Egyptian Businessman Mohamed Mansour Given Knighthood

Members of the Cambridge rowing team practice in the Thames ahead of The Gemini Boat Race  against Oxford rowing team, in London, on March 27, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
Members of the Cambridge rowing team practice in the Thames ahead of The Gemini Boat Race against Oxford rowing team, in London, on March 27, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
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Egyptian Businessman Mohamed Mansour Given Knighthood

Members of the Cambridge rowing team practice in the Thames ahead of The Gemini Boat Race  against Oxford rowing team, in London, on March 27, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
Members of the Cambridge rowing team practice in the Thames ahead of The Gemini Boat Race against Oxford rowing team, in London, on March 27, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Mohamed Mansour, a businessman and former Egyptian government minister, has been given a knighthood in the United Kingdom for his business, charity and political service.

The Egyptian-born business tycoon, who has British citizenship, is the chairman of the Mansour Group and founded the London-based investment firm Man Capital.

Mansour was joined in receiving a knighthood by Demis Hassabis, founder of artificial intelligence company DeepMind, and by film-making couple Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, who will receive a knighthood and a damehood. American businessman Ted Sarandos, the co-chief of Netflix, was given an honorary knighthood.

Backbench MP Philip Davies and Mark Spencer were also knighted, while Tracey Crouch, a former minister, was made a dame along with Treasury committee chair Harriett Baldwin.



Spain's Christmas Lottery Spreads Cash and Seasonal Joy to Winners

Reuters
Reuters
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Spain's Christmas Lottery Spreads Cash and Seasonal Joy to Winners

Reuters
Reuters

Players with winning tickets in Spain's huge Christmas lottery draw on Sunday celebrated with sparkling wine, cheers and hugs in a 200-year-old tradition that marks the beginning of the Christmas season.
The total prize pot in the state-run National Lottery event reached 2.71 billion euros ($2.83 billion) this year, slightly more than last year's 2.59 billion euros.
The top prize, known as "El Gordo" (The Fat One), was won in the northern city of Logrono, capital of La Rioja region that is famed for its wines.
In the nationally televised draw at Madrid's Teatro Real, young pupils from San Ildefonso school picked the winning numbers from two revolving globes and sang them out.
The audience, who had queued for hours to enter, wore Santa hats, regional costumes and their personal lucky charms.
"I'd like the lottery to go to Valencia. Honestly, I think it should go to the affected areas. We'd like that very much," said 25-year-old Vicent Jacinto, dressed in a traditional Valencian fallas suit and referring to deadly floods that struck the region in October.
Lottery mania hits Spain in the weeks leading up to the Christmas lottery. Relatives, co-workers, groups of friends and club members frequently buy tickets or fractions of them together, often favoring particular "lucky" vendors or numbers.
The most common ticket costs 20 euros, offering up to 400,000 euros in prize money, before taxes.
The lottery tradition dates back to 1812, when Spain was under French occupation during the Napoleonic Wars and the draw aimed to raise funds to fight for independence.
These days, proceeds after operating costs and payouts are given to social causes.