Awards & Honours - Current Affairs for December, 2017

"Harry Potter" scribe J.K. Rowling has added another title to her globally recognized name: Companion of Honor. The 52-year-old bestselling author and Lumos charity founder was awarded the British prize by Prince William for her services to literature and philanthropy, during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Dec 12, 2017. Add that to the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) title Prince Charles gave her in 2001, as well as her French Legion of Honor prize and her Hans Christian Andersen Award. The prize is limited to 65 people "of distinction," according to the Associated Press, and has also been bestowed upon scientist Stephen Hawking, artist David Hockney, music icon Paul McCartney and Oscar winner Maggie Smith. Rowling's beloved series about a boy wizard and the whimsical world he's immersed in has sold more than 450 million copies and has been translated into 80 languages. The tomes have been been adapted into eight blockbuster films, and one of her companion books has been spun off into the five-film "Fantastic Beasts" franchise, giving Rowling a chance to flex her screenwriting muscles. Just as her debut novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" celebrated its 20th anniversary over the summer, the billionaire was also named Europe's highest-paid celebrity and the world's highest-paid author by Forbes.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or award as soccer's best player of the year for a record-equaling fifth time, moving him level with Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Ronaldo won the trophy awarded by France Football magazine at a ceremony held at the Eiffel Tower on Dec 7, 2017. He finished ahead of contenders Messi and Neymar, who left Barcelona in the offseason to join Paris Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee of 222 million Euros ($262 million). Ronaldo was shown on television receiving the award while making the sign of five with his left hand as held the trophy in his right. Messi was runner-up behind him and Neymar was third. The 32-year-old Portugal forward also took home the Ballon d'Or prize in 2013 and 2014, and in 2008 when playing for Manchester United. Messi won it from 2009-12 and again in 2015. Ronaldo claimed it back last year after helping Portugal win the European Championship and starring for Madrid as it won the Champions League. Last season he won the Champions League once again and played a key role as Madrid won the Spanish league title for the first time since 2012. Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Champions League with 115 goals. He set another competition record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.

"The Silence Breakers" - those who have shared their stories about sexual assault and harassment have been collectively named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Numerous women have spoken out since October about sexual misconduct by dozens of high-profile men in entertainment, media, business and sports. Time praised those who have given "voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing us all to stop accepting the unacceptable." The magazine's cover features Ashley Judd, Taylor Swift and others who said they have been harassed. Women who spoke out, initially against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and then others, helped to spawn the #MeToo movement, with millions of people telling stories of sexual misconduct on social media. The tweets, Instagram and Facebook posts began after actor-activist Alyssa Milano followed on a suggestion from a friend of a friend on Facebook and tweeted: "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet." The hashtag was tweeted nearly a million times in 48 hours. #MeToo was actually founded by activist Tarana Burke a decade ago to raise awareness about sexual violence. The two runners-up for Time person of the year were Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump.