Snow Leopard Enterprises provide women across Central Asia with the training and equipment necessary to produce hand-made felt and other wool products, which are sold internationally through the Snow Leopard Trust and other outlets. This provides the herding communities with an alternative income and helps prevent the poaching of endangered snow leopards.

The award ceremony, hosted by Zeinab Badawi and featuring the top three finalists, will broadcast on BBC World News this Saturday 3 December.

The World Challenge competition, now in its seventh year, highlights and rewards small enterprising and innovative businesses around the world. Over 70,000 votes were cast for the final 12 projects featured in the TV series.

At the awards ceremony, the two runners up, Recycla and Hand in Hand, were also awarded $10,000 each. Recycla is the first and only electronic waste recycling social enterprise in Latin America. The company recycle some of the eight million mobile phones and one million computers that are discarded in Chile annually. They dismantle and separate them into recyclable materials and dispose of toxic waste safely. Hand in Hand is an NGO project set up with local people to collect food waste from households, hotels and restaurants, which is turned into biogas and used to generate electricity via a 10kW power station. The project now consumes about one ton of food waste every day – waste that would once have found its way into landfill.

World Challenge was launched by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, in 2005 and is a global competition rewarding grass roots projects that give something back to their communities.

Mary Wilkinson, Commissioning Editor, BBC World News says; “We’re thrilled World Challenge has, again, rewarded three more innovative social enterprises. Still, after seven years, we’re continuing to see a consistently high standard of entrants and it’s always a pleasure to see the benefits that being involved in World Challenge brings to the projects and their communities.”

The series includes a special programme, World Challenge: Down To Business, in which sustainable business advisor Leo Johnson visits two previous finalists to give them business advice to help raise global awareness of their projects.

More information on the competition and the projects can be found online at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk. Fans can give comment and find exclusive content on the Facebook page via http://www.facebook.com/bbcworldchallenge, the You Tube channel www.youtube.com/bbcworldchallenge and/or follow the latest competition news on Twitter via @WorldChallenge.

The World Challenge Award Ceremony will air on BBC World News on Saturday 3 December at 10:30am and 4:30pm and Sunday 4 December at 10:30pm (all Singapore time).

Whether you are a youth at 15 or a veteran at 40, join Singapore Biathlon and challenge the limits of your endurance with a new and exciting race route!

Known as the largest and most competitive biathlon in Southeast Asia, this swim-run event, organised by SAFRA and Republic of Singapore Navy, comprises an Olympic-standard 1.5km swim followed by a 10km run. There are various categories available for you to choose from, depending your experience.

Registration will open on 14 Nov! Look out for more details at www.safra.sg/singaporebiathlon.

Join this largest mass running event! You will enjoy a unique route over the iconic Benjamin Sheares Bridge, through the new down town at Marina Bay area as well as pass historical places.

After the run, enjoy the rest of the day at the carnival, where various performances will be taking place.

There are various categories for you to choose from. This includes the competitive 21-km half-marathon and 10-km route, and non-competitive 5km fun run.

Competitive participants will each receive an event T-shirt, goody bag, personalised certificate and a finisher medal. Fun run participants will each receive a certificate of completion and an event-shirt.

Date                 : Sun, 12 September 2010
Time                : 5.15am – 11am
*Shuttle bus service to starting point will be provided on event day, 12 Sept 2010, at a nominal fee.
Fees                 :
Competitive Categories
21km (Men’s Open / Closed / Master / Women’s Open / Closed / Master)
SAFRA Member: $45 (Register before 30 Jun to enjoy $35 fees)
Public: $50 (Register before 30 Jun to enjoy $40 fees)

10km (Men’s Open / Master / Women’s Open / Master)
SAFRA Member: $30 (Register before 30 Jun to enjoy $25 fees)
Public: $35 (Register before 30 Jun to enjoy $30 fees)

5km Fun Run
SAFRA Member: $10
Public: $15

Log on to SAFRA’s website for more information.

Audiences worldwide are invited to shoot a two-minute mini-documentary with the theme of ‘My World’, using any kind of camera available to them – from a mobile phone to a digital camera. Clips can be submitted on the competition webpage www.bbc.com/superpower.

The project aims to find original stories from each continent, with compelling personal narratives. A shortlist will be made comprising the most original, ambitious and thematically important pieces. The best material from each continent will then be assembled into sequences of ten films by guest curators; these will be shown on BBC World News and entrants interviewed as part of The Strand on BBC World Service. Finally, a single film will be chosen by the curators and awarded the prize of a semi-professional camcorder.

The chosen documentaries will air on BBC World News and on BBC World Service. The Strand will carry interviews about the project from now until March 2010.

The contest opens for uploading at 6.00pm on 25 January 2010 and closes at 12.00am on 6 March 2010.

For each continent, a well-respected documentary professional will curate and judge the entries. These include Emmy award winning producer Cara Mertes for the Americas, Academy Award winning producer Greg Sanderson for Europe, Director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Fujioka Asako for Asia and Director of the Encounters Documentary Festival in South Africa, Mandisa Zitha for Africa.

Simon Pitts, Executive Producer, says: “My World will allow people around the world to share their stories, and show people what matters to them. With the help of our excellent curators, the BBC’s international news services will be able to create a vivid and compelling picture of life today on each continent through this unique project.”

To enter your own documentary clips please go to: www.bbc.com/superpower.

Organiser
Singapore Oyama Karate-do Kyokushinkai-kan

Synopsis
Singapore will host the 11th Asia Full Contact Karate Championship 2008 this month.

Around 50 participants from 15 countries will pit their skills in Kyokushin Karate, the only full contact knock down style karate. They will compete in areas such as Tameshiwari (breaking objects) and Kumite (full contact fighting).

Members of the public and martial arts enthusiasts can look forward to a rare showcase of a highly disciplined and demanding martial art form and sport. It combines self-defence with qualities such as physical and mental cultivation.

The Master, Kancho Shokei Matsui, from Japan will grace the event in Singapore.

Date
25 October, 2008
Saturday, 2pm

Venue
Jurong East Sports & Cultural Centre

Ticket Fees and concessions
$80 (Ringside seats)
$35 (General Admission)
$10 (Students and NSF)

Only Cash is accepted for this event. Tickets will be delivered to your designated locations free-of-charge.

Admission Rules
No admission for infant in arms and child aged below 3 years old.  Child 3 years old and above must purchase ticket for admission.

For more details, please:
call 6323 3392 or go to www.ikosingapore.com