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10 World Richest Persons As Of January 2024

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

The net worth of the 10 wealthiest individuals on earth has increased by $30 billion in just one month, reaching a total of almost $1.47 trillion as of January 1, Forbes reports.

Mark Zuckerberg made a significant jump in the rankings, moving up to the No. 5 spot from his previous position on December 1 as the 7th richest person in the world.

He has surpassed Bill Gates who held the title of the world’s wealthiest individual for a significant period.

Elon Musk continues to hold the title of the wealthiest individual globally, with a net worth of $251 billion.

The CEO of Tesla also holds stakes in SpaceX, a privately held rocket firm, and social media company X, formerly known as Twitter.

In December, the software tycoon behind Oracle, Larry Ellison, experienced a significant decline in his fortune.

With Oracle’s stock dropping by 10%, Ellison’s wealth plummeted by $11.2 billion, making him the biggest loser among the top ten. Ellison maintains his position as the fourth richest person, with a net worth of $135.3 billion.

Below is the full list of the richest individuals in the world as of January at 12:00 am. according to a Forbes report on Thursday.

1. Elon Musk

Musk serves as the CEO of Tesla, an electric car company, SpaceX, a rocket firm, and X, a social media company previously known as Twitter. With a significant stake in Tesla, he has strategically utilised his stock and options, even using some as collateral for loans. A significant portion of his wealth is attributed to the car company. In October 2022, he made a significant purchase of X, which was then known as Twitter, for $44 billion.

He is currently believed to possess approximately 74% ownership of this prominent social media company. However, according to Forbes, it is worth noting that the current value of the company is now less than half of what he initially paid for it.

2. Bernard Arnault

Bernard Arnault, the CEO and chairman of LVMH, has successfully established the largest luxury goods company globally, boasting an impressive portfolio of around 70 fashion and cosmetics brands.

Some of the most well-known brands include Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Sephora. In January 2021, LVMH made a significant acquisition by purchasing jeweller Tiffany & Co. for $15.8 billion.

3. Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and served as its CEO until July 2021, while continuing as chairman. In July of that year, he embarked on a space journey aboard a rocket developed by his private space exploration company, Blue Origin, which he has generously supported with substantial investments. In December 2023, his wealth increased by $5.8 billion due to a rise in the value of Amazon shares.

4. Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison co-founded software firm Oracle in 1977 and led it as CEO until 2014. Currently, he holds the position of chairman and Chief Technology Officer at the company. In recent years, Oracle has made a number of significant acquisitions, one of which was the acquisition of Sun Microsystems in 2010 for $7.4 billion.

5. Mark Zuckerberg

In 2004, Zuckerberg co-founded what is now known as Meta Platforms during his time as a student at Harvard University. With 3.88 billion monthly users, it has become the largest social network in the world. In addition to its platform, the company also has ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp, which were acquired and significantly expanded. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, led the company to go public in 2012 and currently retains approximately 13% ownership.

6. Bill Gates

Gates was first recognised as a billionaire by Forbes in 1987. He held the title of the world’s richest person from 1995 to 2017, with the exception of 2008 and the years 2010 to 2013.

Due to his substantial contributions to the Gates Foundation, which amount to $59 billion, including a generous $20 billion gift in July 2022, he relinquished his title as the wealthiest individual in 2018, being surpassed by Jeff Bezos.

In 1975, Gates left Harvard to cofound Microsoft with his high school classmate Paul Allen, inventing one of the first personal computer software programmes. He served as CEO for 25 years and chairman until 2014. After leaving the board in 2020, he told Forbes in early 2023 that he still consults with Microsoft teams 10% of the time. He owns a lot of property in the U.S. and invests in dozens of firms, including Republic Services and Deere & Co.

7. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, often referred to as the “Oracle of Omaha,” has established himself as one of the most accomplished investors in history. He is the head of the investing conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, which boasts a diverse portfolio of companies such as Geico, Duracell, and Dairy Queen. From a young age, he demonstrated a keen interest in financial matters. Being the son of a U.S. congressman, he had the opportunity to delve into the world of stocks at the tender age of 11. He even took the initiative to file his taxes at the remarkably young age of 13.

8. Larry Page

Page, along with Sergey Brin, co-founded the search engine Google in 1998. He held the position of CEO from 2001 to 2011 and again from 2015 to present. He currently holds a position as a board member of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and maintains majority ownership.

9. Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin resigned from his position as president of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in December 2019. However, he still holds significant control as a major shareholder and continues to serve as a member of the board. He and Larry Page became partners in 1998, when they crossed paths at Stanford University during their pursuit of advanced degrees in computer science.

10. Steve Ballmer

Ballmer, who was a classmate of Bill Gates at Harvard University, became the 30th employee to join Microsoft in 1980. He served as the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014.

After leaving Microsoft, Ballmer made headlines by acquiring the Los Angeles Clippers team for $2 billion, setting a new record for the highest purchase price of an NBA team. According to recent reports, the team’s value has been estimated at $4.65 billion by Forbes.
PUNCH

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NGO Says Starving Gaza Children Too Weak To Cry

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2 minutes ago

August 27, 2025

Editor

The head of Save the Children described in horrific detail on Wednesday the slow agony of starving children in Gaza, saying they are so weak they do not even cry.

Addressing a Security Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the president of the international charity, Inger Ashing, said famine — declared by the UN last week to be happening in Gaza — is not just a dry technical term.

“When there is not enough food, children become acutely malnourished, and then they die slowly and painfully. This, in simple terms, is what famine is,” said Ashing.

She went on to describe what happens when children die of hunger over the course of several weeks, as the body first consumes its own fat to survive, and when that is gone, literally consumes itself as it eats muscles and vital organs.

“Yet our clinics are almost silent. Now, children do not have the strength to speak or even cry out in agony. They lie there, emaciated, quite literally wasting away,” said Ashing.

She insisted that aid groups have been warning loudly that famine was coming as Israel prevented food and other essentials from entering Gaza over the course of two years of war triggered by the Hamas attack of October 2023.

“Everyone in this room has a legal and moral responsibility to act to stop this atrocity,” said Ashing.

The United Nations officially declared famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming what it called the systematic obstruction of aid by Israel during more than 22 months of war.

A UN-backed hunger monitor called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative said famine was affecting 500,000 people in the Gaza governorate, which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory, including Gaza City.

The IPC projected that the famine would expand by the end of September to cover around two-thirds of Gaza.
AFP

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Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

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2 days ago

August 25, 2025

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The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

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US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

2 days ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.