Aneela Nike Post: March 2018

The world now holds more than 2,200 billionaires with a combined fortune of $9.1 trillion, up 18 per cent from a year ago, according to Forbes. And Bezos’ success story along with Amazon is astonishing and record-breaking.....

Top rich list makes an interesting reading this year. A surprise new entry, Jeff Bezos’ wealth surpasses 100 billion to top the rich list. A 59 per cent spike in Amazon stock helped its founder overtake Bill Gates, Warren Buffet in the Forbes ranking worldwide. His rise is all the more surprising. Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com is a book by Richard L Brandt. It describes the history of Jeff Bezos and the founding of Amazon.com journey from the beginning. Amazon's business model is simple. Making online shopping so easy and convenient that customers won't think twice.

Mukesh Ambani

In India, Mukesh Ambani keeps his standing as the richest Indian in 2018, with assets of $40.1 billion. He moved up to 19^th global rank up from 33^rd ($23.2 billion) last year. India now has 121 billionaires – 19 more than last year, making them the third largest group of the ultra-rich after those from the US and China. Software entrepreneur Azim Premji moved to the second spot in 2018, passing Lakshmi Mittal, the international steel tycoon. Premji moved up from the 72^nd global spot in 2017 with $14.9 billion, to the 58^th rank with $18.8 billion this year.

US President Donald Trump’s fortune sank during his first year in office despite surging stock market. Bezos’ success story revealed in the recent release of Forbes’ closely watched list, underscore the growing clout of both Bezos and the company that he founded in 1994 as an online bookstore.

Bill Gates

Bezos seized the ranking for the first time and has added the distinction of becoming the first person to break the $100 billion barrier since Forbes began compiling its list in 1987. As of February 9, Bezos wealth stood at $112 billion, up from about $73 billion last year. Most of Bezos’ fortune is tied up in Amazon stock, which soared 59 per cent during the period.

Warren Buffet

Amazon has expanded beyond its book selling origin to become a retailer of almost everything. It even sells groceries in stores after its $13.7 billion purchase of whole foods. More recently, it branched into healthcare in partnership involving Berkshire Hathway and its CEO, Warren Buffet, whose $84 billion fortune ranks third on the Forbes list.

Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder ranks second on the Forbes list with wealth of $90 billion. Though Donald Trump is part of the elite group, he saw his fortune sink by about $400 million to 3.1 billion during his first year in office. The decline left him as the world’s 766^th richest person, more than 200 places lower than his 544^th spot on the last year’s list.

Both Bill Gates, 62 and Warren Buffet, 87 have committed to giving away most of their wealth while Bezos, 54 hasn’t said anything about his philanthropic plans. May come out with it sometime later.

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Hornbill Festival:
Hornbill festival is held in Nagaland during December. The festival is packed with plenty of folk performances and rock shows by local artistes. It's also dubbed as the Festival of Festivals. It's a ten days event where various tribes of Nagaland come together to celebrate their colourful and rich culture. If you're a music lover, then the Hornbill International Rock Contest hosted every year featuring up-and-coming bands across the country. It also showcases the rich traditions of Nagaland across various local tribes.

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