WebinarsNew
Explore Business Standard
Billionaires
As the rich and powerful from across the world start filling snow-clad lanes here, a new study said billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold any political office than ordinary people, and their wealth jumped three times faster in 2025 than the past-five-year average to a record high of USD 18.3 trillion. In Indian currency, it translates to more than Rs 1,660 lakh crore. Hours before the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 begins in this Swiss ski resort town, rights group Oxfam International released its own annual inequality report to highlight that the ever-deepening wealth divide was also sparking dangerous political inequality. The meeting is being attended by over 3,000 global leaders, including more than 60 heads of state or government, as part of an over 400-strong political leadership presence in this small town in the Alps. Oxfam International said the billionaire wealth jumped by over 16 per cent in 2025, while it has increased by 81 per cent since ...
Hundreds of protesters marched through Venice's central streets Saturday to say No to billionaire Jeff Bezos, his bride and their much-awaited wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents. On Friday, the world's fourth-richest man and his bride Lauren Sanchez Bezos tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests on the secluded island of San Giorgio. The wedding, however, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from overtourism, high housing costs and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding. As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening, hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice's tiny streets with colourful banners reading Kisses Yes, Bezos No and No Bezos, no War". The demonstration contrasted with the expensive ..