New Energy Hero

Chinese solar-power entrepreneur Huang Ming received the 2011 Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, in Stockholm, Sweden in December. The first Chinese citizen to receive the prize, Huang founded Himin Solar in 1995 and has been a pioneer in the field of solar energy. According to the award jury, the Solar Valley that Huang set up in Dezhou, east China's Shandong Province, is a global example for solar as a realistic alternative to fossil fuel and nuclear energy.

Global Thinker

Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany has been named among the world's top 100 global thinkers in 2011 by Foreign Policy magazine. Alaa al-Aswany shares the top spot on the magazine's 2011 Global Thinkers list with 13 other individuals. Alaa al-Aswany, a former dentist, is an acclaimed author, who has written extensively about Egyptian society.