World's 2nd richest man: India's Gautam A

Joe Hernandez, NPR.org, 9/17/22; CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Gautam Adani (center) attends the UP Investors Summit, on 6/3/22 (Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP).

Racist police corruption, climate chaos, Republican fascism? (occupy.com)

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Move over, Jeff Bezos. India's richest man is now wealthier than the Amazon founder

India has rich people? Taj Mahal says yes.

(NPR) Move over, Jeff Bezos. India's richest man, Gautam Adani, shot past the Amazon founder this week in the rankings of the world's wealthiest people [mostly men].

According to lists maintained by Forbes and Bloomberg, Adani's fortune lies somewhere between $147 billion and $152 billion, putting him at No. 2 (Bloomberg) or No. 3 (Forbes) on the lists.

Bezos currently boasts around $147 billion in total net worth, placing him third (Bloomberg) or fourth (Forbes).

• Gautam(a) is also the name of the historical Buddha
• Can SEC stand up to world's richest man Elon Musk?

You don't tell me. I tell you! Got it? (Elon Musk)

A shakeup in who ranks highest among the ultrarich saw several people cycle through the second position on Friday, according to The Washington Post.

Though Adani ranks ahead of Bezos in both lists, LVMH luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault comes up second-richest in one tally and fourth in the other.

The Times of India reported that Adani increased his wealth this year by nearly $61 billion thanks to a series of deals that have seen the industrialist's portfolio expand into cement, airports, coal, and more.

Adani is the first Asian to make the top three in the list of richest people.

• LeBron James is the first active NBA basketball player to become a billionaire

Little people (Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez) look up to Leo

The top spot on both lists still belongs to [PayPal Founder and] Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

In a report released earlier this year, Oxfam noted that the 10 richest men on earth doubled their wealth during the course of the [profitable] COVID-19 pandemic while the incomes of 99% of the global population suffered.

• Occupy Wall Street? We are the 99% of an infiltrated and destroyed youth movement

Conflict of interest: Amazon is among NPR's financial supporters. Tycoon Gautam Adani is now richer than Jeff Bezos: NPR

Nepal facing hunger as climate changes

Binaj Gurubacharya (AP)

Boudhanath Buddhist temple complex featuring Buddha's Eyes, Katmandu, Nepal.

The Himalayas used to be covered in thick snow that remained year around.

Due to global warming, the environment is detiorating. This photo shows actual conditions on a trek in the Himalayan foothills, Dunge Valley.

KATMANDU, Nepal — Millions of people in Nepal face severe food shortages because global climate change has disrupted weather patterns and slashed crop yields in the Himalayan nation, an international aid agency warned Friday.

Changing weather patterns have dramatically affected crop production in Nepal, leaving farmers unable to properly feed themselves and pushing them into debt, Oxfam International said in a report released in Katmandu. The British aid agency described the situation as "deeply worrying."

Nepalese beggar eats donated food at roadside temple in Katmandu on 8/26/09. Large pockets of extreme poverty and hunger persist in Asia, where the global downturn makes it more difficult to achieve U.N. goals to reduce poverty. Nepal is the worst off with 55.1 percent of its population surviving on less than $1.25 a day (AP/Binod Joshi).

"Communities told us crop production is roughly half that of previous years... Last year many could only grow enough (food) for one month's consumption," said Oxfam's Wayne Gum, adding that less precipitation has been forecast this winter, which will make the situation worse. More extreme temperatures, drier winters, and delays in summer monsoons have all compounded the situation, the report said.

Boys play with a soccer ball on ground overgrown with weeds as Monsoon clouds hover over, Kathmandu, 8/27/09 (AP/Gemunu Amarasinghe).

More than 3.4 million people in Nepal are estimated to require food assistance, and food stocks in farming communities will last only a few months, it warned. Oxfam said Nepal will likely suffer more frequent droughts because of climate change. River levels will decline due to the reduced rainfall and glacial retreat, making it harder to irrigate crops and provide water for livestock. More>>

Ugliest Dog, London Festivals, Jacko (photos)

Young girl enjoys the Hare Krishna "Ratha-yatra" Festival in Trafalgar Square, London June 28, 2009 (AP/Owen Humphreys/PA Wire). The ugliest dog in the world, a Chinese hairless named Miss Ellie, crowned (AP/Noah Berger). Michael Jackson honored with sand sculptures in Puri, India June 26, 2009; he had been preparing for 50 London concerts (AP/Biswaranjan Rout). Painted reveler at London's Oxfam festival to bring attention to global climate change June 25, 2009. MORE>>