Category Archives: Billionaires
Harrod's Sale Crowns Mohamed Al-Fayed World's Craziest Billionaire
When feisty Egyptian retail mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed announced earlier this week that he sold his prized luxury store Harrods to the Qatari royal family for $2 billion, it marked his official entry to the who’s-who list of ten-digit fortunes. Yes, … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, World
Obama's Entrepreneurship Summit: Propaganda or Progress?
In case you missed it, the “new beginning” to US-Muslim relations kicked off Monday. The difference is palpable, no? Well, maybe no. Not yet- but the two-day Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship which ended yesterday at the White House is evidence … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, World
Goldman's Fraud: Ignorance, Meet Arrogance
In sifting through the reams of damning documents and news stories that have surfaced over the past three days, it is perversely comforting to rediscover the icky truth behind financial implosions in general and the subprime debacle in particular: no … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, Wall Street
What Abu Dhabi's Looming Power Struggle Means for Dubai
The sudden, tragic death of Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahayan in a plane crash in Morocco has cast a pall over the UAE in more ways than one. The intensely-private 41-year-old was not nearly as high-profile … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, World
Oprah No Longer Entitled to Freedom of Speech
For anyone eagerly anticipating a sequel to Oprah’s exciting 1998 libel victory over the Texas beef machine: you’ll have to wait. Yesterday, Oprah announced she had settled a lawsuit filed by the former headmistress of the talk show maven’s troubled … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business
Dubai's Bailout a Wild Bet
Fake islands are the way of the future. That, more or less, is the audacious belief underpinning the deal Dubai worked out yesterday with creditors to restructure $23.5 billion of frozen debt. After four months of gloom and uncertainty, the … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business
Dubai Cracks Down on the One Thing it Can Still Control
That would be randy Brits. And sexting. Massage parlors. Cooking booze. Pretty much anything that might constitute a threat to traditional Emirati culture and the very same things that differentiated Dubai from its ultra-conservative neighbors. Dubai’s value proposition to the … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, World
Dubai Offers Cash For (Real Estate) Clunkers
The story of Dubai’s real estate market over the past eight years would make an exciting flip-book. A sleepy port town introduces freehold property rights for foreigners (May 2002) and- hang on to your hats- a buzzing metropolis is born. … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, World
The Third World is a Bastion of Billionaires
Forbes Magazine is out with its annual round-up of the world’s super-rich and whaddya know, a surprising number of heavy-hitters can be found in that part of the planet we used to refer to as “the third world.” “Third” being … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business, Wall Street
Why Billionaires Matter
Forbes Magazine is out with its annual tally of all the world’s billionaires. The happy fat cats from Miami to Macau who are much, much, much richer than you. In case you needed to be reminded, you are not in … Continue reading
Filed under Billionaires, Business
