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10 World Richest Persons As Of January 2024

Published

5 months ago

January 4, 2024

Editor

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.
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List Of Persons On Board Iranian President’s Missing Helicopter

Published

12 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Editor

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was involved in a hard landing while visiting a northern region and his condition is currently unknown.

There were three helicopters in this convoy, two of which were carrying ministers and officials, and they arrived at their destination safely.

According to reports, different rescue groups are moving towards the area to locate the missing helicopter.

DAILY POST reported that it was unclear if Raisi and others on board with him survived the crash.

However, given the unsuitable weather conditions, it may take some time for the rescue team to find the helicopter.

According to World of Statistics, those onboard the helicopter when the incident occurred include Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader to East Azerbaijan.

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Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Azerbaijan Offer Help To Search President Raisi’s Helicopter

Published

12 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Iranian search and rescue teams were scouring a fog-shrouded mountainside after a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi went missing in an “accident” on Sunday, state media said.

Fears grew for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the helicopter carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in East Azerbaijan province, reports said.

“An accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president” in the Jolfa region of the western province, state television said, while some officials described the incident as a “hard landing”.

“The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site,” said one state broadcaster.

More than 40 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the site, reported the IRNA news agency.

Raisi was visiting the province where he inaugurated a dam project together with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, on the border between the two countries.

Raisi’s convoy included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely,” according to Tasnim news agency.

Foreign countries were closely following the search effort at a time of high regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 that has drawn in other armed groups in the Middle East.

A US State Department spokesman said: “We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.

“We have no further comment at this time.”

An Iranian Red Crescent team was seen walking up a slope in thick fog and drizzling rain, while other live footage showed worshippers reciting prayers in the holy city of Mashhad, Raisi’s hometown.

In neighbouring Iraq, Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani “instructed the interior ministry and the Iraqi Red Crescent and other relevant authorities to offer available resources… to aid in the search”.

Azeri President Aliyev said in a post on X that “we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran”.

“Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation,” he said, noting that his country “stands ready to offer any assistance needed”.

The accident happened in the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, said the official IRNA news agency.

Military personnel along with the Revolutionary Guards and police had also deployed teams to the area, said army chief-of-staff Mohammad Bagheri.

Iran’s Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi said medical resources had been dispatched.

The reformist Shargh daily also reported that “the helicopter carrying the president crashed” while two other helicopters had landed safely.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said one of the helicopters “made a hard landing due to bad weather conditions” and that it was “difficult to establish communication” with the aircraft.

Raisi has been president of the Islamic Republic since 2021 when he succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, for a term during which Iran has faced crisis and conflict.

He took the reins of a country in the grip of a deep social crisis and an economy strained by US sanctions against Tehran over its contested nuclear programme.

Iran saw a wave of mass protests triggered by the death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly flouting dress rules for women.

In March 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise deal that restored diplomatic relations.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday voiced “great concern” after Sunday incident, offering to help with the response.

“We affirm that the Kingdom stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances and its readiness to provide any assistance that the Iranian agencies need,” the foreign ministry of the Gulf kingdom, a longtime rival of Iran, said in a statement.

The war in Gaza that broke out on October 7 sent regional tensions soaring again and a series of tit-for-tat escalations led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April 2024.

In a speech following Sunday’s dam inauguration, Raisi emphasised Iran’s support for Palestinians, a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

“We believe that Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world, and we are convinced that the people of Iran and Azerbaijan always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime,” said Raisi.

Raisi, born in 1960 in northeast Iran’s holy city of Mashhad, served as Tehran’s prosecutor-general from 1989 to 1994, deputy chief of the Judicial Authority for a decade from 2004, and then national prosecutor-general in 2014.

His black turban signifies direct descent from the Prophet Mohammed, and state media has referred to him by the senior title of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

Headline

Iranian President: Hamas Raises ‘Great Concern’ Over Helicopter Crash

Published

12 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Editor

Hamas has issued a statement voicing “great concern” after a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other Iranian officials crashed on Sunday, CNN reports.

Recall that a helicopter carrying Raisi was involved in a hard landing while visiting a northern region and his condition is currently unknown.

Details about the crash are still unclear, as rescue groups are moving towards the area to locate the missing helicopter.

However, Hamas has expressed “solidarity” towards the president and the “brotherly Iranian people.”

The Hamas statement reads partly: “In this painful incident, we express our full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, government, and people, and we ask Allah Almighty to protect and ensure the safety of the Iranian President and his accompanying delegation, and to keep all harm away from the brotherly Iranian people.”