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.



Out-of-Control Australia Bushfire Will Burn for Days, Officials Say

 22 December 2024, Australia, Halls Gap: A general view of a smokey Lake Bellfield at Halls Gap. Immediate evacuation orders are in place for towns across Victoria as out-of-control blazes and sweltering temperatures begin Australia's bushfire season. Photo: James Ross/AAP/dpa
22 December 2024, Australia, Halls Gap: A general view of a smokey Lake Bellfield at Halls Gap. Immediate evacuation orders are in place for towns across Victoria as out-of-control blazes and sweltering temperatures begin Australia's bushfire season. Photo: James Ross/AAP/dpa
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Out-of-Control Australia Bushfire Will Burn for Days, Officials Say

 22 December 2024, Australia, Halls Gap: A general view of a smokey Lake Bellfield at Halls Gap. Immediate evacuation orders are in place for towns across Victoria as out-of-control blazes and sweltering temperatures begin Australia's bushfire season. Photo: James Ross/AAP/dpa
22 December 2024, Australia, Halls Gap: A general view of a smokey Lake Bellfield at Halls Gap. Immediate evacuation orders are in place for towns across Victoria as out-of-control blazes and sweltering temperatures begin Australia's bushfire season. Photo: James Ross/AAP/dpa

An uncontained bushfire raging in Australia's Victoria state that has prompted an evacuation order for hundreds of residents will burn for several days, officials said on Sunday.

The order to leave immediately, set at the highest danger rating, remained in place for the fire in and around Grampians National Park, about 241 km (149 miles) west of state capital Melbourne, Victoria's emergency services agency said on its website.

"There's a lot of unburnt fuel in the Grampians still, so it's quite a challenge for the days ahead", Country Fire Authority deputy chief officer Garry Cook told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, referring to the fire that now covered 34,000 hectares (84,000 acres) of bush.

The blaze, sparked on Tuesday by lightning, prompted authorities on Saturday to urge residents of several rural towns such as Halls Gap, population 495, to evacuate.

Hundreds of firefighters have battled the bushfire, using more than 100 tankers and 25 aircraft, ABC reported on Saturday.

Authorities have warned of a high-risk bushfire season this Australian summer after several quiet seasons. The 2019-2020 "Black Summer" fires destroyed an area the size of Türkiye and killed 33 people.