Forbes says billionaires set new record
Forbes has issued its annual rich list, revealing that there are now more billionaires than ever - 2,781. That's 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021.  Forbes also said the billionaires are richer than ever, worth US$14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by US$2 trillion from 2023 and US$1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021.  New additions include the singer Taylor Swift.  Six of the top ten richest people on the planet made their money in technology. It said much of the gains come from the top 20, who added a combined US$700 billion in wealth since 2023, and from the US, which now boasts a record 813 billionaires worth a combined US$5.7 trillion.  It said China - including Hong Kong - was second, with 473, worth a total of US$1.7 trillion.  India was third.  The number one was the fashion and cosmetics empire of Bernard Arnault and Family, with US$233 billion, followed by Tesla boss and Space-X founder Elon Musk, with a net worth of US$195 billion, followed by Amazon's Jeff Bezos (US$194 billion), Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg (US$177 billion), and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison (US$141 billion). The first Chinese billionaire on the list was Zhong Shanshan, the founder of Nongfu Spring, a bottled water company, with US$62.3 billion.