleled body of work from one of North America's preeminent entertainers.'' Patinkin, a Tony- and Emmy-award winner, is best known for his film roles in 'The Princess Bride,'' 'Yentl'' and 'Dick Tracy.'' In February, The Grand will host Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, stars of the original production of 'Rent,'' with 'Celebrating 30 Years of Friendship & Music.'' The Grand's Broadway season: 'Book of Mormon,' more Broadway shows revealed for Wilmington 2025-26 season 'Adam and Anthony bring their friendship and history together for an unforgettable and celebratory night of music, stories and fun,'' according to the press release. 'Expect songs from highlights throughout their careers, music that has influenced their lives, and of course a few of the iconic hits from where it all began- meeting at 'Rent.' '' Tony Award-winner Pascal has starred in Broadway productions including 'Aida,'' ''Memphis,'' 'Something Rotten,'' and 'Disaster,'' and a recent tour of 'Pretty Woman.'' 'Anthony Rapp just completed an acclaimed run of his original show 'Without You Off-Broadway,' and is known for starring in 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,' 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' and 'If/Then,' as well as appearing as Commander Paul Stamets in the hit television series 'Star Trek: Discovery.' '' 'Mandy Patinkin In Concert: Jukebox'' will take place Oct. 6 and Pascal and Rapp will perform Feb. 25. Single tickets for both shows go on sale June 23. In addition, single tickets are now available for the previously announced "Mrs. Doubtfire,'' "Kinky Boots'' and "The Music Man.'' Single tickets for "The Book of Mormon'' will go on sale later this fall. Visit or call (302) 888-0200 to buy tickets or for more information. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Tickets on sale now for Tony Award-winning stars coming to The Grand
